The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1892-10-09
THE FRENCH REPUBLIC
CENTENARY OF ITS ExIsTESoE.
wob.ss vaimy-The Republicans of i7vS
The 10Th OF AtuEust aud the
2ad of September.
zc.--o,Doraence Philadelphia Telegraph


sbc,r clothes tattered and torn, hungry
and footsore, q mere rabble, In iac',
such was the French army that gathered
round the little village and the big wind
mill of yalmy on the 10th Of September,
1892 Here the Prussian army, under
the Duke Of Brunswick, the best dlsci-
plned troops Of Europe, had also arrived.
The troops were well fed, well clothed
and reared In the school of Frederick
the Great. They were invading France
They were about to restore the French
monarchy, to re-establish its lost power,
and they were going 10 nip in the oud
the rising spirit of Democracy, which, oy
growing successes and audacity was DIS
turning the unnarchies of Europe. No
one could doubt but that the starving
sans-culottes would be routed by 'he "ei
man army.
The French rabble had, however, some
thing which was totally missing among
the soldiers who fought for the mOnar-
srbical principle The French were IN
snired by an idea; they fought for a prln-
ciple. Their devotion, their fanaticlsm;
their enthusiasm proved more powerful
than the discipline OF the Germans NeI -
hermann, the French leader with uer-
man name. placed his plumed hat on the
Doint of his sword and shouted: ''Niye Ia
Nation This cry, which seems so natu-
raj In our days. was at that time some
thing quite new. The soldiers who 1Ol-
lowed him were not called upon 10 hght
for n prince, king or one set OF PRIV
legged people against another set OF PRIV
legged people. They were called upon 10
fight for the nation; that is, tor them
selves, for the COLLECTIVELY OF the people
who were henceforth to be equal-equal
before the law, equal in the right OF In
beritance, equal in their chances OF at
tanning the highest position IN the state,
and equal in name for there were TO be
no more lords and gentlemen, one ana
all were the simple citizens OF nation,
where esach had equal rights. Such
cause, such a thought, such nope, had
never be en- entertained before.
Ii ened out horizon so vast. even
to the i mited Imagination of the unedu-
Gated horde which constituted the French
army that with one spring, like the
mighty wave of the rising tide, they
swept down upon the well-trained, dis
ciplined troops of the mOnarchical cause,
and the foundations of the thrones or
Europe, were shaken, the Royal standard
rent 10 pieces and Republicanlsm WAS
hencef orth a possibility.
IL W dS ibb u Ntis SiNR' bNN.iNi N' -
ties go; but it upset all calculations. 1t
shove d the existence of force which.
up to that day, had been ignored. Goethe,
who was present, seized the full signlt-
canoe of the French victory. From this
spot and from this day dates new
epoch in the history of the world ex-
claim ed the great German poet on the
evening after the battle. This prophecy
was fully realised. Two days later, mon
archy had ceased 10 exist in France:
1t is the centenary of the proclamation OF
the Republic and the victory Of Nalmy
which all France teted yesterday.
SHORTCOMINGS OF THE FETF.
On the actual hundredth anniversary
OF the battle, on the Goth of September,
en- official ceremony WAS held on the bat
tic field at N9lmy, where gigantic monu-
ps.ntal statue Of Kellermann was UNI
<eiled by NJ Burgeos, Minister of Pub
tic instruction. and Yesterday, the I'D
of September, was proclaimed a national
.fete throughout France. In Paris the
public monuments were Illuminated and
a pageant organized which attracted vast
crowds ] will not attempt to describe
this fete, but there are certain impress
sions which have a significant Importance.
The Government seems to have been
afraid of its own work and did not give
the necessary impulse to the public re-
joicings Instead of being more brilliant
Ii was less brilliant than the annual fcte
of the 14th of July. Logically, the an
nual fete should be held on the 22d of
September
On the 14th of July, 1879, the Bas-
tile was captured by the Paris mob, and
this may be taken as meaning that CON
stimtional Government would replace
absolute monarchy; but the Republican
form of Government was not even adj
yocated before the 22d of September,
1892. Ii is as if the national fete in
America, instead of celebrating the De-
claration of Independence, cOmmen0ra-
ted the emptying of the tea-chests into
Boston harbor. However, it has been
decided that the 14th of July and not
the 22d of September should be the fete
day of the French Republic; but this year
being the centenary of the Proclamation
of the Republic in 1892, for this once, at
least, the 22d of Sentember and not the
14th of July should have been the great
est fete. This was not the case.
The proceedings commenced In the
morning by ceremony at the Pantheon,
where under the presidency of Nj. Gar
not speeches were delivered and patriotic
songs sung. There was cosy, comforia-
bic responsibility about the whole affair
which altogether failed to accord with
the stirring episodes of the great French
Revolution. Then in the afternoon there
was the procession of the. historical
cbariots through some of the broadest
thCrougffar of the town. This was
well worth seeing. but it altogether failed
10 teach the lesson which should have
been taught-namely, what had been won
by the Revolution. There was nothing
TO illustrate the slavery and the misery
of the people before the Revolution, ard
what they have won since the Revolu-
ton. Practically the show only amounted
TO an illustration of the uniforms and
general appearance of the soldiers In
1902 and what they are to-day. This, OF
course, Is interesting enough. But so
fruitful theme as the French Revolu-
tion might have inspired something more
Instructive, more suggestive.
THE ILLUMINATIoNs.
Finally, in the evening, the illunnina-
tions were not so brilliant as those OF the
14th of July, and there was a total alb
eence of fireworks OF course there
were not so many flags displayed IN the
streets. This is but natural There are
more people who sympathize with the
abolition of despotic monarchy than
there are out-and-out Republicans. In
the wealthy and reactionary quarters
there were streets where hardly single
flag could be seen. The poorer quarters
were. on the contrary, abundantly de-
corated But what is particularly signi-
ficant is the attitude of the various Am
bassadors The English and the Italian
Embassies alone Illuminated. Round the
Spanish, Austrian and German Embas-
sizes mournful night prevailed; and, worse
60 relate, there was not the slightest light