Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-30

ENGLISH MUNICIPAL HISTORY
There was quite large attendance Of menu
beers of the American Historical Association al
the morning session of the second day Of the
annual meeting large number Of ladies
we're present. The meeting was held in the
lecture room Of the National Museum, and
began little before IL O'Clock.
There were seven papers on the program.
and all OF them were listened 10 with the closest
attention. Several of them we're on points Of
history that have not hitherto been written
about to any extent. In the absence Of the
presidentsso of the association. Hon. John~Jay
IL D., of New York, Hon. VIM. Writ Henry Of
Richmond, one of the two vice presidents
called the meeting to order and presided over
its deliberations. Beside his chair on the
PLATFORM was a fine large equestrian portrait of
Gen. Winfield Scott that was painted for the
Virginia Military Institute.
TIE FATE OF DIEDRIcH Fr.ADE.
The first paper of the morning WAS one by
Prof. Geo. l.. Burr Of Cornell University on
''The Fate Of Diedrich Flade," read by Prof.
Barnes of the State University of Indiana. DR..
Fiade. the city judge of Tirer (Treves). was.
according 10 Prof. Burr. the most eminent VIC
tim of the witch persecution in Germany. In
1889 he was tried. confessed under torture and
was burned at the stake
He has long been supposed TO have owed his
luckless fate to his attempts TO check the per-
secution of Others. The document which
would throw the most light upon the matter
the record of his trial-has been lost to re-
search for century. This paper in
now in the President White library at Cornell
University and npon il Prof. Burr's paper WIS
mainly based. Ee showed that Flade's death
was the result of plot. of which the governor
of Trior. Johann Zandt Won Merl. was at the
bottom. but to which the Jesuits at Trier and
the archbishop himself were consciously or IN
consciously parties rrof Barr Thought that
there could be little doubt that Flade stood in
the way of witch persecution, but he was not
sure TO what extent he owed his death TO this
| fact
THEORY OF THE VILLAGE COMMUNITY.
DR.. Chas. NJ Andrews of Bryn biawr read an
interesting paper on the Theory of the Village
| Community. Mr.. Andrews paper was in the
main protest against much of the loose gen.
eraliZatlon now prevalent regarding
American institutions. The work OF
the new historical school has Civ
en- great impetus TO historical
study, but il has also brought certain dangers
with it. The theory of the village community
is case in point. The insuffeiercy Of the data
at the beginning of German and Engli b his
tory has made it possible to theoriae withou;
fear of contradiction but with the early history
of America the case is different. Mr.. Andrews
Q
germ of the body polite. bat thought it was q
/ later recognition within the original state.
He used the analogy from American evidences
| to support conclusions already expressed by
other writers as to the conditions Of the differ.
| en-. stages of the theory. lie thought that the
best panacea for the evils that might arise il
| this branch of historical study was critical
comparative study of the political and
economic life in New England and old England
| at the time of the settlements.
A PLEA FOR REFORM IN STUDY.
This paper, which gave rise to considerable
| discussion, was followed by a paper by DR.
Charles Gross of Harvard, who made plea fol
| reform in the study Of English municipal
| history. He thought that England was fal
| behind her neighbors in the study of the past
| This fact, Prof. Gross said. was well shown by
| the literature of municipal or town history
| which falls under the two heads, general his
| tories of boroughs and histories of particular
| boroughs.
| His paper was an interesting account of wha
| had been done and what still remains to b,
| done in this line of historical research. II,
| said in his conclusion that the medieval records
of towns are abundant and easily accessibl,
and furnish rich field of study that has as We
been little explored.
| MIRABEAU's SPEECH.
Mr.. Fred NJ. Fling. Ph. D.. gave a critical ant
historical account of Mirabeaus speech of Ma
20, 1880. This speech was delivered in connec
ton with the most exciting and important dis
cussion in which Mlrabeau participated durin,
his two years in the national assembly.
dealt with the attempts of the assembly
| to wrest from the king the right to declar,
| war and to make peace and was an effort OF
the part of Mirabeau. who had become tn,
kings chief adviser, to preserve those rights t,
| the crown. The debate that arose upon tn,
| q. Wal va
tunlty to serve his royal client. Mirabea,
| was looked upon as the leader o
| the revolutionary party and his strug
gle rested upon his popularity. T,
retain the good will of the masses and at tn,
same time to thwart their wishes was difficult
task but this was the thing that Mirabeau at
tempted to do. The speech was so ingeniousl,
constructed that the true meaning yielded it
| self only to careful study, but it was fathomet
and Mirabeau was forced to abandon his posi-
| ton and to accept amendments to his projec
that entirely changed it's significance. 1t wa
| then adopted as a decree.
Prof. Adolphe Cohn of Harvard presented al
oral account of the lengthy article on the forma
| ton of the French constitution. which he ha,
| written for the transactions of the Historical
| Association.
THE LIBERAL MOVEMENT IN GERMANY
| Prof Kuno Francke of Harvard Universit,
read paper on 'Karl Follen and the Liberia
| All WAS lue urs
professor of German literature at Harvard Col
lege and occupies an honorable place in the his
| tory OF American civilization.
| He was an enthusiastic Unitarian and aboli
Zionist and has been eulogized by such men a,
Samuel May and William E. Charming Whit
tier has devoted some of his most touching
lines to Follen's memory. Prof. Francke
paper dealt with a phase of Follen's life thai
has not been properly understood until yer,
recently-his participation in the liberia
student movement III Germany from 1915 Il
| 1919 Follcn was the heart and SOU
of that movement and it derived from hi.
influence the character of a truly nihilist;c con
| spiracy. The agitation, which began at the
| University of Giessen, SOC: spread to jena and
Berlin and finally embra ced most Of the uniyer
sites of north Germany.
| Follen condemned all existing forms of gov
eminent as tyranny and usurpation and pro-
| claimed as the only aim worthy of good Ger
man citizen the establishment of the one great
German republic He openly declared tina
the only means Of attaining this enc
were acts OF violence and murder
and he actually formed league OF ''deatf
brethren" or young men who pledged them
| selves to die for the cause of freedom. The
assassination of Kotzebue, which canno
but be regarded as the practical conse
quence Of Follen's theories, brought tn,
movement to speedy and abrup
| close. Follen himself fed first to Switzerland
and afterward to the United States where sup
ported by Lafayette sympathy and friendship
he soon rose to prominence identifying him
| self with the highest and most progressive as
| pirations of the time and completely abandon
ing his former anarchical tendencies.