How,  for  instance,  did  the  Catholic  ecclesiastics  exercise
school  inspection  in  the  territory  of  Posen  ?  They  united
themselves  with  the  Polish  nobility,  in  order  to  annihilate  the
German  element  in  the  country,  and  to  separate  this  land  from
Prussia.  Yes,  indeed,  the  old  Pole  must  be  re-established  within
his  former  boundaries,  in  order  that  Jesuitism  might  there  be
enabled  to  flourish  again  as  formerly;  and  on  that  account
instruction  in  German  became  not  only  neglected,  but  regular
opposition  was  made  against  it.  By  such  conduct  the  Jesuitical
Ultramontane  ecclesiastics  had  carried  the  matter  so  far  that,
for  example,  in  the  West  Prussian  communities,  which  formerly
were  purely  German,  the  German  language  was  now  no  longer
understood  by  the  rising  generation.  And  could  the  Prussian
Government  tolerate  any  longer  such  a  calamity  ?  It  was
bad  enough  that  the  ministers  Raumer  and  Von  Miihler  had
so  long  retained  in  their  hands  the  Jesuitical  Polish  propaganda.
Now,  when  the  German  Empire  had  been  again  constituted,  one
must  proceed  in  earnest  and  with  energy;  and,  consequently,
the  law  concerning  school  inspection,  brought  forward  by  Dr


DEVELOPMENT    OF   CATHOLICISM   INTO   JESUITISM.      801

Palk,  was  approved  by  a  large  majority  in  the  Prussian  Par-
liament, and  later,  also,  in  the  Upper  House.  It  is  true,  indeed,
that  the  Prussian  Catholic  bishops  at  once  strongly  protested
•against  this  step,  declaring  that  the  inspection  of  schools,  as
■daughters  of  the  Church,  rested  alone  with  the  clergy,  not
-with  the  State.  But  what  did  this  protest  signify  !  The  King
■established  this  law  by  his  signature,  and  it  became  valid
throughout  the  whole  of  the  Prussian  dominion.
