Woman under socialism Part 38

But even discounting both these objections--granting that both in point of economic and of social development Germany were ripe for the Socialist Revolution--her geographic location prevents her leaders.h.i.+p.

No one single State of the forty-four of the Union, not even the Empire State of New York, however ripe herself, could lead in the overthrow of capitalist rule in America unless the bulk of her sister States were themselves up to a certain minimum of ripeness. Contrariwise, any attempt by even such a State would be promptly smothered. What is true of any single State of the Union is true of any one country of Europe.

It is, therefore, true of Germany. Whatever doubt there be as to Germany's ripeness, there can be none as to the utter unripeness of all the other European countries with the single exceptions of France and Belgium,--and surely none as to Russia, that ominous cloud to the East, well styled the modern Macedon to the modern Greek States of the nations of Western Europe. Though there is no "District of Columbia" in Europe, the ma.s.ses would be mobilized from the surrounding hives of the Cimmerian Darkness of feudo-capitalism, and they would be marched convergently with as much precision and despatch upon the venturesome leader. And what is true as to Germany on this head is true of any other European country. Facts and their relations to one another must be ever kept in sight. 'Tis the only way to escape illusions--and their train of troubles.

For the rest, not the sordid compet.i.tive spirit of the bourgeois world, but that n.o.ble and enn.o.bling emulation, cited by the Author in a quotation from John Stuart Mill, animates the nations of the world that are now racing towards the overthrow of capitalist domination. Surely none will begrudge laurels due that one that shall be the first to scale the ramparts of the international burg of capitalism, strike the first blow, and give the signal for the final emanc.i.p.ation of the human race.--THE TRANSLATOR.]

[237] The number of students at the German universities averaged as follows per six months:

Protestant Catholic Quarter. Theology. Theology. Law. Medicine. Philosophy. Total.

1841-42--1846 2117 1027 3467 1943 3072 11626 1846-47--1851 1798 1297 4061 1827 3046 12029 1851-52--1856 1751 1300 4169 2291 2840 12351 1861-62--1866 2437 1153 2867 2435 4392 13284 1866-67--1871 2154 982 3011 2838 4626 13611 1871-72--1876 1780 836 4121 3491 5896 16124 1876-77--1881 1961 682 5134 3734 8057 19568 1881-82--1886 3880 952 5034 6869 9123 25838 1886-87 4546 1178 5239 8450 8666 27828 1887 4803 1232 5505 8685 8424 28455 1887-88 4632 1137 4810 8435 8450 28480 1888 4835 1174 6106 8915 8204 29275 1888-89 4642 1207 6304 8886 8255 29294

During the summer six months of 1893--notably the weaker of the two seasons--the total number of students, exclusive of the University of Brunswick, of which we had no returns, had risen to 31,976.

Unfortunately we had no like cla.s.sification of the students, and are hence prevented from inserting it in the above table.

The table shows that from 1841-2 to 1871 the number of students increased little, and less than the population. From that date on the increase was by leaps and bounds, until 1886-7; from this date on the increase is again slow. From 1871 to 1888-9 the number of students increased more than 116 per cent. It is an interesting fact that the study of theology decreased steadily until 1881, but increased thereupon all the quicker until it reached high-water mark in 1888. The reason was that the excess of the supply for all the other posts increased in such measure that it was difficult to secure a place. People then turned to theology which had been neglected during the previous ten years.