d tending to become the idea of the German
Empire. The policy to be pursued in the German Parliament should be
purely German."

The dilemma is clear. Will Germany continue to become Prussianised or
will she remain German? If she is Prussian, that is to say,
militarist, socialism will grow and increase; if she is German, the
development and expansion of her political and social organism, having
free play, will come about normally and surely. Therefore, the
solidity of German unity should consist in resistance to Prussianism or
militarism, to William II, and to the past. On the other hand,
submission of the old Confederation to Prussia must inevitably lead to
disintegration.

May 29, 1893. [7]

William II has told us, on the occasion of the unveiling of the statue
of William I at Gorlitz, that the question which brought about the
dissolution of the Reichstag, that like which confronts the impending
election, is that of the Military Bill, and that this question
dominates all others.

"That which the Emperor, William I, has won, I will uphold," says the
present Emperor; "we must assure the future of the Fatherland. In
order to attain this object, the military strength of the country must
be increased and fortified, and I have asked the nation to supply the
necessary means. Confronted by this grave question, on which the very
existence of the country depends, all others are relegated to the
background."

Should we conclude, with the _Frankfurter Zeitung_, that "that which
oppresses our minds in this struggle is the reflection, that no
possible benefit is to be attained through victory, nor any remedy for
defeat"?

Will Germany yield, or will she resist the will of the Emperor thus
clearly expressed? Herein lies a question which, in one way or
another, must have the gravest consequences.

July 1, 1893. [8]

One day, on the occasion of a first performance of a play called
"Cadio," by George Sand, I was with a woman, my best friend, in the
wings of the theatre, Porte-Saint-Martin. I saw Melingue stamping on
the floor with his feet and jumping and twisting about, and upon my
asking him what was the meaning of these extraordinary antics, he
replied; "It is because, when I come upon the scene, I am supposed to
have galloped several miles on horseback and it would not do for me,
therefore, to present the appearance of a gentleman who has just come
out of a room or from the garden." I do not quite know