INTRODUCTION xvii 



going competitors. When a Bavarian has gathered, 

 as he may quickly do, 20,000 marks in his httle 

 business, he retires, as he can be quite happy and 

 comfortable on his income. Not so the northern ; 

 he at once begins to use his capital in larger ventures, 

 and probably when he has got together a much larger 

 fortune than would content a Bavarian, he takes back 

 his wealth to his Prussian home. The rich southern 

 provinces and the fat Rhinelands take it amiss that 

 the centre of power should be in the sand-hole of 

 Germany. Had Germany lost the first battles in the 

 late war, the southern provinces would of course 

 have crossed at once to France. But the German 

 people are getting together now, and before long will 

 be ready as a single nation." 



" The French are burning for another war, natur- 

 ally enough, it must be admitted. A visit to Berlin 

 must be very nauseous for a Frenchman — to see the 

 trophies and plans in the war museum, the victory 

 column with the French cannon, the galleries filled 

 with military pictures of victories over the French, 

 the panoramas of the siege of Paris and of the battle 

 of Sedan, the preparations for the new Reichstag 

 buildings, to be built with French money. Ger- 

 many is not yet so wealthy as France, but it was 

 then and certainly is now much more ready for 

 sudden war. The feeling in Berhn during the last 

 war was intense uncertainty changed to wild exul- 

 tation. Ever since, our preparations have been going 

 on slowly. The railways are State property and are 

 prepared expressly for war. At immense cost rail- 

 ways have been built straight to Metz and Cologne. 

 Another has been built round Berlin, so that troops 



B 



