The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-01-29
SURRENDER OF PARIS.

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ing the intelligence that Paris has capitulated
After struggle of one hundred and thirty
seven days the capital Of France has had to
succumb. Fierce determination, famine and
disease have brought the once proud, imperial
and beautiful city of Paris to humble itself in
the dust before the hosts Of the German
Kaiser and to sue for terms of peace. So long
as hunger and disease kept away from the doors
of the Parisians the thought of surrender
never entered their minds for moment but
these two dreadful allies of the Germans
pointed out to the Parisians the hopelessness
of the resistance they were making. Famine
in the streets, sickness In the household, cold
at the hearths, the cry of mother and of child,
the feeble walls of the aged, the
appeals of dear ones, whose ema-
ciated forms spoke too plainly the suf-
fering they were enduring, speak to us
in the eloquence Of heroic action of the sacri-
fees which the people of Paris suffered to save
the city they loved SO well. No appeal went
from them amid all their wretchedness to sur
render the city and put an end to their suffer-
ings. The gay and frivolous Paris, the toy
shop of the world, has given to nations, in
her heroic defence, an example of what
brave people can do even when threatened
with destruction by two such terrible agencies
as war and famine.
| Our European dispatches to-day show that
Jules Favre's mission to Versailles has not
been without results. Since midnight on
Thursday the firing on both sides ceased.
Favre returned to Paris after conference
with Bismarck, and his temperance again in
the German camp with one Of the generals in
command of the army in Paris fore
Swallowed the fall Of the capital Even now
the terms of capitulation are signed, the garri-
son of Paris surrenders and the National AS
sembly of France is to be called together The
brave resistance Of the Parisians has proved
powerless. Depending upon the armies in the
provinces, they have been disappointed, and
the only alternative Of unconditional surren-
der was left open to them. The bitter cup of
humiliation is filed to the brim and it must
be drained to the last dregs. The very
word surrender" is something so loath-
some to the Parisians that the enacting of
some dreadful scene, some fearful catas-
trophe, an act at which the world would gaze
in horror, would not surprise us if in the
madness of their despair they consider the
than what they were led to expect.
In view of the grand, noble, heroic
defence which Paris has made. let
us hope that magnanimity will prevail
on the part of the German leaders, and that
generosity to brave but fallen foe will dictate
a kind and Christian treatment for those
within the walls Of unhappy Paris.
AS an evidence of the horrible straits
in which the people of the capital were
situated for the past few days, we
may mention that the mobs of Paris, becom-
ing emboldened by the failure of the recent
sorties, again gathered in the streets, shout
ing, "On to Berlin!" and appearing in
front of the Hotel de Vile demanded per-
mission to enter. The demand was refused.
Nothing daunted by the refusal the crowd
driven back by the troops. Again they
pressed forward, when the soldiers fred on
them and five Of their number paid the pen
atty of their wrongdoing with their lives
| and eighteen others were injured. Even
| this did not intimidate the crowd; for, though
| they fed from the scene of their
discontinue, they again gathered together
and forced the jails where Gustave
Flourens, Felix Pyatt and other political
offenders were confined, and liberated them.
| Terror-stricken by these demonstrations the
| unfortunate citizens within their houses feared
for the very worst results. Fortunately,
however, the frmness of the government
was able to stay the demonstration, which
might have resulted in scenes as barbarous
1 - -
and as bloody as those which in years gone by
have been witnessed in the streets of the
famous capital Of France.
| From the provinces no ray of promise
cheered the people of Paris in the last hours
Of their heroic struggle. The Army Of the
Loire, from which so much was expected, is