of battles. With a clear gaze we have measured the responsibility, which, before the judgment-seat of God and mankind, must fall upon him who drags two great and peaceful peoples of the head of Europe into a devastating war." After the speech King William visited the grave of his honored father Frederick William III., and of his mother Queen Louisa, who, even when but the wife of the crown prince, had been affectionately regarded as "princess of princesses." While lingering near the grave, King William offered to God, in the name of the Saviour of the world, a prayer for victory.2 He then interested himself in his armies, the command of which he to an important extent assumed. Accompanying him was Bismark, a man who for years had studied at Berlin, and for three years at the Frederick Wilhelm Gymnasium, and who had successfully exerted his influence to unite the different States of Germany into a common "FatherBeside the king rode the great strategist Von Moltke and the learned Von Roon, both of whom had studied for years in a military academy at Berlin. The crown prince, who at times counselled with his father, and led one of the grand divisions of the army, was a graduate of the University of Königsberg,3 and held a diploma as doctor of philosophy. Prince Frederick Charles, who took charge of another grand division of the army, was a graduate of the celebrated university at Bonn. Most if not all of the officers surrounding the king could speak English, French, or German, at their pleasure, as well as

land."

1 See E. H. Hudson's Life and Times of Louisa, Queen of Prussia, p. 325; also Charlton T. Lewis's History of Germany, p. 571.

2 See Prince Bismark, an authentic biography by G. Hezekiel, with an Introduction by Bayard Taylor.

3 The crown prince has for years held the position of Rector of the University of Königsberg.

correspond in dead languages. The intelligence with which they were naturally gifted had been carefully improved, and they were prepared to lay under contribution many sciences in the prosecution of the war. At the back of these men were gigantic armies of learned soldiers. As these soldiers were preparing to engage in battle, a day of fasting and prayer was observed throughout Germany.

The essayist will not dwell at length upon the war which followed. If he should do so, he would have to describe battles in which far more men took part than fought in the battle of Jena; of battle-fields, which, when night came on, were strewn with many thousands of dead and wounded youth representing the flower of the manhood of Germany and France, victims of the wretched folly, almost amounting to insanity, of the badly-educated statesmen of France. He would have to tell of the mourning and desolation in innumerable once joyous homes of France, and of the wail of sorrow which issued from cottages in Germany, as orphans or bereaved sisters asked after the welfare of dear ones who would never again return home. He would have to tell of the siege of great and venerable cities, one of which contained two millions of inhabitants, including women and children of tender years. He would have to describe the intelligence with which the Germans in different parts of France pursued their awful work, and the sufferings of the semi-illiterate peasantry who tried to be of service to their country.

The Emperor of France, after one of his defeats, wishing to encourage his soldiers, sent them an address, in which he said, "Soldiers, at Jena, against these same Prussians, so arrogant to-day, your fathers fought as one to three; again at Montmerail, one to six. Is any among you

inflamed by that exciting memory?-let him set an example to all Frenchmen." The essayist regrets to be obliged to draw attention to the fact, that probably a large number of the French soldiers, having never studied history, had never heard of the battles which they were charged to remember; and those who were familiar with history might justly question the truth of Napoleon's statement regarding the number of Frenchmen who had taken part in those memorable engagements.

On Sept. 3, after the battle at the old Huguenot stronghold of Sedan, King William wrote his Queen Augusta a letter, in which he said, "You know from my three telegrams the whole extent of the great historic event which has just happened. It is like a dream, even when one has seen it hour by hour developing itself. When I consider that after one great and successful war I could not expect more glorious things yet to happen during my reign, and now behold this historical act accomplished, then I bow before God, who alone has chosen me, my army, and my allies, to perform what has happened, and has made us the instruments of his will. I can only look upon it in this light, and in humility praise God's guidance and grace." On Aug. 30, and on Sept. 2, King William wrote to his queen letters telling her of successes. In one of these brief letters or telegrams he said, "What a course events have with God's guidance taken!" Both these letters ended with the words, "May God help further!" As time passed on, it seemed as though the wish of the pious and learned king was granted. On Jan. 18, 1871, he assumed the title of the "German Emperor." In the immense Hall of Mirrors of the celebrated and magnificent Palace of Versailles, King William of Prussia,

1 See P. Lanfrey's History of Napoleon, Battle of Jena.

surrounded by the princes of Germany and Bismark, while assuming the crown of United Germany, made a short speech, at the close of which he said, "God grant that we and our successors may protect the empire, not by warlike conquests, but by works of peace, freedom, and civilization."

France which before the war had refused to pay more than about one franc (less than twenty cents) per inhabitant on public schools - was obliged to give Germany at the conclusion of peace five billion francs, as well as many ships of war and a portion of territory containing great fortresses, an indemnity which would not bring back to life the many thousands of slain youth of Germany.

Since the war, Germany has provided for the universal education of the inhabitants of her new territory, and has even given them a university. The booksellers of Germany, while the war was in progress, united to give them a splendid library. The inhabitants of all parts of the United German Empire are not alike well educated. Germany has a dark side as well as has the United States. It is to be hoped, however, that the statesmen of the infant empire will be not less firm in their convictions of the importance of universal education than were the great American statesmen of a hundred years ago.

Since the war, France has given at least some attention to the establishment of public schools. It is to be hoped that compulsory school-laws will be adopted, and that statesmen will be found in France to do what they can to generously provide a sufficient amount of money to establish a really good school-system. At present, France has a very large standing army. She could with great advantage do with less soldiers; and, with the money she would

thus save, she could build schoolhouses in thousands of the neglected sections of France. Should she unhappily have a controversy with other nations, she could imitate the example which the United States and England set the world, when they settled their grave misunderstanding regarding the "Alabama claims," as well as other vexed questions, by friendly arbitration. France, loaded with a national debt of about forty billion francs, is now passing through an hour of humiliation. May the head of every household in France be a Frederic William III. to his children! and may every mother be a Queen Louisa in her own home!

APPENDIX F (see pp. 49, 51, 91).

See The Vatican Decrees in their bearing on Civil Allegiance, a Political Expostulation, by the Rt. Hon. W. E. Gladstone, M.P., to which are added A History of the Vatican Council, together with the Latin and English text of the Papal Syllabus and the Vatican Decrees, by the Rev. Philip Schaff, D.D., from his forthcoming History of the Creeds of Christendom ;" see also Gladstone's “Vaticanism” (American editions in pamphlet and book form have been published by Harper and Brothers); see also "The Papacy and the Civil Power," by R. W. Thompson, Secretary of the UnitedStates Navy; see also Papers on Romanism, in the Report of the Evangelical Alliance, especially the paper of Prof. W. Krafft (Professor of University at Bonn, Germany); see also Nicolini's "History of the Jesuits (Bohn's Illustrated Library). To understand what is meant by sectarian education, the constitution, ethics, and present influence, of the Jesuits in the Roman-Catholic Church, must be thoroughly understood.