GENERAL ASPECTS. 165 



to Dutch and Flemish, have accepted the High German of the books. Platt-Dcutsch 

 — that is, the language of Low Germany — is a richer language than literary 

 German ; but its doom was sealed as soon as a Thuringian dialect was accepted as 

 the language of books. It is still understood by about 10,000,000 people, and 

 books are sometimes published in it, but its literary vise is confined to poetry and 

 occasional novels. 



In Central Europe German is spoken by more than 55,000,000 souls. If we 

 add to these the Jews of Poland and Russia, the foreigners who have studied 

 the language of Goethe and Schiller, and the German colonists scattered through- 

 out the world, the domain of German will be found to embrace nearly 65,000,000 

 human beings. German has thus become one of the leading languages of human 

 thought, whether we look to the number by whom it is spoken, or to the historical 

 part played by Germany, and the influence it actually exercises upon the destinies 

 of the human race. 



Thanks to this universal language, spoken from the Alps to the Baltic, 

 German unity virtually existed long before it was recognised politically. It was 

 brought about by the people rather than by the free will of the Governments. 

 Frieslanders and Bavarians, Prussians and Swabians, undoubtedly stand nearer 

 to each other in ideas and customs than do Bretons and Provencals, Basques and 

 Normans. Still there exist great diversities in their character, and it is interesting 

 to note them before they have been swept away by a levelling civilisation. The 

 differences still exhibited by supple and good-natured Austrians, naïve and obstinate 

 Swabians, dexterous Hessians, intelligent Saxons, sedate Prussians, and haughty 

 Frieslanders clearly mark as many provincial types. 



And where, amongst these populations, are we to look for the veritable centre 

 of gravity of the nation ? The Prussians preponderate in politics, it is true, but 

 they present by no means the best type of the race. That type must be sought 

 for amongst the inhabitants of Central Germany, in Thuringia, Franconia, on the 

 banks of the Rhine, and in Swabia, a country so rich in men of genius. The 

 Alemanni of South-western Germany are amongst Frenchmen the representatives 

 of all Germans, or " Allemands," whilst amongst the Slavs of the East, Germans, 

 whatever their orisrin, are known as " Swabians." Swabians and Alemanni are 

 of the same origin, and they consequently enjoy the distinction of being looked 

 upon, in the West as in the East, as the typical representative Germans. 



It would be puerile to follow the lead of the host of authors who have written 

 on the genius and the moral worth of the German nation. No people has been 

 raised higher by its admirers, none has been dragged down lower by its 

 detractors. The very men who declaim about the "vanity" of the "grand nation" 

 claim for their own race a position morally and intellectually far above that of 

 other nations. " Deutsch " (German) is used as the synonym of everything that is 

 true and sincere, " Welsh " for everything that is false and vicious. But there 

 are not wanting German writers who are full}^ alive to the failings of their com- 

 patriots. It is easy, no doubt, to pass a severe judgment upon any nation, but if 

 we would judge fairly we must leave the common herd, and turn to representative 



