Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-11-06
And we must wander. wttheringly,
In other lands 70 die
And where u fathers ashes be
Our OWn can never lie.

II DLIEE AHu4e 10 4le-
And where our fathers ashes be
Our own can never lie.
METZ IN DECAY.
As I have said, Metz could eve at
best have been a lovely town, and it is
to-day a picture Of shabbiness and de-
spair. In other days it lived on its gar
rison. 1t bad military schools, and a
large 4 not a pleasing variety Of peddleTs
and suffers and tradesmen Of many
nations. Many were Hebrews, who
were the first to go, for the exodus be-
gan shortly after the German Occupa-
ton. The Germans patronized their
own people, and had no occasion for
French suffers and peddlers from the
Orient. When the period came for de-
cision between France and Prussia,
Metz gave way in a panic, and thou
sands swarmed out Ofits gates. At least
two-thirds of the inhabitants have gone,
and Metz looks as if smitten with a
~pestilence-a sort of a city laid out in
state for funeral, and a Prussian army
as guard Of honor over the remains. In
addition tothe ordinary passenger trains
rnnning to Nancy, during the last few
days Of September, five extra trains
left the city daily with emigrat-
ing inhabitants. The scenes in
the railway depot showed all
the crowding, anxiety and disturbance
Of Lord Mayors Day in London,
or a Fourth Of July fireworks in City
Hall Park. A railway officer informed
your correspondent that on one day five
thousand left from his depot alone.
They have swept over the country to
Nancy, Luneville, COmmercy, Lyons.
some to Rheims and Epernay to find
work in the champagne harvest-many
70 Paris. In cities where the Prussiaus
were in occupation they would not per-
NIT the eNiles TO remain, especially the
young men fit for duty in the army, but
drove them on beyond their lines. With
these they were always severe. But the
young men, upon accepting the option
for Germany, would be compelled 10
enter the Prussian army. So they left
for France. In n commune where
there were seventeen young men, only
two remained; Of these two one was IN,
the other had no means Of leaving. And
from every quarter, without any excep-
tiOn-eXcept, perhaps, a few communes
near the RhinC-yOur correspondents
bring c~Orroborating reports. From
thirty alone they estimate the number
who have departed as fifty thousand
souls.
REvELRY AND FEAsTING.
When you are Informed that Metz is
Literally deserted" is difficult to
make you feel how ecactly true the
phrase is. The Rue da= Jardins, which
boosted forty stores, has Eve nrsix open.
IL is estimated that tE0 stores out Of
three in the whole town are closed.
MOstOf the open storas sell tobacco and
Bremen cigars; the old cafes are German
beer saloons. Some Of the open stores in
form you that they are "selling ont to
close business and wherever you look
you see houses for sale OF let. And yet, :
as If in irOnical comment upon the
events Of the day, there was great JOY in
Metz the evening your correspondent
Was there. It was al anniversary OF
something, and the German garrison
were celebrating il in a grand banquet.
While the conquered were hurryinr 10
the frontier the conquerers were eele-
brating themselves with eating and
feasting and music.
THE PRUssIANs COMPLAIN OF RAD
FAITH.
One circumstance that ills the Prus-
sian mind with anger is that most Of
those who have left Metz, especially (
from the farm lands around, have been
ia receipt Of large sums Of money from
the Prussian treasury. The war, Grave
lOtte, and other transactions of that ma
turc, desolated the country and swept
away all living things-crOps and grain
and homestead and all means Of life. 4
And Prussia, meaning to be kind 70 the
sufferers and reconcile them TO the new
rule, paid them large indemnities. In
some cases more money was paid than
the farmer had ever seen before; more
than his whole farm was worth. These
supplemented agriculturists took the
honest Kings money and Immediately
declared for France. The thought, 1
therefore, that Prussia is really paying
the expenses Of a good part Of the emf
grafton, that the ~ungrateful Frenchmen
are really crossing into France with the
Kings money in their pockets, gives
the R~ckeLh0UbeTs deep anger, and may
account for their rudeness 70 the eXiles.
They take the Kaiser,s money" says
the RckehGUber ruefully, "and then
run away" "Yes,n says the French
men, 'swhy don't you let US stay? We
want 70 stay and be Frenchmen. Look
AT Paris. All the Germans who left
there curing the wal 70 fight France are
returning, and we don't say either be
Frenchmen or leave Paris. They stay
and become rich; an yet We are not al
lowed to remain here where we were
born without telling a lie and saying We
are Germans. How is that2" "Oh,
that, . says Pckelh0ubeT, sis quite q DIFF
ferent matter
PRUssIAN FIRMNEss AND KINDNESS.
So far as carpenters and painters and
cunning workmen can 90, Strasb0urg
aud Metz and all Alsatian towns are
thoroughly changed. You walk through
StrasbOurg and you find every corner has
q new sign, certifying IN tie German
tongue the street has q new name. in
some side streets the old French names
remain; but nearly every corner has a
fresh glaring German sign in large blue
letters. The railways have German
signs, telling you where to eat, where to
wait and where 10 deliver and obtain
your baggage. The cabmen are much
distressed about this, one Of them ex-
planning, not without profanity, that be
did not know his head from his heels
since the new signs were put up. But
in all matters OF administration, 50 far as
the army Is concerned, the people
have been treated with kindness
and generosity The Prussian Of
hcer, in any view you may take ofhim.
Is not what would be regarded as q mod
el father-in-law. He would rather he
.fnsolent than not, If you give him oeca-
sion. But in Alsace the officers seem to
belong to an amiable race. The orders
from Berlin are 20 twin the people back
to the Fatberland, = and 50 the Alsatians
are Ia the strange attitude Of receiving
good gifts and Spanning the givers. All
who have lost money ia the lombard
ment have been we'll paid am sorry
to say that many Of them as sOon A.
they received their money declared for
France, and left for Paris 70 become
martyrs on the BOuleyards, The Prus-
sian only shows his Prussian nature IN
dealing with the emigrants. There is
no doubt that great brutality has been
shown to those Alsatians who declared
for France and emigrated. They were
M-used at the railway station, crammed
into inferior cars and every discomfort
heaped upon them. Apart from this,
the Prussisn rule in Strasbourg snd
throughout Alsaee has been rs Kind IS
ever the French was-far kinder than
you VIII ind it in Germany.
Colonel Higgins says that n peeu-
narlty OF hawthorne was that he never I
suOke Of q literary Work of hfa c-u 80, y,