GERMANY. 



313 



Ford JT n Dependencies. Since 1884 



many ha- acquired ;i protectorate over various 

 :i Africa and tin- western Pacific. Togo- 

 laiul, on the Slave Coast, in I'ppcr (iiiinca. lias 

 an estimated area of KJ.OOO si|iiare miles, and an 

 estimated population of 500,000. It is governed 

 by an imperial commissioner, assisted by a 

 ,ry, an inspector of customs, and a local 

 council of representatives of the merchants. 

 The capital is Little Popo ; Lome, Porto Seguro, 

 and Hairida are the ports. The only commerce 

 |g the barter trade for palm oil and ivory. The 

 va-i resource.- of the forests, consisting of oil 

 palms, caoutchouc, and dye woods, are not made 

 ;. The imports in 1889-'90 were of the 

 \alue of l.tioO.OUO marks. 



The Cameroons, on the Bight of Biafra, has an 

 estimated area of 130.000 square miles, with a 

 population of 2,600,000. It is placed under an 

 imperial governor. Plantations of cacao and 

 tobacco exist, and a brisk trade in ivory and 

 palm oil is carried on. Cameroons, in the north, 

 and I>atanga,in the south, are the principal towns. 

 The revenue, which is derived from an import 

 duty on Kuropean goods, amounted, in 1890, to 

 880,007 marks. 



(ierman Southwest Africa extends along the 

 coast for about 930 miles; the estimated area is 

 :i I .'.iioO square miles, with a population of 250,- 

 ono. The Deutsche Kolonial Gesellsehaft exer- 

 ei-es jurisdiction over the coast lands, calling the 

 southern part of its territories Deutsch-Nama- 

 land. and the northern part Deutsch-Damara- 

 land. The southern part and much of the east- 

 ern territory is barren desert. Damaraland is 

 adapted for cattle raising, and although copper 

 is found, the expense of working it has so far 

 prevented its being made useful. The trade of 

 the whole of German West Africa with Germany 

 in 1890 amounted to 5,189.000 marks for ex- 

 ports, and 3,243.000 marks for imports. 



Kaiser Wilhelm's Land, in the western Pacific, 

 is situated on the northern section of southeast 

 New Guinea, and includes Long island, Dampier 

 island, and some other small islands. It has an 

 estimated area of 72,000 square miles, and a. pop- 

 ulation of about 110,000. Areca and sago palms, 

 bamboos, and ebony grow in profusion. Tobacco 

 is the principal agricultural crop. The execu- 

 tive official is the Imperial Commissioner. The 

 official residence was removed from Pinschhafen 

 to Astrolabe Bay, in 1891, on account of the un- 

 heahhfulness of the former place; but the num- 

 ber of deaths which occurred among the officials 

 since leads to the conclusion that this territory 

 i.- useless for European colonization. 



The Bismarck Archipelago, in the western 

 Pacific, has an estimated area of 19,000 square 

 miles, and a population of 190,000. Ncu-Pom- 

 ineni. Neu-Mecklenburg, Neu-Lauenburg, Vis- 

 cher. Gerrit, Denys, Admiralty, Anchorite, Com- 

 nier.-on, and Hermit are the principal islands. 

 Cocoanut fiber and copra are the chief exports. 



The northern islands of the Solomon group be- 

 long to Germany. The estimated area is 9,000 

 Mitiare miles, and the population 80,000. Sandal- 

 wond and tortoise shell are the main products. 



The Marshall Islands consist of two chains of 

 lagoon islands. The area is estimated at l.Vi 

 square miles, and the population at 10.000. The 

 seat of the (ierman Imperial Commissioner is on 



the chief island, laluit. Copra is the principal 

 article of trade. 



The I'm iaii Landtag. A bill was intro- 

 duced into the Prussian Landtag bv Count /ed- 

 lit/.-Triitschler. .Minister of Public \Vorship and 

 Instruction, which proposed a revision and codi- 

 fication of the laws relating to the primary school 

 .system. The bill provided that in organizing 

 primary instruction, religious confessions should 

 as far us possible be taken into consideration. 

 As a rule, children should receive instruction 

 from a teacher of their own creed. New pri- 

 mary schools should only be instituted on a 

 confessional basis. If the number of children 

 attending a school not of their confession 

 exceeded 30, the erection of a separate school 

 might be ordered; if the number exceeded 

 60, a separate school must be provided. Ke- 

 ligious instruction was to be compulsory, and 

 should be under the supervision of the resi- 

 dent clergyman of the confession with which 

 the school is connected. The clergyman should 

 have a right to attend the instruction, to ques- 

 tion the pupils, and, after the lesson, to correct 

 and advise the teacher. These privileges, how- 

 ever, were to be rigidly confined to denomina- 

 tions recognized by the state. The children of 

 parents who belong to unrecognized religions 

 should take part in the religious instruction of 

 the school which they attend, unless the parents 

 could satisfy the authorities that they would re- 

 ceive proper religious teaching at home. The 

 right to give private instruction and to erect a 

 private school was to be conferred on any Prus- 

 sian subject proving his capability. The main 

 object of the bill was to prevent any Prussian 

 child from being brought up as'an atheist; but 

 inasmuch as the state does not recognize the 

 creeds of the Methodists, the Unitarians, the Old 

 Catholics, and the Reformed Jews, to say noth- 

 ing of the Freethinkers, this section of the bill 

 was regarded by many as an infringement of 

 religious liberty. 



The Center or Clerical party were pleased at. 

 the introduction of this measure, which they had 

 been trying in vain to introduce for many years. 

 The Conservatives announced their determina- 

 tion to support it, and thereby a majority for 

 the bill was secured. The National Liberals, 

 with the aid of smaller groups, were thus left to 

 fight the measure alone. Their objection was 

 primarily against the compulsion of religions in- 

 struction, thus giving the Church a power which 

 it had not held since the .Middle Ages. In their 

 opposition to this measure the Liberal party was 

 sustained by all moderate-thinking citizens of 

 the empire. Hundreds of petitions were pre- 

 sented to the Government, asking for the with- 

 drawal of the bill, eminent professors of the 

 universities being among the signers. The Chan- 

 cellor, Count von Caprivi. in his capacity of 

 President of the Council of Ministers, delivered 

 a speech before the Abgeordnetenhans. explain- 

 ing the position of the' Government, and bring- 

 ing his full influence to bear to urge the adop- 

 tion of the bill. The Liberal party, he said, 

 would learn once again that the Government 

 could swim against the stream, even though the 

 current were stronger than it was now; and that 

 the question was not oneof Protestantism against 

 Catholicism, but oneof Christianity against at he- 



