Proclamation of the German Empire, 1871

Chapter 29


At a quarter past twelve his Majesty entered the hall, when a choir consisting of men of the Seventh, Forty-Seventh, and Fifty-Eighth regiments intoned the choral, "Let all the world rejoice in the Lord." . . . When the choir ceased, the congregation sang one verse of the choral, "Praise and honor unto the Lord." The ordinary military liturgy was then read by the clergymen and a sermon preached by the Reverend A. Rogge. Alluding to the well-known inscription on the ceiling of the hall, "Le roi governe par lui-même," the preacher observed that the kings of Prussia had risen to greatness by adopting a different and more religious motto, namely, "The kings of the earth reign under me, saith the Lord." The Te Deum Laudomus closed the service.

The king then walked up to where the colors were displayed. and, standing before them, read the document proclaiming the reestablishment of the German empire. Count Bismarck having read the king's proclamation to the German nation, the grand duke of Baden stepped forth and exclaimed, "Long live his Majesty the emperor!" The cheers of the assembly were taken up by the bands playing the national anthem.

From J.H. Robinson, Readings in European History, Vol. II, New York: Ginn and Company, 1906, pp.595-596. Reprinted by permission of the publisher.

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