Page:Readings in European History Vol 2.djvu/633

 Unification of Germany and Italy 595 place where, surrounded by sovereigns, generals, and sol- diers, King William announced to the world the assumption by himself and his heirs of a title for the reestablishment of which we have been yearning during the sixty long years it has been in abeyance. As yet the infatuation of the enemy does not permit us to throw aside the weapons we have taken up in self-defense ; and as our unity arose out of the first part of the campaign, so will our empire be strengthened by the remaining feats of arms. By the self-sacrificing devotion of all classes of society, the nation has proved that it still possesses that warlike prowess which distinguished our ancestors. It has recovered its ancient position in Europe ; and, neither fear- ing an adversary nor envying any neighbor, discreet and temperate in its acts and aims, it accepts the destiny prophesied for it in the proclamation of its new emperor. This destiny is to add to its power not by conquest but by promoting culture, liberty, and civilization. As far as the German people are concerned, there will be no more wars in Europe after the determination of the present campaign. . . . Owing to the unfavorable weather the festive proces- Ceremony at sion which was to conduct his Majesty from the prefecture to the palace did not take place. The crown prince, with Lieutenant-General Blumenthal, his chief of staff, and an escort of Prussians, Wiirtembergers, Badeners, and Bava- rians, drove to the palace to receive his royal father at the eastern portal in front of the Princes' Stairway. In the courtyard of the palace a company of the king's own troops was drawn up as a guard of honor. . . . At a quarter past twelve his Majesty entered the hall, when a choir consisting of men of the Seventh, Forty- Seventh, and Fifty-Eighth regiments intoned the choral, " Let all the world rejoice in the Lord." . . . When the choir ceased, the congregation sang one verse of the choral, " Praise and honor unto the Lord." The ordinary military liturgy was then read by the clergymen and a sermon preached by the Reverend A. Rogge. Alluding to the well- known inscription on the ceiling of the hall, " Le roi gover?ie Versailles.