list1-第17章

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individual　cities；　and　between　neighbours　of　every　rank。　The



energies　of　the　nation　were　now　diverted　from　the　pursuit　of



industry；　agriculture；　trade；　and　navigation；　from　the　acquisition



of　colonies；　the　amelioration　of　internal　institutions；　in　fact



from　every　kind　of　substantial　improvement；　the　people　contended



about　dogmas　and　the　heritage　of　the　Church。



　　　　At　the　same　time　came　the　decline　of　the　Hanseatic　League　and



of　Venice；　and　with　it　the　decline　of　Germany's　wholesale　trade；



and　of　the　power　and　liberties　of　the　German　cities　both　in　the



north　and　in　the　south。



　　　　Then　came　the　Thirty　Years'　War　with　its　devastations　of　all



territories　and　cities。　Holland　and　Switzerland　seceded；　while　the



fairest　provinces　of　the　Empire　were　conquered　by　France。　Whereas



formerly　single　cities；　such　as　Strasburg；　N黵nberg；　Augsburg；　had



surpassed　in　power　entire　electorates；　they　now　sank　into　utter



impotence　in　consequence　of　the　introduction　of　standing　armies。



　　　　If　before　this　revolution　the　cities　and　the　royal　power　had



been　more　consolidated　　if　a　king　exclusively　belonging　to　the



German　nation　had　obtained　a　complete　mastery　of　the　Reformation；



and　had　carried　it　out　in　the　interests　of　the　unity；　power；　and



freedom　of　the　nation　　how　very　differently　would　the



agriculture；　industry；　and　trade　of　the　Germans　have　been



developed。　By　the　side　of　considerations　such　as　these；　how



pitiable　and　unpractical　seems　that　theory　of　political　economy



which　would　have　us　refer　the　material　welfare　of　nations　solely　to



the　production　of　individuals；　wholly　losing　sight　of　the　fact　that



the　producing　power　of　all　individuals　is　to　a　great　extent



determined　by　the　social　and　political　circumstances　of　the　nation。



The　introduction　of　the　Roman　law　weakened　no　nation　so　much　as　the



German。　The　unspeakable　confusion　which　it　brought　into　the　legal



status　and　relations　of　private　individuals；　was　not　the　worst　of



its　bad　effects。　More　mischievous　was　it　by　far；　in　that　it　created



a　caste　of　learned　men　and　jurists　differing　from　the　people　in



spirit　and　language；　which　treated　the　people　as　a　class　unlearned



in　the　law；　as　minors；　which　denied　the　authority　of　all　sound



human　understanding；　which　everywhere　set　up　secrecy　in　the　room　of



publicity；　which；　living　in　the　most　abject　dependence　and　living



upon　arbitrary　power；　everywhere　advocated　it　and　defended　its



interests；　everywhere　gnawed　at　the　roots　of　liberty。　Thus　we　see



even　to　the　beginning　of　the　eighteenth　century　in　Germany；



barbarism　in　literature　and　language；　barbarism　in　legislation；



State　administration　and　administration　of　justice；　barbarism　in



agriculture；　decline　of　industry　and　of　all　trade　upon　a　large



scale；　want　of　unity　and　of　force　in　national　cohesion；



powerlessness　and　weakness　on　all　hands　in　dealing　with　foreign



nations。



　　　　One　thing　only　the　Germans　had　preserved；　that　was　their



aboriginal　character；　their　love　of　industry；　order；　thrift；　and



moderation；　their　perseverance　and　endurance　in　research　and　in



business；　their　honest　striving　after　improvement；　and　a



considerable　natural　measure　of　morality；　prudence；　and



circumspection。



　　　　This　character　both　the　rulers　and　the　ruled　had　in　common。



After　the　almost　total　decay　of　nationality　and　the　restoration　of



tranquillity；　people　began　in　some　individual　isolated　circles　to



introduce　order；　improvement；　and　progress。　Nowhere　was　witnessed



more　zeal　in　cherishing　education；　manners；　religion；　art；　and



science；　nowhere　was　absolute　power　exercised　with　greater



moderation　or　with　more　advantage　to　general　enlightenment；　order；



and　morality；　to　the　reform　of　abuses　and　the　advancement　of　the



common　welfare。



　　　　The　foundation　for　the　revival　of　German　nationality　was



undoubtedly　laid　by　the　Governments　them　selves；　by　their



conscientious　devotion　of　the　proceeds　of　the　secularised　Church



lands　to　the　uses　of　education　and　instruction；　of　art　and　science；



of　morality　and　objects　of　public　utility。　By　these　measures　light



made　its　way　into　the　State　administration　and　the　administration



of　justice；　into　education　and　literature；　into　agriculture；



industry；　and　commerce；　and　above　all　amongst　the　masses。　Thus



Germany　developed　herself　in　a　totally　different　way　from　all　other



nations。　Elsewhere　high　mental　culture　rather　grew　out　of　the



evolution　of　the　material　powers　of　production；　whilst　in　Germany



the　growth　of　material　powers　of　production　was　the　outcome　chiefly



of　an　antecedent　intellectual　development。　Hence　at　the　present　day



the　whole　culture　of　the　Germans　is　theoretical。　Hence　also　those



many　unpractical　and　odd　traits　in　the　German　character　which　other



nations　notice　in　us。



　　　　For　the　moment　the　Germans　are　in　the　position　of　an　individual



who；　having　been　formerly　deprived　of　the　use　of　his　limbs；　first



learned　theoretically　the　arts　of　standing　and　walking；　of　eating



and　drinking；　of　laughing　and　weeping；　and　then　only　proceeded　to



put　them　in　practice。　Hence　comes　the　German　predilection　for



philosophic　systems　and　cosmopolitan　dreams。　The　intellect；　which



was　not　allowed　to　stir　in　the　affairs　of　this　world；　strove　to



exercise　itself　in　the　realms　of　speculation。　Hence；　too；　we　find



that　nowhere　has　the　doctrine　of　Adam　Smith　and　of　his　disciples



obtained　a　larger　following　than　in　Germany；　nowhere　else　have



people　more　thoroughly　believed　in　the　cosmopolitan　magnanimity　of



Messrs　Canning　and　Huskisson。



　　　　For　the　first　progress　in　manufactures　Germany　is　indebted　to



the　revocation　of　the　Edict　of　Nantes　and　to　the　numerous　refugees



who　by　that　insane　measure　were　driven　to　emigrate　to　almost　every



part　of　Germany；　and　established　everywhere　manufactures　of　wool；



silk；　jewellery；　hats；　glass；　china；　gloves；　and　industries　of



every　kind。



　　　　The　first　Government　measures　for　the　promotion　of　manufactures



in　Germany　were　introduced　by　Austria　and　Prussia；　in　Austria　under



Charles　VI　and　Maria　Theresa；　but　even　more　under　Joseph　II。



Austria　had　formerly　suffered　enormously　from　the　banishment　of　the



Protestants；　her　most　industrious　citizens；　nor　can　it　be　exactly



affirmed　that　she　distinguished　herself　in　the　immediate　sequel　by



promoting　enlightenment　and　mental　culture。　Afterwards；　in



consequence　of　a　protective　tariff；　improved　sheep　farming；　better



roads；　and　other　encouragements；　industry　made　considerable　strides



even　under　Maria　Theresa。



　　　　More　energetically　still　was　this　work　pushed　forward　under



Joseph　II　and　with　immensely　greater　success。　At　first；　indeed；　the



results　could　not　be　called　important；　because　the　Emperor；



according　to　his　wont；　was　too　precipitate　in　these　as　in　all　his



other　schemes　of　reform；　and　Austria；　in　relation　to　other　states；



still　occupied　too　backward　a　position。　Here　as　elsewhere　it　became



evident　that　one　might　get　'too　much　of　a　good　thing'　at　once；　and



that　protective　duties；　in　order　to　work　beneficially　and　not　as　a



disturbing　element　upon　an　existing　state　of　things；　must　not　be



made　too　high　at　the　commencement。　But　the　longer　that　system



continued；　the　more　clearly　was　its　wisdom　demonstrated。　To　that



tariff　Austria　is　indebted　for　her　present　prosperous　industries



and　the　flourishing　condition　of　her　agriculture。



　　　　The　industry　of　Prussia　had　suffered　more　than　that　of　any



other　country　from　the　devastations　of　the　Thirty　Years'　War。　Her



most　important　industry；　the　manufacture　of　cloth　in　the　Margravate



of　Brandenburg；　was　almost　entirely　annihilated。　The　majority　of



cloth　workers　had　migrated　to　Saxony；　while　English　imports　at　the



time　held　every　competition　in　check。　To　the　advantage　of　Prussia



now　came　the　revocation　of　the　Edict　of　Nantes　and　the　persecution



of　the　Protestants　in　the　Palatinate　and　in　Salzburg。　The　great



Elector　saw　at　a　glance　what　Elizabeth　before　him　had　so　clearly



understood。　In　consequence　of　the　measures　devised　by　him　a　great



number　of　the　fugitives　directed　their　steps　to　Prussia；　fertilised



the　agricultural　industry　of　the　land；　established　a　large　number



of　manufactures；　and　cultivated　science　and　art。　All　his　successors



followed　in　his　footsteps；　none　with　more　zeal　than　the　great　King



　greater　by　his　policy　in　times　of　peace　than　by　his　successes　in



war。　Space　is　wanting　to　treat　at　length　of　the　countless　measures



whereby　Frederick　II　attracted　to　his　dominions　large　numbers　of



foreign　agriculturists；　brought　tracts　of　waste　land　into



cultivation；　and　established　the　cultivation　of　meadows；　of　cattle



fodder；　vegetables；　potatoes；　and　tobacco；　improved　sheep　farming；



cattle　breeding；　horse　breeding；　the　use　of　mineral　manures；　&c。；



by　which　means　he　created　capital　and　credit　for　the　benefit　of　the



agricultural　classes。　Still　more　than　by　these　direct　measures　he



promoted　indirectly　the　interests　of　agriculture　by　means　of　those



branches　of　manufacture　which；　in　consequence　of　the　customs　tariff



and　the　improved　means　of　transport　which　he　established；　as　well



as　the　establishment　of　a　bank；　made　greater　advances　in　Prussia



than　in　any　other　German　state；　notwithstanding　that　that　country's



geographical　position；　and　its　division　into　several　provinces



separated　from　one　another；　were　much　less　favourable　for　the



success　of　such　measures；　and　that　the　disadvantages　of　a　customs



cordon；　namely；　the　damaging　effects　of　a　contraband　trade；　must　be



felt　more　acutely　there　than　in　great　states　whose　territories　are



compact　and　well　protected　by　boundaries　of　seas；　rivers；　and



chains　of　mountains。



　　　　At　the　same　time　we　are　nowise　anxious；　under　cover　of　this



eulogy；　to　defend　the　faults　of　the　system；　such　as；　for　example；



the　restrictions　laid　upon　the　exportation　of　raw　material。　Still；



that　in　despite　of　these　faults　the　national　industry　was



considerably　advanced　by　it；　no　enlightened　and　impartial　historian



would　venture　to　dispute。



　　　　To　every　unprejudiced　mind；　unclouded　by　false　theories；　it



must　be　clear　that　Prussia　gained　her　title　to　rank　amongst　the



European　powers　not　so　much　by　her　conquests　as　by　her　wise　policy



in　promoting　the　interests　of　agriculture；　industry；　and　trade；　and



by　her　progress　in　literature　and　science；　and　all　this　was　the



work　of　one　great　genius　alone。