The Sun.
London, England, 1867-03-13 00:00:00

of good, both to the colonies and to the mother
country, and in due time it led to a further develop-
ment of free trade in iron. --English Merchants.

GERMANY AF TER THE WAR OF 1866.

(From the Westminster Gazette.)
Bishop Ketteler, one of St. Boniface's worthiest
successors in the See of Mainz, has just published

a work of no inconsiderable dimensions on the

present state of affairs, political and ecclesiastical,
in Germany. More, perhaps, than any other of his
writings, it reflects the pious and chivalrous
character of this prelate, equally celebrated as
a German patriot and as a champion of Church
freedom.

The subjects treated of in this work maybe seen
by a glance at the table of contents. 'We can only
occupy ourselves to-day with this appeal of Bishop
Ketteler to his fellow-countrymen, so far as it

aims at influencing the present policy of Germany.
This portion of the work is calculated to excite

great attention. Many will agree more or less
with his views. So far as he seems to speak in
favour of Southern Germany connecting itself

with the North, one may confidently declare that
the best and most sagacious men of Southern
Germany, and even of the North, will be opposed

to him. In our opinion, however, the most
correct interpretation of his meaning is, that he

only speaks incidentally of a connexion with
Prussia as an abstract possibility, as a possible
defence of Germany against French invasion,

but that he never would nor could advise such a

course except on conditions that, as he himself
shows in this very work, may never be realised.
In weighing what Bishop Ketteler says and
advises on the German question, we must above
all remember that, although by birth a Westpha-
lian, he is a Prussian nobleman; and that for
many years his family, as well as himself in-

dividually, has cherished, to use his own words
" a sincere love for Prussia," rooted chiefly in the
" high estimation" he entertains for " the truly
Christian Conservative party in Prussia, one so

highly intelligent and able."
Truly one might fancy that his lordship was by
this time completely cured of this sympathy. He
says himself—" This party, it is to be regretted,
suffered as great a discomfiture at Sadowa as

Austria herself ; it paid homage to success, ben

the knee to power, and to the fait accompli, and
almost without exception denied those principles
that it had represented for so many years. It was
guilty itself of that very conduct which, through
a prolonged struggle of years, it had been always
reproaching its opponents with. This is a heavy
moral defeat ; for a party that pretends to be
Christian must, above all, evince the fearlessness
of truth in the presence of power. The homage
paid to mere force—cowardice in the presence of
power—has nothing to do with Christianity.
The Conservative party in Prussia has not stood
the trial." This is evidently the death-warrant

of the party ; these hollow lip-Christians, when
the day of trial came, did not stand the test. This

pious band deserted their colours, almost to a man,
flying before usurping Might, trampling Right
under foot. But old love lasts long. Bishop Ket-
teler hopes still that this " Conservative party
will rise again from its fall." In another place
he says, referring to the present time, " there exists
at present in Prussia a truly Christian Conserva-
tive party."
A truly Christian party, whose Christianity did
not stand the test, is a contradiction, in terms,
which, especially in such a man, can only be ex-
plained by an unconscious prepossession. Bishop
Ketteler resided many years in Berlin in close
contact with this political party and with the
Court. In such situations the forming of one-
sided views is almost unavoidable. From this men

of even the strongest characters, especially if also
endowed with high and noble feelings, cannot easily
escape. A sincere love, a predilection, is by no

means the full truth, which, according to the
motto of the author, is to make us free.
In the character of the go-called Conservative
party in Prussia, as in that of the King himself,
Bishop Ketteler distinguishes between a better,
but latent disposition, and that which is patent,
and guides its conduct. On this political mystery of

an undiscoverable better disposition, he appears to
lay weight when he advises Southern Germany to
enter into close connexion with Prussia, and with
the Northern Confederation respectively.
His predilection for Prussia and the " Con-
servative party " causes him to see in its inner con-
flict an explanation if not an excuse for its breach
of faith for the robbery and murder of the late
war. " The conflict within can alone explain the
otherwise inconceivable fact that we see a King
who, during the whole course of his life, has
been in strongest opposition to the revolution, who
in his youth was the intimate friend of the Em-
peror Nicolas (!), that we see a great, intelligent,
and truly not unprincipled Conservative party in
Prussia in these days on the battle-field in alliance
with the revolution and its diplomacy conducted
on the principles of the revolution."
Even Count Bismarck, whether he wills it or no,
has to share in the indulgence extended to the
" Conservative party." When Count Bismarck,
in conversation with the former Minister of Han-
over, excused his treason to Germany and to
Conservative principles on the pretence of being
compelled to act in self-defence by the enemies of
Prussia, Bishop Ketteler sees like the rest of the
world that the pretence is false. "In their direct
sense," he says, " these words are incorrect " (and
this is the real meaning of Count Bismarck) ; " and,
nevertheless, these words of Bismarck have a per-
fectly true sense, when taken in reference to the
inner conflict in Prussia." He goes on—" to over-
turn the Constitution would have been dangerous,"
and to have yielded to the Chambers would have
been " considered equal" to giving up the principle
of monarchy ; Count Bismarck, in this situation,
may have thought it a struggle for the existence of
Prussia, a thought that, perhaps, was latent in the
depths of his heart. " Only a brilliant foreign policy
could help Prussia over the difficulties she had to
combat with at home, and so the risk must be run."
Bishop Ketteler acknowledges, at the same time,
that " the motive which first occasioned this in-
ternal conflict was unjustifiable, for only •in the
case of an absolutely unlimited monarchical prin-
ciple being recognised, could the Government be
entitled to make such demands on the people, as
has been done in men and money, in consequence
of the new Prussian military organisation." We
all know that Count Bismarck would not give
up these unjustifiable demands—men and money,
because he had need of much blood and iron and
gold for the solving of the German question, for
realising the ancient plan of Prussia's mission, a
theme Bishop Ketteler treats of in chapter 5, and
as sure as that this element "had long prepared
the war with Austria and alone made it possible."
This he afterwards explains in the foilowing words:
—" The idea alone of robbing Germany to enlarge
Prussia explains what we have seen ; it alone ex-
plains how it was possible that Prussia made use
of the extreme embarrassment into which Austria
was thrown by the cunning policy of Napoleon
in Italy, in conjunction with the revolution in
Italy and llnngary to prostrate its ancient German
ally." The " infandum scelus " was only to be
explained by the internal conflict ; it is only to
be explained by the desire of plundering and
robbing German allies ; and in this Bishop
Ketteler stands again in the eyes of all
unprejudiced persons on the firm ground of
undeniable truth. Ile only wishes for the truth ;
he has also a deep insight into the truth. But at
times he fluctuates and hesitates. This, perhaps,
we may venture to compare to the palpitations
of a father's heart trembling between hope and
despair at the sight of a prodigal son, and striving
for moments to ignore what it knows, because it is
conscious of being unable to endure the whole
truth.
We have been obliged to touch here on a weak
point of an otherwise excellent work—yes, admir-
able work. We must, at the same time, somewhat
modify our assertion that the work advises a close
connection with the north ; shifting and planless, like
almost all the world in these difficult times, it points
with the left hand, like a finger-post, towards Prus-