Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-09-29

WOnen, were present. ihcl all "Orc a
costume exactly similar TO that of the
Baden 0berland; their head-dress n
broad cap of black network, here called
buschen. Women's head-dress always
disappears the last in any change of a
peoples costume. / sat aloft, beside the
organ. Below me were seated a row of
soldiers, mostly Landwehr, with hymn
books in their hands At the first note
of the organ a peasant close by ne began
to weep bitterly. | wished to look over
his hymn-book; he handed il to me, mo-
tioning that should keep it alone. He
pressed his lips together, weeping inces-
sanity, and drying his tears with an old,
red spotted handkerchief How long
have we been absorbed in the contem-
plation of individual existences? Now
everything moves before ones eyes in
masses, even misery. But such strong
man weeping solitary Soon
after the opening prayer of the minister,
who, in full-toned accents, prayed for
peace, a soldier stepped into the aisle,
between the womens S seats, and beckoned
to the soldiers They rose up, and bow
ing down their helmets, uttered silent
prayer; then they quilted the church.
As the preacher in the Introductory
portion of his sermon spoke Of the mis-
cries of the past week, the women broke
out into sobbing and crying, so that
scarcely a word could be heard, while
without the dull report of the cannonade
was audible. The war cumbers itself
neither with the storms Of heaven nor
the Sundays of the calendar 1t breaches
hard while the cannon thunders, and
what does it utter to compose one S
spirits amid such measureless affiietion?
Two powers contend in history-human-
| ity and rude brute force; this last is only
organized in war. We all who, one here
the other there, strive for the predom-
inanca Of mind (geist), stand powerless,
and, what is worse. despqiring of the
power of mind. Must rude force forever
decide? The French Government has
even stamped the hymn-books; all have
printed upon the back of the title-page,
in red letters, Confession d Augsburg"
and the inscription, "Directoire du Con-
sistoire General" Hymn-book and Lu-
theran Bible still continue, two fountains
of Germanism nnchokable by any state
craft.
do not think that l shall stay here
long, in order to see the destruction Of
! Stfasburg. Let me, therefore, here
speak out few thoughts and wishes.
Beyond all anticipation, peculiar diiii-
culties inherent to this war have been
olNiated in manner no one could have
| expected Alsace must again become
German, our stolen possessions be again
brought home, and the frontier 50 aF-
ranged that we need no longer live in
continued fear of war How that may be
ordered let diplomatists settle. But we
must learn to rightly understand the
people of Alsace. 1t is no fault of theirs
the blame is ours that for nearly two
hundrag years they have been estranged
from us. They naVe tight to expect
that their peculiarities shall be handled
not only justly, but also kindly, and with
special circumspection. The reproaeh
that they thfey themselves away to
strangers does not smite them in the way
it is intended. Torn away for centuries
from the Fatherland, the opposition to
the foreigner gradually weakened at a
time when the Fatherland was
itself 50 iHwardly distracted and
\ divided All "foreig9 dominion works
corruptingty. First, sharp qntagoRism
grows faint, resistance becomes hess un-
yielding, some natures come 10 regard
apostacy as emancipation. Men per-
suade themselves that singularity denotes
ill-breeding. and search out the excel
lenGies of tbe foreigner. The residium
of selfrespect which reWaiEs. the final
sanctuary of individualism seek sophis-
tically to pervert itself, to transform what
would otherwise be an intolerable yoke
into uaatter Of free, spontaneous choice.
The Alsatians said themselves the
French are probably the. best inasmuch
as they are the most powerful, and, more
oyer they have ever been the most dis
tingdished gE 70 the present day The
AlsatiaRs, who only speak German IN its
dialect, appeared to themselves more
important when they expressed them
selves in French. And in the Father
land was il not also the same? Is it, for
instance, probable taat an English or
French woman would allow herself 10
boast, al read nothing in my mother
teGgge only here and there, as was so
frequently tie oase with us in Germany.
.Ihave learnt to know the a Aisatigns by
q long residence in Strasburg and Sa-
verne, and again in these days, in the
midst Of that excitement WHICH brings
out the traits of character There Is
what is an important consideration
still strong German imprint, as yet
unweakened Politically, they have
turned Franceward, not only owing to
its former renown, but, at the present
time. through the conviction of full
equality ef all posts of honor being
thrown open alike 20 al. This the new
Napoleon has not meddled with; never
theless, they have been fully aware Of
and despise his vile administration. This
must be borne in misd iR Feuniting
with Germany. In their long estrange-
ment from their own natural bias the
Alsatians have done injury to their souls.
In various ways has been generated what
men, in a two-fold sense, denote as
doubie-tqngnedness. Their nature, in
stalled between Two hostile yet incor-
porate forees-German and French, OF
which the latter had the upper hand
must have experienced injury and in
ward unsettlement The re-
uniting With Germany is not merely
political but, in a certain sensei 2 moral
rehabilitation.
How hostile has been the policy to-
ward Germany let one instance declare.
In school, teachers were allowed to speak
no word of German TO the children
unde- penalty of Imprisonment, and the
children were forbidden to converse in
the streets in German. Corporal gun
ishments are forbiddenl What does now
the teacher in the village2 He becomes
inventive. A child who speaks a word
of German in the school must carry
about board attached 10 6 cgrd where
ever he goes or stands, until he hnds
another child speaking German, in the
street to whom it is transferred. What
am relating is vel known fact in this
village. and took place until our en-
trance.
did not turn out last night to witness
the bombardment, as / hear that it is
not carried on during the night purely
from strategeiio considerations, but also
because it creates greatef alarm, and
might aid IN constraining a surrender.
The art of war avails itself even Of