The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-03-01
BiSmarck'S Ideal Christian State Viewed in
the Light Of Modern Events.
"Wir Cohen Nicht Mach
CanOssa.'


do justice to its subject. 1t Is entirely Prus
sian and too political In its quotations OF the
Princes sayings to suit any but Prussian taste.
What We expected to md and what really should
! have been done, was to present us with collec-
ton Of tho terse, epigrammatic and sometimes
poetic sayings Of which Bismarck is 80 often
guilty In his political speeches.
"BLOOD AND IRON'
are not the only winged words Of his which have
attained worldwide fame Newspaper men, or
rather their poor oppressed German oo,Ureres.
have had to suffer from his biting sarcasm In en-
titling them in one OF his speeches "people who
have missed their vocation?' and, again, as
'Catilinian existences.u
The factis that no other class OF persons can be
obtained to do newspaper work in Prussia, 80
long as editors are liable to Imprisonment for
writing editorials at variance with the views of
the Government Deputy S0nnemann, OF the
FrankJttrts Zettung 80 newspaper man and
gentleman" Ia at present undergoing two months
OF dursnce vile for slight newspaper transgres-
sion. II Bismarck attempts to prosecute the for
eign press, as he has been charged. then let him
beware. There will be howl raised far greater
than that from Posen, and the religious difficulties
will sink into the shade.
''THE MOST POPULAR NAN IN GERMANY"
The first picture that meets our eye In the VOL
made for the pages Of the Fzte0ende Blaetter-a
hut in the Bavarian Alps, wherein hunter Is draw
ing the attention Of his boy to picture OF Prince
Bismarck, hung c0nsplcuously on the WALL near to
the crucinx. The inscription Of winged wordsi
attached to this picture emind US OF that we'll
known incident in the "Life Of Disraeh,"
who, when the House refused to listen
to his speech, declared that some time they
would have to. And they had to. So Prince
Bismarck during the time when he was. perhaps,
the best hated man In all Germany, declared
"Perhaps the day will come when shall be the
most popular man in Germany" And he was; and
is stin-as well as, by large portion of the
people, the best hated. How this popularity was
attained Is 80 well known that 1t needs
not repetition. His policy of "Blood and
Iron" made him popular because 1t was
successful. These "winged words" have furnished
the artist ideas for a design which Is at once
daring and unique. The picture is entitled "Bl0Od
and 'front.'
BLOOD, THE cRUCIF1x; IRON, THE IRON CROSS,
thus developed
We have two parallel series OF silhouettes, In
the one Of which the curse of blood is traced from
the death OF Cain to the cross, and the blessings
OF iron from the delivery Of the ore to the needle
gun and the institution OF the iron cross. The
idea Is novel, The one series Is called the Alpha,
Ine OtneT tne omega; Out WHICH COmeS uTSG VIC
know not. In the 'Blood" series we first see
Cain neeing before a fury after killing his brother;
little higher two ancient warriors are engaged
in combat; little higher an officer has fallen; he
is nursed by good Samaritan woman, while an
angel descends, bringing in the one hand the
wreath OF fame and in the other the chalice. The
series is surmounted by the cross In the opposite
series we are shown the noble uses to which iron
is put. First we see plgmy wheeling the ores
out OF the subterranean regions1 next a smith
welding a spear; next hunter engaged in
the chase; next figures representing husbandry
and mechanics next soldier with needlegun-
Prussian, or course-who, with his right hand is
about grasp the iron cross. Such Is the cross OF
wood, the cross OF iron the first and the last the
Alpha and the omega OF the worlds regeneration.
Since Bismarck is determined to have religion to
suit the State, we would advise him to have the
figure Of the altered little to suit the mod
ern Prussian taste-replace the cross Of wood by
the one Of iron, the iron cross.
BisMARCK's STATE CHRISTIANITY.
As ! said, the book OF Bismarck's, "Winged
Words, y leaves much to be desired in the way Of
completeness. We find no sayings at all to Illus
trate the present religious conflict that has
broken out in Germany. The work contains but
few quotations or pictures illustrative Of the ques
ton. In 1867 the Prince declared that "a great
State did not rule according to the views Of
parties," saying which the artist has illustrated
by permitting Bismarck to ride in the
four horsed chariot over feudalism, republicanism
and Jesuitism. Now, Bismarck has uttered at
times very fine things about the union OF the State
and the Church, about Prussianism and Chris
tianity going hand in hand and we propose to re.
peat them here. They would form arabesques to
Posen pictures OF the present time In an interest
ing debate, In 1847, on
JEWISH EMANCIPATION,
Bismarck thus spoke in defining his views Of the
Christian State:-
We have heard the definition OF Christian
State. We were yesterday told that Christian su-
premacy Is an idle felton, an invention OF recent
State philosophers. l am of opinion that the idea
Of Christian supremacy is as ancient as the CT
the great family q European States; that
It is. IN fact the very soil in which
State which wishes to have its existence enduring
If 1t desires to point to any justification for that
existence when called in question. must be consti-
tuted on religious basis. For me she words "by
the grace OF God". aiixed by Christian rulers to
their names form no empty sound; but see IN the
sway the sceptres entrusted to them by the AL
mighty according to Gods Will on earth. I, now
ever, can only recognize the will OF God that
which Is contained in the Christian Gospels, and
believe ! am within my right when call such a
State Christian whose problem Is to realize and
| verify the doctrine OF Christianity am convinced
that the aim OF the State is the realization OF Chris
! tian doctrine. II the religious basis OF the
| State be acknowledged, am sure that among our
selves the basis can only be that OF Christianity. If
withdraw from the State this religious basis our
| State becomes nothing more than fortutous ag-
| gregatiOn OF rights, sort OF buwark against the
universal war OF each against all, such az an elder
philosophy instituted. lts legislation, then, would
no longer re-create itself from the original fOunt tam
| OF eternal truth, but only from the vague and
mutable ideas OF humanity taking shape only from
the conceptions formed in the brains OF those who
| occupy the apex. Therefore, gentlemen,
let as not diminish the Christianity Of the people by
showing that 10 Is superhuous 10 the Legislature
let us not deprive the people OF the belief that our
! legislation Is derived from ohe fountain OF Chris
tianity, and that the State seeks to promote the
| realization OF Christianity though that end nray
| not always be attained
| TCH BIN Elm PREUss
These words were spoken in 1s47--we are now
recording the events OF 1874. Figures and IDEAS
have changed you see "Whoever calls me an uh-
conscientious politician" said once the Prince,
many years ago, ''does me injustice he should IIy
his own conscience first upon this arena" we