It was in this sense of the word that, with the exception of the first few years of the reign of Frederick William IV., the Prussian Government had been Liberal, and it was this Liberalism which Bismarck and his friends hated almost as much as they did the Liberalism of the Revolution.
The clearest instance of his attitude on such matters is to be found in his opposition to the Bill introduced for making civil marriage compulsory.

He opposed it in a speech which was many years later to be quoted against him when he himself introduced a measure almost identical with that which he now opposed.

Civil marriage, he said, was a foreign institution, an imitation of French legislation; it would simply serve to undermine the belief in Christianity among the people, "and" he said, "I have seen many friends of the illumination during the last year or two come to recognise that a certain degree of positive Christianity is necessary for the common man, if he is not to become dangerous to human society." The desire for introducing this custom was merely an instance of the constant wish to imitate what is foreign.
"It would be amusing," he said, "if it were not just our own country which was subjected to these experiments of French charlatanism.

In the course of the discussion it has often been said by gentlemen standing in this place that Europe holds us for a people of thinkers.

Gentlemen, that was in old days.