The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1871-03-11 00:00:00

A WORD FOR KING WILLIAM, BY A
REPUBLICAN.

From Tuesday's Daily News.)
Scarcely had the "Mon of Sedan" given up his
sword, when he disappeared from all the Punches of
Europe and made room for King William. Snail is the
penalty of success ! Who arc you, it you are not in
Punch! And the King is everywhere in Punch for
—abusing the name of God at the end of the telegrams
to his Quein. In the Pasquino di Torino the
"heavenly Father " puts the crown on the King's
helmet, places the pudding before him at dinner, lights
his pipe after dinner, scares away the flies daring his
nap ; Divine Providence (a young girl) pulls off his
boots, when he is retiring to rest ; it padre threw
hello him to his nightshirt, puts him to bed, offers
him a cup of coffee in the morning, shaven him, and
promises to make his hair grow again— in order to
"make Lim truly thankful for"—&, The jle is
good enow,h : but no Germ on Punch would have
dreamed of mocking the old warrior for his pretended
privileged position with God, because he said he was
truly thankful for what he bad received." And why
not? Because those phrases are not pious at all, and
the King does not belong to any over religious set of
people. The phrases at the end of Li, telegrams on
victories are just of the same description as that of Dr.
Livingetone am very thankful not to have been
eaten by the crocodiles," or that of a lady at the whist'
tald,, "Thank God, we got the trick."
It may he ot served that the least believing naVon in
Europe—the German—has retained in common lite the
greatest number of religious exclama'iors. Instead of
good morning, you must say in Catholic parts of Ger-
many, " Praised be Jesus Christ" Answer, "In all
eternity! Amen." And in the North, if you meet
people at work, they expect you to bid them Godspeed.
"God help !'' is the address. "0 Je !" shortened from
0 Joins ! really " I wonder ;" " 0 Jemine • How
unfeatunate ;" " 0 Je !" " Great wonder;" "Ach
Gotft" means, " It is no use," "Gott im Himmel"
means, "-That's something awful;" and all of them,
as well as "Gott eel look I" and "lets danke Gott
have lost their original literal force. Only one instance
to show that such phrase, are no pious expressions at
all. Bruumßaur, a notorious antagonist of Chris-
tianity, had written against Johann Jaccbi's famous
pamphlet, "Four Questions." The latter, neverthe-
less, when he came to Berlin, paid him a visit, and
found him sitting before his door at Charlottenburg.
He introduced himself by saying, "I am Johann
Jacobi ! ""I, Herr Je I " replied Bauer, in his
surprise. "Well," remarked Jacobi, "such an address
I did not expect from you to me, you being an ex-Cliiii-
tian and I a Jew." In those famous telegrams of the
King the expression, " Dunk(' sine Gott!" means "It
was a close shave !" "lots danke Gott !" means "I
feel really relieved !" "Ems wunderhar Fin.rtung der
Voreehung !" after Sedan, meant, "I am really sur-
prised at a development of such importance I" And
all these exclamations of the King express rather his
modesty than any claim to be a pet of Providence, and
could not be and were not misunderstood by any person
who is familiar with such popular expressions in
ARNOLD RUnx.

Germany.