, 1880-09-08

Nohiling wounded him. Only a year ago
it was the fashion-one to which, we may
say. we did not c%onform-to speak OF Ger
many as honeycombed with Socialism.
Every triumph of its adherents, as, tor
example, the return of Hartmann tor Ham,
burg, was magn;fed into an event of
portentous importance aud menace to the
Government Of the Empire, and there
were abundant prophecies about the GER
tain tutility of the efforts of a great mill
tary Power to resist the enemies who
swarmed in the large cities of Germany.
How completely, too, has Nihilism sunk
for the time into obscurity The nefari-
Gus attempt to blow up the Emperor
and the Imperial family, the attack on
Count Melikoff by Mlodetski, and the
long list of assassinations which preceded
these crimes; the midnight fires at Moscow,
Perm, O%renburg. and in many other towns;
the incendiary literature calling for the
blood of the ''Imperial hangman," and
sown broadcast by unseen hands over the
length and breadth of the Empire the
discovery of printing presses for NihiIistic
publications of the stamp of Land and Ii
berty in the capital, and the too clear proofs
that the roots of the conspiracy bad pene-
trated the Winter Palace, created alarm,
reaching at times the height of panic. In
face of this maljgn and widespread organi-
cation, it was feared by some that the
work of government would become impos.
sible, and the abdication of the Emperor
Alexander was spoken of as almost certain.
1t is not many weeks ago that the prospect
of the complete amnesty and the return to
France of Rochefort and his comrades
from Geneva and New Caledonia were
spoken of as if they were the certain pre-
ludes to troubles. It seemed 10 timid
pinds impossible that the heroes Of the
Commune could return under cover of a
p%Ienary amnesty without a disturbance of
public order.
Ard yet in ell three countries tranqui!li-
ty exists, and the Sovereigns whose lives
were said a little time ago to be in leo
pardy are meeting with cordial greetings
at the hauds Of their subjects. The dread
amneSti6s have as yet proved harmless.
What have Humbert and Rocheiort done
since they returned home? The latter has
exercised Just as much, or as little, in1a-
ence as any writer with . sharp pen and a
turn for making himself as we'll as others
ridiculous will always possess. The ban.
ished communards lost halt their audience
when their grievance disappeared. OBJ
jects of pity and sympathy, for whom it
was right and proper to get up subscrip-
tons, and who merited applause when
they first arrived at the Care d'Orltans-
excellent texts for thrilling appeals to the
electors of Bellevllle so long as the leaders
of the Commune were actually banished to
Noumea-they are obscure aud uninterest-
ing, and people quickly weary of makiughe-
roes of them, when they are allowed to
return home and write what they like,
as if what they said mattered little to aby-
body. The terrors of German Socialism
have similarly subsidized. The few Depu-
ties of the persuasion are tame and quiet.
There is no need of applying yMaakor6-
gesetz. For want of anything more impor-
tant to tell in these times about Socialism,
the German journals gave prominence the
other day to C false rumour that Herr
Hasselmaon, the Socialist Deputy to the
Reichstag for Barmen, had hastily left the
country without paying his debts and the
maligned Socialist wrote a denial, which
showed that be resented as much as any
ordinary citizen would the imputation on
his credit. What, too, have become of
the heat and fury of Nihilism How
comes it that we hear no more of fresh
cOnsniracies AGAINST hioh nersona0as