The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-11-09

aspect, thinking, no. doubt, odksadder
things than grapes and wine Then
came slraggling procession OF boys aud
boys from ss 70 oSa
were shouting, laughing, hurrying home to
evening rest with their harvest burdens. The
Young men had gone. The head of the family
had gone. Tue vintage could only be gather.
ed by women and children. The old men and
the children only remained. This was first
glimpse of the new aspect of affairs IN Alsace
and Lorraine, and 1t seemed odd that this tro-
pby of German rule should make Itself mani
feat on the victorious field of GraVelotte.
Now and then we met group OF eager,
siridine youths marching toward the frontier
or TO some railway st8tion-yolths and mid
dIe.aged men, occasionally women In the
train with children In their arms, anxious tor
France, and we thought of what Byron wrote
of those wanderers OF Israel when they were
driven out of the Holy Land-
And We must wander wtherlngly,
In other lands TO die
And where our fathers ashes be
Our own can never lie.
METZ IN DECAY.
AsI have said, Metz could never at best
have been lovely town, and II ls to-day
picture OF shabbIness and despair. In other
days It lived on Its garrison. It naa milit'a.y
Of peddiers and suffers and tradesmen OF
many nations. Many were Hebrews. who
were the first to go, for the exodus began
shortly after the German occupation. Tne
Germans patronized their own people, and
had no occasion Tor French suffers and ped
dlers from the Orient. When the period came
| for decision between France aud Prussia Metz
eaye way In panic, and Thousands swarmed
out of lts gates. At least two.thirds OF the
Inhabitants have gone, and Meiz looks as If
smItten with peslilence-a sort OF city
| laid out In state for funeral, and Prussian
In addition to the ordinary passenger trains
running TO Nancy, during the last few days
of September, five extra trains lett the
city daily with migrating Inhabitants.
The scenes in the railway depot
showed all the crowding, anxiety and
disturbance of Lord Mayors Day In London,
OF a Fourth of July fireworks In City Hall
respondent that on one day five thousand LETT
| from his depot alone. They have swept over
the country to Nancy, Lunevllle, Commercy,
I,yons-some to Rheims aad Epernay to find
work In the champagne haryest-many to
Paris. In cities where the Prusslans were ID
occupation they would not permit the exlles
to remain, especially the young men hdnnad NJ ,of
| their lines. With these they were always BE-
tyere. But the young men, upon accepting the
oniSon for Germany, would be compelled to
enter the Prussisn army. So they left for
France. In one commune where there were
seventeen young men, only two remained;
| OF these two one was Ill and the other naa no
means of leaving. And from every quarter,
without any eIception-except, perhaps, q
few communes near the Rhine-your corres-
Dondents bring corrooorating reports. From
thirty alone thew estimate the number who
| have departed as fifty thousand souls.
REYELRY AND FEAsTIEG.
| When you are Informed that Metz is slit
eraily deserted" 1t is difficult to make you feel
how exactly true the phrase is. The Rue des
Jardlns, for instance, which ooastea lor.y
stores, has five or sl1 open. 1t ID estimated
| that two stores out of three IN the whole Town
are closed. Most Of the open stores sell TO-
nacco and Bremen cigars; the old cafes are
German beer saloone. Some OF the open
stores inform you that they are 'selling. out
To close business" and wherever you look
Won ace houses for sale or to let. And yet,
ia If. In ironical comment upon the events OF
the day, there wss great Joy IN Metz the eve
ming your correspondent was there. IL was
an anniversary OF something, and the Ger,
man garrison were celebrating 1t IN grand
BANQUET. While the conquered were nnrrylng
| 10 the frontier the coDquerors were celebrat-
ing themselves with eaung aud feasting and
music.
| THE PRUSsIANS COMPLAIN OF BAD FAITH.
One circumstance that fills the Prassan mind
with anger is that most of those who have
left Metz, especially from the farm lands
around, have been in receipt of large sums oil
money from the Prnssian treasury. The war,
Grayelotte and other transactions oil That
nature desolated the country and swept
away all living thiUgs-crops and grain and
homestead and all means oflife. And Prussia,
meaning TO be kind 10 the sufferers and recon-
/ cIle them to the new rule, paid them large In
IDENTITIES. In some cases more money was
maid than the farmer had ever seen before;
more than his whole farm was worth. These
simple-minded agriculturaiist TOOK tne honest
King's money and Immediately declared Tor
France. The thought, therefore, that Prussia
| is really paying the expences of good part or
| the emigration, that the ungratelul French
men are really crossing into France with the
Kings money in their pockets, give the Pick
elhaubers deep anger, and may account 1or
| their rudeness 10 the exiles. They lake the
Kalsers money says the Piekei1auoer @ 9 rueial, ho
| Frenchman ''why don't you let rs stay We
want to stay and be Frenchmen. Look at
Paris. All the Germans who left there during
| the war to fight France are returning, and We
don't say either be FreDchmen or leave Paris.
They STAY and become rich; and yet We are
not allowed to remain here where we were
l h0rQ WlClOQG CcllIuS d h0 ouu ooJioS ote
Gormans. How is that ?" 'sOb, that" says
Pickelhauber," }" is quite different matter"
PRussrAN FIRMNEss AND KINDNESS.
so far az carpenters and painters and cum
ming Workmen can 60, Slrasbourg and Metz
and all Alsatian towns are thoroughly changed; 3 u
You walk through strasbourg and yon hnd Ia 9
every corner has new sign, certuylng IN Tue Ie
| German tongue the street has new name. lh
some side streets the old French names re-
main; but nearly every corner has fresh gIar, Ms
railways have German signs, telling you wneIe
to eat, where to walt and where TO denver aaS
distressed about this, one of them explaining,
not without profanity. that he did not know
his head from his heels since The new signs
were put up. But in all matters of admins
tratlon, so lar as the army is concerned. the
people have been treated with kindness anc
generosity The Prussian officer, in any view
you may take of him, is not what would be re