of
his audience, that the prudence he was preaching had already commenced
to press the courage of the poor people into the background, and
raising his voice still higher he continued:

"Your fighting will be a species of suicide. Your wives and children
will curse you for having killed their husbands and fathers. Worthy
citizens! be prudent, and remember that work and not war is your
calling. Go home, then, and mind your business; take care of your
wives and children, and bow your heads in humbleness, for necessity
will teach you prudence."

Mr. Kretschmer stopped, and the silent assembly seemed to be
considering whether they should listen to his prudent advice. Even
the heroic tailor had climbed down from the hump of the shoemaker, and
remained thoughtful and silent.

"The man is right," cried the shoemaker, in his grumbling, bass voice.

"Yes, indeed," said his gossip, the glover; "why should we sacrifice
our legs and arms? We can't beat them anyhow."

"Now, my friends," whispered Kretschmer to his associates, "now is
your turn to speak. My breath is exhausted. You speak now and finish
the good work I commenced. Admonish the people to be moderate."

"I will make them perfectly enthusiastic in the cause of peace
and quiet," said Mr. Krause, in a low voice. "You shall see how
irresistible the stream of my eloquence will be," and striding forward
with pathetic mien, and raising both arms as if to implore the people,
he exclaimed in a loud voice: "You say so, and it is so! We cannot be
victorious. Now, my opinion is, that as we cannot beat the enemy, we
ought not to fight him, and in that way we can cheat him out of his
victory. For where there is no fight, there can be no victory. Resist
the armed bands with the quiet obstacle of mental fortitude. Do not
act, but submit. Submit with a defiant air. Do not use your weapons,
but do not yield them up to the enemy. Keep your hands on the hilts
of your swords, and be quiet. When they mock and abuse you, be silent;
but let them read your defiance in your countenances; when they press
upon you with sword and cannon, retire with a proud smile, and do not
defend yourselves, and we will see whether they are brutal enough to
attack peaceful non-combatants. Act in this way, and the moral victory
is yours, and you then will have conquered the enemy by your moral
greatness, even if you are physically subdued. Against cannon
and bayonets a people cannot defend themselves except