The individual's health is cared for, his house is inspected, his children are educated, he is insured against the worst vicissitudes of life, his savings are invested, his transportation of goods or persons is undertaken, his need to communicate with others by telegraph or telephone is met--all by the paternal State or city.
"Twenty-five years ago the Prussian government was spending only about $13,500 a year on trade schools; now it is spending above three million dollars on more than 1300 schools....
"The Prussian State had also long been an extensive owner of coal, potash, salt, and iron mines.

In 1907 a law was passed giving the State prior mining rights to all undiscovered coal deposits.

In general, however, it must cede those rights to private parties on payment of a royalty; but the law makes an exception of 250 'maximum fields,' equal to about 205 square miles, in which the State itself will exercise its mining rights.

It has recently reserved this amount of lands adjacent to the coal fields on the lower Rhine and in Silesia.

The State has already about 80 square miles of coal lands in its hands, from which it is taking out about 10,000,000 tons of coal a year.