Vast regions which were once under German influence are now once more subject to Slavonic rule, and seem permanently lost to us.

The present Russian Baltic provinces were formerly flourishing seats of German culture.

The German element in Austria, our ally, is gravely menaced by the Slavs; Germany herself is exposed to a perpetual peaceful invasion of Slavonic workmen.

Many Poles are firmly established in the heart of Westphalia.
Only faint-hearted measures are taken to-day to stem this Slavonic flood.

And yet to check this onrush of Slavism is not merely an obligation inherited from our fathers, but a duty in the interests of self-preservation and European civilization.