New-York tribune., 1872-02-12
FRANCE IN 1901.
THE FRANCO GERMAN WAR AND THE COM
MUNE.

ELLIOTT c. CoWDlN.
A very large and ndhighlynpprecistive audience,
pr the sreat ba of the Cooper Institute listened 10
th SdreSa and frequently interrupted the speaker ny
or,lause Among the auditors on The platform, We
odd ,be venerable Peter Cooper, a Hon. VIM. f.
.,s,ge Judee woodruff. Prof. Roswell u Hitchcock, ID.
ID Major Gen Mcdowell, U. g A., Charles Butler. r. H.
McC iriy, Judge Peabody. VIM H. Lee, c. f. Detmold
Judge Hart of Wcstchester County, and president An
drew D. White Of Cornell University. Mr. Cowdin sad
Mr President Ladies' and Gentlemen: -Four years
ago had the honor Of speaking before this excel
lent Il s,tutiOn on the subject Of the Pa Universal
ENpos.icn Of 1867, that is, on the triumph OF the
arts 0i civilization which then seemed TO inaugurate
IN Errs7c an era Ct fraternity and peace. But now
fhe traces Of relentless war the distractions ana
dee ,rons of an OrCanized harbarism ere ViSiDie
IN ;he sane Great capital An old adage tells MS, that
s,si.t % slan knows should find expression IN what he
joee" Wh this CORRECTION and appreciatDg the nobIe
mission OF tho Cooper Union in eleyating the indus'
trial classes / before yOu as merchant Ho"i
tie care am toll Of busy ife TO speak this evening OF
France tho War-the Communicable international
The Incidents Of this terrible foreign war; ana 'e Set
more fc.-lbe social revolution, which nave Shiheh
France 70 lie center but yet failed to run H. you nave
.,o,.less followed with the deepest interest O"Is u
o norallcled libcray. enterprise and talent OF 'he
,-.sri,. ureSs yOu home were better informed oI
.,. ,-crress Of ereuts than who were detained III
,sur,De You wels apprlsed Of the fortunes OF war;
thanks 70 he elcCropc nerve. whose westward lnrlS
ou.strip tine Scif in velocity almost before lno IT,
yerbeons Of the terrible artillery had died away upon
decisive b.:tleGclds Day by day you traced the prog
MS g. that tornado Of invasion which, in one mOh'n
IRON, The commencement OF hosuhues at Sairbruch'
overwhelmed. upIooed and swept away the Empire
You SOW what the popular heroisin Of France refused
10 recognize that, when the French army capu"lcu
and Nauoeon Ill surrendered his sword al sedan thc
contest VAS virtually ended Marshal MacNahon rec
-nlz. C On tiat fatal morning Of September !, when
an l E ur-.l 10 retire from ms perlous post, BE an
swfrtt. "Iet RE alone Let ne show these Kings ana
r7l.ta. Who hide themselves behind masses OF men,
Nor arc! Marshal can fight ana die when victory is
no a. - pos shle' Gen. TrOchu recognized IT, when he
ie.eI tra, the defense OF Paris was an heroic folly
Yt -le oort TO arrest the chariot wheels of destiny
were glorious "Heroic folly" 1t was so, indeed! but
y,c euable Of such chivalric madness cannot perish
from the ace the eay The long resistance CT sras
tas-: that OF Metz; the desperate defiance OF little
Ple,rourr which did not opeu its gates TO the enemy
nut every musket had been broken aud every cannon
~ hea; above ALL the consistency with which Paris en-
dured The long horrors Of investment and bombarlne1t,
these claim that tribute which generous natures must
ever ray 10 unavaing vdlor and iudestuctbe patIiet-
Isic.
rlr CAUSE OF THL FRENCH DISASTERS
The snp.c secret of the immense military Ws"S'oi
which truck tbe prOudest nation IN Europe Is va
,e, fo an: Prussia prepared for war; ana FRANCE
va ot IT has been said that the Emperor was una
"a VI 4
she ,r,vIleeness OF ts organization SUCH ho%eNe.'
ee1d rot have been the case, for the reports nt w.
attchf e. the French Embassy az Berlin sunniteI ~
I-es and 1870. We're minute ana ~ war the
German Confederation could bring INTO ma Ing he
eoe men w which morn IN hat a the humber Of Young
f me age If 3OoODo ana the annual r
NO, mat tbe durat on OF military service was II Years
tie o which were 10 be passed IN the acINe army .
4, fle reserve and five IN the LdhVNen 4t Va r. -
liability N the Land>um until me age OF 80 e,stss ms
Tas div ded into Il great circunscrplohs Sdoi M W
,v 20 oyr consting OF two divisions of cavalry one
of artillery one battalion oi wont' , ~ Graty of
ibese troops tried and generally eAcemsnt rrovea
n pred not published aGsTne@ aTad S%d Sx hi
q s & TGsE seeSs EEsTseS Of tSs GERMAN and
French armies was lninutey SCI Iof.a AL & :.
C. pS SeEh mo desire 70 re-
nce our national forces yet Of Ce tIe eo%y Eycn
irse stat1 icuts were based on the apparent
5,rtior ~, lad been work there, as elsewhere
SIMS munitions and provisions W men IL l ,u1y :, u
~, was equally unstate>manllke and unsoi, ,
N i,s sncss The ttmfdouSf fi n,"'TiS tbs cye5 Of
sie vcd: hut her secret WeIsISHot6 Inay t6o ma ma.
S'd'e lSr rIaas and the ihoroughness with
ch sne cn,crcd upon the campagn Her P aP1s ISi. TsT
', TrD'iicp writer's nave asserted that they were
.rad found auons The t9enteTs o ne & SFn a Wy" b1 W
,i ,orTigl. IN Europe were pa Prussian organs
tt "a e f-I
hsl,t raliiIct my authorty-recelNSu SoVOo Ilauo7
ais,c6roo uer auuum for its Vehal services
r.u. IEAL AUTHORS TIE WAR.
fl. ,.rcat FraucoGernan war between parties IS" un
,l, matched had its origin neither with the people
al France nor with the people Of Germany; on tho con
1narv iheir sympahies We'll interests, were as
know FROM actua observation, wholly on me sac .
80 The real Of the Napoleon ii L. IN th
Interest of lis dynasty, while his willing aecomPnce Wa
tie King Of Prussia III the interest OF ms ahnilioH II
.aler words 10 was dyna-tlc duel between lht BONA
arcs ana the HuheuZOlerns. But when hOstlnes were
sa,ce commenced, the spirit oi pdlIiousLl, a.
IN AN international wars united eaeh ndlloh y IN tn'
d .euse Of it, flag We learn from Count Beheeetu
Niudcatou of himself as E'e french E'n.as.aaor . v
~ con was fully of Prussias intended fttael
m ed a mnaccoHna6ie snpmeness with regard 10 it
MS admitted that his que,cence must have been pur
t..e,I hY "A Kind OF understanding with PrusSsi;s thai
# he %ar aT%%I o, 10 m oed % % intend her nt
nf enchspeakng people ana TINS might % De done , Ds
Lrd. md NAPOLEON acted promptly. he might have
seHrd BE gum. at the hazard of war with England
un without any fear OF Prussia The opportunity. how
e.,.. slipped bl unemployed Prussia humhed Austria
iua up. -n Of meXmnpled brevity and stood befoi
e5e. Europe military Coossus VICTORIOUS ana
Er'n-i 10 al points.
DlsCoNTEST FRANCE.
France beheld, with shame aud indignation, the ex
p1nson Of her ancient enemy, with compensation Of
increase of territory her part. between the
tro countries seemed inevitable. But here difficulties
laterpOsed. In Their hatred Of Imperial sway, the
French opposition, though weak, rallied adherents by
Iai.iuc the ever-pOpular cry Of economy; and the
fc cox of francs which Marshal Mel called for i'm.
,~IauNey necessary were cut down TO 100000 Al the
~, time the radical party were infamng the pas
sioa~ oi the people by hdrpng on the eXasperatins
fhrne that France had been Overreached by Pruss
Tsc constitutional reforms inaugurated by Napoleon
memorable letter OF the 18th OF January 1861 only served
Loosen the bonds which held together the political
fabric Of the nation. The extended liberty OF
Advantageous only the of the Empire.
Coupcuous anong the causes OF discomfort was the g
brought humiliation Ia the heart and heavy inaDeisi