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The Upper Rhine : Mayence to the Lake of Constance
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430

DOMESTIC MANNEBS OF TUE rilUSSIANS.

§4.

Tue Political Ceeed of the Pbussians — Limits of Enlight-ened Public Government — Political Wickel-kindee —

" CoNCESSIONS" TO EAliN A LlTINO — PoTATOES DISrLACING

Black B read — Extreme Poyerty and Meanness —ARoyal Bakquet. *

" I tink tliey have all the wisest men in die velt at Berlin,"was the confidential opinion of a Prussian to us. Neverthelessthe gentleman could hardly be considered a high authority inmatters of wisdom, for it was he who had assured us thatholy water would not rot. Nor had he any very extensiveacquaintance with the sages of the other parts of the globe,seeing that his travels had never gone beyond a penny tripin the Vallendar steamhoat.

If, too, we be not sorely mistaken, these same Berlinworthies belong to the palajozoic class of politicians, and haveno more rieht to be ranked with the enlightened statesmen ofEurope than the purblind old fogies of owls have to be citedas the ornithological types of profound intelligence.

If every private individual duly governed himself, it ismanifest that the necessity for public government would cease;and that all possess a governing principle within them, thedifference between our motives while awake and when dreamingaffords sufficient proof. Hence it is simply because the internalgovernment of the majority of people is defectivo that an externalone is required, in order to prevent the members of societyinjuring their neighbours, either in person, property, or cha-racter; so that as it is every one's duty to respect the feehngsand possessions of those by whom he is surrounded, the objectof all enlightened government is merely to see that this dutyis strictly performed: in fine, it is to prevent the strong op-

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