St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1871-02-03
Paris Falls ana Peace DatCHS.

L
hibition of calm endurance and heroic
suffering, which have challenged the adj
miration, as they have excited the amaze
ment, of the whole world, the naughty
French capital has at length succumbed
to the inevitable. At s O'Clock, Satur-
day evening, Jules Favre, in behalf of
the government of the city, signed at
Versailles the formal terms of capi,ula-
ton.
Thus closes the most remarkable scene
in the most surprising and wonderful mil
itary drama of modern times. Looking
back to that July day when France so
confidently threw down the gauntlet to
Germany, who would have venturcd even
to imagine such wonderful succession
of events rs eliminated ut 10 o'clock,
Yesterday morning, when German troops
occupied the forts around Paris. Such
Il victory as that of Sedan, where an ar
my of l25, 900 of the most dreaded troops
of Europe surrendered i'll the open field,
had been until then unknown in military
annals; the fall of Metz, when l13, 900
more of these troops, after desperate but
unavaiing attemps 10 break the lines
which surrounded them, surrendered with
out discretion, was an event entirely with
out precedent; but how insignificant does
either Of these triumpls appear in COM
parison with that final success which has
ended in the capitulation of 100, 900 sol
dies garrisoning Il city Of 1000, 900 in
habitants In whatever light it be re-
gardcd, the surrender of Paris must ever
remain one of the wonders of modern
warfare. That II city Of its proportions
could be so closely invested 10y Il hostile
army that the most desperate attempts
of tie bcsiegcd could find no point in the
GORDON which surrounded them which
their concentrated attack could pierce,
and that besides rcpelin% any attack
from within the Germans should also he
able TO hurl back every army from out
side which attempted to march 10 the AID
Of their countrymcn, must always make
the Capitulatiun ui Paris the most mcm-
orable military success ul the ag'.. But
while the world has glZcl with amaze
mcnt upon the iirmncSS of the I'fusslam
hold on the doomed city, it hi. also wit
messed with scarcely less amazamcnt an
exhibition of calm endurance and iorii-
tudc on the part of the frivolous Paris
ians which it never dreamed they could
display. Ga the 10th of September
when the siege actually commenced, III,
most bomb:-tic Frcnchn IN would hard
ly have vcnturel to predict what has ac
tually happened-;l prolun.aIi,'n of til,
city's resistance all through the autumn
and past mil-wintcr, ST. that the l35tl
day Of the Investment had come bctur,
| the compact of surrender was >iIned
: The terms which Germany has oifrrc,
are generous, AMI rrOmis,, an carly clos,
Of the war. The forts are to BE- occu
pied 10y them, the regular troops and Tia,
/ ga1dcs mobile in Paris are TO surrender
their arms and the city is to be furni>hc,
with provisions. There is 10 be an ar
= mislice Of three weeks all over France
4 during which an assembly is TO be elect
| the final terms of peace. More generous
terms the Germans could not be expect
c TO offer. They leave the responsible
r ty for the continuance of the war,;lS wei
: rs the government Of the country, in. tn
i hands of the French themselves
As Germany seems disposed to be mag
l unanimous, let Us hope the French lead
ers may now have the good sense to ac
cept the inevitable, rs they have hitherto
= shown perseverance and blind patriotism
. in struggling against it. Peace must, il
{ the nature of the case, involve cDnces
sions by the French, which will be hu
initiating to nation Al pride, but no con
: ditions which Germany is at all likely Il
impose can justify longer continuance
: Of the struggle. The whole world echoc
the Emperor Williams exclamation, at
ter detailing this last great victory OF th'
= German arms, "May peace soon follow
Springfield RpaJiN,m.