Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1871-04-19
MOMMSEN on ALSACE.

The distinguished scholar and historian,
Professor Mommsen, in published letter
says: ~
"The population OF Alsace is purely Ger
man, if we except a few valleys in the Fosges,
which are French. One of our most consci-
cntious political economists calculated, before
this war, that but seventh part of the Asa
tians understand French; and again, but
small part Of these use this language in do
mestic life The country people and peasants
universally speak nothing but German. How
significant was the case OF the unlucky French
correspondent after the battle of Worth, who
limited like true Frenchman to his mother
tongue, was wandering about in his belle
France, to find an interpreter who should ex-
plain his wants to the peasants of Alsace Even
those French who migrate from elsewhere into
these parts soon assimilate themselves, and
become extensively Germanized. French is
the enforced medium of instruction in the
primary school now; and the single result of
this has been. that the efficiency of these
schools is no longer what it was. Formerly,
the standard of popular instruction here was
higher than in any other part of France; now
it has greatly fallen, and continues to do so
every year. 1t was well said by worthy
ecclesiastic that the war waged by the French
government upon the German language was q
| well-being Of the country.
Here in these valleys you hear our songs
| and our legends; and our literature has form
Cd here nucleus of opposition against Paris,
in revenge for which the Partisan makes the
fool in his comedy invariably an Alsatian. Al
SAGE escaped that blow which undermined
the strong life of France mean the extirpa-
ton of the Huguenots, In this i'll advised
persecution we may see the primary cause Of
the decline of the French nation, just as
rampant Jesuitism ruined Austria.
In Protestant Alasace, we see to this day a
liberal and fourishing theology, maintaining
the most intimate relations with our German
theologians, and maintaining these in spite of
the obstacles offered by the government in in
sisting that the courses shall be delivered in
that the Strasburg professors were lamenting
to me that they were thus compelled to aban-
don the use of German in the schools.
Now, what have said of Alsace is equally
true Of German Lorraine, that Allemagne, as
it was called, which until 1871 conducted all
its official affairs in German, and still pre-
serves this language in its private life. Ger
man Lorraine includes part of the department
east of the Meurthe and the Moselle and the
cantons of Saar. BY the account of the
French Minister of Instruction, made out in
1865, in Is communes of the Department of
the Meurthe, out eff Al sos inhabitants only
6,S70 could speak the French language; while
among those who attended the schools, in
number $500, 2,4Oo only could be said to
speak it correctly. eru8 @E
The city and canton Of Thionville-Die-
denhofen we call it-are completely German.
In this same'quarter, on the confines of Lux
emburg, some years ago, a whole village,
with the priests at their head, went up to the
Marie to protest against the forcible imposi-
ton of the French language. The affair came
before the Senate in Paris how it all ended
forget, but, doubtless. for one thing, in the
decoration of the Mare" s@E