Litchfield enquirer., 1879-10-30
STEIN.


 tio0s to modern history is Life of the great German statesman Stein, by Professor seeley, of Cambridge University, England. The period and the man are both of extreme inter- est The period is that of the First Napoleon and the worst portion of that period-when the whole force of the Great Revolution had been turned to the personal advantage of a c0arse, able soldier, whose ambition, more destructive than the Black Death of the Mid de Ages, was sweeping into bloody graves the prime men of a whole generation of Europe ans
 The great revolutionary epoch of the Eigh- teenth Century found Prussia the smallest and poorest of Great Powers, but with large standing army, reputed the best disciplined in Europe The Seven Years War, during large portion of which Frederick held at bay the combined strength of Austria, Russia and France, had given Prussia standing among European nations to which it was not entitled either by size. wealth, or population. The iron discipline. military genius and great good luck of Frederick, had raised his little king dUm to footing of equality with the greatest of contemporary governments, and his army to an uDquestioned pre-eminence among the standing armies of the time. The dsmember- ment of Poland brought large accessions of territory bat even then the population of Prussia fell below ten millions, and the country would have ranked only as a second-rate power, but for the size and exceptional efficiency of her army.
 Prussia took but little part in the early wars of the Revolution. The inglorious campaign of 1792 was the greatest of her military efforts The war dragged along indeed for three years more. but the peace concluded in 1795 remain ed unbrOken for a period of eleven years During all this time the policy of Frederick William III was weak, selfish, and short sighted tO e last degree. Though manifestly dispIeased with the exorbitant growth of the NapOleonic power, that feeble monarch made himself party to Napoieon's schemes by &C., cepting just that part of the spells of the NapoIeOnic cOnqnests which would embroil Prussia with the very powers whose assistance she would most need in case of war with Napoleon.
 In 1SO6 the year after Napoleon had hum- bIed Austria and Russia at Austerlitz, Prus- sia's turn came at last. With England and Austria too thoroughly alienated and distrust- fuI. ant Russia too distant to render assistance, the issue between the old tactics of Frederick and the new tactics of the Revolution was fought Oat at Jena and Auerstadt. The result was decisive The clumsy military machine which had proved so serviceable against still clumsier military machines, half century before, rusty with disuse, proved no match for the genius of Napoleon. and the dash, the practical experi- eDce. and the freer tactics of the Revolution. One day of fighting and six weeks of pursuit Jeff Prussia a complete wreck in the hands of her cOOquerOr-
 Napoleon had done his work 30 effectually al Jens and Auerstadt, and in the busy ensu- ing weeks. that he had completely disposed of one adversary before he met the other at Fly Ian The terrible slaughter and doubtful re- suit of that memorable battle gave Russia hgief breathing space, till the campaign of Friedland restored the prestige of the French arms, and enabled Napoleon to dictate his terms of peace. Tilsit completed the ruin of Prussia By that peace Frederick William Iust half his territory. Forty milionsin spe- cic were wrung from a country that has never been rich contributions vastly in excess of his means were demanded for the future his army was cut down to a total of Az, 900 men, and his most important Actresses remained in the hands of the French.
 IL is at this point that Stein was called to power. Born Knight of the old Empire, he had entered the Prussian civil service and had already shown the grasp of the true statesman. He understood the reason of Prussia's failure ard he understood the remedy. The fact was that Prussia had fallen behind her times Among despoiic rulers, and in conflict with such governments as the France of Louis XIV, the genius of Frederick the Great and tine Stezdiness of his troops had attained suprema- y: but . new principle had come into being. The attack of monarchical Europe on Repub- Ec4n France had aroused a popular resistance tke Ike 0f which has never been equalled in DsteTn times The very strength of the French military uprising had, however, prov sNi fatal to the existence of popular govern Eaens Tn that state \ succession of lesser hillary usurpatiOns had eliminated in the usRpzTiOn of Napoleon. A soldier greater than Freitrick had proited by revolutionary fe-ru< S0ch 2s the Prussia of Frederick had never ksc~n. tO make himself master of Earugse. The military power of France un- der Napoleon as little resembled the military ps~er of France under Louis XIV as the mili t.ry Power Of Great Britain under Cromwell rv~-@bscd the military power of Great Britain unAer JanseS l.
 Ssssa pere-ived that the only way to mee She revolutionary strength of France was t ss&rt a coaaier-current of popular strength He7re he immediately entered upon a caree Of reform calculated to bring out the ful fore Of the kingdom whenever the next oppcrtunit fdr co1EeSs should offer He abolished serf 4rn sai uszny Other of the odious class dis tIac<5O1S thai had hitherto prevailed H, refar-srd tOwus and city governments Arm, rv4urm kert race with the other reforms o Th5s vlsuvO0s administration Stupid, routin, Cs5cizKS. ard mediOcrities of every kind hated Sseia= the King and the nobility feared him yvs szcA were the emergencies of the time, Ikzz he w&< allowed to go on with his grea wu-k oE destruction and reconstruction SseFzHs Psuzsian ministry lasted but a year brzs tariag thai year came the first dawning c tkss resistance of the people of Europe t Frvach ssgre$sson which finally wrought ou the distraction of Napoleon
 Tse weakest of all the larger Europea usn1zrrAies of the period was Spain. She ha fallen frOm her leading position of two centr rles befnge to condition of complete decrep tSse- Her King was weak; her navy an army. deuOrslized; and, to Napoleon, th PezinsaIa seemed an easy prey. In utter d