The Yale expositor., 1898-08-05
YALE St. Clair County, Mich, FRIDAY AUGUST 8. 1898.

powerful state and by the orilliancy of
| his management of men, state con-
Germs, and the emperor himself, he
came TO have almost absolute sway as
the representative of his state.
1t was at this time that Bismark con-
ceived the plan of the organization of
the German Nation. He realized that
it would be impossible for both Austria
and Prussia to be dominant states and
he determined to crush Austria.
| But before this could be done he
must have "men of blood and iron" as
he was wont to characterize the mag
nificent army that he afterward organ
lied. But to do this he must get the
consent of his Emperor and the repre-.
sentatlves in the state parliament. The
Emperor readily yielded but the repre-
sentatiyes steadily refused to grant ap-
preparations to organize and equip the
army. To an ordinary statesman this
would have been disasterous but it was
no impediment TO the man of iron will.
| Through the Emperor he dissolved the
epresentatiYe government again and
again and meanwhile levied, enlisted +,
and organized the most magnificent
| fighting force in Europe. When this
was accomplished in 1866 he gave
the states of SaXony, Hanover, Hesse-
Cassel, and Nassau tlCeloe hours in
which to decide whether they would
remain neutral. They did not reply
and in two days n section of his Prus-
sian army was occupying their capitals,
and in two weeks time he had forced
them to accept his terms.
Without any delay he Immediately
swung the three divisions of his army
into Austria, and in SeUen ICeekS he
crushed Austria, closing with the re-
markabe battle of Sadowa. Imme-
diately following these remarkable
military operations, and in 1867, began
the reorganization of the states.
The German people had come to rec.
ogniZe the fact that master mind
was debating the destinies of the states.
The brilliant military achievements
planned by the Iron Chancellor and ex-
ecuted by Field-Marshal Moltke arous-
ed their patriotism and spread conster-
nation among the crowned heads of
tottering monarchies. Emperor Will
lam became the most popular ruler of
| the states and Bismark the most pow
erful Chancellor in the world.
The twenty-five dIsmembered, disor-
ganized states were merged into pow
erful military nation having a constitu-
| ton and a united and centralized form
of representative government with the
| Prussian Emperor at its head and Bis
mark its Chancellor and ruling spirit.
| The iron will of the Chancellor had
wrought the change against the oppo-
sition of four-tifths of the people who
afterwards composed the nation-an
event unparalleled in history.
! Meanwhile France regarded the up
| building of powerful military nation
on her eastern border with alarm and
jealousy, and to check the power and
ambitions of Bismark determined to in
wade and seize several of the north
| German states. France was proud of
her achievements under the First Ma
poleon and determined to crush the
rising nation. The invasion began in
| 1871. and within a few months Blsmark,
| Won Moltke and the "men of blood
and iron" had swept the invader back
over the Rhine, had crushed the French
at Metz, Sedan, and a score of bloody
battle fields. The Germans had come
to have explicit faith in the man of
iron will and their dash, valor, and en-.
ergy in these bloody conflicts astound-
ed the world. There was no halting nor
hesitation and the victorious Germans
had soon Captured the larger portion of
the French army and Paris itself.
And now was again exhibited the
wonderful sagacity of the Iron Chan
cellor. lie fixed the terms of capitu-
lation of the French at such enormous
sacrifices as to call out the protests of
European nations and many German
statesmen. But prorests were unavail-
ing with Bismark. A policy once de-
termined upon was never abandoned,
and he compelled the cedeiug by the
French of the two provinces of Alsace
and Lorraine lying on the eastern bor-
der of the Rhine, thus extending the
German territory to that natural boun-
dry, and the payment to Germany of
the enormous war indemnity of 81 900,
100000. 1t was afterwards ascertained
that Bismark's object of imposing this
crushing burden on the French was to
insure Germany against any further
trouble from that source. He knew
that Germany would need time of
peace in which to develop internal inn
proyement and national policy, and
by crushing France with this enormous
burden he had made it impossible for
that nation to interfere with his plans
for the ensuing thirty years.
These tremendous conflicts and dip
lomatlc achievements astounded mod
ern Europe. In the incredible short
space of five years this giant of battles
had organized nation, the most pow
erful army in the world and had
crushed into submission two of his most
powerful neighbors.
These are but few of the remark
able achievements of this man of iron
will. lie had his faults and often
came in conflict with the leading men
of his nation, but it has invariably been
found that his plans were never laid
for his own benefit or aggrandizement
He had but one object in yiew-the III.
innate welfare of the German nation
The world has never produced his
equal for the work he wrought.