The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1883-07-06
PARIS LETTER,
From our regular Correspondents

| proin our regular tOrreSpondcntD
PARIS. June sth. 1888.
Frcnchmcn us Il rule are woctully ig-
norant of foreign countries. There are,
however, some remarkable exceptions:
Guizot knew history we'll; De Tocque.
Vile studied America; Tainc under
stands modern life. The French Jour.
nalist as rule, however, is capable of
saying everything, and his ordinary
reader may be made To believe anything
Ii is no wonder that the foreign policy
of a people so led, should be crratic and
reckless. To paint Prince Bismarck as
he really is would offend the just sus-
capabilities oi France. lie must he
represented us still plotting against the
nation he on.y partially conquered, and
intriguing against her At every foreign
Court. French cgotism also invcncs
hostility and jealousy on the part Of the
nclghboring Governments; they all envy
France and would pull her down from
that pre-cminencc which she still en-.
Joys in spite at her suiferings in 1871.
There is certain basis of fact in these
exaggerations. France Is still II Great
| Power. She is central, rich, inhabited
10y versatile and vigorous race, and
she must he rcckoncd with in case ofany
European war. But plans for partition
exist only in the heated brains uf lit
erary Frenchmcn. All Europe would
rejoice If il, could be convinced that
policy Of repose was finally accepted 10y
France. The arrangements and under
standings which in all likelihood have
been outlined or Swallowed out by the
Great Chancellor are purely contingent.
They will leap To light only if France
stirs beyond her present boundaries and
again appeals TO the God of Battles
History explains their existence. France
WAS always aggressive, and II strong ma
ton revived after II tremendous and
singing defeat is naturally suspected
OF an intention To rcvindicate her old
prowcss and conquer her old military
fame. The wound left 10y Alsacc-Lor-
raine torn oil is still fresh. French
soldiers know their way across the Alps
and a cause Tor quarrel could any day
he discovered. The implied rather than
expressed reliance of Italy upon German
aid in cas-" ola rupture, however, instead
of being a provocation Ia war, is plea
for peace. The linked array Of armed
men stretching from the North along
the Eastern and Southern frontier OF
France is i'll itself Il grave warning and
the line of battle it indicates may he
the cause OF u long peace. 1t is isola-
tion and weakness, not alliance and
strength, that tempt ambitious powers.
As to the reconciliation OF Italy and the
Pope, IL has other recommendations be-
yond Il desire To attack France. II the
Tuilleries were still inhabited by most
Christian king,or il the Sovereign could
he called The Eldest Son nl the
Church. II might be wise for King
iiumbert 10 secure the friendship of the
Pope before going North. The Repub-
lie i so distinctly hostile To the church
that the Vatican has every reason To re-
| gard Italy as in comparison Il political
! friend. Were il not that ~ Peters
chair is surrounded 10y theological ira
/ ditionS oi IN inclastic order, rccnncil.
/ iation on the basis al accomplished facts
would bc easy enough. The Italians
who have wisely become friends with
/ the Austrlans, their hated opprcSsors Of
/ Old are Shrewd enough to accept the al
| liancr oi the Papacy v hicli owed It's en-
1 tire unP"pularity Ia its COniedcracy
I with the Tcdcschi. After all the church
/ at Rome Is Italian. The popcs for cen
/ turIc> have been at that nationality, and
So are the mrjorty of the Cardinals 10
( this day. The rancor against religion
/ Itself that C.;raCtcrIzcS Rgdicalism- in
/ deed, Il, pub!icanIsm-In France, does
not pcryad" Italy Ia the same extent Tor
/ sensible Italians smiled at the wild
/ hatred of all priests that marked Carl
baidi. The traditions OF the Papacy
are not all opposed to Italian unity, rs
/ the history of Leo y and the early reign
of Pho Mono Illustrate There Is all the
more reason for reconciliation if the
I peninsula advances in lis democratic
ideas, and extends the suffrage. The
mass OF people are believers in the
church, and can still be influenced by
the clergy, and the time may come
when the Quirinal and the Vatican will
have 10 unite against the Republicans
who dctcst both.