The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1871-04-27

a mysterious but powerful influence in raising
the self-respect of each individual. Every
citizen, every man and woman in a State,
is of mora valua TO the world, and more con-
scious of dignity, if he has the feeling that
he belongs to great and honored State-to
leading and powerful race. The individual
reflects and assumes the glories of his COM
munity or country
Till within the past few years the Germans
were lsmentably deficient in this conscious
ness. There was no sense of country among
them; little pride of race. The upper classes
were citizens of the world; the lower, of their
petty dukedoms and Kingdoms. With Sedan,
however, and the new German Empire, re-
viving that of Charlemagne, begins q new
national consciousness a proud sense that
the broken German populations are at length
united, and must lead civilization for centu-
ries to come. A Prussian, or Saxon, or Ba-
varisn, or Hessian, is no longer merely citi-
zen of his own province; he belongs TO the
grsnder and more glorious community Of the
whole German race. This new feeling of
race and country is destined to affect the
Germans in every part of the globes it reaches
them here; it changes their relative position
with other races; it affects the opinions Of
others towards them. Even on American
soil, the victory of Sedan will give O new
dignity to each German citizen OF our Re-
public, and greater political unity to our
whole Teutonic population.
This cannot but be felt in all our politics.
As the V0lkstreuasd says, in very intelligent
article on this subject, the little power of the
German. Americans in our politics is, in a
large measure, their own fault-the result of
their incessant and petty personal jealousies
and feuds among themselves. But, with the
new German unity, and the sense of their
power rs race, we may hope for greater dig
nifty, self-respect, and united action from our
90 L.
porting their own leaders and their own ideas.
They will not be, as they have been, the slaves
of the most reactionary and corrupt and
priestly party which exists in any civilized
country. They will think more for them
selves, and stand up together for our best
ideas of progress and liberty. The sham of
Democracy" will not deceive them as it has
done. They will join the friends of reform
and freedom in this country, and no longer be
led by the ignorant Irish and cunning Tam
many demagogues.
The position, too, of our "Republican"
friends must change towards many of the
Teutonic habits and customs 1t is certainly
apparent that the innocent German amuse-
ments, the love of outdoor pleasure, sssthe
fondness for music, the social quaffing of
lager-beer and Rhine wines, have in no way
sapped either the physical or mental power Of
the race; that they have not prevented (even
if they have not aided) them in attaining the
most exact discipline, the most thorough
popular education, the most solid military
power, and the very head and front of the
worlds civilization. War is the ut
most test of nations moral and physical
power. Under it, France has exploded
like pricked balloon. Under it,
Germany comes forth more solid, welded, and
compact than ever. People who sneer at the
German habits must ask themselves what
other habits make better men. At all events
we, as members of the Republican party, can
not expect to make New England Puritans of
the jovial Deutscher. We must take the n as
they are. Perhaps they would have been
stronger and freer, if they had never INDUCED
in lager beer, much tobacco, and acid wines.
Perhaps a moro serious view OF life would
have been better for them.
Still we cannot reform them they
do not want to be reformed; and, in future,
they are less likely to want to be reformed
than ever. We must accept them, and if pos
sible make some reasonable compromise
! between their habits and American habits.
We need them in our great struggle with o
worse than French corruption, and tyranny
more enslaving than was ever Napoleon's.
With them as allies, we may yet see an Anne
rican Sedan, where the allied forces of the
New York Ring, the foreign priesthood, and
the Southern Democracy shall be overthrown
and freedom and honesty triumph for gene
ration.