a war.

One of the characteristic German utterances of the time, came from
Albrect Wirth, a German political writer of standing, in close touch
with the thought and aims of his nation. The utterance about to be
quoted may, in the light of later events, appear indiscreet, as Germany
wished to avoid an appearance of responsibility for the world war; but
the minds of the German people had to be prepared and this could not be
accomplished without some of the writers and public men letting the cat
out of the bag. Wirth said:

"Morocco is easily worth a big war, or several. At best--and even
prudent Germany is getting to be convinced of this--war is only
postponed and not abandoned. Is such a postponement to our advantage?
They say we must wait for a better moment. Wait for the deepening of the
Kiel canal, for our navy laws to take full effect. It is not exactly
diplomatic to announce publicly to one's adversaries, 'To go to war now
does not tempt us, but three years hence we shall let loose a world
war'--No; if a war is really planned, not a word of it must be spoken;
one's designs must be enveloped in profound mystery; then brusquely, all
of a sudden, jump on the enemy like a robber in the darkness." The heavy
footed German had difficulty in moving with the stealth of a robber, but
the policy here recommended was followed.

In 1914, the three years indicated by Wirth had expired. There began to
occur dark comings and goings; mysterious meetings and conferences on
the continent of Europe. The German emperor, accompanied by the princes
and leaders of the German states, began to cruise the border and
northern seas of the Fatherland, where they would be safe from listening
ears, prying eyes, newspapers, telephones and telegraphs. It became
known that the Kaiser was cultivating the weak-minded Russian czar in
an attempt to win his country from its alliance with England and France.
There were no open rumblings of war, but the air was charged with
electricity like that preceeding a storm.

An unaccountable business depression affected pretty much the entire
world. Money, that most sensitive of all things, began to show
nervousness and a tendency to go into hiding. The bulk of the world was
still asleep to the real meaning of events, but it had begun to stir in
its dreams, as if some prescience, some premonition had begun to reach
it even in its slumbers.

Finally the first big event occurred--the tragedy that was not intended