The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-03-12
The speech of the King of Prussia.

The Speech of the King of Prussia.
The Parliament of the North German Confe-
deration met in Berlin on the Oath ult., and
was opened by the King of Prussia in person.
The speech read to the Assembly from the
throne. as published in The EVENING TELE-
GRAPH Of yesterday, is certainly an extremely
astonishing document. If we take it for
granted that the translation conveys the
meaning of the address as clearly as the
original did, we think that the auditors must
have been highly instructed. The King opens
with the assurance that it is ian elevating
moment in which | come among you" and
proceeds to ''thank Divine Providence for
having brought Germany towards the object
desired by her people," He assures the Ger
mans that the greatness of their ancestors is
not forgotten, and lucidly explains the cause
of their recent impotent attitude towards the
nations Of Europe as being brought about
because they "allowed themselves to be
deceived by hopes and "reminiscences as to the
value of the present by ideals as to the import
ance Of facts" To the metaphysical Teutonic
mind this may be satisfactory explanation of
the decline and fall of the German Empire,
but to us it does not present remarkably
vivid picture Of the causes of decay. If,
however, it was satisfactory to Parliament, we
have no right to complain.
Fearing that he might not have been sufi-
ciently explicit as to the lessons to be derived
from the past history of the German States,
King William goes more into details, and in the
concluding sentence of his paraphrase renders
everything perfectly clear. He says;-
THE German movement of recent years has
borne no hostile tendency towards our neigh
bors no striving after conquest; but has risen
solely from the necessity of atfOrding the broad
domains from the Alps to the sea the funda-
mental conditions OF political progress Uhtci
the march Of Development in former centuries has
impeded"
Here there is new explanation. 1t has
been the 'march of development" that we
have to thank for the failure of the ''princi-
pies of political progress" OF course there is
nothing like having new causes assigned to
old effects. Draper imputes the success of
the Anglo-Saxons to the prevalence of the
trade-winds on the coast of England. Gibbon
tells us Rome declined because her citizens got
too rich. And now we are assured that the
OeGlnan power HAS Deeu lulpeueu Wy IhO
''march of development" Unless better
translations can be published than that
before us, we think that, for proper
comprehension of European politics, all
reference to imperial speeches had better be
omitted. The true gist of the address is a
device to ''make Germany great and make the
King of Prussia the Emperor Of the recon-
structed Empire The unity of Germany
means the supremacy OF Prussia. Viewed
in this light, we can well explain the impas-
stoned peroration:-
MAY the dream of centuries, the yearning
and striving of the youngest generations, be
realized by our common work. In the name OF
all the allied Governments in the name OF Ger-
many, / confidently call upon you to help us
rapidly aud safely to carry out the great ma
tioual task. And may the blessing of God, upon
which everything depends, accompany and
promote the patriotic work."
We are told that during the delivery of the
address one of the spectators died. We feel
no surprise, and only wonder that many brains
did not give way when they sought to solve
the problem of the ''ideals as to the import
ance of facts, - and when all the precOnceived
notions political economy were rudely dashed
aside, and national stagnation laid at the door
of the "march of development"