Today Germany is not even interested in France's republican form of
Government, nor is France concerned with Germany's imperial autocrat.
But all Europe is intensely concerned with the question of economic
supremacy or financial subordination.
Ever since Oliver Cromwell's day England has been the mistress of the
seas, and Germany is envious and believes that she has a right to
supplant England in this naval leadership. France has long been the
banker of Europe, and Germany covets financial leadership. From whence
come wars? Come they not from men's lusts? Now that long time has
passed, it is quite certain that neither Napoleon nor Bismarck nor
William II. understood the future. It is a proverb that yesterday is a
seed, today the stalk, and tomorrow is the full corn in the ear.
Napoleon was a practical man, but he could not see the shock in the
seed. When Napoleon said, "One hundred years from now Europe will be all
republican or all Cossack"--Napoleon was quite wrong. Forty years ago
Bismarck said that he had reduced France to the level of a fourth-class
nation, and that henceforth France did not count; while as for the
Balkan States, "the whole Eastern question is not worth the bones of a
Pomeranian grenadier"--Bismarck was quite wrong.
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