The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-08-21

t. Is c,.ly four year since France
tbrav down it's pags of battle to Ger
rnaaav and the duel OF the Gaul ana
to Feuton was decided before the eyes
of tbe pfsesnt generation with series
of consequences stfSh as have followed
from few other wars, since sHe Germans
we've united for the first time ID their
coY,r,on ~ defens q. since the temporal
,,o.[zo+ ~ tbe Pope fell forever, and
Sooi,, ftsfv. ard all Middle Europe
have been at least thrown open W 'iie
light of advsncing knowledge.
openly invoked, and Q public duel IN
which il was the active chailen9eT
France, or rather its ruling faction, mas
never Welded It's assent. It aione nleu-
itates new hostilities. Vhe German
cities and the Rhine complain tnat they
are already meiiaoed by the RAPID revlV, ~,
al of the French military power, Ihat
thew are not much more secure lfoI3 I1I
eudden fotay than when NAPOLEON III
was constantly threatening to aavance
the frontier of his. empifs. They assert
that France was not sufficiently connd
over TO keep the peace, and that IN
stead Of Ave milliards, the contrlpu-
tion exacted should Heve been twenty;
TTneasiness and dist tlst prevail IN all
tie GeFman states-a dread lest IouaVes
and Gallo robbers may suddenly preak
into their prosperous territory TO per
natrafe ALI these cruel deeds they
nromised four years ago. The iear IL
not unreasonable. Every day they see
the French army growing into unusual
strength. 1t is whispered IN Paris tnat
nina hundred thousand men can be car
r;ad across the frontier. The Germans
hear the mad beasts Of the Bonapartist.ss
and the priests They know that all
this lavish military preparation IS ior
them. They naturally chafe beneath
the recollection thEt three years ago
they might have prevented II All, and
imnosed such conditions upon thelr
errinp neighbor as would have insured
tba neace of Europe. But the golden
moment has passed away, France is no
Ionoer the manned and crippled burglar
who in 1870 was caught breaking INTO
his neiehbor's house, and stricken do"h
of tbe door. It has risen from the stun
ning bIow Trained and recovered, II
Glands ready to renew the attempt. All
the climbs of Paris ring with the
terrible chastisement Germany ls 10
receive for the invasion OF France, tine
contnre nf Paris, the seizure OF the lost
nrovinces. One might suppose from
the clamor of the Partisan heroes that
oII tbe ouiIt of the recent war had lam
on tbe German side that the French
had innocently fallen prey 10 the I,ll Ieu-
tonic wolves that Napoleon de 3ranl- iI
mont. the empress, OlllVer, anu tilS
church had been innocent spectators OF
n German raid and that deVastaIe Yer
MANY was duty imposed upon fraiice
bv religion and ht nor. !,
The most signifcaLt-anG, u IL De !,
fact the most decisive-ls the change ol
feeling in the mass of the french pens
antrv. These four or t1ve mlllloils %
small rural proprietors re the majority
of French citizens they are francS'
They are patient, frugal, cautious Igno-
rant selfish, suspicious, and dull. Their
STRONGEST instinct is for order. Ihey
have long been jealous OF the restlC s.
workmen of the towns who have kepl
the country in turmoil, and they were
therefore the strength of the empire,
which seemed to them the guarantee oi
order T,oius Napoleon kept them igno
rant and presented himself to them as
tha Savior of society. Recent events,
Lo1vever have made the republic STAND
for orderlv France. The parties when
oopenire AGAINST it, the church and the
n9onarcbists. seem to peasant proprietor
F,,II of threats of confusion and daut en-
ond fbe repubIio is now, in bis lmaglna
t;on the conservative defender OF prop
ertv and therefore, with very dltferen
views tbe peasant and the town WORK
man are both republican, and both op
posed to every form of moDarchicai pre-
IF is worthy of notice that all theL'
,,rw;ee measures on the part OF tht
rn1ars of France have been entered
nnon without ever consulting the wishes
of the neople, and even in defiance o
their known preferences. The Assem-
bly elected to form government ha
concluded to govern ltseli. III na
,onoed a dictator for seven years with
ont onv appeal to the nation 1t pro
noses to restrict the suffrage, and nam'
q house of mobiles it has crtated az
enormous army, threatened the peace =
Enrone There still remains the nop'
that the workingmen and the agricul
tnraI nopulation of France, the mechan
los traders. artisans, manufacturers
nav revolt against the domination OF
military class, and bring good seps
and honest principles into the legls
tion of Ver1ailles. Another war woul'
prove the ruin of French, repuollcain J
ism. and probably plunge the netlon y
q depth Of miseary to which all ITS pas
misfortunes would seem light and cas-.
TO be borne. In peace it may hnd IN
elements of unprecedented prosperity
Exchange.