GERMANY 1017 



general election, which was expected shortly. It came as a surprise, therefore, when 

 in June there was a further rearrangement of office-holders. As in the previous 



year the Chancellor sought out men of administrative ability. Herr von 



Kidcrlen-Waechter * was made Imperial Foreign Secretary in place 



of Baron von Schben, who became German Ambassador in Paris, 

 and Herr von Lindequist, 2 a capable official in the Colonial Office, was appointed Co- 

 lonial Secretary in succession to Herr Dernburg. In Prussia, also, three portfolios 

 changed hands. Herr von Dallwitz 3 became Minister of the Interior; Baron Shor- 

 lemer 4 Minister of Agriculture, and Dr. Lentze 5 Minister of Finance. 



Whether the new combination pointed to a "more liberal policy was not easy -to 

 determine. On the one hand the Imperial Government had recognised the immediate 



necessity for formulating a constitution for Alsace-Lorraine, and in Prussia 

 tendencies, the authorities, after a long struggle, had at last agreed to make cremation 



legal (June 4, 1910). Nevertheless, the Social Democrats and the Liberals, 

 supported by the comic papers (which in Gern.any exercise no small influence) main- 

 tained that the Chancellor was but a tool in the hands of the reactionaries. Two or 

 three incidents seemed to lend colour to this view. On August 25 the Kaiser broke 

 his long silence by a characteristic speech at Koenigsberg, in which, recalling the 

 coronation of 1851, he gave expression to his belief in the divine right of kings. " Look- 

 ing on myself as God's instrument, I shall go my way without regard to the ideas 

 and opinions of the time." Questioned as to his attitude to this speech (November 

 26), the Chancellor stated that it was in no wise unconstitutional, seeing that the 

 King in Prussia is sovereign in his own right. Herr von Bethmann's reply was of a 

 sort to be placed beside the exclamation of von Oklenburg-Januschau, a member 

 of the Conservative party, who on January 29, 1910 laid it down in the Imperial Diet 

 that " the King of Prussia or the German Emperor must always be in a position to say 

 to any lieutenant, ' Take ten men with you and close the Reichstag.' >: 



The growing feeling against the Conservative and Centre coalition was stirred 

 almost to boiling point by the issue of the Papal Encyclical Editae saepe dei, on the 



occasion of the 30oth anniversary of the canonisation of St. Borromeo. 6 

 Papal Eacy In a review of the Reformation the Pope asserted that its German leaders 

 'aermaiFre-* were " proud and rebellious men, foes of the Cross of Christ (uomini 

 formers. orgogliosi e ribelli, nemici della Croce di Christo), worldly men whose belly 



was their God (il Dio dei quali e il ventre). They did not seek to improve 

 morals," but cast aside the teachings of the Church " in accordance with the wishes 

 of most corrupt (piu corrotti] princes and peoples." There was an outcry in the whole 

 of Protestant Germany. The Encyclical was discussed in the Imperial Chamber and 

 in those of several states. The King of Saxony, himself a Catholic, wrote to the Pope 

 .protesting against the language of the document. There was nothing for 

 The anti- j^ but its withdrawal, and diplomatic action at the Curia (June n, 1910) 

 oath. succeeded in obtaining an order to the German bishops not to read the 



letter in their churches. The storm calmed down, but when the anti- 

 modernist oath was demanded (September 8, 1910) from teachers, priests and 



1 Alfred von Kiderlen-Waechter, born July 10, 1852; entered Foreign Office, 1879; Secre- 

 tary of the Embassy at St. Petersburg, i88i-84;at Paris, 1884-86; in Constantinople, 1886-88; 

 back in the Foreign Office, 1888-94; German Minister in Hamburg, 1894; in Copenhagen, 

 1895; in Bucharest 1900. 



2 Friedrich von Lindequist, born September 15, 1862; Consul-General at Cape Town, 

 1902; Governor of South-West Africa, 1905; Under Secretary for Colonies, 1907. 



3 Johann von Dallwitz, born September 29,'i858; Minister in Berlin for Anhalt and represen- 

 tative of the Duchy in the Federal Council, 1903; Governor of the Province of Silesia, 1909. 



4 Clemens A. Shorlemer-Lieser, born September 29, 1856; Member of .the Prussian Upper 

 House, 1901; Governor of the Rhine Province, 1905. 



5 Augustus Lentze, born 1860; Senior Burgomaster of Miihlhausen, 1894; of Barmen, 

 1899; of Magdeburg, 1906; Life Member of the Prussian Upper House 1906. 



8 Charles Borromeo (1538-1584) was the nephew of Pius IV and one of the moving spirits 

 of the Counter-Reformation. He was canonised in 1610 by Paul IV. See E. B. iv, 274. 



