speak induced me to stay. Nothing worth remarking seemed to be happening, until suddenly a “professor” rose to speak, who threw doubts on the correctness of Feder’s reasoning, and then—after Feder had replied very well to him— suddenly appealed to the “basic of facts” and took on himself to suggest that the young Party was the one best adapted to take up the struggle for cutting Bavaria loose from Prussia. The man had the impudence to assert that, if that happened, German-Austria would immediately join up with Bavaria, that the Peace would then be greatly improved for Germany, and other like nonsense. On that I simply had to apply for leave to speak and tell the learned gentleman my opinion on that point—so successfully that the chairman ran out of the building like a drenched poodle before I had finished.
During the day I thought more than once about the matter and was prepared to drop it for good, but to my astonishment less than a week later I received a post-card to say that I was admitted as a member of the German Workers’ Party ; I was also invited to attend a committee meeting of that Party on the following Wednesday.
I was more than astonished at this method of getting members and did not know whether to be annoyed or to laugh at it. I had never imagined myself joining a ready-made Party ; I wanted to found one for myself.
Truly, the notion had never occurred to me.
I was just going to send my answer in writing to the authors of the invitation, when curiosity had its way, and I resolved to be there on the day mentioned in order to explain my reasons by word of mouth.
Wednesday arrived. I was rather taken aback on being told that the President of the Society for the Reich was to be present in person. I wanted to postpone my declaration for a bit. At last he appeared. It was the man who had been leading speaker when Feder gave his lecture.