The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-10-30
FRANCE AND GERMANY.
The Spirit Of Antagonism PerVading Two
Rival and Powerful Nations.

Rival and Powerful Nations.
Sixteen years have elapsed since the
terrible war between Prussia and her
German allies and France took place.
Every one knows its result, and the
vast changes which it brought about.
France lost not only thousands of men,
but many millions of treasure, and Al
SAGE and Lorraine, two of the most thrift
ty and prosperous provinces.
Prussia, on the other hand, not only
won complete victory over the French,
outbound herself powerful enough to re-
store the German Empire, and place the
Prussian King over all Germany as its
ruler.
But crushed to the very earth as
France was, she recovered from her
weakness and misfortunes much more
rapidly than it had been supposed she
would She paid the enormous indem-
nifty of five thousand million francs
which victorious Prussia imposed upon
her, several years before it was actually
due, Within five years after the war
France had once more become powerful
and fairly prosperous nation. One of the
first results of this rapid recovery was
that the French republic paid great deal
attention to the army, which had proved
miserably insufficient in the conflict with
the Germans. 1t was imperatively nee.
essary in the opinion of French states
men that the military force should be
put upon a sound and formidable
footing as speedily as possible. Ever
since that period vast sums of money
have been spent annually for this pur-
pose, and much attention has been paid
by the French to army organization.
Last year the expenditure of the Minis
try of War was about six hundred mill
lion francs Zone hundred and twenty
million dollars), while the total strength
Of the army, on peace footing, APP
preached i've hundred thousand men.
There can be no doubt that during
all this time, very many Frenchmen
have cherished the idea and the hope
that the day for revenge, and for recov-
cring A,Saco and Lorraine, would some
time come, and have looked forward
eagerly to that time. Possibly more
over, this idea that another war with
Germany might arise, has been a reason
in the minds of French statesmen for
bestowing SO much attention upon the
army.
1t is very evident that the Germans
have long kept their eyes anxiously
fixed on France, suspecting that de-
sign 10 renew warfare was widely en-
tertajned in the latter country. Very
recently Prince Bismarck is said to have
declared that he cared little what took
place in Bulgaria, and that 1.-The neces-
sity of German ornaments is due to
France
Every French newspaper, Says the
official German journal, ''proves that
France is making rapid preparation tC
tight, and that financial sacrifices are
being made to raise the efficiency of hel
army. Germany must always keep hel
eyes fixed on France"
Both nations are thus seen standing
tull-armed, the gaze Of each riveted
with jealousy, suspicion and expectancy
or the other. When such state o
feeling exists, and has for years existed
between Two rival and neighbor ne
powers, which have been locked il
deadly combat, the danger to peace
must be very great, and sudden out
break OF a hi ghty war must be feared
In the event of the coming of such
war. the rival armies, whatever thei
relative efficiency, would surely b.
much larger than they were siXteel
years ago.
A surprising statement was made, no
ong AFRO, by a well-known English mil
tary officer. that the French forces, o.
war-tootng (nclading reserves, mill
ia, and so on), would number not les
than two and a half millions of men
and that if a war should last thre
months, all this vast multitude of sol
diers would be put into the field
According to official figures, the tota
German army on a war-footing is eyeI
more colossal, reaching two million 5.
hundred thousand men. The regUla
army Of Germany in time of peace is
little over four hundred thousand.
A new conflict between Germany an
France would certainly be bitter, de,
a,rte and doubtful; and the present sill
Jation is such that no matter how 500
HE conflict may break out, it win not b
unexpected YOUTHS Companion.