There  is  no  doubt  but  that  in  Germany  the  rich  are  becoming
both  more  numerous  and  richer  year  by  year.  The  position
of  the  German  and  Eng'lish  middle  classes  must  be  rapidly
approximating.  The  position  of  the  working  classes  is  probably
better  in,  Germany  than  in  England.  I  think  there  can  be
little  doiibt  of  this  at  the  present  time.  The  question  of  wages
and  prices  I  will  discuss  later;  here  I  will  only  say  that  the
German  has  not  the  same  fear  of  being  unemployed,  with  the
alternatives  of  living  on  charity  or  going  to  the  workhouse  ;
he  has  the  certainty  in  most  cases  of  a  pension  if  out  of  work,
disabled  by  accident  or  sickness,  and  when  too  old  to  work.
On  the  other  hand,  he  has  to  do  more  for  his  countiy,  he  must
serve  in  the  Army,  giving  up  a  year  or  mure  of  his  life  ;  but
in  that  year  he  goes  through  a  course  of  drill  and  gymnastics
Avhieh  are  invaluable  for  a  tovrn  dweller,  and  which  leave  him
])o]inanently  a  stronger,  healthier,  and  better  man,  with
habits  of  cleanliness  and  discipline.  Consequently,  comparing
the  artizans  of  both  countries,  the  Germans  are  the  cleaner
of  the  two.  At  all  the  large  works  I  visited  provision  was  made
for  the  men  washing  and  changing  their  clothes  before  going
liome.  Each  man  had  his  owji  locker  for  his  clothes;  after
leaving  work  he  has  a  good  wash  and  ]iuts  on  clean  clothes
to  go  liome  in.  These  things  may  seem  trivial,  but  they  all
lell  in  ])rom<)ting  national  well  being.
