The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-27
FRENzlEp SCENES.
d Dreyfus Case summed Up by . Calm
Observer.

Dreyfus Case summed Up by . Calm
Observer.
Written for the Sunday Standard.
Paris, Nov. 21.-Frenzled scenes In
the streets; quiet dignity and decorum
In the courts. This sums up h Drey-
fus case from the point Of view OF the
calm observer In Paris to-day. Both
the Paris mobs and the Paris courts
make interesting studies to h visit
or. Picture a bowling mass of Paris
ians apparently playing at burning
newspapers. but terribly in earnest and
worked up about something. The
something" was the report OF the
Dreyfus proceedings. An American
whp disagreed with an article he read
In a newspaper might say "pshaw!"
In a consumptuous tone and then for
get all about 1t. 1t scarcely seems pos
sible to grown men of the Anglo-Saxon
race that adults can vent their rage
over a newspaper article by setting
the journal on fire and dashing madly
through h streets waving the burn
ing sheet in the air and ~gesticulating
furiously. Yet this is what the Par
isians did IL "a awful to witness the
tearing, swearing rage of these out
ragged citizens. IL needed only a mis-
cellaneous collection of weapons. an
attendant crowd OF female furies, and
the revolutionary rabble would nave
been reproduced.
Fortunately for Paris. these are diff
ferent days to those of the revolution
and the IN On go the yelling
P~arisians. with dilated eyes. and froth-
ing lips. on almost into the arms OF
a force OF police that comes up un-
expectedly. Them. what a scattering
of the valiant shouters.
Lacking the courage to fight the po-
lice. who resent rough treatment in a
manner exceedingly unpleasant to the
rioters. the mob turns upon itself and.
with sticks and stones flying through
the air. turns. battling fiercely. into
a side street, whence II continues its
headlong career until again met and
turned back by he police.
In this way IL is gradually broken
up and beaten back to Its haunts. IL
Is dangerous. in spite of its cowardly
nature. for one never knows when this
mob may overstep the line between
meaningless a and absolute insani-
ty. when nothing but shooting will
cause a return to a normal condition.
1t Is this latter stage of the crowds
frenzy that the Partisan authorities
fear. There rave been too many lei
mobs in Paris. and their doings have
been too plainly murderous for a
chance OF a repetition of old days to
be lightly treated.
While the mob storms through the
streets. though. the judicial gentlemen
pursue their calm course and are quite
undisturbed. The court of cessation Is
guarded. but the judges go abroad
without showing any sign of alarm at
the aspect of the mob. They are an
odd sight to American eyes. wearing
long robes. with white fronts and a
peculiar cap The scene In the court
Of cessation is not so quaint as an
English court scene. with the Judge in
flowing wig. and the barristers in nat
ty perukes, but II Is impressive. The
Is members of the court sit in a large
sized room. In the center il the seri- |
Gus looking reporter. Mr.. Bard. The
public are not believed to be interest
ed I'm these court proceedings and the
space allotted to them In limited. The
reporter reads the Dreyfus report in
a droning voice. and his everlasting |
drawl is occasionally punctuated by
the shout of the distant mob as IL
alternately cheers for the army and
bowls for the blood of the Jews.
When court is not sitting the dig
nified gentlemen in the caps and gowns
parade the corridors of the court, dis
GUESSING the Dreyfus case. the Fashoda
incident. and the latest gossip of the
town, but apparently oblivious to the
fact that only a short distance from
them an angry crowd IL being chased
and beaten into fragments by the po-
lice. IL strikes the unprejudiced
stranger that the Parisians do not take
their modern mobs very seriously, in
spite of the story OF the and
the history of the revolution.
The ~unending Dreyfus matter In
getting painful. IL is time France a
some other topic to AID about and
rave over. The impending war with
England. you suggest. Strange as II
may seem. Paris pays far less atten- /
ton to this war talk than. to h Drey-
fus matter. IL looks az though a local
whirl OF excitement were far more to
the Parisians' liking than bsndying
words with a foreign foe. Partisan
feelings cannot he estimated according
to the Of other nations. They