Yes, there a staid mature man can even
run, jump, climb to his heart's content, without being considered a fool
by that old stickler, Dame Propriety. These fragments of ancient
Germanic sylvan liberty have happily been preserved almost everywhere in
Germany. They no longer exist in neighboring lands which have greater
political freedom but where annoying fences very soon put an end to an
unfettered desire to roam at will. What good does the citizen of the
large North American cities get out of his lack of police surveillance
in the streets, if he cannot even run around at will in the woods of the
nearest suburb because the odious fences force him, more despotically
than a whole regiment of police, to keep to the road indicated by the
sign-post? What good do the Englishmen get out of their free laws, since
they have nothing but parks inclosed by chains, since they have scarcely
any free forest left? The constraint of customs and manners in England
and North America is insupportable to a German. As the English no longer
even know how to appreciate the free forest, it is no wonder that they
require a man to bring along a black dress-suit and a white cravat, in
addition to the ticket-money, in order to obtain entrance to the theatre
or a concert. Germany has a future of greater social liberty before her
than England, for she has preserved the free forest. They might perhaps
be able to root up the forests in Germany, but to close them to the
public would cause a revolution.
Pages:
543
544
545
546
547
548
549
550
551
552
553
554
555
556
557
558
559
560
561
562
563
564
565
566
567