Lay Down Your Arms 39

Lay Down Your Arms 39

Events now began to tread on each other’s heels. Austria declared for

the Augustenburg so decisively that Prussia characterised it as a breach

of the Gastein treaty, and discovered in that a plainly hostile

intention; the consequence of which was that the preparations on both

sides were carried to their highest point. And now Saxony also began to

do the same. The excitement was universal, and became more violent every

day. “War in sight, war in sight,” was the announcement of every

newspaper and every speech. I felt as if I were at sea and a storm

approaching.

 

The most hated and most reviled man in Europe then was called Bismarck.

On May 7 an attempt was made to assassinate him. Did Blind, the

perpetrator of the deed, wish to avert this storm? And _would_ he have

averted it?

 

I received letters from Prussia from Aunt Cornelia, from which it seemed

that in that country the war was anything but desired. While with us

there prevailed universal enthusiasm for the idea of a war with Prussia,

and we looked with pride on our “million of picked soldiers,” inward

contention reigned there. Bismarck was no less reviled and slandered in

his own country than in ours; the report went that the Landwehr would

refuse to go out to the “fraternal war,” and it was said that Queen

Augusta threw herself at her husband’s feet to pray for peace. Oh! how

glad should I have been to kneel at her side, and how gladly would I

have hurried off all my sister-women--yes, all--to do the same. It is

this, and this alone, that should be the effort of all women: “Peace,

peace. Lay down your arms.”

 

If our beautiful empress had also thrown herself at her husband’s feet,

and with tears and lifted hands had begged for disarmament--who knows?

Perhaps she did--perhaps the emperor himself also wished to preserve

peace, but the pressure proceeding from the councils, and the speakers,

and the shouting and the writing was such as no one man--even on the

throne--could stand against.

 

* * * * *

 

On June 1 Prussia declared to the assembly of the Bund that she would at

once disarm if Austria and Saxony set the example. Against that came a

direct accusation from Vienna that Prussia had for a long time been

planning, in concert with Italy, an attack on Austria, and on that

account the latter now desired to call the whole Bund to arms, in order

to request it to undertake the decision of the case of the duchies. She

desired at the same time to call the Estates of Holstein to co-operate.

 

Against this declaration Prussia lodged a protest--inasmuch as it

overturned the Gastein treaty. That being so the position reverted to

the Vienna treaty, _i.e._, to the common condominium. The consequence

was that Prussia had also the right to occupy Holstein--as on her side

Austria was permitted to occupy Schleswig. And the Prussians at once

moved into Holstein. Gablenz withdrew without sword drawn, but under

protest.

 

Bismarck had previously said in a circular letter: “We have found no

disposition at all to meet us at Vienna. On the contrary, __EXPRESSION__s

have fallen from Austrian statesmen and councillors of the emperor which

have reached the ear of the king from authentic sources (_tritsch

tratsch_), and which prove that the ministers wish for war at any price

(to wish for public slaughter, what a fearful accusation!), partly

because they hope for success in the field, partly to get free of

internal difficulties, and to eke out their own shattered finances by

contributions from Prussia (statecraft).”

 

The Press was now completely warlike, and of course (as the patriotic

custom is) sure of victory. The possibility of defeat must be entirely

left out of view by every loyal subject whom his prince summons to the

battle. Numerous leading articles pictured Benedek’s entry into Berlin,

and also the sack of that city by the Croats. Some even recommended to

raze the capital of Prussia to the ground. “Sack,” “raze to the ground,”

“ride over spurs in blood”--these are __EXPRESSION__s which do not indeed

any longer express the popular conception in modern times of what is

right; but they have, since the days of our school-studies of the

ancient histories of war, been always clinging to people; and they have

been so often recited in the histories of battles learned by heart, so

often written down in our essays in German, that if a man has to write

an article on the subject of war in a newspaper, such __EXPRESSION__s drop

from his pen spontaneously. Contempt for the enemy cannot be too

strongly expressed--for the Prussian troops the Vienna newspapers had no

other term than “the tailors”. Adjutant-General Count Grünne expressed

himself thus: “We shall chase off these Prussians with a flea in their

ear”. That is the kind of way to make a war quite “popular”. That sort

of thing strengthens the national confidence.

 

June 11. Austria proposes that the Bund shall take action against

Prussia’s helping herself in Holstein, and mobilise the whole army of

the Bund. On June 14 this proposition is put to the vote, and by nine

votes to six--accepted! Oh! those three votes! How much grief and how

many shrieks of pain have made groaning echo to those three voices!

 

It is done--the ambassadors have received their dismissal. On the 16th

the Bund requested Austria and Bavaria to go to the assistance of the

Hanoverians and Saxons, who were already attacked by Prussia.

 

On the 18th the Prussian war manifesto appeared, and at the same time

the manifesto of the Emperor of Austria to his people, and the

proclamation of Benedek to his troops. On the 22nd Prince Frederick

Charles published his orders to his army, and thus commenced the war. I

copied the four original documents at the time. Here they are:--

 

King William says:--

 

Austria will not forget that her princes were once the rulers of

Germany, and will not regard modern Prussia as a co-partner, but

only as a hostile rival. Prussia, it is held, must be opposed in

all her efforts, because whatever profits Prussia injures Austria.

The old unblessed jealousy has again burst out into a fierce flame.

Prussia is to be weakened, destroyed, disinherited. With her no

treaties are to be any longer in force. Wherever we look in

Germany we are surrounded by foes, and their war-cry is

“Humiliation for Prussia”. Up to the last moment I have sought for

and kept open the way to a friendly solution. Austria refused.

 

On the other hand, the Emperor Francis Joseph expresses himself thus:--

 

The latest events prove incontestably that Prussia is now setting

open force in the place of right. Thus has the most impious of

wars--a war of Germans against Germans--become inevitable. To

answer for all the misery it will bring on individuals, families,

neighbours and districts, I summon those who have brought it about

before the judgment-seat of history, and of the Eternal and

Almighty God.

 

“The opposite party” is always the one that wishes for war. The

“opposite party” are always charged with setting up force in the place

of right. Why, then, is it anyhow possible, consistently with public

law, that this can happen? An “impious” war, because it is one of

“Germans against Germans”. Quite true. The point of view is a higher

one, which, beyond “Prussia” and “Austria,” raises the wider conception

of Germany. But take one step more and we shall reach that still higher

unity in the light of which every war--men against men, especially

civilised men against civilised--will necessarily appear an impious

fratricide. And to “summon before the judgment-seat of history”--what is

the use of that? History, as it has been managed hitherto, has never

pronounced any other judgment than a worship of success. When any one

comes out of a war as conqueror the guild of historical scribblers fall

in the dust before him, and praise him as the fulfiller of his “mission

of educative culture”. And “before the judgment-seat of Almighty God”.

Yes; but is not this He who is represented as the producer of the

fights, is not the same almighty, irresistible will equally concerned

with the outbreak as with the course of the war? Oh, contradiction on

contradiction! And this is what must certainly take place always,

whenever the truth is hidden under hypocritical phrases--when an attempt

is made to hold equally holy two principles which are mutually

destructive, such as war and justice, or national hatred and humanity,

or the God of Love and the God of Battles.

 

And Benedek says:--

 

We are standing opposed to a war power which is composed of two

halves--Line and Landwehr. The first is formed exclusively of young

fellows who are not accustomed either to fatigue or privation, who

have never taken part in any considerable campaign. The second

consists of untrustworthy, discontented elements, who would like

better to overthrow their own Government, which they dislike, than

to have to fight us. The enemy has also, in consequence of the long

period of peace, not a solitary general who has had the opportunity

of educating himself on the field of battle. Veterans of Mincio and

Palestro, you will, I think, count it as a special point of honour,

acting under your old and tried leaders, not to yield to such

antagonists even the smallest advantage. The enemy has for a long

time been pluming himself upon his quick-firing needle gun; but I

think, my men, that will not do him much good. We shall most likely

leave him no time for that, but charge him home at once with the

bayonet and the butt. As soon as, with God’s help, the enemy has

been beaten and compelled to retreat, we shall follow on his

traces, and you will rest from your toils in the foeman’s country,

and demand in the amplest measure those refreshments which a

victorious army will have fully merited.

 

Finally Prince Frederick Charles says:--

 

Soldiers! the faithless and covenant-breaking Austria has now for

some time, without any declaration of war, disregarded the

frontiers of Prussia in Upper Silesia. So I might have equally

considered myself entitled to cross the Bohemian frontier without

any declaration of war. But I have not done so. To-day I have

forwarded a regular declaration of war, and to-day we tread the

territory of our enemies, in order to protect our own country. May

our commencement have God’s sanction. [Is this the same God with

whose help Benedek promised to strike down the enemy?] Let us rest

our cause in His hands, who guides the hearts of men, who decides

the fate of nations and the result of battles, as it is written in

the scriptures. Let your hearts beat for God and your hands strike

the foe. In this war, as you know, Prussia’s dearest interests,

nay, the continued existence of our beloved Prussia, are in

question. The enemy avows, in the most open manner, the wish to

dismember and humiliate her. Shall then the rivers of blood which

your fathers and mine poured out under Frederick the Great, and

that which we lately poured out at Düppel and Alsen, have been

poured out in vain? Never! we will maintain Prussia as she is, and

make her stronger and more powerful by victory. We will show

ourselves worthy of our fathers. We rely on the God of our fathers

that He will be gracious to us, and bless the arms of Prussia! So,

now, forward with our old battle-cry: “With God for king and fatherland. Long live the king.”