Beaufort Republican. [volume] (Beaufort, S.C.) 1871-1873, 1872-11-07
The Exodus fron Alzace.

AL GuSusa paper Day tne ioouS III IAio
SAGE especially from Metz to Nancy, these
last few days have been such as TO recall
the great popular emigrations of olden
times. Conveyances of all sorts loaded
with furniture and intermingled with pc
destrians followed each other without
interruption. The greater portion, pressed
by the fatal date, and lacking the means
of transport, have only taken part of their
belongings with them, while not few
have been only able t. bear away as much
as the wheelbarrow could contain which
they trundled before them. A still larger
number have left their hearths and homes
with some clothes hung on the end of a
stick, the wife carrying the youngest OF
the children and the rest trudging on be.
hind. In Metz there are only seventeen re-
cruits remaining all unfit for service; and
at Obernai, in Alsace, town of 5000 in
habitants, there are only three, OF whom
one alone is qualified for service. A letter
from Mulhouse in the Courier du Bas-
Rim says: "The work of option went on
till late hour last night. and tomorrow
there will probably be still more seeking
to make up for lost time at the last hour"
The town OF Metz, il the statistics pub
lished are at all trustworthy, must be alb
solutely depopulated. No fewer than
lS, 900 are alleged to have left during the
last fortnight reducing the population Of
the town to 10000, exclusive of the 25, coo
German troops who keep watch and ward
over them. Even in Havre, which does
not seem a very likely place to have any
large number Of Alsatians and Lorrainers,
the number who have chosen the French
nationality reaches l,400. These facts are
evidently making an impression upon the
Germans by revealing to them the Difficult.
ties of the task they have undertaken.
The North German Gazette, putting the
best face on the matter, says: "The con-
dition of the Elsass Lothringen now will
be the foundation Of its further deyelepe-
ment, the seed Of It's future prosperity"
But when it adds that "Germany sees
without regret those longstrains of exiles
who in the last days have turned their
backs on the Empire and set their faces
towards France, whittier their interest is
and sympathies lead them," the assertion
is belied by its own words. 1t consoles
itself with glimpse Of the far off future,
when "tbe grandchildren of those who
to-day still contemplate with sorrow the
change in their national life will sometime
gratefully bless the day Of the Versailles
prelimisaries and this very lst Of October
on which they have been delivered from
ioreign rule and from foreign agitation"
In the meantime, We are told Germany
doe. not expect sympathy with the new
relations from the inhabitants; but the
GovernmentFmay claim their confidence,
which Will increase from year to year until
at last "lrem generation to generation love
and trust VIII grow more and more" All
tnis, however. is only visible ito the
eye of faith ant not te,that Of sight. An.
other German paper the Strasbourg Gazette
processes that it never expected the assim'
ilation Of Elsass-Lothringen with the
German mother country would be instan.
taneous, that a. population of 100000
should in a year Or two lay aside the
characteristics that have been stamped on
it by education and training, by thousand
fold personal associations, and by living
historical memories" 1t relies, however
upon section Of the population that ha.
never lost its German sentiments, which
forms the nucleus Of German party, not
numerous, indeed, but exemplifying til,
best elements of our national party. New
erthelcss, the Strasbourg Gazstte acknowl
edges that the majority still remains in ;
passive or even hostile attitude to Germa
ny, fact which neither causes it surpris,
nor alarm, since from the outset it looked
for nothing else. The Germans, it is eyi
dent, are not, at all events, dcceivine
themsclves-as in ike circumstances tn,
French would probably do-rcgarding th'
immense difficulties Of the task lying be
fore them.
M. ABOUT AND HIS "LlTTLG ONES. -
NJ. About, in one of his letters, writer
during his captivity in Strasburg, aftel