Year: 1870

IL.
manv; IT felt by the who had fought IN tno hD
Grafton WAR who during the dismal years OF reacton
saw quite another seed spring than that whch ty
were conscious OF having sown IT was felt ny the young
men who had grown up I'm the Thought anu 'ie so'K'
OF these wars Thus IL was that sfl'ihgS ai'er u'y
during the succeeding time had something very YOUTH
full. immature and romantic about Them The German
idea haunted them "a % Famar-as the SHADOW OF the
old Emnire That the Governments OF the time attached
an great imporance TO the students clubs and demo-
cratic machnatins they were called only showed how
bad their conscience was.


The storm OF your July Revolution cleared our atrnos
phere TO some degree, without carrying us essentially
farward There now too much observation Of dis
similarly constituted natlon for every people s Of all
must look to its work. to its nature and history
In the Chambers OF smaller States there was life
enough many robust forces aroused but the
row range OF their activity made their horizon equally
narrow As Prussia and Austria remained closed to
sttional fe and held together In opposing its spread
in the smaller States, in these latter hostility to the
" "Bundestag" the pitiful remnant Of German unity
passed for patriotism Indeed It could not long be
ceaed that nothing could OF spirited speeches in
the small States so long their Governments could fall
back upon the Bundesag" that is upon the two obsO
lete leading States. Thoughts of representation OF
the people In the Bund were floating; in
Prussia hopeful If imperfect step was being taken
in the meeting Of the United Llanderstag" when for





ruary revoutOn-sruck into the cause OF German de-
veopme 1t These French influences dangerous for
us only long they found weak; in proportion a.
we gained internal strength they became more and more
desirable that this last which was thought to be most
unfortunate for s to-day bringing to our view more
auscous consequences than all earlier ones The i'm
pulse OF 1sls came upon at moment when in each
Of the German States men had TO be convinced
of the frutessness of all separate strvngs for freedom
and popular welbeing and at stroke it forced the
idea OF German unity TO the surface. In the German
Parliament elected by the general vote this thought
gained for the first time political organ. before whose
moral authority all existing individual powers had for
some time to fall into the back ground But II during
the years of reaction the idea OF German unity had
had its life principally our students, so he who
would deride might say that in lSis 1t had
passed TO the professors, and 30 far at least
with truth in every educated German, according to
the common expression, there something OF pro-
fessor. Enough; the thing was very thoroughly In
theory but also very impractcaly set going In fenc-
ing principles OF right and debating over paragraphs OF
the Constitution, invaluable time was lost, TILL unoo-
served the actual powers had reganed their strength
and the ideal fabric Of Germany dissolved like cas-
tie in the clouds From such airy nights the German
imperial throne had offered TO prince, who, al
though other respects the OF the people had yet
much true insight that he could neither believe HIM
self be the right for the crown, nor the crown it
self TO be o possibility The attempts which he then
made TO appropriate part OF what had been offered
to him ended pitifuly than the attempt OF
the German people to constitute itself anew. In the
course OF these struggles the duasm Of Austria and
Prussia had moro and more brought itself before mems
eyes as the essential misfortune OF Germany During
Metternchs time Prussia had been kept In tow by Aus


tra and had been thought the guarantee OF all or
der and security attempts each more earnest
than the last have its own will and to carry out its
own proper aims, not less dsagreeabe than novel
to Austrian policy. Whatever therefore, from this time
onward, was undertaken promoted in Germany by
Prussia beginning with the Zoyeein was both secretly
and openly opposed by Austria Germany fell into the
condition OF wagon with horse before and another
of equal strength pulling behind with no hope OF
moving But the times educate their men, provided
that among the young growth there characters OF
the right stuff and that these find themselves In their
right places Herr Bismarck was a man OF such
stuff and his position in the Bundestag" in Frank
fort the right place for penetrating into the
inmost seat OF Germanys weakness. 1t was indeed his
Prussian pride which swore revenge upon Austria for
the humliations which she had destined for Prussia
but in this he was not unconscious that, with
Prussia, Germany also would be helped for
ward. On occasion OF the war In Schleswig-
Holstein, the phenomenon was for q moment seen
of the two horses pulling side by side yet the
end was hardly attained before the old opposition begun
again. Now the time TO cut the traces which fast
ened the ackpulng horse to the wagon would 1t be
an easy task for the other to it forward true
Columbus egg, this thought! 1t would have seemed that
every must have shared it, yet there but one
man--if the thought not his aone-wbo conceived
the true means to carry it into effect.


In the life OF nations OF individuals there times
when that which we have long wished and stryen for
presents itself in so strange shape that recognize it
not and away from it in displeasure and
sentiment So it with the Austrian OF 1866 and
its consequences. 1t brought to us Germans what
had long wished for but it brought not in the
ner had wished and therefore great part Of the
German nation thrust it away from them. We had
hoped TO work at the unity OF Germany from the
popular dea from the popular DESIRE from the thoughts
Of its best men. Now 1t by the action OF the
de aeto powers by blood and ron that the road
We had hoped wide and 80 high had been the
range Of the idea incude In Constitution the entire
German race Now, the result OF actually present
relations not only the Germans in Austria but the inter
mediary South German States remained excluded. 1t
needed time TO reconcile German Idealsm, and perhaps
German obstnacy with the fact which 1t found before
IT. but the might nay reasonabeness OF this fact
irresistible that in the shortest time the better
view had made most happy progress


That which in small measure contributed TO throw
light even upon the blinded the attitude which
France took up toward these events France had let it
be that hoped strengthen her prominence by
means Of the internal conflicts Of her neighbor; when
she found herself deceived in this hope she cond not dis
guise her vexation. From this time onward We
Germans could regulate the value We attached to
our political relations by the French estimate Of
them; for their yalae exactly the reverse to
the one and the other people The sour looks which
France cast Prussia and the Northern Confederation
taught that in these two lay safety Her oglngs
with the unconederated South, taught that in the
latter lay greatest weakness Every movement
which Prussia made, not to force the South German
States TO join but merely to keep the door to them
suspected by France and made occasion Of inter
vention. Even in question entirely political
the subvention Of the Mount ST. Gothard Railway, the
Gallo cock crowed martiay. Since the fall Of Napoleon
France has three times altered its Constitution
of these did Germany think of interfering; it