The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1870-09-03

| while both armies have sustained serious loss,
Sne German forces have still the best OF it. 1t
| is not wonderful that the news is imper
| feet and that the accounts do not exactly
harmonic. AS Berlin report has
it, 'the successes of Wednesday covered a
| wide region; SO wide that the particulars are
confused and hardly certain" It is not yet
certain that MacMahon is absolutely defeated.
| 1t is as little certain that Bazaine is rendered
| powerless under the walls Of Metz. 1t is not
to be denied, however, judging from the facts
before us while we write, that the vigorous
and persistent attempts made by MacMahon
, and Bazaine to effect junction have so far
failed 1t is possible that the fighting
of yesterday has materially altered the
situation If MacMahon has not been
able to make good his position in
other words if he has been driven further
away from Bazaine the presumption is that the
Prussans have no longer any reason to dread
the union of the two French armies II will
be comparatively easy for the Prussian COM
manders to leave force strong enough in
their rear to keep Bazaine in his cage at Metz
and to press on with the main army to Paris,
driving what remains of the broken forces of
MacMahon resistlessly before them. Up to
the latest we have no good reason to doubt that
| a very large portion of MacMahon's army has
been driven into Belgium. The capture by
the Prussians of twenty guns, eleven mitrail-
leuses and seven thousand prisoners signifies
great though not, perhaps decisive victory.
On MacMahons army depends the salvation
| of France. But the news of the moment war
rant us in saying that this brave army, which
has so nobly dared and so nobly endured, is
! no longer able to resist the combined attacks
of the armies under the Crown Prince and
Prince Frederick Charles
1t is safe, we think, to conclude
that the situation of France is
desperate That the ground is now
being boldly contested we willingly
admit. That the way to Paris must be to the
victorious army pathway of blood we cannot
deny. That the fighting may assume grander
proportions than ever when the victorious
legions Of Germany surround the French
| capital is not by any means an impossbility.
But no one deny that up to the present
moment the march of the Prussian armies has
been an almost unbroken success nor is it
possible fer the most ardent sympathizer with
France to refuse to admit that it might be better
for France to accept defeat at once and make
with its successful rival as easy terms as pos
sible. What France may yet do we cannot tell
but we do know that it is the opinion Of many
men competent to judge, that France has had
fair time and fair opportunity too, and that
she has not given any good evidence that she
is o match for her Northern neighbor If
these judges are to be relied upon the pro.
longation Of the war, while it implies an un-
| necessary waste of human life, can only lead
| to more complete humiliation and to a more
disastrous defeat. If the fighting Of these last
four days has been all in favor of Prussia is it
not time for France to fling up the sponge?
Is it not time for the other Powers of Europe
to say Enough 2"
There are those who think that Paris is
strong enough to resist the invader. We do
not say that it will be easy to capture the
French capital But if Paris is effectually en-
the country is conducted from some other CEN
tire, if France is not able to drive the invader
from her soil, of what practical value will be
the resistance of Paris? In such case, GER
tainly Paris will not be France. This, how
ever, is not ALL The refusal of the capital to
surrender would not necessarily save 1t. We
can imagine Paris holding out for months
against the enemy but we cannot imagine that
the Parisians will be able to preserve the pub
lie buildings, the monuments, the libraries,
the many treasures of art from the destructive
shot and she'll Of the enemy. If The Prussians
should arrive in force at the capital, it will be
the wisest thing the authorities can do to sur
render at once. In this nineteenth century,
this advanced age of civilization, it will be
sin which history viii chronicle with sorrow,
crime which all the future will denounce, if
Paris, the pride Of the world. is given up to
destruction.
AS events now shape themselves, it
is no longer possible to doubt that as
Germany has been winning 80 she will
win to the last. There are many who find
1t difficult to explain to themselves why it
is that France, which, at the commence
nent Of this century, was equal to Europe 10
arms, should now be unable to resist Prussia
alone. The answer is not far to seek. Under
the first Napoleon France was apparently a
match for Europe because France attacked
the nations in detail, aud then swelled her own
armies by incorporating with them the armies
Of the conquered. 10 those days Germany
was easily overrun, because Germany was an
incoherent mass, series of units, each of which
was small and weak. Now, however, Germany
is homogeneous whole, mighty unit, and
strong-stronger physically, Intellectually,
morally, financially than France. Divide and