The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-09 00:00:00

leave to their adversaries the opportunity of future
aggression, will simply be a delusive respite. The
demon of ambition has been awakened in the
sluggish Germen mind, and it wi:l nat b 9
satiated row with a scanty meal. The
nation has reached that stage in its growth which
is the most dangerous for its neighbours It is in
precisely the same ctate as regards the taste for
foreign aggression as France 'Staff in 1791. The.
democracy has become powerful enough to terrify
Governments and aristocracies, and to make them
do its bidding slavishly. Bat it has not learned;
as the French democracy has now learned, to discern
its own weaknesses, and to know the dangers into
t
o
which it may be driven by its passions. N
want stimulants to keep its new craving alive'
There are many competitors for its favour. There
is scarcely a prince or great noble in Germany' 11",,y
does not believe that he holds his position eu t.us
.
sufferance of the many leaded tyrant and its
professor leaders, or who would not give up 'nuns
to appease its wrath. Already M. Bismarck has
conjured the storm which was gathering round ilim
by a dexterous appeal to its passion for conoueer
His example will not lack imitators, For many
years to come it will be an axiom of (3 rman statee
craft to divert the dangerous excitablity of the
hel
democratic associations, by practising upon their
new martiel tastes. The idea, therefore, ths:
,;,,
Germany will sit down satisfied with half,
mouthful of Denmark when the other half
be
invitingly before her is a delusion which will
ruinous if it is allowed to take a practical shaPe.'
In any case the Danes will have to defend their
nationality in a future and not very t
distant war'
The only point to which their efforts can usefully directed now is to take precautions that
the war, when it comes, do not find them helpless,
and disarmed. If they accept an untenable
frontier now, they will certainly be overrun ; and
that is the worst that can happen to them if
they break up the Conference now, and
trust themselves again to the chances of resistance;
It must be acknowledged that the attitude
,°
the neutral Powers is not very encouraging to
them. The strange reserve of France, the gruce`i
ling cowardice of England, the curious tolerance e
Russia for the pretensions of neighbours which Mali%
be so dangerous to her commercial existence, are
:
circumstances which do not promise, at first Big"
say hopeful issue to the resistance of the Dane`'
But things are as bad now as they well can be; and
there are many grounds for the belief that if the
war were to be renewed the attitude of the neutral
Powers would be improved. In England, at least'
it is not likely that pusillanimity of the Ministersiti
or the influences, whatever they may be, whie;,,
overrule the Government, will be likely to restrain
for a much longer period the impatience of
English
country. The previous war had brought Eug'
feeling to the very verge of an explosion at then.
inotner..; when the armistice was agreed uPchii
Probably if it had been deferred for another week
the English people would have forced their Govern
le
went into the fray. The sight of a renewed struggle
between the same opponents so unequally tuatan.„er,
would rouse the same sympathy to an equal in.--
sity of fury. The hatred of Germany and the Geri;
mans is so keen among us that it requires very Vile
provocation to fan the feeling into a flame. Thu
constant hope that the deliverance of the Pa"
might be accomplished by peaceful means
hitherto restrained the nation from pressingra
active measures. But when once the hope °I
peaceful solution is passed, and they begin to realises
that England, after all her promises, is to be 016 d to abandon them to the marauding plunderers of
Germany, we cannot believe that the English people
will be false to the traditions of their policy °r toib
their country's former glory. At all events it is
Tee
Conference chance for the Danes. If they break up
a,
Conference (supposing their ultimatum to be 1:e
fused), they throw themselves upon the good faith
and the generous instincts of the English people' e.
If they allow it to linger on till the session ja Prave
tieally over, they abandon themselves to what rid
proved to be their bitterest enemies—the t'1:1?
vacillation and the belfish perfidy of the Bl."1`„b
Ministers.