THE NOR 7H SLESWIC Q UESTION 3 1 9
Bismarck, however, instead of setting up another German petty state, preferred to keep the spoils.
During all these vicissitudes the Danes in North Sleswic had remained steadfastly loyal. Placed in the unenviable position of having to protect themselves at once against the obtrusions of an inflated Sleswic-Holsteinism, on one side, and the deplorable consequences of systematic neglect at the hands of the rulers at Copenhagen, on the other, they never for a moment wavered in their fidelity to their national traditions. But with their every right ignored by their own government ; with German established as the official language of central Sleswic, even where the Germans were in absolute minority; and with the officials all German- trained at Kiel, German-speaking, and German-sympathizing, the result became inevitable : Low German speech and German sentiment crept slowly, stealthily northward.
It was not until the beginning of the past century that Danish statesmen grew alarmed at this situation. Decrees were issued designed to arrest the invasion. But, the local authorities failing to co-operate, these soon became dead letters. Fifty years later, at the close of the rebellion, they were revived and amended, and stringent measures were adopted looking to their enforcement.
The substance of these rescripts was that in the purely. German districts German, and in the purely Danish, Danish, should be exclusively used ; in the mixed districts, where Danish was " spoken by the populace," this language was to be employed in the instruction of the children, who were to have four hours weekly of German ; and alternately with German in the churches. At the same time, the Sleswic-Holsteinian officials were replaced by Danes, and special governmental organs were created for the province, independently of Holstein.
This arrangement seems fair on its face, and there was an unquestionable intention that it should be fairly carried out. However, the clause, "where Danish is spoken by the populace," presented a loophole for any who might be disposed to take advantage of it. As a matter of fact, by the construction put upon it by certain over-zealous administrators, whose patriotism
