The Sun.
London, England, 1870-10-07 00:00:00

OUR COTEMPORARIES—This Morning

THE ATTITUDE OF ENGLAND..
The Times believes that the English Ministry have been
Perfectly right in refusing to join. in the war at any point
of its progress. It has been said that if the Ministry
had promptly pronounced a similar judgment with
no uncertain souna, the Emperor would have re-
coiled from his undertaking. They shrank from what
they deemed a brutum fu/men, but if we can explain we
cannot be expected wholly to approve a reticence we
ourselves cast aside. But, while protesting against
the war, we should have been bound—we must
speak plainly—to make sure of our allies before
engaging in it. It was impossible for us, a natioir
treasuring the authority of Parliaments as the
highest law, to be confident that we could always
co-operate cordially with Ministers who trampled
upon . Parliamentary freedom. .We have some
superstitious feelings about the obligations of
Treaties, even if we are, as the Germans tell us,
indifferent to indignity, and NA could trot but re-
membef that the stipulations of the Treaty of
Prague, securing the liberty of North Schleswig, had
been disregarded as a dead letter. We have no wish to
recriminate, but it is necessary to defend ourselves when.
we are wrongfully accused, and we have, perhaps, said
enough to shew why we could not have taken
up arms to assist Germany in repelling France.
The real charge we have meet is that we
abstain from interference against Germany when
her Ministers proclaim their intention of annexing
a portion of France. With our clear opinion as to the
wrongfulness, not only of the Emperor, but of France
also, at the commencement of the war, it must be acknow-
ledged that intervention in the middle of it would
under no circumstances be easy. France has brought her
punishment upon herself, and the adjustment of the
proper degree of punishment is a question of great nicety.
The excess of penalty must be something very gross,and
apparent to impose any obligation of interference. If our
consciences acquit us after the most careful and dis-
passionate consideration of the faults laid to our charge,
we shall rest on their verdict, and await the future with
unshaken confidence.
THE HOUR BUT NOT THE MAN. '
The hour has clime, but not the man, exclaims the Daily
Ncic. At no time during these recent and disastrous
months of her history has France been so urgently in
need of a man of daring and genius—a man capable of
creating a " cry," and ready to guide into an effec-
tive channel that flood of enthusiasm and patriotism
which as yet is only bubbling up in solitary and ineffectual
springs throughout the departments. Paris waits
and listens for the country ; the country waits
and looks towards Paris ; and both in vain scan
the horizon for any signs of the coming saviour.
Ever since incompetence and inaction destroyed
the corps d'armee which lay along the German frontier,
France has been offering opportunities to anyone able 'to
seize them ; but if there be a Napoleon Bonaparte in any
of her provinces, he would seem to be still studying
mathematics, or composing a pamphlet on artil-
lery. The situation is bad enough ; but it is no
more desperate than it was in the autumn of
1792. When Dumouriez went to review the troops
at Sedan they openly • swore at him as being one
of those who had helped to - declare war.
Brunswick had engaged to dine in Paris ; and was
advancing upon the capital unopposed. Municipal
valour had evaporated ; the soldiers were mutinous anal,
ill-provided ; the country was overrun with Prussians
and Austrians ; and France saw herself on the
brink of destruction. The story of the release of
Vrance from these perilous straits has been affording
much-needed consolation to the Parisians during
these past few weeks, and they have not been
slow to say that 1792 shall find its parallel in
1870. Yet the parallel is wanting in its most im-
portant point. There is no Dumouriez at present.
Here and there France murmurs •of revenge, and
in certain districts corps are being formed which the
Govenunent would fain call armies. But there is no man
to stir up and use a great popular enthusiasm, and
France merely waits. Every day that passes increases
her peril.