The daily clarion. [volume] (Meridian, Miss.) 1863-1866, 1866-02-09
CRRMAN ARIsTOCRACY.

Those who have devoted anY time in
studying the social distinctions of Germany
will recognize much that is true in the fol-
lowing from the London Saturday Review
of Oct 14th:
The German aristrocracy is the only aris-
tccracy of its kind in FL 70 De. Other aris-
| tocracies have a great pOIlCical and social
| influence, and govern their countrymen, and
teach them the fashions In other cOun-
| tries there is love of titles and of high
I sounding names, of crosses and decorations,
of precedence and of patronage. But there
are points in the German nobility that are
/ n It found in even the most aristocratic of
other countries. In the first place, the no
/ bility is opposed politically to the people, to
/ all populous aspirations, to budgets, consti-
( tutions and all other such contrivanceS of
revolutionary demons, and the mobiles are
/ still politically supreme. There is much
/ kicking against the pricks in some parts of
Northern Germany the lower part of the
/ nation is much inclined to throw off the
/ yoke if it only knew how, but at this mo-
ment the nobility still rules. There, and
/ there only in Europe, reactiOnary nobility
! is in possession of the reins of Government.
In Spain the grandeeG are very awful and
! big graHdees, but they either reside on their
estates and sulk, or they take part, and
not a very prominent part, in politics. In
France the old noblesse have no political
. power NlldltNtI, anu l1c Oltl SOtldl SiDCII-
ority is gradually fading away. In Italy the
aristOcracy is everywhere so far ut the head
of the national movement that aTistOcrats
who stand aloof from it are simply left out
in the cold Even in Austria, the nobility
Us whole, takes its tone principally from
the great magnates of Hungary and Bohe-
mia, who have the feelings of provincial
grandces, and not those of aliens from the
mass of the people In North Germany
alone the political life of the nation is de-
ternined by the existence Of nobility that
has no sympathy with its interiors, and is
+ thoroughly convinced that it is its inherent,
indisputable privilege to lead the vulgarly
/ born as it they were sheep
I Socially, too, the aristOcracy hangs round
( the neck of Germany like an old man of the
/ sea. Germans are literally thrOttled by
+ their nobility. They cannot speak or think
/ or move without showing that they
| feel the difference between them and not
being Won They are so accustomed from
/ their cradle to the notions of superior
caste which has sacred rights over them,
I that they cannot through their whole lives
/ emancipate themselves from the bondage to
/ which they are thus subjected. Nor does
royalty do much to help them. Every now
and then there is "A Sovereign who does not
merge himself in the aristocracy The
House of Coburg has made itself conspicu-
GUS by its desire to seek in its popular SYM
/ pathieS a support against the claims of the
! petty aristOcrats of its provinces.
The late King of Prussia had vague no.
ton of hOnoring intellect as much as birth,
and of setting the notabilities of literature
and science against the notabilities of noble
society His poor, wandering head was full
of Egyptian antiquities and Roman tOpO-
| gTaphy and Jerusalem bishopries, and of
/ vast amount of literary and ecclesiastical
/ moonshine, ard he naturally was pleased to
/ think that people who We're somewhat like
/ him were as good as his marshals and his
chamberlains. But all the opposition of
/ German royalty to the Germany aristOcracy
! has hitherto been transient and Ineffective.
The Kings and the mobiles feel alike, think
alike, believe alike, and it would be difficult
for either to get on without the other and
the aristOcracy keeps its hold on Germany
simply because it is caste. 1t has no vir-
tues to attract, no splendid qualities to daZ-
gle, no elegance or refinement or courtesy to
charm its interiors. 1t does nothing except
puff itself, and swagger and curse, and treat
the vulgar hke-dOgs. 1t is not only by far
the least gallant, the least intelligent, the
least digniiied, the least well-bread aristOc-
racy in Europe. But its dement's give it
its strength. fit were better than it is, it
would hate its present self; it would feel
more deeply, think more deeply, behave
more cautiously. But, because it is gross,
it is compact. 1t coheres as a caste, which
could not be a caste if it did not cOhere; and
the great mass of Germans accept it because
the inveterate force of habit has persuaded
them that such a caste must exist.