The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1870-09-17 00:00:00

gitt tonttrib,gt (Nserber.

I l',?l>kY. SEP fr.MBER 17. Pl7O.

PROBABILITIES OF PEACE.

The horrors of this awful war and the proba-
bilities of peace are the two branches of the one
all-pervading topic which throws all others into
the shade. Of the horrid features of the was,
as far as it has yet gone, we have hod full des-
criptione, up to the lituits of graphic description.
It is now two months slime wer was declared.
and the newspapers have ahnost exclusively been
devoted to Leis saddening history of bloodshed
cud dee estation : but the full history of the we:
in its intensity of misery never can be told. We
have heard of fortresses besieged, with all the
horrors that a siege prodnces ; of towns and vil-
lages devastated ; of thousands of killed tied
wounded being daily added to theastinds of
killed and wounded; of rivers stained with
blood; of the dying and the dead lying on blood
stained ground ; of hospitals choked with the
wounded and dying martyrs of the war; if
ruined homes, desecrated cathedrals and
churches : of bastions and ramparts; of nee-
ltry and torpedoes; of chassepots and needle.
guns; of mitraillenses and siege trains, and ell
the horrid paraitherealia of was. We have heard
of all this till the heart sickens, and we almost
involuntarily exelaim, "How long, oh Lord, how
long ?“ How long are men, made in God's like-
ness, thus to use the devilish arts of warfare to
clay each other and devastate that beautiful
country which is justly called hi belle France
Her smiling vineyards, her timely fields, her
picturesque villages, her romantic rivers, her
quiet cottage homes, her splendid cities—all
have in some way or another suffered from this
awful, this cruel and bloodthirsty strife.
We may be told that it is idle scntimentalitv to
talk about the beauty of Paris and deprecate
the continuance of war for fear the French cape
tel should be attacked and have to be defended;
but to our mind there is nothing that so clearly
shows that this war ought to be stopped in the
interests of inneauity, than the impending cal-
amity to which teat city seems doomed. it is
not because Paris may be regarded as in the
forefront of civilisation and refiuement, not be-
cause she is wealthy, luxurious, and devoted to
pleasure, that we so much deplore her probable
tots; hot leconse she is a city full of our feltew
creatures—oi men, wetuell, and children, the
.eat wajerity ut woola never desired war, and
! alto could under ne possiele circumstances pro-
fit by it. The battles that tles war has already
produced are as sanguinary as any in the histoiy.
if the world, but none have been to awful as the
siege of Paris will be if it takes place. We cai;
form some gloutuy anticipation of what it is
likely to be from observing what has been done
Bed is being done in the way of defence. The
capital of France, we ere told, wears the aspect
of an iutrenched camp ; buedinga are fieet/ to
beaten the work Oi destruction, so that the ad-
vendee enemy may let,e no shelter; the Bois
de Boulogne, the pride of Europe, is being de-
vastated ; iu the city itself you only meet %ate
armed men and a few women habited in mourn-
ing ;" thousands of provincial waiters are pour-
ing into the city, white the rich said the trading
classes are abandoning it; business is eta stand.
still ; the Provisional leoveruinent work night
and day ; revenge and hatred of the Prussians
give force and energy to the soldiery: every-
where there are signs of determined resistance,
and ever) wnere there is manifested as desperate .
effort to repel the invader, or sacrilice the city
ate-fl its iuhubitents in the attempt. But through•
out au tele, and much more of the same sadden-
ing character, there is apparent a desire for
peace, if peace can be had on any reasonable .
and honourable terms. This is evident from the
Lone of many of the Paris capers, and it will be
gathered from several items of the news given
eaiewhere that however desperately Paris may
have prepared fur war she is clone the less de-
sirous of peace, though it must at Oiler be ad-
mitted that tee terms of peace must, under any
circumstances, be verb hard for France to ac-
cept. That peace may speedily be concludea
west now be the more or teas earueat desire of
.he nations of tbe eiVideeet world. Certuinlb
peace is ardently longed for in our own countrb ,
and has been for some time past. Hence it liec
been natural that, during the last week or se,
rue.ours of teems to secure die base, of negote
ete ns for peani. ha.. .mai gaihing strength.
50... e of tees. rtitt.t.tir, earo ueteunded,
end others exaggerated. One telegram frou.
Paris, cuat created more sensation than aue
other relative to probable pacific negotiations,
etated that " England deutanus an armistice...
Now, for stay uatiou or imiividual to " demand "
olee ti. leo, or et eufeeete,,
n. W.:114 " •, ,Or LiWe
CAM, we ueituer eat e eeeer eer the wilt. 1,
teitLer etrenee wet ties Isia.eleieeuted
ahouiu not expiate tuseit, ::e.eug that the Femme
demander is equivaleht to our get, which is yen
different to deaors./. e believe that the " situ-
ation,' as the French would say, is just this—
that the PrJViSiOtiel bovernment hiss aekee
England to aseettaiit front Prussia was*, will la
her terms of peace, and teat k•ugeteet has cue-
sented to make that ii.quiq A the Icing 01
Prussia. "Earl Lir:divide," is,,ys the //oily Sei,
of fit.:sday, "has prueably before Luis pot tip
question to the hung, and tre long his *newel
eel be at Pert's. If, wean the French Govern-
ment get that ansv er, they Fee iii it the lease-
shadow of a basis for negotiation they will prob-
ably ask for nit itrinktice in order to negotiate.-
While atrters are in this transition state we mut
but express an minicat hope that a peaceful po-
icy may prevail. The war has lasted far too
I zig; Ft-nice has been eutlicientle humiliated,
auet Lierwany as,anedly stands on such vantage
,round that she cau secure terms of peace which
ii colopeliStite her, as far tee loss of human
iife can ee compensated for, for past losses, and
give her security agaiest future aggression out
the part of France.