East Saginaw courier., 1866-07-12
A Half Century AGO.

Wonderful indeed are the changes
and vicissitudes Of half century in
national affairs. We have just round
ed the cycle, with one year to spare,
since the ever memorable days of Wa
terloo, occurring on the 10th 18th and
18th of June, 1915. Then the finish
ing blow was struck to the empire Of
the First Napoleon. Then Immediate
ly followed the Congress of the Holy
Alliance, at Vienna, and the treaties
of 1915: Then all Europe was march
ing on Paris, and entering into stipu-
lations that no representative or heir
of Napoleon Bonaparte should ever
be allowed to occupy the throne of
France. Should such an attempt be
made, the Continont should trenible
With the tread Of armed men, and
100000 soldiers crush out Bona
partisan, and quickly eradicate it in
France. Worn out and exhausted
with the protracted warfare Of twenty
years, during which its standards had
been carried to Egypt and Moscow, to
the Baltic aud TO the Black Sea, de-
pleted by conscriptiuns of the blood OF
all that was youthful and vigorous,
sad in heart, and sore in feeling, with
its great Emperor fugitive captive,
France reluctantly surrendered to the
legions of Europe. The dynasty that
had been driven beyond her borders
10y the will of the people, was impos-
ed upon them again, by decree that
they were unable TO resist. The ma
tiopal spirit was Inundated, and its
pride was broken, only occasionally
flashing out as it remembered past
glory and renown.
Thus the curtain dropped upon
France and upon Europe fifty years
ago. The hand Of Time has lifted it,
and we behold different scene. The
stage and the theater of action are the
same. The audience and lockers on
are once more the world. The bright
and beautiful days of early summer
have come, bringing with them the
fifty-6rst Waterloo anniversary. Now,
as then, the Continent is astir. Now,
as then, it resounds with the note of
military preparation, and is enlivened
with martial music. The nations are
rushing to the fray with headlong
speed and passion. Another great act
of the worlds drama ia on the eve of
But how different
the actors! Where are the great GEN.
trail figures Of lSl5-Alexander,
Wellington, Blucher, Castlereagh,
Metternich and Talleyrand? They
have long since vanished into the
grave along with their great antago-
mist. Where is the Bourbon monar.
chy in France, that it cost two millions
of lives and counties millions of trea-
sure to establish 1t has disappeared |
from the political boards like house
of cards. Before the awakened in
dignation of the French people it has
fled away like the baseless'fabric OF a
dream. In its place stands the lineal
head and representative of the Napo-
leon family. st. Helena has given up
its dead--it has been transported to
Paris. A new Empire has arisen, like
a phoenix, on the banks of the Seine.
Bold, audacious and threatening. it
has reared its crest in Europe. Where
now are the millions Of men that were
to spring out of the ground to meet
any such apparition, if it should ap-
pearP Where are the clauses of the
treaties Of 1915, to which
were then affixed the signatures of the
ruling houses of the world?
The clans are, indeed, gathering,
but not to execute those treaties They |
are rushing to tear them up. The |
Holy Alliance, that greatest exhibit
ton Of power the world has ever seen,
is broken and dissolved. Two of its
main pillars-Austria and Prussia
have drawn the deadly daggers Of con-
dict for close collision. The other
great levers of support-England and
Russia--calmly, but not indfferntly,
behold the scene. The stage of war
is not as it was fifty years ago, in Bel
yium and France, but in Germany,
Tor that alliance which once fed its
on the exterior world, is now
about tearing its own interior vitals.
What different France in spirit and
N action, is that which we see to-day,
with that Of half a century
lgo? Its head flung down the guage
'f defiance to Europe when he as
'umed the Imperial Crown. 1t has
lot been picked up. He goes further
Ind AYERS his detestation Of the whole
reaties of 1915, which have now be-
'ome unacceptable to the parties that
them. That arbitrary con-
lition Of force is not long to maintain
tself. Its originators, flushed, as they
with the overshadowing
weight of power, believed that per-
nanence was to- be the fruit vf their
vorks. 1t has hardly survived two
birds of the life time of single man.
mother useful lesson is afforded, that
Though thestrong may trample down.
he weak, God of retributive justice,
re long, reverses the action and pun
,hee the offending parties