Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-29


them veiled lady for their money!" SO
she did the yelled lady" act when she
REACHED the parlor of the old maids board
ing school she fell asleep on the sofa
How tired you must be travelling All
night! they said. oh Il is for the Cause
she answered simply. The letter she bore
asked 300 francs additional expenses. one
OF the school mistreSseS put on her hat and
Ietched 1t I'm an hour. with a letter from
Suesnay de Beaurepaire. God speed yout
Silence and discretion"
..,. Inc next day Monsieur Karl and the
Veiied lady went exploring in the Neadon
forest where they found plenty OF wild
flowers. but no documents After a simmer
at the Maison Doree Monsieur Kari wro;e
concession TO the savior OF the honor OF
the army. which concluded: Every sick
man ought to have doctor"
Derouicde's Popularity.
Paul Deroulede, the long. lank, frocl-
coated poet agitator. who rather likes 20 he
called Don Quixote. is one of those Paris
figures outsiders find it difncuit to COM
prehend. He was brave I'm the war of $50
Later he wrote soldier songs. But his
strange popularity-a kind of friendly and
amused acceptance of him by all ParI--
must be put down rather to his fatuhtv
haf-cock enthusiasms. his wild eloquence
ms naive self-confdence. his hambovant
uneXpectantly
1t was Paul Deroulede who. after the
funeral of Felix Faure. would have led
eral. save Francer'
1t was Paul DerouIede who led the anti
Dreyfus rioting OF the Avenue Wagram.
Today IL is this same Paul D.roula5a XvI,-
to the utter terror of his old friends 10
generals--cTies: Give us light IL Dreyf,s
Il round innocent, no honor VIII be too
great TO repay him. and no punishment Will
pe too great for his prosecutors"
Two Sides TO the Question.
The question is has Deroulede fiopped
really. Is he npI alry,,
thought may well be: IF the court-martial
acquits Dreyfus, France win have the hui
initiating duty to PROSTATE herself before
TINS Jewish victim. This is enough To re-
volt the anti-Semites. on the other hand
Justice must strike pitilessly on those min
the honor OF the army And this Is enough
to set the patriots on fire. But suppose fhe
court-martial should condemn this Dreyfus.
All would end well, i'm general hand shak-
ings. The anti-Semites would be enthusiasts
tic, the patriots treasured. the reyislonists
silenced, and France happy" From this
point of view the hidden thought Is eyi-
dent1y: Condemn Dreyfus. Morally il win
De n crime; but In the interest Of the pa
trle, II viii be grand and noble action
Nlth ms grand voice and gy mnastic ges-
lures with his Don Cuixote reputation for
generous enthusiasm. with a hurra hing
press behind him eager TO catch the last
boat of popularity, Paul Deroulede is fore
lnS ms unhappy friends, the generals into
inns cruel dilemma. 1t is a heroic blum
But should it fail? Well. Deroulede will be
All right in any case. And all the while the
enemies of Dreyfus say strange things
Even in his own interest, we must hope
mat he Is guilty. because If he is innocent
he must suffer so much more" And
noble, piouS lady says, lifting an angelic
glance to the sky: Il wish that he were
really innocent, the pig, because then he
will suffer infinitely more!'
Conviction VIII lie Difficult.
Such is the explanation Maurice Barres
has thought fit TO give OF Deroulede's great
speech; ana between the two 81 them the
generals are to he forced into a blum of
extraordinary danger. The Renncs COURT
martial is almost obliged to be fair. with
the presence OF 800 newspaper repor;ers
and the whole world listening to every
question, every answer, IL viii be hard not
10 acquit Dreyfus. unless startling new
proofs be thrown in by the generals These
Maurice Bdrres and Quesnay de Bea,Ire-
pare demand passipnately. hyStpricaily
And let the generals take care" cries
BeaurepaIre. Let them take care 10 their
weakness prevents the court-InartiaI from
being convinced: If. after free debates tbr,.
acquit Dreyfus because they have been de-
prived OF certain proofs We know to exist
These generals Will be condemned i'm their
turn. by public opinion. An gentlemen
have pity on that army of which .,l NV.
been the honor! Have pity on thai Franc.
you nave so nobly served! Abandon YOUR
ScFupIes! Violate all secyetsi Speak
speak AT The decisive houri'
But suppose there is nothing TO tell?
Another Friend.
You must tell, they Will make 4; hot
Tor you cries Maurice Barres. Maurice
Barres, the rather remarkable young writer
who has been young something like ten
years-will be chiefly remembered in con-
nection with his cult Of the Ego" Since
he has married rich wife-a part OF the
cult. evideatly-his work has been to preach
the Decentralization Of France: but this
under the stress of the preyfus case has
degenerated into anti-Semitisn and nation
alisln of the most violent kind lie has no
doubt the generals should cultivate their
Ego, even at the expense Of abstract lus-
lice.
You must condemn Dreyfus" he de-
clares, Tor 10 you believe that Cornely Of
me Figaro and the milder revisionist sDir-
IT'S VIII leave you alone, tlr-y promise IL
You acquit him? They have not the bower
Ihey cannot control Jaures and the soCigl-
lists who pursue, In the acquittal the de-
struction of the army There will b. re-
prisals, because Jaures and CIemencaal
wish them, because every one will r.rng
nize them as necessary If the cotIrt-naartial
declares that Gems. MERCER Billot cha
nome. Zurlinden and Messrs Cavaignac ana
incline have deceived and maintained an
innocent man in PRISON.
IheSe are the friends of the syenar,rs
God protect US from our friendsr'
STERLING HEIIIG