The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-09-29
PresentDay Thoughts.
BY "NEMO."
Written for the Citizen.)

To have these two conditions eX-
iStent within ourselves is to he
normal, but when in the struggle
the evil gets the upper hand then
there is cause for alarm indeed.
Now, it is interesting to believe
and very interesting to try to
prove that nations are like indi
viduals. If the ideas and the
ideals Of the majority of nation
are sound and practical and
somewhat similar, then it is safe
to foretell for such a nation, just
as one would for an individual,
progress, power, repute. Viewed
in this way the healthy and rather
unhampered character of the Rus
sian, the Scandinavian, the Ger
man and the BritOn promise
strength and continuance to their
respective lands Yet one knows
that there are very bad elements
in the extremes of society in the
first, third and fourth of these,
| but not so bad as to color nat
ioual life. Scandinavia will have
governmental troubles within the
next quarter of century, but
the sound sense OF the people of
Norway and Sweden will prob
ably lead to the avoidance of
warfare and content itself with
political changes. The trouble
is chiefly that they are under the
rule of an imported monarch, a
Bernadotte, and second that
there is jealous rivalry between
the two halves Of the kingdom
Notwithstanding this last feel
ing, however, it is quite with
in the range of possibility that
Norway and Sweden will develop
Republican form of government,
whose integrity, like that of
| Switzerland, will be guaranteed,
by the great powers around.
Division of purpose, though her
peoples are morally sound, as a
whole, will probably be the undo
ing of Austria Hungary, alter
the death of the Emperor Francis
Joseph; for eighteen different lam
guageS and almost as many differ
ent sets of ideals hold sway with
i'll the bounds of the empire. The
mort hern part of the eastern por-
ton may possibly share the fate
/ of Poland and he absorbed by
/ Russia. In the southern part of
the eastern end we may expect to
see more principalities created
/ like those at present existing un-
der Russian domination in the
Balkan peninsula. The western
portion will probably retain its
identity as Austria, but the gen
eral tendency will be for it to be-
come Germanized.
Belgium will have before long
some very unhappy experiences.
The people will grow tired of
puppet royalty as at present
played by the King of Belgium,
but instead of there being any
feeling of pleasure i'll looking for
ward to the formation of a repub-
lie upon the ruins of royalty,
there is cause for dread. Belgium
is too French im its character to
effect such change decently and
in order. Its city jewellers are
wretched, crowded, immoral, and
form precisely the right soil for
growing another crop of horrors
like that of the Commune. When
the political changes come there
will be French interference and
such strong German opposition
to any appearance of a French in
crease of territory, that these two
nations will set themselves for a
final struggle. The inevitable re.
suit will be the defeat of France.
France is lettering to national
decay because there are more in.
dividuals in it of low personal
ideals than there are of high.
No nation of Europe more thor
, oughly shows likeness to an in.
dividual in whom evil has tri.
umphed over the good. Because
there is such constant pursuit OF
the present, there is positive
doubt of the future. Because il
suspects the nations around it Of
stealing, there is within it the
spirit of thievery. Because the
might of its army has been di
rected to the crushing of one
|, man, there is room to suspect
that the leaders of the army hav,
no real care for the nation, eithel
as to the moral health within i
or as to its reputation among tn,
sisterhood of nations. Religious
only in a formal way, and con
!, tent to substitute the bowing
! and scrapings of politeness 70
the real gold of character, it shall
become poor though it is nov
rich, aud it shall become veal
though its theatrical leader