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 sky with such warmth and radiance, that the people quivered with sheer delight and blinked their eyes at the unaccustomed lustre; crows swayed slantingly in the air on their ragged wings as if they wished to expose now their backs, now their bellies to the warmth of the sun; from the roofs fell drops of melted snow and glistened, like brilliants; in the streets brooklets trickled merrily, the mud glistened, fur coats, winter costumes and ladies' dark dresses disappeared; the streets became gay with light overcoats and cheerful colours of women's dresses; the people rid themselves of the heavy and cautious gait they had acquired during the winter months, and strolled along displaying their contentment in dainty springtime steps; and in the parks where audacious blackbirds scurried about on the freshened grass, there appeared a crowd of nursemaids with and without perambulators, and tiny babies who had been born in the course of the winter blinked with their expressionless little eyes at the golden, radiant air.

And at the same time in the north, south, east and west, cannons, rifles, bayonets and bombs were at work; war was being carried on upon the earth, under the earth, upon the sea, under the sea, in the air,—war was being carried on by gods and men, machines, vapours, gases, electricity and all the acquisitions of science and art (for war was also being carried on by poets, novelists, savants, philosophers, draughtsmen, painters, pamphleteers, journalists) as if mankind had come to an agreement that it was necessary to slay all those spectres which are called culture, civilization, progress, humanity, morals and religion. Homage had been done to them for centuries,—now they must fall. A few crowns were shaking upon hallowed heads, a few wearers of royal garments were homelessly wandering about Europe, the penny-a-liners who had formerly greeted them on their various visits, now pelted them