The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1881-08-25
FRANCE AND GERMANY.
BY ]. MONROE LLOYD.

But one decade has passed, since two ma
tons of colossal strength were locked in
deadly strife. Short was the conflict and
decisive the victory. Germany triumphed
and france lay bleeding at her feet. The
was not generous. She had her
rival at her mercy-a rival Of whose
superiority she had ever. been jealous. She
was ID opposition to dictate terms, and ex-
acted from her fallen foesan indemnity IN
paralleled in the annals of history. Five bill
lion francs, with Alsace and Lorraine, was
the price of peace. France submitted to
the demand, for, humiiating and unjust as
it was, She was in no condition to remon-
strate with the bloodthirsty steel of her in
furiated enemy glistening above her. That
was Germany's proud moment. Flushed with
success, she felt herself the supreme power
in Europe. All! could her sages but
have seen a little way into the future, OF
had they better understood the vitality OF
the subdued people they would have had
less reason to exult and might baye been
more equitable in their claims. The avarice
of King William having been in some de-
gree satisfied by gold and coded territory,
and his rapacious spirit satiated by blood,
rapine and conquest, he Withdrew his legions
across the Rhine and left France desolate.
Wretched indeed was her condition. Whole
provinces had been laid waste. Her beau
tiful valleys had been devastated by the con-
tending armies. Her cities had been
pillaged, or with fire and sword RACED to
the ground. Her Villages plundered. The
stately forests, centuries old, cut down.
Her beautiful fields desolated and her rich
vineyards returned to deserts. Her indus
tries were paralyZed, her de-
stroyed, her treasury depleted and her prov
inces lost. The most magnificent city in the
world had been environed by hostile armies
and would have been destroyed, as Carthage
was, had not Bismarck been restrained. A
few months before and what people were
more buoyant in spirit than the gay and
active French? Now where can more
suffering and distress be found? In SO
short q time, how s%tupendous was the
change wrought by the fell demon, war!
France, you cannot rise again. You have
fallen from a frst-class to a third-class
power. Your influence is no longer para
mount on the continent. You must take
your rank with enervated Spain and the sick
man of Europe. You have lost your pres
tige, and your power has departed. At least
thirty years of prosperity will be necessary
to restore o to your former greatness.
Thus said the erudit statesmen of Europe.
They were not astute; their predictions
were false. Ten years have passed since
Iucu. ASd1n We Ldh0 u survey OfcI LIZ
broad face of Europe. Naturally We direct
our gaze to France and Germany; and
first to France. There has been a change
"a momentous change. Instead of the
crushed and PROSTATE nation, whose disas-
ters we witnessed in 1870, we behold the
grand republic. First in wealth, first in
power and first in civilization, she is emphat-
'caAllsH1 5 tBs } l6aesdEiq2ag n esaS1qptfFaEs ii EEq Wa4, et5ne deb,
of France was third in size of the nations
of the world. That Of England was largest;
the debt of the United States second; that
of France third. To that debt was added
the i've milliards Of war indemnity to Ger
many, besides her own enormous expendi-
lures, making her total indebtedness much
greater than that Of the United States and
but little less than that of England. When
We consider the condition in which France
was left by the wal, is it not astonishing
that she has been able SO soon to extricate
herself from debt? Yet she has paid he1
debt to the last sou and has hundreds of
millions of surplusage in her treasury
To-day, the financial affairs Of France are
secure.
With respect to commerce it is most
f~ourishing. Her citizens are enjoying a de-
gree of prosperity hitherto unknown, ever
in that favored land. The army of France
is the most formidable in Europe, while he1
educational system difuses universal intel.
ligence. The question naturally propounds
itself upon what hypothesis is this unpre,
cedent development to be accounted for
how has France been able to make such gi
gantic strides in wealth, power and %civiliza
ton? To answer which it Is necessary tx
understand something of the genius Of tn
French people.
l undertake to say that since the fall O
the Roman empire, France, more than an,
other country, has led the world in civil
zation. In the time of war and peace, he
illustrious sons have been the pioneers. Va
rious nations have passed her in some on
particular, but, when all things are consid
cred that constitute the greatness of a state
she has stood first. This because of tn
peculiar genius of the French people
They are impatient of restraint, active
impulsive, vehement. They will not com
promise results. Whatever they undertak
to do, they do completely. Goethe, tn
great German poet, says: eff you wan
power, take it, The French want powe
and they take it. They want to be frs,
and they are first. There is a philosophy i
this. 1t p~resupposes an adequate innat
power. a consciousness of which is neces
sary to the conception of the idea. Nor
than this, the French people are innovators
They are the great iconoclasts of customs
iahns'liin%f psaiinenf IS tEahYnrt ps6g tesy DEF
English revere an institution because of il
age. The French revere it because of il
worth. Victor Hugo says: Sometime
France slumbers; then she awakes, rubs hi
eyes, says I have been asleep, arouses hel
self, puts forth tremendous efforts, and
again far in advance" France was asleep
1870. Not without cause. Napoleon III
justly stigmatized Napoleon the Little, s.
on the imperial throne, a usurper. An
why would France brook a tyrant who rule
for his W aggrandizement? She had bee
coerced. The natural tendency of tt
French is to democratic government.
alone, isolated from monarchical Europe, {
the United States are, she would Away
have been q republic. Yet there is a NOR
archial faction in France, as indeed thel
is in every other country, our own not e,
cepted. This faction is aided and ~sustaine
by the surrounding kingdoms. Review tt
history of France and you will find tn
whenever the French people have asserte
themselves by establishing a democrac
the surrounding kingdoms have united
crush it. This is the reason why Franc
has so frequently fought united Europ
and this is the reason why she has not bee
able to continue uninterruptedly a govern