, 1869-07-02
The change. Of Ppwsr h Enrnne.

Wonderful indeed have been the changes
Of power among the nations Of Europe. Who
not well conversant with history, would i'm,
agine that two of the leading and most pow
erful countries upon the continent are the
creations Of the last century and a half
Before Peter the Great, who died in 1925.
there was no Russia known to civilization
Prussia was almost, il not entirely, the work
OF the great Frederick, who commenced his
reign in l740.
What would now be European balance
Of power which did not take into account
these two mighty military monarcbies
Empires, even more than civilization, have
their changes and vicissitudes. Three huns
dred years ago the sovereignty of the world
was divided between the powers of Spain
and Austria. There was then no great
Britain. Scotland had its separate King and
Parliament. Ireland was, by no means,
subdued. England was of but little more
Importance as great power than Sweden or
Holland are now. The power of France,
which, if united, would have been formid.
able, was eGtirely frIttered away in the 70.
ligious wars between the Protestant Huge
nots.
There was no Italy, for it was parccled out
among the foreign powers There was no
Holland or Belgium, for they were claimed
BY, and belonged to Spain. Russia anu
Prussia, as we have shown, were not in exs
istence. The United States were not then
even in embryo. A century later all this
was charged. England, Scotland and Ire
land had been consolidated into a United
Il ha ne
Oliver Cromwell, had made it formidable
power. The state,cratt of Cardinals Richie,
lieu and Mazarin, united to the ability of
Louis XIV, had made France not only 4
great, but tremendously great power. She
threatened all Europe, and was only prevent.
ed by Britain, Austria, Holland and Bel-
GUM from obtaining universal dominion.
Spain was rapidly losing her pristige. So
closed the seventeenth century.
Another hundred years witnessed the en-
trance Of Prussia and Russia into the Eu.
ropean system as great powers. Spain was
fading away in the dim distance as leading
nation. The power Of the house Of Austria
was declining. The United States, Graded
in revolution, had been weaned from the
colonial estate, and were taking proper posi-
ton as power of the immediate future, if
not of the present. France, under the old
regime, was losing its power and Importance.
Corruption was eating its very vitals. 1t
seemed likely to follow in the path Of Spain.
Then came the revolution of 1889, like a
thunder,clap, or Ike tornado, upon the
civilized world. France had new political
birth. She again became, under democratic
ENERGY the first DoWpr of tha continent
Her main checks were Russia and Prussia,
countries that had only appeared Just above
the political horizon. Their power, how
ever, rapidly increased. In few years these
new adherents to civilized powers, in con.
nection with Great Britain, entered Paris,
and, if disposed, could have blotted out
France from the list of the great powers.
The leading European nations were then
Great Britain, Russia, Austria, Prussia and
France. How rapid was the advance of
Russia and Prussia In 1725, as we have
said, Russia in her feeble infancy In 1914
the Cossacks of the Russian Don garrisOned
Paris, the headquarters of Europe ciViliza-
ton. In the succeeding year the Prussian
hussars, under BIu,her, after the campaign
of Waterloo in 1912, entered the French
capital.
Fifty years have passed since then
France is now one of the leading powers Of
Europe. Italy has been reconstructed, and
is now one Of the great powers of the CONT
nent. The whole world has been changed.
Those who ouce governed its destinies are
impotent, and those who we're once impOtent
are now all powerful.