portant news for the dignitaries of the Church who are here represented, and which I am proud to be able to impart to them. Here stands General von Loë, a trusty servant of his Sovereigns. He was sent by me to Rome to attend the Jubilee of the Holy Father, and when he presented to his Holiness my congratulations and my gift, and informed him, in friendly conversation, of the outlook in our German lands, the Holy Father replied that he was pleased to be able to tell him that he had always thought highly of the piety of the Germans, especially of the German Army. His Holiness could tell him even more, and he asked him to deliver this message to his Emperor, that the country in all Europe in which decency, order, and discipline still holds widest sway, in which respect for authority, veneration for the Church, and freedom for every Catholic in the confession of his faith still prevails, was the German Empire, and that for this his thanks were due to the German Emperor.

"This, gentlemen, justifies me in saying that both our creeds, side by side, must keep in view the one great aim, namely, the upholding and strengthening of the fear of God and reverence for religion. Whether we are men with modern ideas, whatever the sphere of action in which our lot is cast, it is all one and the same thing. He who does not base his life on religion is lost. And so, since on this day and in this place it is a fit and proper occasion not only to speak but also to make a vow, I hereby declare that I place the whole Empire, the whole people, my Army, symbolically represented by this baton, myself and my House under the Cross and under the protection of Him, of Whom the great apostle Peter said, 'Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under Heaven given among men whereby we must be saved,' and who has said of Himself, Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.'

"I drink to the welfare of the town of Aix in the firm conviction that the words which I have spoken will fall on good ground here, for I am firmly convinced by what I have to-day seen of the citizens of this town, old and young, that in the future our House and our Throne will continue to find strong support within these walls.

"Long live the town of Aix-la-Chapelle!"

IN

THE EMPEROR

AND THE WORKING CLASSES

N his speech from the Throne at the opening of the Reichstag on October 22nd, 1888, the Emperor expressly declared :—

"I have undertaken as a precious inheritance from my late grandfather, now resting in God, the task of continuing the social legislation commenced by him. I do not indulge the hope that the troubles of the time and the afflictions of mankind can be abolished from the world by legislative measures alone, but I consider it the duty of the State to work, as far as in it lies, for the alleviation of present economic distresses, and, by organised effort, to bring about the practical recognition of that love for one's neighbour which grows in the soil of Christianity, as a duty to be undertaken by the collective power of the State. The difficulties which stand in the way of a comprehensive compulsory insurance of all working men against accidents and sickness are great, but, thank God, not so great as to be insurmountable. As the result of comprehensive preliminary inquiries, a Bill will be submitted to you which offers a workable means of attaining this end."

A few days after this speech, on November 16th, 1888, the Emperor received, whilst at Breslau, a deputation of representatives from both Protestant and Catholic Labour Associations, and replied to their addresses in these words:

"I thank you, gentlemen, for the honour which you did me yesterday by your splendid torchlight procession, and for the sentiments of loyalty to me and my House to which you have just given expression. It gave me double pleasure that in paying this honour the workmen of both creeds joined with such complete unanimity.

"The welfare of the working men lies near to my heart. The workmen of Breslau were the first to recognise this and to give expression to their loyalty towards me and my House. I am convinced that you will display this fidelity in the future, whenever occasion demands. I hope and desire that the example given by the working men of the capital of Silesia will be imitated by workers in all parts of the Empire, and that they will stand faithfully by my House with like unanimity. I request you to make this known to the working men who took part in the torchlight procession, as I was not then able to express to all of them my Royal thanks."

On April 30th, 1889, the German National Exhibition of Means for the Prevention of Accidents was opened. It was under the patronage of the Emperor. At the opening ceremony the Emperor made the following speech :

"It is with pleasure that I welcome this proof of the endeavours to afford increased security to the working men against the dangers incident to their calling, which have become greater in recent times, to raise the economic position of the working classes by well-devised measures, and to give expression to the idea of practical philanthropy even in our public enactments.

"Present and future generations will never forget what they owe to my grandfather-now resting in God-that he brought home to the national conscience the importance of this endeavour on behalf of the community. I have approached the social problems with which we have to deal with a full conviction of the necessity of finding a solution for them. I count upon the intelligent and ready co-operation of all classes of the people, especially of the workers, whose welfare is the object of these undertakings, and of the employers of labour, who in their own interests are willing to make the increasingly heavy sacrifices entailed,

"The Exhibition of Means for the Prevention of Accidents is one of the results of these endeavours. It proves to what extent up to the present the provisions of the laws have taken practical shape. The necessary trouble and labour spent upon the organisation of the Exhibition will, I hope to God, be followed by great

blessings. To all who have contributed their share to this work I express my thanks and my acknowledgments. May the Exhibition help all who are concerned to realise how much can be done to protect the workman and to promote his interests."

A few days later a general strike of coal-miners began in the collieries of the Ruhr district, which threatened to paralyse the whole commerce and industry of the country, especially as the men in the other Prussian coalfields were ready to join the strikers. In order to adjust the differences between the masters and the men, the Emperor received a deputation from each of the contending parties. To the deputation of the miners, received on the 14th of May, the Emperor said :—

"Every subject who prefers a wish or petition has, as a matter of course, the ear of his Emperor. I have shown this in permitting the deputation to come hither and personally to lay their wishes before me. You have, however, put yourselves in the wrong, for the step you have taken is illegal, inasmuch as the fourteen days' notice, on the expiration of which you would have been legally entitled to stop work, has not been given. Consequently, you are guilty of breach of contract. It is self-evident that this breach of contract has irritated and injured the masters. Furthermore, men who refused to strike were prevented by violence or threats from continuing their work. Then, again, some workmen have defied the authorities and have seized property which does not belong to them, and, in individual cases, have even actively resisted the military power which had been summoned to preserve order. Finally, you insist that work shall be resumed only on condition that in all mines your entire demands are conceded. As regards your demands, I will have them thoroughly investigated by Government officials, and will transmit the result of the inquiry to you through the proper authorities. If, however, any excesses be committed against public order and tranquillity, or if it should become evident that Social Democrats are connected with the agitation, I shall not be able to take into consideration your wishes with my royal favour; for to me the word Social Democrat is synonymous with enemy of Empire and Fatherland. If, therefore, I observe that social democratic opinions are concerned in the

agitation and incite to unlawful resistance, I will intervene with unrelenting vigour and bring to bear the full power which I possess, and which is great indeed. Now retire, consider what I have said, and try to influence your comrades, so that they may come back to their senses. But above all, under no circumstances must any of you hinder your fellow-miners who wish to resume work from doing so."

To the deputation of the mine-owners of the Ruhr Coalfield who appeared before him on May 16th, 1889, the Emperor said:

"Gentlemen: I have granted you audience, since it is naturally a monarch's business to hear both parties when his subjects require adjustment of differences that have arisen between them and loyally approach the Chief of the State. Two days ago I heard the men, and am pleased to see you before me to-day. As to the cause of the strike and the means of settling it, I still await detailed information on these points from my officials. I am particularly anxious to bring to an end the great Westphalian strike as soon as possible, because it has caused widespread injury to the whole country, and is also extending into Silesia. You know what I said to the men; it was published in all the newspapers yesterday. I indicated my position with the greatest clearness. The men themselves made a good impression on me, for it would seem that they held aloof from social democracy. That the words I spoke to them have been favourably regarded in working-class circles in Westphalia I gather from telegrams, and I am delighted to hear that attempts at interference on the part of Social Democrats have been energetically repelled. The negotiations which, as I am glad to hear, you, Herr Hammacher, as President of the Masters' Association, have conducted with the men's delegates, have been brought to my knowledge through the Ministry of the Interior, and I desire to express my acknowledgment of the conciliatory spirit you have shown towards the men, and by means of which the basis for a possible understanding has been secured. I shall be delighted if that proves to be the basis of an agreement between masters and men. There is still one other point I wish to emphasise from my point of view-if you, gentlemen, are of opinion that the men's delegates whom I received were not the