Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 8.djvu/325

 THE NORTH SLESWIC QUESTION

In the rural districts, on the contrary, Danish language and sentiment have practically held their own. The accompanying map 1 the figures of which are based upon a house-to-house canvass undertaken in the early nineties, and, it is presumed, have not since been subject to any appreciable change shows the percentage of the Danish resident population in the different communes of North Sleswic. Little comment is necessary : barring the fluctuating official class the minister and the schoolmaster, the policeman and the station-master, who all owe their appointment, directly or indirectly, to the government parish upon parish, after these forty years of relentless persecu- tion, presents an unbroken 100 per cent, of Danish-speaking people. Against the solid front of these rugged, determined farmers the blandishments and intimidations of a resourceful Prussian officialdom have availed naught.

Out of a population of 143,000 in 1895, * n North Sleswic proper, 8,000, including the official class, had German speech. Of every 1,000 families 4 native and 8 immigrated spoke Ger- man, 988 Danish. And it is a significant fact that the German immigrants in many instances are absorbed by the native popu- lation to the extent of adopting its language, in the second generation, in their daily intercourse. From natural causes the Danish nationality in Sleswic need have no fear of extinction. Left to themselves, German culture and language would never triumph over Danish. This is admitted by the Germans.

The following table is instructive regarding political con- ditions. It shows the number of votes cast on both sides in elections to the Reichstag 1871-98:

1871

1874

1877

1878

iSSi

1884

1886

1887

1890

1893

1898

Danish German

18,725 3,578

17,897 3,778

15,575 4,573

M,447 4,421

12,831 4,194

12,228 4,723

11,616 5,052

12,480 5,945

12,860 6,054

13,672 6,026

14,821 6,741

In estimating these figures the fact must be borne in mind that the population during all these years has remained prac- tically stationary ; also that the full Danish vote, owing to the

'This and the following map have been reproduced from Haandbog i det nord- slesvigske Sporgsmaals Historic, Copenhagen, 1901.