New-York tribune., 1870-09-28
sang UINARY FORMALITTES.

1t is probably an American discovery that
there are more ways than one for killing a
cat Even the foremost minds in Europe have
in general been satisfied with the axiom that a
cat has nine lives, to which the corollary is
that they must be taken in detail, and with
due observance of the proprieties. Whether it
is q cat to be killed, an indefensible city to be
given up, or q fOregOne international cOnclu-
sion to be acted upon, in each case the proper
formalities must be followed, and usually blood
must be shed.
The conditions by which we are surrounded
in this country unfit us for perceiving the
force of such necessities. To our republican
notions of the subordination of modes to con-
seouences-to our American ideas of prompt
action in emeIgencies-many of the occasions
of bloodshed in the present war, as well as
the war itself, appear not to have been en-
tirely unavoidable. 1t looks to us, for instance,
as though the capitulatiOn of Sedan, known IN
that city to be inevitable by MONDAY on the
1st inst. should have taken place then, and
not four or five hour hours later in the day.
We fail to appreciate demmas as to by whom,
and how, and on what bastion, the white flag
should be displayed, or from whom should
come the request for truce, while Ill the IN
term brave men were slaughtered by thou
sands in hopeless contest, and bursting
shells and burning villages were every moment
adding fresh havoc to a scene of devastation.
We are even inclined to accord to the
Emperor for ultimately assuming the response
bility of surrender and putting a stop to tho
carnage, a praise which we should hesitate
about comforting on any previous act of his
existence
Similarly Americans in general cannot per-
ceive the necessity Of the heroic defense OF
Strasbourg, or more especially of that which is
in prospect for Paris Very gratifying and
very glorious to Uhrich and Trochu and their
admirers, no doubt, are such defenses. Their
special valuc,Ewe are told, is that these exer-
tons place France in II better position to effect
peace. Herein is another of those things
wherein Americans are so obtusel We cannot
even help fancying that these matters of form,
which involve the loss Of 20 many lives and
bring ruin on an incalcnlablo number of
individuals in and around those cities, might
perhaps be dispensed with 10 advantage. 1t
does seem IA though Bismarck might be right; /;
ms if the best way To obtain liberal terms of
pcace might not bo found in exciting the
citizens of the beleagucrcd cities 10 prolonged
defense and the people of France to desperate
war.
But family though we perceive these neces-
sites of form on the part of a nation that is
now Republic, an utter blindness comes over
Americans in the cndeayor 10 see the abso-
lutte requirements of pTopriety in Italy. Though
most of the panes in the glass-houses else
where in Europe be broken, what there are
left in that locality seem still to be of a con-
servatory kind. His Holiness the Pope was
perfectly conversant with the impracticability
of defending Rome, but 1t seems that the pro-
preties of the occasion required show of de-
fense. The States of the Church, 1t is ex-
planned, being pontifcal property could be
yielded only TO force. Hence some fighting was
necessary-merely for effect-and four men had
to be killed and thirty wounded before the
! flag of truce could be properly presented and
the occupation of the city take place. People
on this side of the Atlantic cannot help qucs-
tioning whether tho representative OF the
! Prince of Peace might not have saved tho