The Sun.
London, England, 1870-12-26 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY, DECEMBER 26 1870.

IT seems idle henceforth to talk of the solidarite of
nations, of the federation of Chistendom, of the
alliance of European Governments. Had there been
anything of worth in resonant phrases that 1870 has
gone far is demonstrate as instrinsically of no more
value than so much sounding bra=s and so many
tinkling 3ymbals, Christmas would not have cone,
as it has come, with such an appalling spectacle for
our own immediate contemplation, and for the de-
lineation of some future BACKLE or MACAU-
LAY. A. spectacle more appalling has
not been witnessed since the wars of the great
N APOLEON—those terrible Wars of the Giants which
were the outcome of the Great French Revolution.
And even then theme was no single campaign that
could be matched in its ruthless prolongation with
this most cruelly protracted campaign of 1870,
in which France is being devasted piecemeal—city
after city being stormed and eaptured, army after
army being routed, butchered, an 1 driven into
captivity, the fairest,- noblest, grandest of all the
capitals of the European Continent being ringed
round as with a circle of iron, a magical and deg ily
circle, vomiting flames and bristling with the lances
of the Uhlans, and with the swords and the
bayonets and the spiked helmets of the whole
German army of investment. Had there been
anything at all in the supposed fraternity of the
powers of the civilised world, instead of the neutrals
remaining all this while apathetically pokers-on at
the horrible carnage, they, would have long since
interposed between the belligerents, the chief of
them together, if not the whole of them, unani-
mously, and have insisted upon Franco and Prussia
coming to terms, and putting an end to so much
wanton slaughter and devastation. That the sur-
rounding nations of Europe should have hesitated
about interfering in the quarrel at its commencement,
was perfectly natural, of course, an! reasonable and
comprehensible. Opinions were divided as tc which
of the two opposing Governments was most in the
wrong neither of them being wholly in the
right in the diplomatic contention, out of
the clashing and clangour of which the war
of 1870 at last emerged. Enzlan 1, Austria,
Italy, Russia having nothing at all to do with
the squabble as it was at. the outset, felt themselves
in no way called upon to side with either the oue or
the other, when the pens of the respective foreign
Ministers and. Ambassadors were thrown aside at
last as of no further avail, and the gage of battle was
flung down by the EMPEROR and picked up by the
KING, and the swords were drawn by the confronting
combatants. immediately, however, that NAPOLPON
111. was carried off captive from Sedan to
Wilhelmshohe, immediately that the- Imperial
army under Marshal BAZAINE had followed
the example of the Imperial Army, under Marshal
MAcMAttox—namely, by a wholesale capitulation—
the relative positions of the belligerents had become
altogether different. France was either really or osten-
sibly the aggressor when the war commenced. After
the fall of the EMPEROR and the dispersion of his
armies the aggressor—the wanton, cruel, implacable
aggressor—has been, not France, but Germany. Since
then the neutral Powers have been under the weight
of an awful responsibility. Upon them has devolved
the duty of misting upon the termination of
the war. Of that duty, how have they acquitted
themselves ? Have they relieved themselves, even
to a fractional extent, of the heavy weight of the
responsibility ? Instead of doing so, they have re-
maim d selfishly apathetic—France prostrated,
helplses, bleeding from every vein—Prussia and
her German allies trucculently trampling her
under foot, smiting her with a two-edged
sword hip and thigh, and holding over
that metropolitan cynosure of the whole European
Continent, the noble and beautiful city of Paris, the
infernal alternative of starvation or bombardment.
With this deplorable spectacle before us, let us not,
for very shame's sake, boast or babble any longer
about those wild and idle daydreams— cordial
alliances, and fraternal federations among the Powers
of Christendom.

TOPICS OF THE DAY.