New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1879-08-13

and In Its salons or streets, IN It's
palaces or bureaux regulations, or
dynasties, revolutions or reactions,
are made or unmade. Beyond these
substantial considerations there is
all the romance and fervor which
Republicans, poetical or political,
have heaped up around an ideal Par:
is. Victor Hugo considers it a kind
of holy city, and evidently believed
that there was sacrilege in the Ger.
man bombardment of metropolis
which is, perhaps, more devoted to
what Shakespeare calls pheasant
vices' than any other city upon
earth. ''Paris,''' said the great
French poet, is not a capitalit is an
immense hospitality and in one
sense he was right; for it is full OF
hotels, some of them excellent, but
if the welcome of the landlords is
''immense,' so are sometimes their
bills, nor have they ever INDUCED
in unremunerative reception. An.
other myth surrounds Paris; it's pc.
pulation is supposed to be especially
''heroic," That the street fights
against overwhelming odds have oc.
cassionally exhibited striking traits
of individual daring cannot be dis
puted. Parisians, men, women,
and boys, can sometimes meet death
or even rush upon it with a cool
courage or flashing valor never ex.
celled even by the mimic .heroism Of
the Stage. The belief, however,
that the mass of the Parisians are
heroes the siege signally disproved.
There were four hundred thousand
National Guards under arms; but
they literally did nothing notable
except capture Bourget, and that
was taken from them the next day;
To anybody who knows the statis-
tics of CONSUMPTION in France this
result is not at all surprising. The
physical examination of all young
Frenchmen, in order to test their
fitness for military service, enables
the authorities to ascertain precisely
the influence of city air and city hab-
it's on the constitutions of success
sive generations of men. In the
rural department of France there
are four conscripts rejected as unfit
for every ten healthy recruits en-.
rolled; while in Paris fourteen are
rejected as unfit for every ten accept
ed. This weakness of Partisan
physique comedies with intense
mental susceptibility, and here are
some of the causes that give to the
politics of the capital the charac-
teristics of an intermittent fever at.
lacking a weakly frame. There is
at times intense excitement, spas
modic vigor, and high heat; then re.
action and relapse. Boy in body,
women in excitability, men in men.
tai power, the Parisians could fight
splendidly for ten minutes behind a
barricade, or die with an epigram
on their lips, but broke down when
subjected to the trying ordeal of a
long siege. Much of the Mercy ex-
tended to the Commune is traceable
to a theory, not without justifica-
ton, that a kind of political delir.
ium possessed the people. The pri-
vations of the siege, the enforced
seclusion, the entry Of the Germans,
the misfortunes of France shook
mems souls, and they knew not
what they did. Still this very nat.
ura] plea for lenity is not quite an
argument for trusting them again.
''But, "Frenchmen will say, "this
beautiful heroic city must not be in.
suited. Their susceptibility to in.
suit is all abiding characteristic of
Partisan politics. eff we do not
fight Prussia after this" wrote M.
Emile Girardin early in July 1870,
t'no lady in Europe will take a
Frenchman's arm;" so to ensure a
European acceptance of French
Courtesy war vas made to the cry
of "a Berlin!" Personifcation has
a great effect in poetry; but inpolit.
les it is rather perilous. Why should
Paris be one! Why should city
have soul, or a sense Of insult? A
Legislature representing all France
may naturally resent dictation from
the chance intruders of day yet
that was found impossible in 1648
and in 1871. In 1871 Prince Bis.
mark suggested to M. Jules Favre
as one Of the conditions of the ar.
mistice the disarmament of the
Paris National Guard, because it
might be tempted to reject the final
peace. ''No." said M. Favre, ssthat
would be to insult population that
during the siege has been orderly
and heroic. The Commune was
the result, and few months after
at Versailles M Favre $ asked par.
don both from God and man. for
the error he had made. Once again
Paris must not be t'insulted," let us
hope that that she can now be more
safely trusted.