The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1871-03-11
The Situation, from a French
View.

While the English and American press have
freely and often commented on the war during
its progress, until now when it is virtually ended,
but little or nothing has been heard of the ideas
of the French people. Actively engaged in the
brave but unsuccessful endcavor to drive the foe
from the country, they have not found time to
pause and reason. A recent French writer in an
English periodical, from whose article on "The
future of France we have reprinted some ex-
tracts on the fourth page of to-day's paper, takes
a very philosophical and statesmanlike view of
the situation. He clearly sees the evils under
which his country has labored, understands the
severe but necessary lesson which she has received.
and points out the course to be pursued whereby
she may profit and rise again, Phenix-like, from
her ashes.
But from America there comes a far d iferent
voice. The French in the United States are nu-
merous, and their organ, the Courier des Etats
Unis, published at New York, is widely circu-
lated and read as an authorized mouthpiece of
French opinion, on both sides of the Atlantic. In
the editorials of the Courier, the liberty of the
press, so freely accorded in the Great Republic, is
exercised in the fullest license, and they have
been outspoken and fearless on all subjects of
American as well as European politics. The
leading article in the issue for the 18th of Febru-
airy, on the conclusion of the war, is a remarkable
production, and we print below a fair translation.
Coming from the influential source that it does,
it challenges attention. We may well understand
how a proud and high-tempered people like the
French must deeply feel the degradation which
has come upon their country. Wounded patriot
ism and military pride we must commisserate.
But the utterances of the Courier show any
spirit than that of calmly meeting adversely with
a will to profit by its lessons. If these be the
true sentiments of the French people, it would
seem that the Germans, who ought to understand
them better than others, would be justified in the
eyes of the civilized world in demanding and en-
forcing the surest and strongest guarantees
against a future interruption by France of the
peace which has just been conquered
----sy rs This .9
Paris has fallen. But has France fallen with it ?
Does the capitulation of Paris necessitate the capitu-
lation of France? Yes. The armistice is the end of
the war I; that Is our opinion we will say more, it is
our wish.
Paris fallen, France falls, because. as the Herald
says. {" Paris is still France Paris alone has stop
ped the march of the enemy and limited the invasion;
and now when, Paris itself with its power and
its heroism has succumbed, where can we find a
support that will resist the immense weight of the
armies who have put the knee on its throatr But
Paris fallen, France fallen, the war ended-is that
peace? No. Who would therefore dare to pretend
that France would resign herself to an eternal yoke
All he would know our country very little who
would believe her capable of this supreme philosophy
and this sublime humility.
When we say that the armistice is il the end Of the
war ; and that it is our opinion and our wish. we
mean to say that, broken down by strife, mutilated
by the sword, calcined by FIRE, we are ready to relin-
quish those arms which, by the fate of war, have
become only shattered pieces in our hands,-but it is
with the purpose that we want to keep in our veins
vet blood enough to revive again it is that we want
to conserve sufficient air to restore ourselves, to
breathe again, to recover our strength, to await our
time, and at the right hour jump at the throat of our
enemy and revenge ourselves.
This is sayage-yes This will make civilization
recoil and retard this beautiful humane theory of the
abolition of war, without doubt J We will be barba-
rians be it so and the world will point its finger at
us.-what does it matterf We have done enough for
the prosperity of peace, for arts, for sciences, for in
dustry, for the advancement of humanity. What
thanks has humanity given us and what assistance
have we drawn from those disinterested services
which we have rendered to the world at larger We
have not even had sterile sympathies for them,
because there is no people that does not smile at our
fall, and only isolated voices give us a few words Of
pity as q matter of charity.
1t is a fact, there will be a cessation of arms, but
never a durable peace for the growing generations.
France, in her mutations, suffering eternally from
the amputated members, will have repose no sooner
than when her pieces, now cut of, have again re-
joined her and been soldered up. So much the worse
for Europe when it trembles from our eonvulsions,
we have heart and soul only for ourselves. What
matter to us the agitations and iroables u others
Enough of chivalry, enough Of generosity, enough Of