410

BOMESTIC MANNEKS OF THE PRÜSSIANS.

years of age,— an order that is said to have been enjoinedwith the view of preventing any little tcll-tales appearing inthe village. There is a Deutsch Joe Miller current through-out Germany, that a bishop having put up one evening at a-village parsonage, a buxom young damsel made her appearanceat the " coffee-drinking " with the cups, whereupon the bishopstared, first at the girl and then at tho Herr Pastor; but hehad hardly recovered from his surprise, when another youngand equally good - looking serying - maid entered with the" Hörnchens " and the cakes. This was more than the rightreverend father could bear; so, immediately the servant hadquitted the room, the dignitary asked the pastor whether howas not aware of the injunction which prohibited priests fromhaving maid-servants resident with them under fifty years ofage. The Herr Pastor replied that he was ; but, as one of thegirls was twenty-six and the other twenty-four, the bishopwould see that he had possessed himself of the entire volume ofyears, though he had preferred taking it " in two parts."

Nor has the Prussian Govei'nment itself such a respect forreligious liberty as would at the first glance appear; for a fewmonths' residence in Germany is sufficient to teach one, thatthough there be no particular Church connected with the Statein that country, there is a greater amount of religious tyranny,and (as it is impossible to niake people devout by Act ofParliament) a greater amount of religious hypocrisy, thanobtains in any other land. Indeed, we know of no nation inwhich parsons have such entire sway over the people.

In the first place, no person can be married unless able toproduce their confirmation papers; nor can they obtain anySituation under government, unless they be provided with thesame documents. Again, all who fill any government postmust go to church once, atleast, on the Sunday; and professors

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