Page:Poet Lore, volume 27, 1916.djvu/381



The incident of this so-called comedy dates from the year 1866 but the similarity to events of our day makes the sketch so timely that with but a change of names and location this terrible farce on patriotic heroism could have been played near the San River or in the environs of Ypres in the year 1915.

It happened in 1866 when Bismarck drove home his coup d’etat by ending forever Austrian interference in German affairs. In April of that year, he entered into an alliance with Italy against Austria. Events moved rapidly after its completion. This alliance was officially to be secret but soon became known abroad. Austria for its protection began mobilization on its Venetian border. Bismarck immediately accused her of insincerity and on June 7, the Prussian army marched into Holstein, then the bone of contention. General mobilization was ordered on June 14 and