Prussia and the German System of Education. 3 



But she has characteristics which might redeem her 

 rapacity. Her kings and electors have been frugal, 

 even to parsimony, in their households — not for family' 

 aggrandizement but to lighten the public burdens and to 

 create an efficient civil and military department. They 

 have melted their plate, slept on hard beds, dressed in 

 frieze, eaten peasant's food, to keep the national expenses 

 within the receipts. William I. sold his jewels, sent his 

 spoons to the mint, abolished the costly court ceremonies, 

 even dismissed the wig-maker and barber, in order to 

 establish a school for the army. As a consequence, 

 Prussia shows, up to this day, the cleanest yearly balance 

 sheet of Europe. While other nations become insolvent 

 in peace, Prussia clears off her debts even in time of war. 

 New states are made to pay the expenses of their own 

 annexation. The sinking fund will remove the present 

 indebtedness within twelve years. This personal interest 

 thus extended to the people by their rulers gives a peculiar 

 freedom to the life of the latter ; absolute in its social and 

 religious elements and yet modified by the sovereign's 

 paternal care. A Jew may guide the Prussian parliament, 

 a Roman Catholic may mount the throne. To every child 

 in the laud, of either sex, however remote or however 

 poor, the government furnishes freely seven years of sound, 

 generous education. The Prussian people thus enjoy all 

 the splendid advantages of a great empire with the finan- 

 cial ease and social and religious liberty of a petty state. 

 Although the countries which she has violently seized, 

 struggled at first like the Sabine women, they now seem 

 only to desire the closest intimacy with their captors. 

 Certainly they have gained much and lost little by their 

 change of masters. 



