¶ He began his Berlin course in a mocking way. There was an unserved jail sentence hanging over Bismarck's head at Goettingen; and with sham seriousness, as though he were going to turn over a new leaf, Otto humbly set up that, to be strictly honest with the professors, to jail Otto must go and to jail they sent him! But no sooner was he out than he forgot all his good resolutions, and began his mad existence again. ¶ Finally, in May, 1835, he passed his examination in law, or "advocate assistant," but not without hiring a professional "crammer" to drill him hours and hours--to make up for wasted weeks in beer cellars and with the pretty girls. 13 Deficient in discipline, young Otto makes a fizzle of his first office-holding; his shocking conduct against his superior officer; back to the old estates, he looks after the cattle, dogs and horses. ¶ Harum-scarum days are over--and now for the serious business of life. Years later, in the days of his great renown, Bismarck, thinking of his early preparation, always regretted, he said, that he did not join the army. As a matter of fact, he had no serious plans for years to come--and it would appear that, on the whole, his career was decided by accident. Of this more, at the right time, later. * * * * * ¶ When Bismarck was 20, he served several months at Aix-la-Chapelle, in court work, then was transferred to Potsdam, to the administrative side. He soon showed himself deficient in discipline. An over-officer kept him waiting, and Bismarck took personal offense. At last Bismarck was admitted. The over-officer was sitting there, calmly killing time smoking a cigar. Bismarck leaned over and in his gruff way asked, "Give me a match!" This in itself was highly insolent, a violation of Prussian ideas of discipline. But the astonished over-officer complied. The young clerk thereupon sprawled in a chair and lighted his cigar. It was, you see, merely to show his independence. Also, it meant that he had to get out of the service. ¶ Bismarck was glad to go; he hated intensely the clock-like regularity of the Prussian bureaucracy. ¶ His mother died in 1839, at which time Otto was 24; and on the young chap now fell the management of the Pomeranian estates. ¶ In 1844, Otto went to live with his father at Schoenhausen; here, Otto and his brother looked after the farms. Otto was later appointed Dyke-captain of the Elbe. ¶ Along about this time, a religious revival swept through Prussia and Otto was carried away on the flood; also, he began showing himself a strong monarchical man. Always religious and always a King's man, at heart, Otto now seriously studied religion and state affairs. When the call came, he was not found wanting! * * * * * ¶ We hasten along. In 1847, Otto's naturally deep religious convictions were strengthened by his wife's uncompromising orthodoxy.