The post of nurse was only filled by fully-trained, certificated women, who thoroughly understood the management of children, and who were competent to take them through any sickness without a doctor’s assistance. By this time the English language had gained considerably by the introduction of words from all nations, who on their side returned the compliment by making it a speciality in their public schools, for English was the commercial language of the whole world. But it became more than a commercial language to the Germans, for they dropping their own tongue with its uncouth gutturals, adopted the English, which was essentially their own, cultivated and enlarged, and made more musical. Moreover another change was effected. The ancient and primitive style was reverted to in the matter of the personal pronoun; for the substitution of the plural ‘you’ for its singular ‘thou’ was considered ungrammatical, and therefore its use was deemed improper to continue. This departure was imitated by the French who had been the original authors of the anomaly in the early centuries. However, among the lower orders, and in the fireside parlance the plural number was frequently retained. At this period the Emperor Albert Felicitas reigned most peacefully over the Teutonic Empire. He possessed a palace in each capital, dividing his time among his various kingdoms with strict impartiality: not that it mattered much where he resided, as the means of locomotion had arrived at such perfection that a few hours’ journey sufficed to bring him to any part of his European Empire. He wintered in Berlin in order to take advantage of the fine frosts, and enjoy the exercise of sleighing. He summered in romantic Norway and Sweden; utilising the early spring months in travelling through his Eastern and African Empires alternately, and spent the beautiful autumn in England. In his European dominions each country retained its House of Parliament, which possessed powers to make laws dealing with domestic politics only; these being afterwards sanctioned by the Emperor and his Cabinet. This was formed of four ministers of each nationality, who were elected by their country every seven years. But a cloud was hanging over the fair horizon of this happy Empire; a deep dispute had been growing for upwards of a century between India and her rulers, formerly the British, but now the Teutonic Empire. Western civilisation, or rather Western ideas, and education had brought the natives of the Eastern Empire to such a degree of culture and enlightenment that the subjugated ones realised that they had become the equal of their masters long before the dawn of the twenty-first century.