Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1870-10-04
VICTOR HUGO.
His Address to the German People.

VlotOf hugo mas addressed to the GormaT
people through the Paris journals the following
letter, brief extract from which was received
by telegraph:
GERMANS He who speaks to you is 8
friend.
Three years ago, from exile, [ welcomed yor
to the Exposition of 1867 in your city.
What city?
Paris!
For Paris belongs not alone to us. Paris il
as much yours as it is ours. Berlin, Vienna
Dresden, Munich, Stuttgart, are your capitals
Paris is your centre 1t is only at Paris tina
we can feel the heart of Europe palpitating.
Paris is the city of cities-the city of mankind
Athens and Rome were Paris is.
Paris Is nothing more than an immense hos
pitality.
You return there to-day.
How?
As brothers, as you did three years ago?
No. AS enemies
Why?
What is this sinister misunderstanding
Two nations have made Europe. These two
nations are France and Germany Germany i;
for the West what India is for the East, kind
OF dignified grandmother We venerate her
But what is passing, and what is to be said p
To-day this Europe, which Germany has con
structed by her expansion and France by hel
divergence, Germany wishes to overturn.
Is it possible?
Would Germany overturn Europe in destroy
ing Paris?
Reflect.
Wherefore this invasion? Wherefore thi
savage effort against brotherly people?
What have we done to you?
Does this war proceed from us? It was tht
Empire which desired it; the Empire which
cd Tbo -, r..
We have nothing in common with tha
corpse.
1t is of the past; we are of the future.
1t was hate; we are sympathy.
1t was treason We are loyalty.
1t was Capua and Gomorrah; we are France
We are the French Republic, and have fo
our device Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, VI
| write on our flag United States of Europe. W.
are the same people as yourselves. We ha(
Vercingetorix as you had Arminius The same
| fraternai ray, the same sublime bond Of unior
joins the German heart and the French soul.
This is SO true that we shall say here:
Ii, unfortunately, by your fatal error, yol
| proceed to extreme violence, if you come to at
tack US In this august city confded In SOM
| manner by Europe to France if you assaul
Paris, We shall defend it to the last extremity
we shall fight with all our strength against you
but we declare we shall continue to be you
| brothers and your wounded-do you know
| where We shall place them? in the palace O
| the nation. We shall assign the Tuileres il
| advance as a hospital for wounded Prussans
There will be the field hospital of your brav
| imprisoned soldiers and it is there our womel
shall go to care for and succor them. You
wounded shall be our guests; we will trea
them Loyalty, and Paris will receive them int
| her Louvre.
1t is with this fraternity in our heart that W
| shall accept your war.
| But Germans, what means this war? 1t i
ended since the Empire is at an end. Yo1
have killed your enemy, who was also ours
what do you desire?
You come to take Paris by force But W
| have already offered it to you with love. d
not make a people close their doors who hav
| always held out their hands to you Be no
deluded about Paris Paris loves you; bu
Paris will fight you. Paris will fight you wit
all the formidable majesty of her glory and he
mourning.
Paris, menaced by this brutal assault, ma
become terrible.
| Jules Favre has told you eloquently, and W
all repeat it, expect desperate resistance.
| You may take the fortress, you will find tn
| rampant. You may take the rampant, yo1
| will find the barricade. You may take tn
| Of patriotism in distress-you will find In tn
sewers mines of powder ready to blow Who'll
streets into the air. This will be the terribl
| sentence you must expect. To take Pari
stone by stone, to slaughter Europe ON tn
spot, to kill France in detail in each street
in each house that great light must be extin
guished soul by soul.
Germans, hold back Paris is formidable :
Think while before her walls. Ali transfer
nations are possible for her. Her indolenc
gives you the measure Of her energy. Sh
seems to sleep. She will awaken. Her though
| will leap from its scabbard like sword, ant
this city, which yesterday was Sybaris to-mor
row may be Saragossa.
Do we say this to intimida,e you? No, Ger
tainIy not. Germans, you are not to be intim
ldated. You had Galgacus against Rome ant
kerner against Napoleon. We are the peopl
OF the Marseillaase, but you are the people o
| the Martial SoAnets and the Song Of til
| Sa0Ord I on are nation of thinkers, VIII,
have come to lead legion of heroes. You
soldiers are worthy Of ours; our soldiers hav,
unsurpassabe bravery; yours have intrepit
cO0lness.
Hear, nevertheless. You had able and skill
full generals we had incompetent ones; yol
made the war clever rather than brilliant you
generals have preferred the useful to the grand
it was their right; you took us by surprise
you came ten to one our soldiers stoically al
lowed themselves to be massacred by you wis
who had wisely placed all the chances on you
side; consequently from that day 10 this dread
ful war Prussia has the victory, but France ha
the glory.
At present you believe you have the last blow
to strike. You rush upon Paris and take ad
vantage OF our noble army, deceived and be
trayed, nearly all stretched dead on the battle
field, to throw your 10000 soldiers, with al
| your machinery of war-your mitrailleuses