New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-05-23
THE Spectators OF THE SEGA

The silent Germans, VINO WaIcn lnelT ON
battle-felds from the forts near Paris, occupy
| a singular place in the changed theater of the
war; They have become grim lOOkers-On at
| the turbulent party drama their conquered
| enemies have substituted for the defense of a
nation. The Frenchman is problem to his
conqueror; and we can fancy no small degree
of wonder mingling with the meditations of
the average Prussian soldier as he looks out
at the tumult of the capital. The shrill shrek
of the Marseilaise has never appealed to him ;
he has never demolished at midnight dozen
windows and newspaper on the bOule-
wards of his native city, and gone to
refresh himself with absinthe, feeling a
happy consciousness of having advanced the
good old cause of Liberty, Equality, and
Fraternity. The republicanism he dreams of
is of different order from that which has been
overturning laws and monuments in Paris
different even from the quieter but cautious
and not altogether trustworthy republicanism
of Versailles. We can hardly be surprised that
to him the war seems past the Germans
spared the city they might have made vic
tim; the great mass of the army cannot see
reason for their interference now, to pro-
tect conquered capital from the suicidal van
dalism of its own inhabitants and their pro-
vincial besegers.
The feeling of the German soldiers is only
shadow of that among their cOuntrymen at
home. The army has the spirit of fight still
strong within it, and its enthusiasm would be
easily reused by the idea of a complete and
final crushing of the quarreling enemy before
it but the serious thinkers in Germany, among
the homes that have suffered the bitterness of
the war, and the great body of the people,
who have hailed the treaty of peace so gladly
these have been uniformly against German
interference in the affairs of France.
In view of this, and in view of the far
sighted policy of Prince Bismarck, we have
never looked for the fulillment of the frequent
prophecies which have pointed to the reoccu-
patton of Paris by the German forces. Bis
marck has united Germany, and his leadership
has been made popular by the conduct Of ethe
war. 1t was not to be supposed that 1.-THE far
seeing statesman would place himself at once
in opposition to public opinion by renewing
the fight, unless the best interests of Germany
seemed to be involved. He threatened from
time to time, it is true; but this cost the
nation nothing, and exerted more or less effect
upon the French for in Bismarck's position a
threat has almost the weight of its execution.
The German Government has never appeared
to be troubled about the payment of the war
indemnity and this would have been the only
justifiable object for which to spend more
blood and money. No man has studied better
than Prince Bismarck the vitality of France
the ease of her recovery from what seems
almost utter overthrow. 1t is vitality that
might be dangerous to Germany, if the Ger
man garrisOns were not quartered in the midst
of the conquered country. But with the power
still in his hands, with the ability to turn this
vitality into the right channels for the interest
of his own country,-with good credit at home
and abroad, and the certainty of being able to
ultimately force the payment of all that is
due to Germany,-there was no necessity
in Bsmarck's plan for the employment of force.
There was something of equivOca significance
about the recent movements of the German
garrison. We heard of their cutting fascines
and strengthening their works. But we have
never expected, while any reasonable hope re-
manned that the Government of Versailles
would yet achieve the triumph which our dis
patches have reported, that the German
army would abandon its attitude of impressive
reserve, where it seemed as far removed from
the fantastic struggles of its late enemies as
the Greek gods on their hills, careless of
mankind