The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-10-04
GERMANY IN FRANCE.
The Language of Fatherland and the From
tier-The "iiourse OF Empire.''


The Algeneine Zeitung publishes an interest
ing article on the "German-speaking territory
in France" 1t says that this territory now eX-
tends over 230 square miles, with 1927 communes
and 1860 600 inhabitants-a territory which is
almost as large as that of Baden, both in size
and population and is on the borders of Ger
many from Basle to Luxembourg. The linguistic
boundary (Sprachgranze) between the Germans
and the French begins on the Swiss frontier at
the village of Lutzel, in the canton of Berne,
and thence proceeds to the northwest, following
the watershed between the German Rhine
and the French Rhone TO the Baronkopf, between
Damerkirch Danne-marrie) and Belfort. At
this place the linguistic boundary has remained
undisturbed all to the east is German. The
boundary next proceeds northward, along the
ridge of the Vosges. The valleys of the Dolder,
the Thur and the Fecht are here German the
source of the Moselle, on the west, is French.
In the vicinity of Colmar aud Kaisersberg, at
the sources of the Weiss and the Leber, the
French language passes across the Vosges east
ward, into Alsace, where there are some COM
munes of the canton of Schneirlach Qa Pom
troye), which speak Roman dialect. In the
valley of the Leber the languages are mixed,
and the linguistic frontier proceeds, from Mar
kirch (Ste. Marie aux Mines) through the valley
of the Weller, the upper part of which is
French, to the Breusch valley.
The upper part of the valley of the Vosges is
also French and its villages have French and
German names. The lower part is indisputably
German. From the Breusch valley the lin
guistic frontier passes from Asace to Demon, in
Lorraine. The small mountain valleys of the
| Vosges, which belong to the French linguistic
| territory, comprise about four and half square
miles, with thirty thousand inhabitants. The
whole of the remaining portion of Alsace, how
| ever, is German 1t comprises 140 square miles,
| S76 communes, and 500, 600 German Inhabitants.
| There is not a single place here with French
name. The linguistic boundary becomes more
uncertain as it enters Lorraine, where the
| French language has made much more pro-
| gress than in Alsace. 1t begins at the Breusch,
and passes to the northwest by the lakes of
GuidesfDg (Etang de Gondreange) and
Thusweihe, east of Dieuz. Several towns
to the east of this boundary,
however, such as Pfalzburg, have
become completely Gallcized. Thence the
boundary proceeds to Morsberg (Marimont-la-
Haute). The southern and western villages OF
this district are French, the eastern and north
ern German The advance of the French lam
guage here is shown by the fact that formerly
German was spoken on the banks of the Selle
as far as Marsal The boundary extends in
Lorraine up to the borders OF the department Of
the Meurthe and then enters that of the Moselle
In the former department there are 116 com.
munes, with 60, 500 inhabitants. In the depart
ment of the Moselle the linguistic boundary
passes along the river Med leaving Faulque
mont and Kreichingen on the right, and thence
| proceeds to the Kanner, a small stream that
flows into the Moselle.
The German portion of this department com
prises about 4314 square miles, with 266 com
munes and 1S0, 400 Inhabitants. About a ninth
! part of the originally German portion of Lor
| raine has been Gallicized since the French an
nexations of 1852 and 1766.