The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1870-09-13
Il HAAL..oF DESPAIR
A Napoleonist Journal on the French,
Defeat.

NaPoleontst journal on the French.
Defeat. -
The Courier des Etas Unis admits that the
defeat is final. 1t says: ''.-'.,. 'isi' tfi-s.
It Is useless to disguise the truth. The army
which has not surrendered, but has been sur
military population. With McMahon DESTROY.
ed and Bazaine helpless, France has LEFT count
less masses; fanatical with patriotism, ready
to throw themselves blindly upon the mouths
Of the Prussian cslnon;;. but she has no longer,
an army - - -; ~ y Gf's-
New masses, however full of confidence, are
helpless against military science, discipline,
and above all, against modern arms Once 1t
was men who made war; bravery supplement-
ed numbers; enthusiasm made heroes. Now
It rifed cannons and perfected musketIy
that fight; the man Is no longer more than the
attendant ofithei weapon; he counts but for
one, and courage without numbers only make
victims. -
All France, with her three millions of young
men from twenty to thirty years Of age, rising
as one, extemporized into soldiers. and hurled
In full career upon the solid, Intelligent well
armed, disciplined mass Of the victorious.
;Prlssians, would throw itself on butchery, and
would not drive one step the wall Of steel be-.
fore her.
|: No doubt France will receive with q cry Of
fierce wrath, like the lion fallen into ditch,
the story Of the surrender signed In her name;
and that the first movement will be alevy Of
the whole people and leap towards new COM
| bats. t.th1s first frenzy over, cool reflection
/ will come to throw an Icy shroud on this hero
Ism, and we doubt If any man can be found 70
take the lead in bringing on new CONNECTS,
that Is to say, the responsibility Of new disas--
ters.
The people Of Paris, and the commanders OF
the besieged places, nay, every manly nearI
that has Its hand on a flagstaff, may refuse TO
submit and determine rather to die than 70
suffer the Prussian flag to stand on the RAM
parts they guard; but there will be no one to-
organize the resistance, which would be sui
cIdal: no political party which will risk, on
this bloody resort, the future before it; no one
who does not know that France has no right
TO commit suicide; that she belongs to the
world, to civilization, to humanity. and tnat
at least one chance Of success would be neces-
sary to Justify the horrors which would result
| from continuing war TINT could no longer be
aught but an unbroken series OF rayages,
waste, slaughter and ruin.
We cannot tell what counsels will prevail fn'.
the fearful embarrassments Into which France
lis plunged. Not to-day nor tomorrow will
| calm and reflection come ont OF this chaos.
Some days must be allowed to appease the hot
| fever of this hour. Then will come the time
of great resolves. Who will take them 2
Doubtless the natural representative of the
country, the assembled Chambers, who WILL
find in their patriotism the solution of the i'm
mense problem of establishing peace on the
least sad conditions for the pride and the in
terest of France that can be obtained.
The fate of the empire is sealed. Our first.
defeats were the signal for its fall. Napoleon
III Is no longer more than phantom, and his
dynasty dies with him. What will succeed him
is the secret of the future.
Nnr {o n1r 10 n n q <ylopo ,6ovr
changes these great events will bring to the
political. moral and material condition Of Eu-
rope. One prominent fact, however, seems to.
us to be fixed; 1t is that this atrocl0us butchery,
tlis frIghtful spectacle given to trembling
world, this accursed holocaust will put an end
tary greatness fallen from the hands of France,
but 1t is broken sceptre. No longer the en-
blem OF aught but a dead power; Of glory,
indeed, but glory that does not shine on the
future. No longer is 1t arms that shall give
supremacy to nations and Germany, united
by the victory Of Prussia, will hereafter be
neither greater nor more powerful than yester-
day, If her aggrandlsement is not the signal
for liberal progress Of humanity. Her nag
will not be more glorious, If It is only to con-
tinue to shelter effete institutions.
The struggle henceforth is no longer be-
tween the material forces of the nation; 1t is
In their moral development, their civilization
and their liberties. Thus France, even multi
lated, 1t must be 80, will still remain, we.
hope, the great leading and glorious nation.
The day when, by the fated march of events,
q day, doubtless, not far distant, the destiny of
the people will no longer be left to the chances
Of battle; the day when less barbarous justice
will settle the disputes among men; the day
when armies cease to consume the brightest
resources and energies Of the nation, to put at
risk the equilibrium of public forces, the.
genius of France will recover In moral power
what she has lost in material power. Coun-
tries will no longer be measured by the extent
of their territory aud the number Of their peo-
pie, out by the worth of the progress they
have achieved and the liberties they have
conquered; on that day France, cured OF her
wounds, will again, in spite of the cruel way in.
which she is torn, take the place Of honor
which belongs to her, in the front of, civilized
nations.
These words are the more impressive since
they show that the French themselves begin
TO understand what the rest Of the world al
ready knows, that the crushing of the Imperial
system, and of the military strength which has
tempted France to trouble other nations, Is
Europe's best hope for an advancing civiliza-'
ton.