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

BEADY FOR VIE FIGHT!

The Germans will meet them In a spirit hecomieg the
me,iltnele of the stake, (writes The. 7'itnes' Berl. Correspon-
dent) Thanks to the incessant provocations of fin French
Government, they /rive been thuraighly a armed to the work
iii hand. Since 1440, when M Thieve asked for the Ital..
frontiers, they have by all the soceessive Gosernmeros of
Fran, hero tr. ated as a people whore polittcal InsigititioSned
inuit be prolonged at any coat, If France was ti le happy.
They hare long patiently enduted the taunts anti wrongs
Mill led by their reqihbours. As is their habit,
they did not much complain, while unable to secure
redress Of late they had hoped that In thetr steady
progress towards unity they had already become too formid-
able to be wanton'y attacked. They were real too aunt).
dent in the civilised spirit if the age to suppose a anion the
the French would resort to bloodshed to prevent Its vetch-
boars Iron arranging their own concerns. Seeing that they
have been mistaken in both these assumptions, they feel that
a day of reckoning has come, and will do their duty with a
will. Al proud and patriotic men th-y are resolved to avenge
the past rani mate the future secure ; as peaceful, industrial,
and cultivated citizens they cannot help looking upon the
lemons assembling on their fronfiera as upon barbarians pre-
paring for a raszia One &terrain n ion to ward elf and nunisla
this crying sut prevails in all Loris of Germany. in the
North it is a stern desire for action ; in the excitable S
the feellog Ira snore fiery one, and if riot universal, it per-
vades such a vast majority of the people as to 1fm.01.0 all bat
absolute silence opal the Ultramontaries, she Rsruhlicans,
and other fractions of fir, Anti Union party Wnatever re-
membrances of 1886 mop have been lingering In lak-11.8 minds,
they are now salianytted In a common hatred of tne resnhing
foreigner. Carried away by the current, the Bavaria,
Wfirtemberin and Baden Governments have already an
-
n. tweed their formal resolution to stand with Prussia, and
j.du the Northern f`onfederscy for better ler wore°.

PROBABLE CONSEQUENCF.'i OF TaE WAR.

The probable consequences of the war :,re to c serious for
us to fold our arms and watch the conteg as if it core no
me, than a t:reac military spectacle. Toe French invasion
of Gem:any is hardly likely to he a mere promenade. We tout
expect some tremendous lightiog, and possibly the defeated
Party meY on 4 gather fury from Its calamity, mot return to
the campalgo more obstinate than ever. The cornhatantsare
riot unequally marched. We take it tor granted that tho South
Gerumn States lad job. Prussia slice wh dever bitterness
y may cherish on account of the policy 44 Berlin in high
will in. r,m,vell when that Power Omani forth an the cham-
pion of 'he natmnal I odepeudence Bavaria has alreol, cast
in her lot with Pr issia, thoogh the B tv :den Rhine Province
will probahly have to hearth. first 'shock of tne war. lallrfem.
berg has m.b.l zed her army sun cmvokeil her Estates. Thu
Sect ant limo on the Rhine may unite Germany, possibly fur
ever; and should tilt be accomplished the French would
have to face a great nation of forty millions, witted by a
spirit id the Strongest patri.disin, stung by asense of insult and
injury, and knowing Cleat what they may lose in this war can
never he i revered. Ou the ce.her hand. the French are nearly
forty millions else, ar;rl they have the advantage of more
cimeentrated national power. AlthonA th, leadership of
Prussia is Ds, n4.0,1'441,61, a large portion of the German
army will enter on the caupaign in the characEer of allies
rather than of soldlen of King William. This gives a certain
tuperiority to France which the Germans will have to com-
pensate by the energy and devotiou of their service.
So far for the two main comb wants : but ore carnot hide
from ourselves that there is a real danger that the war may
overpass the limits 44 the now hostile Empties. Holland
and Switzerland are taking measures to preserve their title.
trality. The latter need not be much troulded ; hot Hol-
land lies unpleasantly nea: the chief field of operntioos
the Rhine, the olject of this eggression, meeta the ion
within her limits. and the [loose of Imnaparte has mit
...wed Sc remember that the Netherlands were once de-
payments it the Empire. The posl4-11 of Be;g.urn is even
more a cause for society ; het we will not ewer icon die-
cussimi the bare reference to shich has something ominous.
We will rather call attention to the great Coutmental
Power which Call throw sech a prodigiouti weight into the
floats on either side. Austria has eight militias 44 German
subjects ; awl thonzh they are now politically separated from
the Fatherland they cannot forget their real identity with
th o:4atiou h.ch France is attacking. Then the II uti,7.arian
Tiberias, thoueh no admirers of Berlin, are likely to
synipathise with the German people to a war of national
defence.

Considering these two important facts, it would seem im-
po•sible for the Viennese Court to follow its anti-Prusdim
instir cm no far as to jun France; indeed, there may be a
strong pressure ex,rteu in the contrary direction. If the
war lasts. Austria may move: but for the pre eut Germany
must hear the shock alone. Behind all these is the vast and
dim figure of Ru,sia, which may at any time emerge with a
clearer light, and show an unsuspected strength. But this
name brogans to sueculaiions which crest least premature
in the first days of the war it is enough to hint at con-
tingencies, and any of our readers who have I.,llowed the
course ,d Cintlnental affairs will recognize how imporant
are the temper and ••esigns of the Powers e e have mentioned
at a time when tin ir alliances arose valuable, and are likely
to be purchased at the very highest prich—The Times.