The weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1869-18??, 1870-09-07
From the Pail Mall Gazette, Aug. II.
The French Nation-Will France Sub

L Suus
mits-VIews of French Liberal.
A great nation does not readily acquiesce
in the necessity of taking a lower place in
the hierarchy of European Powers than that
to which she has been accustomed, and the
very best terms which France could at this
moment gain from Prussia would involve
this much degradation. Nothing that Lord
Granville could propose could save her from
this necessity, and there is not much chance
that she would accept mediation if coupled
with the condition of submitting to it.
Even if we are over estimating the perse-
verance and resolution of the French people
in attributing to them this determination
to go on fighting, we can hardly be wrong
in supposing that they would only regard
peace in the light of a breathing space in
which to prepare to fight the battle over
again with better fortune and different re-
suit. There is no talk in France of the war
having been a mistake; all we hear of is
prepared. Take, for example, the following
extract from the "Chronique" in the new
number of the ReUue des DeuS Mondes:
This war with Prussia was certainly in
evitable. 1t must have broken out some
day or other, and we will even venture to
say that the late events have made its inev-
itableness still more apparent by reducing
us SO promptly to the defensive, and by
bringing into relief the weakness of our
frontier-a weakness already very great un-
der the conditions of the treaties of 1915,
and still greater since 1866, when Prussia
presses on us with the weight of the whole
of Germany, bound together in military
union. These events have shown by SIMS
ter evidence where was the aggressive force,
the permanent menace. Thus the war was
one of those terrible contingencies which we
were bound to foresee, which we could not
decline at a given moment; but it was
above all necessary to know whether we
were prepared, and, if we were not ready, it
was needful to know how to wait. Every
thing depended on that. = War doubt
less has its hazards of which no one is mas
ter In so great struggle reverses may
happen, but when one knows the cause of
them they are half repaired, they cease to be
q reason for encouragement, and become,
on the contrary, an energetic stimulant.
Henceforth France, fortified by experience,
can fight before Europe, who watches her;
she can march to the conflict with manly
COuuueuCc UcCduoc Sio iCciS nci ioiCC, uS-
cause she knows that her banner is that of
the civilization and liberty of peoples.
Thus in the opinion ofkso moderate and
sensible Liberal as NJ Charles de Mazade,
the result of the war up to this time has
only been to show that some addition of
territory on the side of Germany is absolute
ly necessary to the safety of France. No
doubt the chain of reverses may be SO heavy
and so unbroken that she may at least be
driven into acknowledging that her former
greatness is lost beyond the possibility of
recall. But Prussia has good deal to do
before that period of exhaustion is reached,
| and even when it is reached we shall not
readily believe that France will not be con-
| tent to remain at it.