THE EMOTION OF THE IDEAL 181 



giving of definite direction to the German educa- 

 tional system was, moreover, the work of but a few 

 persons. It was in the main the achievement of 

 but two persons of Adalbert Falk, Prussian Minister 

 of Education up to 1879, and of the Emperor 

 William II. In most countries the leaders of great 

 national movements are looked for amongst the 

 intellects that have been prominent in the various 

 national activities and in the national systems of 

 culture. But hi Germany in this work it was differ- 

 ent. In Prussia it was to the teachers of the 

 elementary schools that the State looked first for 

 support in its attempt to create the idealisms of 

 German nationalism and to impose them on the 

 young. After these it looked to the teachers of 

 the higher schools and then to the university pro- 

 fessoriate. It was only in the last phase that the 

 adult mind of the nation was considered. 



Soon after his accession the Emperor William II 

 personally addressed the elementary and upper 

 school teachers of his realms and laid before them 

 his ideas as to the necessity of concentrating the 

 mind of the young on national ideals through the 

 scheme of education which was immediately after- 

 wards imposed on the nation. In the address and 

 in the scheme the idealization of war, the idealiza- 

 tion of the German nation as resting on war, and 



