236 RURAL RECONSTRUCTION 



because in Prussia, the birthplace of the institution, there was 

 already compulsory registration of title in an official register, entry 

 in which in itself established rightful possession. In subsequent 

 time not a few of the rather stiff and hampering safeguards first 

 adopted proved altogether removable without any loss of status. 

 The process adopted has in consequence been very much simplified, 

 and some of the old methods have accordingly been scrapped by 

 bodies more recently formed. Thus both the obligation imposed 

 upon every landowner of a certain class in a certain province to join 

 willy nilly in the common liability has been dropped without any 

 detriment. In the original application of the scheme, in newly 

 conquered, at the time impoverished and devastated Silesia, where 

 only manor property (ritterg titer) could be admitted to the privilege 

 — moreover, at a time when the institution was utterly novel — 

 plenty of artificial propping up was deemed needed. As a helping 

 complement, intended still more to fortify the institution, the latter 

 was given an official status, and placed under State supervision. 

 It was also granted power to foreclose on a pledged estate, in the 

 event of obligations not being met, without a judgment previously 

 obtained from a court of law, on its own authority. 



This last-named provision was much appreciated by American 

 admirers. 



Valuation was prescribed in what was considered an absolutely ideal 

 way, by members of the institution itself, selected by their fellow 

 members for their fitness, as being themselves co-liable for their 

 action. Being so, they were considered unlikely to put too high a 

 valuation upon any property pledged. For safety's sake valuers 

 were furthermore directed to take only the economic agricultural 

 value of properties into account, and disregard altogether the selling 

 value. As a consequence, their valuations are notoriously low — 

 which has a different aspect for the borrower from what it has for 

 the lender. 



Talking of landschaften, it may not be without interest to mention 

 that the notorious Dr. Kapp, the mock-hero of a cinque giornati 

 much less glorious than that of Milan, was in past time an active, 

 able and resourceful leader in the landschaft movement, as General- 

 landschafts-direktor in East Prussia. In that position he initiated 

 several useful new departures, promoted the extension of credit on 

 personal security, and devised a rather ingenious plan, much talked 

 of at the time, for extinguishing excessive indebtedness, very 

 common among junker proprietors in Germany. He offered, on 

 behalf of his landschaft, to advance the money requisite for paying 



