Monday, July 18:
The more one hears of the French behavior, the more angry one becomes; a tissue of lies, ignorance, insolence, and conceit. As reason for the war Gramont and Ollivier cite the memorandum which Bismarck is said to have circulated to all foreign Courts. There never was such a note—just the telegram which was published in the newspapers, and so it is all pure lies. I tell R. that the war is Beethoven’s jubilee, the declaration of war was made on July 17, 1870, on December 17, 1770, B. was born. I only hope to God that there is a lucky seven in all this! R. says he is beginning to feel hopeful; war is something noble, it shows the unimportance of the individual; at St. Jakob 2,000 corpses defeated the 40,000 feared Armagnacs—a case of an idea proving all-conquering; war is, so to speak, a dance performed with the most dreadful of powers, like a Beethoven finale in which he unleashes all the demons in a magnificent dance.
In the afternoon we go to town to find out what is going on, but there is no news. In the newspapers all the enthusiasm which follows the King of Prussia everywhere.
R. writes to Herr Villiers that we shall hardly be in a position to see our French friends.
Except for my occupation with the children I am unable to put my mind to anything. Letter from Prof. Nietzsche, who, it seems, in order to escape both the French and the Germans, is going to the Axenstein.