The Portland daily press., 1871-11-02
Mercantile Library As.oci.,;or.

Ia
J ne by NJ. Athanase Coouerel the eloouent
raris'ah preacher, editor and philanlhropist,
tne subject, The Two Seges of Paris The
haii was we'll filled and upon the platform were
alarge number of distinguished citizens. Be
lore the speaker assembled the platform the
band played the Marseillaise and when NJ.
Coquerel appeared he was greeted with enthu-
siastic applause. La opening, the lecturer Ie-
marked that since he bad been 10 this country
he had observed that the sympathy tor France
and Germany had been about equally divided
| But there are some things that need explana-
| ton. 1t has been asserted that in the late war
| France was the aggressor, and that she has
been Justly punished This is not true. 1t was
| against the will of our people to 60 into this
war; As an illustration, he related that he
was invited to lecture in Paris before the
schools. He had no subject selected, and
friend suggested War. The hall was filed
with working men and their families, and he
spoke strongly against war, and SO great was
the desire Tor peace demonstration that he
was obliged to slip out by side door, and it
was with difficulty that similar exhibition in
the streets was prevented know. he said
that Germany did not desire war more than
the French. was in Germany when Hoben-
zollern refused the crown of Spain, and the
people were universally glad when peace SEEM
ed certain; but next day when the news came
OF the declaration of war the nation rose as
one man to resent the insult There were two
parties to the crime-the Emperor of France
and the King of Prussia. You people of Amer
lea are fortunate that you have no Emperor 10
makeyou pay great costs for war; but you do
not know your blessings. He would not speak
too harshly of the Emperor because he was
down DOW. but he could not speak of him i'm.
partially. He had opposed him for twenty
years and knew the weight of his burden. The
King of Prussia wanted war to promote Ger
man unity, but Germany has now as master
the leader OF an aristocratic clique, and the
Germany of thinkers and poets is governed by
man who hated one thing more than France,
and that was liberty. 1t was said that France
not resist. Those who lived for pleasure alone
fed and the patriotic of the people remained
and suffered aid died. AlphoDzo Karr said
that if ever Paris was besieged she would resist
until STRAWBERRIES gave out; but Paris had de-
monstrated the contrary. When the gates
were shut she became no IN ore the same place
but was turned into great armorers' shop and
was dumb in its decision to suffer. The first
thing was to strengthen its Publications.
land then We began to feel what it was 10 be
shut QUE from the world" 1 cannot make YOU
understand, he said, what it is to be shut out
five months from friends and letters and news
papers when your country is in danger. He
described the altered appearance of the streets
at once after the Prussiaus had invested the
city. No carriages; soldiers drilling in the
streets and squares with sticks instead of mus.
kets; noblemen of historic name handling their
mimic gun beside the commonest; shops were
shut; all trade died away; all Ordinary move
ments expired. Gas failed. A few lamps with
poor oil in them cast a dim ligha. There were
constantly, immense reunions of men, called
together by all motives. A director OF one of
the French railways, shut up in the city wrote
regularly twice week to his wife all through
the SIEGE When he got out he found she bad
been dead four months There were 70 vege-
tables. A girl IA years Of age, who went out
side the walls to gather some green stuff in the
open fields for her mother and sisters was slain
by Prussian bullet. Our food was horse
Hesh-a piece as big as my four fingers fer a
family OF four persons for three days. The
bread was OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES alike two days;
sometimes mixed with hay or straw, sometimes
with beans and rice. The bad quality of food
was the cause of deaths. There was no fuel.
Parents burned their furniture, everything ex-
cepl their beds to save the lives OF their in
iants: and the deaths of children were euor-
nous in number There were also two cpl
demics-small pox and infectious diseases
among tho wounded.
The Germans did wrong to lombard Paris
They meant to show that they were practical
aud did not care for the worlds opinion; but
the shells made the Parisians more stubborn
than ever. They surrendered when there was
no bread; when the stores were used up. The
speaker related a number of stories amusing
and pathetic TO illustrate the fortitude with
which the people faced the danger, and refer
red with cutting satire to the printed remark of
Bismarck that Paris surrendered at the ''psy-
Geological moment" During the bombardment
little band OF the most eminent scientific
men OF France attended the obsequies of NJ De-
Merry, which were held in Pere La Chase.
From that commanding entrance, from which
M. Coquerel had also climbed, they could see
the fires in the great town spread out at their
feet and hear the booming of the cannon
nn ut fha tod 4
the works of the deceased, and there was some
thing appalling and sublime to him in the de-
yotion to science of this little band quietly
assembled there, while below others were de-
stroying each other with dabolical energy.
M. Coquerel then proceeded to explain the
terms Commune and Communion; the latter
is the old system of socialism, which believes
that all things must be in common. Com
%unes are townships. with magistrates and
town council in Paris and were right In the |
twenty years reign of Napoleon Ill, the town |
council had been nominated by the Emperor |
and governed by Haussman, whose policy was |
to make Paris city of pleasure for strangers |
and drive the working mep into the suburbs |
1t was Communism that precipitated the revo-
luton of 1898. The speaker defined the Inter- |
national Society, and approved one of their |
cardinal principles that the people of all ma |
tions are one, and deprecated war; but they |
took singular method to express It, They
destroyed the Column Vendome at the precise
moment the PrussianS were entering Paris |
because it represented war and conquest But
the Column was the representative Of an idea,
and we always make mistakes when we de-
stroy the symbols of ideas. One reason for the
failure of France was the insincerity of her
Generals and the want of confidence in them
by the National Guards. The soldiers were
not towards. They did not understand the
principles underlying the national action and
were undisciplined. They were full of pluck.
NJ. Coquerel proceeded to explain the position
of the National Assembly, aud its faults. Ii
was made up of incongruous elements, and
the result Was confusion aud disorder and vio-
lence. During the reign of the Commune there
was political crime, but also less violence OF
private rights than at any other time since the
fall of the Empire. Their motive, however,
was to destroy Paris rather than surrender to
the Prussians In conclusion, he said there
are men in all countries who desire liberty but
do not understand it; who would scorn dis
reputable act but will commit political crimes
in a time of frenzy. There are many souls in
France who are thirsty for religion. They seq
atheism all around them--atheism that denies
the existence of God. They look to America
for pattern. They know your liberties come
out of political liberty and free gospel; and
this is what !, in my humble way, am teaching
to my school of children-children bereft of
parents and friends by the war. France is
poor, and have come to this country to gain
means and knowledge that may better sue
coed in my work.