The German Emperor has not apparently annoyed his subjects by
his recent letter patronising the Old Testament, in parts at least, and the Babylonian King Hammurabi, whose period, however, he is said to have mistaken. He is, neverthe- less, worried with many religious difficulties. The Roman Catholic Church does not like the State schools, and the Bishop of Treves has forbidden Roman Catholic girls to attend one of them, an action which, as the prohibition is illegal in Prussia, has compelled the Emperor to appeal to Rome, to the disgust of many Protestants, who ask if Prussian laws are dependent on the assent of the Pope. It is necessary to be moderate, however, because in the German Parliament the Government majority only exists while the Roman Catholic Centre is content, and the Centre is disturbed by a change of Government in Bavaria. The Clerical party there has turned out the Premier, Count Crailsheim, a Pro- testant, as being too favourable to Prussia, and has replaced him by Baron von Podewils, a Roman Catholic, though a moderate man. It is said that the aged Regent of Bavaria is about to resign, and as his successor is both Roman Catholic and Par- ticularist the Centre may find it difficult to act together. Alto- gether the ecclesiastical question is a troublesome one, and as it greatly interests the Emperor, it may draw from him some impulsive utterance sure not to please extremists on either side.
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