The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-12-07
THE HOUR OF DANGER.

From the London Saturday ReUiew.
There can be no doubt that England is now
passing through the most dangerous hour
which she has been called upon to traverse
since the downfall of the First Napoleon.
Fortunately there is one ray of light in the
midst of the gloom. The danger has come
upon us in such form that there is no divi-
sion of opinion. England can act without
hesitation, and without contests of parties or
balancing of opposing arguments. The spi-
rited reply of Lord Granville to Prince Gort-
schakoff insolent circular is the reply of a
Cabinet of which Mr.. Bright is a member. If
Russia wants to know the mind of England,
she may know it at once England, if chal-
lenged by direct, deliberate insult, means
prompt, earnest, resolute fighting. But
although there cannot be the
slightest shade of doubt as to the
attitude which England ought to as
sumo, there is no use in attempting
to conceal from ourselves the extreme gravity
of the situation. Immediately after the
capitulation of Metz, Russia, thinking
France finally and irretrievably stricken
down, sent off q notice to the ally of France
in the Crimean war that the Treaty of Paris
was to be wholly set aside, and that the blood
and treasure lavished by France and England
were held to have been lavished in vain. But
this is not all; it is only vero small part of
venture to provoke England if Russia could
count on no allies. She must either have
had an understanding with other powers or
have calculated that other allies would be in
evitably drawn to her side if she stepped for
ward and gave the signal for a general war
The allies on whose assistance she counted
were of course Germany and the United
States. If she gained the aid of both, then
| with France prostrate all the help that the
&c he asx i1al gOrlA lNrrre e.
! England would be of comparatively slight
avail. Austria, Italy, possibly Spain,
possibly the tiny scandinavian powers,
would, with Turkey, do what they
could to make the contest not a
hopeless one. But it is a black prospect, the
blackness of which we realize, although we
do not think that there is an Englishman
who would heritate, if need be, to encounter
it, ''Happy England" said the author of the
famous article in the Edinburgh. Happy
England" What happiness Russia throw.
ing the gauntlet in our face; the United
States longing to launch the Alabamas of the
New World to redress the balance of the Old
Ireland burning to exchange sedition for re
bellion; and Count Bismarck goading on hi!
countrymen into quarrelling with England
for furnishing France with twentieth par
of the arms furnished by America withou
comment or objection. Happy England! =
happy In her security, and IN the foreslgh
and Judgment of her Premier. At the sam,
time, while the very first duty of Englishmei
at this moment is to see how great the dan
gor is and to resolve to meet it, we need no
exaggerate anything, or impute evil to other
before we are sure of its existence. We ar
certain that there is a very large section o
the German people who would bitterly de
plore seeing themselves opposed to Engan
when England is striving to do nothing bu