The daily gazette., 1879-12-04
France and What We KnOW
Of Her.


A weak, tickle, unreliable people.
That is what our English masters have
taught us about France. How true OF
how false 1t Is, we may better learn, not
from what French statesmen or authors
have said, but what French statesmen
and French men, not statesmen, have
done and are doing.
1t Is not long ago since those terrible
years for France of 1901 In the for
mer years her elated conqneror, Ger
masy, marched her troops into the
heart Of Paris, through the beautiful
Arch Of Triumph, while In The grandest
and most historical palace OF France,
| that of Versailles, King William of Prus-
| sIa was, in token OF his utter subugation
| of the power OF France, proclaimed Em-
peror Of Germany. The Empire had
rallen, the throne had been tum bled into
the Seine, the Emperor was prisoner,
the Empress had fled. There was sort
Of provisional government at Versailles
there was fierce, bloodthirsty, fiery
mob in possession Of Paris, making
! ghastly corpses of men and blackened
ruins of some uf the most beautiful
buildings in the world. THIS mob called
itself the Commune, and II was worse
enemy than the one that defeated France
When IL had flushed its work of de-
struction, and France counted up the
|
VIZ found that her total loss from al
sources was not less than five thousand
million dollars, or double the debt of thi.
country when our war closed in 1855
What did this tickle, unstable, frivolous
weak people do under sue b loss The,
did precisely what no such people eve
did before. They went to work TO reha
bilitatc France. That was eight year
, ago, and to-day the army and navy o
| \. f..rf, "A.
5 terl,, are stronger Id every way than a
4 | any previous day in her history.
These frivolous people at once ben
theil bac.,s to the load, and took upot
them a crushing burden of taxation
they also submitted to system of con
scnption i'll comparison with which thai
of the First Napoleon was tame and
mild; and they bore the burden of both
with such cheerful courage a. to compe
: the admiration of all the world. Thier.
| came and went; Mac Mahon followed
Grevy, bat the policy of doing every
thing TO re-establlsh the honor and po W
4 er oil France each pursued AK If 1t were
his original policy, and each did tn,
people follow with sublime selfsacri ice
n patient endurance, and marvellous hero
: lsrp. The army is not only stronger II
numb bers than it ever was, but its disci
II pline Is sterDer, it's work harder. Tn
|
journal, $50 tar AZ the number and clas
y of vessels may be taken a. a test of eff
II ciency, Is more than match fer us II
the narrow seas, after We have provide
y for the defense of our colonies and cou
y merce." But nothing of this seriol
.r work is relaxed. the taxes go on despll
crop failures. cons criptiOn continue
'r France holds aIoof from European con
n pIcations, is building up the Republi
until IN Its towering strength 1t alreaj
u shames the Empire. All Frenchme
D. seem united in one purpose-to re-esta
-e lish the greatness, the glory, the diguil
~ OF the Republic. And Dever before ";
'e France so great, never 80 fully entitlt
N to the respect and admiration of Il
" world. Bat II Is clear from all this tn
e. we must unlearn what the English ha'
al taught us OF France, and TO learn II
truth about her from herself and II
Is wonderful ACHE me nts OF her neonle