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Just then the Spanish throne happened to be vacant。 It
had been offered to the Catholic branch of the house of Hohenzollern。
The French government had objected and the Hohenzollerns
had politely refused to accept the crown。 But
Napoleon； who was showing signs of illness； was very much
under the influence of his beautiful wife； Eugenie de Montijo；
the daughter of a Spanish gentleman and the grand…daughter
of William Kirkpatrick； an American consul at Malaga； where
the grapes come from。 Eugenie； although shrewd enough； was
as badly educated as most Spanish women of that day。 She
was at the mercy of her spiritual advisers and these worthy
gentlemen felt no love for the Protestant King of Prussia。 ‘‘Be
bold；'' was the advice of the Empress to her husband； but she
omitted to add the second half of that famous Persian proverb
which admonishes the hero to ‘‘be bold but not too bold。''
Napoleon； convinced of the strength of his army； addressed
himself to the king of Prussia and insisted that the king give
him assurances that ‘‘he would never permit another candidature
of a Hohenzollern prince to the Spanish crown。'' As
the Hohenzollerns had just declined the honour； the demand
was superfluous； and Bismarck so informed the French government。
But Napoleon was not satisfied。
It was the year 1870 and King William was taking the
waters at Ems。 There one day he was approached by the
French minister who tried to re…open the discussion。 The king
answered very pleasantly that it was a fine day and that the
Spanish question was now closed and that nothing more
remained to be said upon the subject。 As a matter of
routine； a report of this interview was telegraphed to
Bismarck； who handled all foreign affairs。 Bismarck edited
the dispatch for the benefit of the Prussian and French
press。 Many people have called him names for doing
this。 Bismarck however could plead the excuse that the doctoring
of official news； since time immemorial； had been one
of the privileges of all civilised governments。 When the ‘‘edited''
telegram was printed； the good people in Berlin felt that
their old and venerable king with his nice white whiskers had
been insulted by an arrogant little Frenchman and the equally
good people of Paris flew into a rage because their perfectly
courteous minister had been shown the door by a Royal Prussian
flunkey。
And so they both went to war and in less than two months；
Napoleon and the greater part of his army were prisoners of
the Germans。 The Second Empire had come to an end and the
Third Republic was making ready to defend Paris against the
German invaders。 Paris held out for five long months。 Ten
days before the surrender of the city； in the nearby palace of
Versailles； built by that same King Louis XIV who had been
such a dangerous enemy to the Germans； the King of Prussia
was publicly proclaimed German Emperor and a loud booming
of guns told the hungry Parisians that a new German Empire
had taken the place of the old harmless Confederation of Teutonic
states and stateless。
In this rough way； the German question was finally settled。
By the end of the year 1871； fifty…six years after the memorable
gathering at Vienna； the work of the Congress had been entirely
undone。 Metternich and Alexander and Talleyrand had tried
to give the people of Europe a lasting peace。 The methods
they had employed had caused endless wars and revolutions and
the feeling of a common brotherhood of the eighteenth century
was followed by an era of exaggerated nationalism which has
not yet come to an end。
THE AGE OF THE ENGINE
BUT WHILE THE PEOPLE OF EUROPE WERE
FIGHTING FOR THEIR NATIONAL
INDEPENDENCE； THE WORLD IN WHICH THEY
LIVED HAD BEEN ENTIRELY CHANGED
BY A SERIES OF INVENTIONS； WHICH HAD
MADE THE CLUMSY OLD STEAM ENGINE
OF THE 18TH CENTURY THE MOST FAITHFUL
AND EFFICIENT SLAVE OF MAN
THE greatest benefactor of the human race died more than
half a million years ago。 He was a hairy creature with a low
brow and sunken eyes； a heavy jaw and strong tiger…like teeth。
He would not have looked well in a gathering of modern scientists；
but they would have honoured him as their master。 For
he had used a stone to break a nut and a stick to lift up a heavy
boulder。 He was the inventor of the hammer and the lever； our
first tools； and he did more than any human being who came
after him to give man his enormous advantage over the other
animals with whom he shares this planet。
Ever since； man has tried to make his life easier by the use
of a greater number of tools。 The first wheel （a round disc
made out of an old tree） created as much stir in the communities
of 100；000 B。C。 as the flying machine did only a few years
ago。
In Washington； the story is told of a director of the Patent
Office who in the early thirties of the last century suggested
that the Patent Office be abolished； because ‘‘everything that
possibly could be invented had been invented。'' A similar
feeling must have spread through the prehistoric world when
the first sail was hoisted on a raft and the people were able
to move from place to place without rowing or punting or
pulling from the shore。
Indeed one of the most interesting chapters of history is
the effort of man to let some one else or something else do his
work for him； while he enjoyed his leisure； sitting in the sun
or painting pictures on rocks； or training young wolves and
little tigers to behave like peaceful domestic animals。
Of course in the very olden days； it was always possible
to enslave a weaker neighbour and force him to do the unpleasant
tasks of life。 One of the reasons why the Greeks and
Romans； who were quite as intelligent as we are； failed to
devise more interesting machinery； was to be found in the wide…
spread existence of slavery。 Why should a great mathematician
waste his time upon wires and pulleys and cogs and fill
the air with noise and smoke when he could go to the marketplace
and buy all the slaves he needed at a very small expense？
And during the middle…ages； although slavery had been
abolished and only a mild form of serfdom survived； the guilds
discouraged the idea of using machinery because they thought
this would throw a large number of their brethren out of
work。 Besides； the Middle…Ages were not at all interested
in producing large quantities of goods。 Their tailors and butchers
and carpenters worked for the immediate needs of the small
community in which they lived and had no desire to compete
with their neighbours； or to produce more than was strictly
necessary。
During the Renaissance； when the prejudices of the Church
against scientific investigations could no longer be enforced as
rigidly as before； a large number of men began to devote their
lives to mathematics and astronomy and physics and chemistry。
Two years before the beginning of the Thirty Years War；
John Napier； a Scotchman； ha