THE HESPERIAN STUDENT.
K
V
"Uod lUU, ho gaps of human reod
EacUorlnU flnda Ua man and deed."
Tlio Malory of ot r oucccBsful nations would bo but a
porallel to our own ; "Surely," says Laziness, 'tucccaa-
11 development is natural, inevitable Whrnover ft
n la wanted ho la found. Lot. ua get gain and bo sel
fish, for tlio needs of tho nation will tnko caro of thom
solve8." But before wo jump nt conclusions let ua remember
that any thing scoma easy and nnturnl for thoso that can
do it well. If wo watch tlio only evolutions of n skilful
wheelman nothing seems simpler than to rldo a bloyclo;
if wo 8co a great locomotive movo smoathly past, noth
ing appears easier than to pull a train of loaded cara.
In abort many of tlio things Hint require great effort seem
perfectly easy and natural when done successfully. As
with individuals, so with natlous; and us wo can bettor
appreciate tlio difficulties of riding a bicycle by watchs
Ing one who falls than one who succeeds, aa we can
gain a better idea of tlio power necessary to movo a train
by seeing a small engiuo try to start it rather than a large
one, so it is better to turn at times from histories of na
tions that succeed, and form clearer ideas of tlio dfllcultlcs
attending nntionnl success by studying tlio history of a
nation that fails. Germany in tlio 17th century was such
u nation.
At tho beginning of tho Thirty Years War about n hun
dred years had passed since Luther preached against in.
dulgcnccs. In tho moan time tho chnrcli of Romo had
made herself ready for a final struggle in winch she half
hoped to reassert her sway over the whole of Christendom.
Germany suffered more in this sliuggle than other na
tions because of the nature of her institutions and the
character of her people because she produced no pas
trlot. Theoretically tho Empurer oi Germany had con
trol over all tlio princes of tlio Empire, practically ho
had just power enough to exasperate his great vassals.
The majority of tho German people had become Protes
tant, but tbc Diet was so composed that it was likely to
remain forever under tho Catholic control. Largo tracts
of land had formerly bolonged to tho Romish Church,
but these had been secularized by Protestant princes or
seized by the protestant churches. Tho lay princes of
he Empire were for tho most part bigoted and tyrannl
oal, hating their neighbors and coveting their neighbor's
possessions. Tho Catholics were ready aa ever to propo
gale their faith by mcaiiB of firo and sword, and tlio Prot
estants were equally ready to uso tho same cogent argu
ments. Add to all this tlio (act that tho Protestants wero
quarrelling violently among thcmsitlves, and we shall sco
that Germany was fitted by tho stato of its religious be
liefs, by tho nature of its institutins, and by tho character
of Us people to bo tho scene of n grand "frce-flght."
Tho circumstances which immediately prccccdcd the
beginning of hostilities aro of but little consequence, it is
enough to say that each side took tlio earliest opportuni
ty of placing itself entirely in tho wrong. Neither party
showed any inclinations to accept the results of defeat
when defeated, nor to offer fair terms when victorious.
Among the Catholics there was soma unity and some
continuity of purpose, because they wcro fighting for a
common faith and mainly under tho direction of ono
man ; but with tho Protestants there was no leader, no
fixed purpose except that of each individual to tako care
of himself first, Gormany was a quagmire of bad faith,
cruelty and short-sighted solflshnoss.
For many years tho loading general on tho Protestant
sldo was Mansfold. Fighting was his way of earning a
living (or of getting ono) and Ills soldiers followed him
lor tho sako of plunder and tho fun of fighting. Ho was
chased out of Bohemia, through tho Upper ahd Lowor
Palatinates into Alsace, whonco ho wandered oft to tho
Netherlands and finally marched back to Gormany, talc
up a position In Frleshuid. Ho moved about party bo
causo his troops lived onttrely on plunder, and soon ato
up and province in which thoy sottlod. Tilly, tho Cath
olic goucral could pay his troops, and honco could main
tain diaoipliuo and generally whip his opponents, but
thoir consciences woro so pllablo that It was imposslblo
to make them stay whipped. To try to subduo all Gor
many with ono army was like trying to compress a sand
bag by striking it with the list drlvo It in at ono polut
and it expands at all tho others.
What Gonnanyjnecded was a man with sufficient mental
callbor to mako it possible for him to think a thought as
great as tho strugglo in which ho was engagod. Holmes
says Unit when a lot ofpotatoos aro jolted in an old mark
et cart over a rough road, tho big ones Invariably como
to tho top. What a jolting will do for potatoes, war
will do for the people of a nation. After eight years of
civil strife Wallonstein appoarcd, and although ho was
not a German and not a patriot, ho yet roso abovo tlio
dead levil of Bolfish mediocrity. Ho raised a largo army
and maintained it by systommatio plunder tho system
being introduced to enable him to preserve the disclpllno
which Mansfcld lacked. In three years after ho took
command ho was master of all Gormany, from Denmark
to Turkey with tho excoption of two towns on tho Baltic.
But the priestly councolors of Ferdinand woro jealous
of tho great general and affraid of him. Tiiough victor i
ous he wished to conclude peace on tho basis of tolera
tion I Ho was dismissed.
Those who now guided tho c m.iclls
made demands so exhorbltant.that, as
no longer to be feared, the Protestant
grant! g thorn. But the war did not again asiuiuo tho
purposeless character that had distinguished it before
tho advent of Wellenstoin, for in tho same year in which
tho great Slav was dismissed Gustavus Adolphus of
Sweden lauded on the northern coast. His mind also was
groat enough to comprehend the magnitude of tho strug
gle. He know what ho was fighting for aud struck hard
and long for Protestantism, for Sweden, and for Gustavus
Adolphus. His success was brilliant and rapid. lu two
years he conquered most oi Germany.
Ferdinands counselors at last wished to recall Wallou.
stein, but he only consented to serve when they grauto 1
him absolute control over the army. Tlio two glonts
Wallonstein and Guslavus now prepared to grapple. In
tho battle of Lutzeu each proved himself worthy of his
highronown, Wallenstoiu was defeated and Gustavus
slain.
But even though his great adversary was dead Wallons
tein didnot propose to conquer Germany a second time for
Ferdinand, only to bo repaid by dismissal. Ho thought
that tho army was so altaced to himself that it would
follow his lead eveu nguinst tho emperor. Ho offered to
unilo with tho oncmy and conquer a poaco, and it is pos-
of tlio Emperor
Wallonatoiii was
had no notion of