The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-07-23 00:00:00

A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF TEE
STATE OF WAR.

From a II olyday Correspondent of The Times )

I was In Munich on Friday, when the newt arrived that
France had resolved to go to war with Prussia. It was re.
reined with astonishment and regret, and every one spoke of
it as • calanoty unevially expected and deplorable. The
conduct of the French Govenimeut waa loudly condemned,
arid although the Pru-sians are not liked to South Germany
the unlvsnal hope and bAief was that Bavaria would range
herself on their side, late in the evening • report spread
that orders has been issued to the troops to prep tie for the
field, and great iris the satisfaction expressed at the doter.
mineti ta of the Kog to take a foremost port in the tit( mce
of Fatherland.

Among the English visitors the most vessing lineation was
how their communication with home wool I be efrocted, arid
some of them resolved to depart at once. Elle rail ray p hlple
stated the it,.. to P,ns rig Strasbourg to be still open, •nd at
11.20 pm there was q alto a rush t obtain strata to 111 ei-
pre,s teem Vj,nns to L'nilo.. We passed throtish Att,hutg
old Plot during the night, and It was riot until we got to
S.Att,g at, which was reached eurly lath m ral.g, th.tt we
could observe hi w thing. were going on There were
a great sn,,ey neeple about, and all their talk watt
the war and of the unwe'c mte yet hecessary and patriotic
duty it impcsed up.m every true German. On the whole,
however, the tone here W ea deproued and so, rueful, though it
,louhtless grow more honstut and buoyant no the day ad-
vanced.

iii entering Baden we found matters more lively. Soldiers
began to appear at the etatMus, and the people were more
eager in their inquiry for news. As we approached esrlsruhe
the reality of the war impret ed itself upon the Most lucre.
dulcet Whole regiments were seen ma. chlog along the
roads visible from tile railway, and at several points we
DIME d trains load,! with guns and other warlike nmteritl.
Toe station at Carlsruhe was filled ny an sextons and exulted
crowd, and the movement of troops was ineessant lint
there was no bustle or confusion ; no singing or shou'ing
such as we heard further on ; the soldiers, tholiall most of
them were very young, had the quiet, steady demeanour of
veterans, while the civilian on lookers seemed deeply
conscious of the extreme gravity of the crisis, but, at the
same time seemed ready to face the worst.

B,stadt was passed w ith speed ; but at Gos, the point at
which the line to Baden B iden branches off, we stopped to
take up alto all as my of Frenchmen and erenchwomen In
full night for Paris. The ladies were distracted, and the
gentlemen rather cowed, nor did they recover their spirits
as long as they remained on Getman ground Between Gas
and Kehl the country ma. literally up. The Baden and
Prussian uniforms were seen on every side, and the eyes and
thoughts of all were turned towards the Rhine We fore,gnem
felt rather doubtful whether we would be permitted to cross
over to Striker omit, while our German fellow-traveliere going
to Strasbourg were almost certain they would not be allowed
to return houie again and such, indeed, WWI their fate.
The scene at Kehl when the train cisme to R halt was im-
pressive, from its quietness and the enstrast it presented to
what we had witneased elsewhere. Not a single solider was
visible Toe only people we saw were the ordinary railway
officials and stew simple country folks bound for S;rashourg
market. Five mitimos RIM we wee Oil our WS) 141,V11. In
Passing on to the bridge we caught • glimpse here and there
of a sentinel pacing his rounds, but nothing more. It was a
l,autiful day, and everything seemed gum: and peaceful.
Yet the train had no sooner reached French soil than the
German end of the bridge was crowuiei by Prussian or
Baden soil lien, and In an Incredibly short space of time
communication between the two sides of the river, at all
events by railway, will rendered impossiole. line train
crostisql about eleven o'clock on Saturday, and It was the last
allowed to pass. How the Kehl people gist back to their
homes I knew not, nut some hours later !saw many of them
wandering about Strasbourg in tears.

S:rasho•irg was in a fever of excitement, and the rime
may he wild of all the towns through which we passed on
our way to Paris I noticed, however, that the streets and
excitement were both given up to the military, the lower
,dasses of the population, and the Government officials.
Few of the better tort of people were to be seen, and of
these none aeemed particulaily elated or excited. lint the
..,Idters were brimful 1,1 enthusiasm, and clan of drink.
During the Maio we paved a great many I mg trains filled
with own hurrying forward to the Rhine, and i•paaking
broadly, I shroud say nint-tentha of them were drunk. On
the whole, however, they were tolerably good-humoured, and
it they had not consnmed so much liquor, and had boasted
rather less id chat they would do with Biamark and the
Prussians they would have Made the time pass pleasantly
toenail. . .

The up train was a vety long one, gni by the time it
reached Farts—long after it was due, of course—it carried
some hundreds of consmipts called in to join the standard.
All were in blouses, and most ,of them were in the same
happy condition as the rrele advanced &Introits g ring east-
ward. They invaded dust and second class carriages at their
good plemaire, and paid no attention to the rights or
convenience of the ordinary passengers. For n coral
hours I was favoured with the company of no fewer
than eight of them but, fortunately. they were from
the neignbourkm,d of Stra.beurg, kept tolerably sober,
could not speak French, avid contented themselves
with singing German patriotic s mita. Of the war, On y
either could not or would not sneak, and the thing whhth
appeared chit tie to occupy their niMds was the thorhcht of
seeing Faris. Every little town we came to they were cure
WS, Paris, and immense was their delight wheu they brat be-
held the great city Itself. At the terminus they were varrled
off by people who had evidently been waiting for them, and
I saw them no more.

What struck me molt wag the contrast presented by the
two 'ides of the river. I Germany the people were grave,
anxious, hid rewilute, slid everything was done quietly. In
France there W.ty much 3 ening, drinking. boasting, and
boiiterous merriment on the part of the sniffier' and lower
classes and extraordinary activity among officers and officials
of all grades. The Germans seemed sorry to he obliged to
fight, whereas the French longed to he at It. Rat It Is worth
repeating theta, for no! could see the well.to-do classes do
not share the enthusiasm of their poorer countrymen.

The French preparrdlons are In a much more advanced
state than those of the Ge-mans. For one German solder I
saw at least a hundred French. The Strasbourg line was
almost jsmnonl with men, nuns, and stores. On tne other
side the Rhine there was not much befog done except
between Cuslauhs and Kehl; but matters will dculnkss
have change by this him..