The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-08-11
y TIE GERMAN ADVANCE
VII.-THE KINGDOM OF RUSSIA
BY FREDERIC J. HASKIN.

BERLIN. Aug. II Stretching from
the low frontier of Holland and Bel
glum eastward over the valleys of the
Rhine, of the Weser, of the EIbc and
oi The Oder. surrounding and engulf
ing other German Kingdoms and prin.
cipalities, still eastward on over the
grave OF Poland 10 the borders OF
giant Russia lies the kingdom of Prus
Sla Ine territory of this kingdom is
as large as that of Missouri and Iowa
together and il has a population OF
"oooVOoo or more than six times as
nuch az the two middle western
American states can boast Every
loot of this territory is conquered ter
Tltoiy. Every one of these $4,000, ,O00
inhabitants is the vassal subject to an
absolute monarch who is unwilling Ia
admit that they have any rights what
ever except such as he is pleased 10
vouehsafo TO them cut of his royal
grace This is the kingdom of Prus.
sla which controls and rules the great
German empire the most powerful
state OF continental Europe aud the
rival of Great Britain for absolute SUI
premacy among the nations OF the
world
William III the reigning king OF
Prussia, is one Of the most remark
able men now living in the world. Out.
slders generally. and Americans es.
Peclally know him best as the German
emperor, IT Is In that capacity that
ne appears when discussing problems
Of International politics But 1t is as
the king of Prussia that he rules his
people most effectively. 1t is as the
klng of Prussia that he claims TO he
the representative and vicar Of God.
"A cartoonist In Prussia dares not lam
poon tho German emperor. because he
knows he would be punished for the
crime of lese majestic against thG
Prussian king. A Bavarian Dewspa-
per may carlcature the king of Prus-
sia in perfect safety. although Ba-
Varia is part of the German en-
pire. AS a matter of fact. the Bayar-
ian newspapers do most mercilessly
lempoon the august emperor and all
that the imperial household can do
is to forbid army officers to buy the
paper. This seemingly triflIng cir
cumstance illustrates the puzzling
fact that while Prussia dominates and
rules the German nation the non
PruSsian German states still retain a
great deal of their political independ-
ence, as well as their separate insu-
tut.ons and their peculiar local Gus
toms
But since the union in 1871 Prussia
has been able to stamp out many Of
the ancient and classic German ira
dltions, and to substitute for them the
Il lott L. 4
German-the Germany of poets and
philosophers, of pamphleteers and pro-
fessors, of students and singers-is
passing away. The Germany of the
popular imagination of half a century
ago is now to be found in Austria
more than in the German empire Ger
many has become Prussianized.
The kaiser is fond of referring to
the prospective world supremacy of
his empire as tho mastery of the
Hohenzolern world power" In his
eyes, at least, Prussia is not nation
1t is nothing moro than the yassal
appendage OF the Hohcnzolcrn fam
ily The Hohenzollerns trace their
origin TO Count Thassilo OF Zoller..
one of the generals of Charlmagne.
the castle of Hobenzollerp, near the
Danube, in the year $50 Count Fred
erlck III of this line was made a
prince of the holy Roman empire in
1918 and became the burggravc of
Nuremberg His great grandson,
Frederick VI, was given the province
of Braudenberg by the Kaiser Sig
mund in 1i15, and two years later oh
talned the rank of elector of Brandon
burg,
While the HOhenzollern family was
making its way upward from tho pos
session of an insignificant county to
the control of the electorate of Bran
denburg, Prussia was being converted
from savaeery and heathenism by the
bloody evangel Of the sword to The
religion Of the gentle Nazarene. Prus-
sia was A country comprising the
great plain sloping from the Silesinn
mountains to the Baltic sea, on both
sides of the river Vistula, Inhabited
by a mixed breed of Goths, Slavs and
Let's. scmi-savage In their domestic
life and wholly savage In their enm,ty
to all outsiders. and especially to the
Christian religion.
At about the beginning of the thIr-
teenth century a Pomeranian monk
established an extensive chan OF mis-
Sions in The country, but the heathenS
ragged and put the Christian converts
10 death. Rome then gave its sane
tion 10 the plan of conversion by cOer-
cion. and after some failures the task
OF ChristianiziDg Prussia WAS assigned
TO the order of Teutonic knights This
order had been instituted for the pur-
pose of succoring German pilgrims in
Palestine, but nowt hat crusadipg had
become unpopular, they were, in the
year 1888, authorized by the pope to
invade and convert Prussia For half
century the Teutonlc knights con
Quoted a TemorselesS war against the
comparatively defenseless Prussians.
They conquered the country and ruled
I'll hencefortb, but long after Columbus
discovered America many Prussian