The German Emperor, King of Prussia, wages a victorious war against
everything that is not German. He has just put to the sword the French
terms in the Prussian military vocabulary. In vain these poor words
pleaded the authority of the great Frederick, who introduced them into
Prussia. In spite of his fondness for imitating Frederick the Great,
William II has slaughtered the French expressions "_officier
aspirant_," "_porte epee_," "_premier lieutenant_," "_general_," etc.,
etc. The massacre is complete, their exclusion wholesale; he leaves no
trace of the enemy's tongue. William II follows with marked
satisfaction the anti-French movement of opinion in England. "England
will chastise France," he said to his Officers' Club, "and then she
will come and beg me to protect her." Germany hates us with all her
own hatred, added to that of England. She hopes for our defeat, but if
we should win, she would come hypocritically to claim from us her
vulture share of the spoil for her so-called neutrality.
February 9, 1899.
Bismarck's interest in things was never keenly aroused unless they were
worth lying about. When he said "the Eastern question is not worth the
bones of a single Pomeranian grenadier," he was formulating in his mind
the programme of the "Drang nach Osten," the great push towards the
East. The Russo-Turkish war; the humbling of the victorious Slav
colossus by the Congress of Berlin; the diabolical treachery contained
in the Resolutions of the said Congress (not one of which but contains
the germ of some revolt or movement on the part of the races of the
Turkish Empire); the separation of Bulgaria and Roumelia, united by the
Treaty of San Stefano; the subsequent reunion, directed against Russia,
of these two countries; the handing over of Bulgaria to a Coburg, bound
by ties to Austria--all these things were brought about by the
treachery and guile of the super-liar who ruled at Berlin.
Pages:
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195
196
197
198
199
200
201
202
203
204
205
206
207
208