The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-11-14

ofthe Gr'edt PoUers Ambitions dnt
Intrigues ofthe reigning mondrchs-
Queen Victorid's Dislike TO "Fldsl
iondble Beauties," etc. i''
LONDON, Eng, Oct. IA, 1879.
While the Emperors of Russia ant
Germany are making conspicuous
exhibition of their affection for eacl
other, the press of both countries /,
largely occupied in Disgusting tht
probabilities of war. Not only the
officials, but the official journals of ST
Petersburg aud Berlin treat the i'm
pending outbreak as only question o
time, aud regard the Imperial embrac
ing as only ceremonious handshakins
before the duel. The interview of the
Chancellors, Bismarck and Gortschakoff
is viewed in similar light, while the
overtures of the latter to France arc
considered as full of significance. These
startling "signs of the times" are at
tracting universal attention, and every.
body is looking for caSuS beAi between
the two Great Powers. So far as / can
discover there is no special cause of
any considerable magnitude but a thou
sand little annoyances and irritations
on both sides which, in the aggregate,
may lead to open hostiities. Besides,
when kings and cabinets are inclined to
go to war they can always find, or
make, reason for declaring it,as in the
case of France and Germany. The
question, why did the French attempt to
go to Berlin, has never been satisfactory
~ answered, and probably the Empror
himself had not much clearer ideas
on the subject than the thoughtless
troops that went SO gaily marching out
OF Paris, shouting: Il Berlin! a Berlin
The spirit of war was in the air,
in the hearts of the people and
especially in the National Assembly.
A similar feeling seems to exist at this
moment both in Russia and in Ger
many, and under such hostile conditions
there only wants an occasion for war
declaring itself. But the odds are so
vastly in favor of Germany, which can
place at once 100000 troops i'm the
field, while Russia can hardly raise half
that number, that Gortschakoff feels the
necessity of securing powerful ally
before engaging his country in war.
In this emergency he naturally looks
to France, and begins by flattering the
vanity OF the grdnde nation, once tine
chief military power of the world,
and which should again occupy that
proud position. And France, ambi-
tious of revenge, listens to the voice of
the charmer and dreams of recovering
her lost Rhine provinces. Meanwhile
other powers will have something to say
on this question, especially England
and Italy, and if there is to be war
between Russia and Germany, nothing
can prevent the conflagration from
spreading all over Europe. 1t will be
the greatest war the world has ever
seen. No peace doctrines or millennium
illusions can stay the tidal wave of
blood. What is the meaning of six
million of men perpetually under arms
If there is 10 be no more war? The
more civilized the nations become the
more aggressive and belligerent they
are. Christianity does not extinguish
human passion. 1t scarcely modities
human brutality. Moral forces can
not stand against military forces. and
abstract right opposed to physical might
is baby contending with a giant. So
long as the arts and industries, the
science, education, talent and rcnown
of the world are devoted to "miliiary
forming the principal item
in the budgets of all nations, war will
continue to be one of tine chief occupa-
tious of man, and great warriors will
continue to be regarded as the heroes
of the world.
A paragraph is going the rounds of
the papers TO the effect that her Majesty
the Queen has signified that she re-
CARDS with great dislavor the profession
Of the Questionable Beauty" If this
be really the case, the pets of the cam
era will have to amend their ways,
though what possible objection the
Queen can have TO seeing her liege SUBJ
jects in the shop windowsI cannot for
the life of me imaei inc, especially as all
the ladies in question are staunch
friends of H. r. IL. the Prince of Wales.
One of the cemic papers has a droll ac-
count of an imaginary meeting of the
husbands of the much be-photograhed
beau ies-Mr. Langtry, Mr. Wheeler,
Mr.. West, Lord Dudley, etc. I'm the
drawing room of the latter nobleman.
They come to the conclusion that her
Majesty is quite right in her views, that
they will throw into the fire all further
applications from photographers, and,
after discussing the nuisance of every
cad having pictures of their wives stuck
on their nIantlepieces or in their cheap
mirrors, they join hands and dance
wildly to chorus around huge table.
Tableau! The article in question is
very funny, and contains many sly hits
at the discomfort OF being married to a
sensation beauty.
With view of utilizing even the
short-sighted, the French Minister of
War has authorized the wearing OF
spectacles while on duty by such SOL
diers as need them. The resolve is a
good one, and, moreover, affords a
useful precedent for many other classes
besides French military officers to fol-
low. 1t would not be altogether mad
visable for some of the political leaders
at Versailles to adopt a means of in-
creasing their powers of perception. In
course of time they might learn to ap-
preciate that public opinion of which
for the moment they seem utterly OBJ
ivious. Spectacles, if they would clear
the moral vision, might be usefully
adopted by electors such as those who
tried TO send Blanqui to Parliament.
Even writer's like the Comte de d'Ide-
vile, who has given to the world
some anecdotes about Comte de Cham
bord, might wear sight-clearers, if they
would enable him TO see the smiles
which such recitals as his excite; while
editors who write nonsense which is
just reported from the RepubiiQue
FrdncdiSe about the Bismarck -Andros-
sy conference could be excused If they
forthwith adopted a pair. Further
afeld, there are many in other coun.
tries to whom spectacles might be ad.
vantageous, the people who fight to
give Bulgaria a constitution they do moi
possess at home being among them
while some in this country, who are
unable to see anything in Russia but al
rose-colored, or in Turkey that is not o.
jaundice hue, should get corrective
glasses at once, before their blnnder'
lead to disastrous consequences.
ALPHA.