The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1899-06-29
PRESENT DAY THOUGHTS
Fire Crackers and oratory.
A GLANCE AT DISTRACTED
FRANCE,
BY G. GROsvENoR DAVE.
Written for The Commonwealth.


The Fourth and France.-The time
OF the year now approaches when the
small boy with fireworks will celebrate
the Declaration OF Independence
measuring the success OF the present
occasion and the greatness OF tho past
event by the noise he succeeds in max
ing. We who are grown up know very
we'll that blazonry of bunting and the
noise Of cannon are not any sure signs
of patriotism but we cannot deny
these things to the young nor can We
question their value In keeping alive
interest in the past for the young need
objective things-they need, as it were,
to have a picture before them in order
to understand lesson.
~
We older ones, in hundreds of places,
will listen to oratory, some good, some
bad. We shall doubtless find our
speakers taking new texts, suggested
by the remarkable events in our own
history during the past year; and if
the result OF the celebration Is to make
each of us feel that it is an important
thing to be an American, and that our
future as nation carries with it new
responsibilities, the result Of gathering
ourselves together will be good.
-
Let us, however, while we rejoice
over the national life that is ours, give
more than few thoughts to distracted
France, now rent asunder by warning
factions and momentarily in doubt as
to what its future form of government
shall be. Wecan we'll afford sympathy,
for France is knit to us by many close
ties of mutual service, and we may
we'll indulge in anxiety, for the men of
France in past times have voiced many
noble human aspirations.
Beyond all question, the government
Of France is largely a failure, for there
is neither to the citizen of France nor
to the onlooker from abroad any prom
ise of permanency about the govern
ment as it is now constituted. Success
full administration of business affairs,
education, the arts and sciences of hui
man l1fe-all those things that make
nation great-depend for their
power upon the stability of govern
ment. No great forward steps are like
ly in any direction, when man goes
to rest at night uncertain as to whether
he will wake up in the present century
or open his eyes upon repetition Of
the bloodshed OF a hundred years
ago.
France teaches us that there is ex-
treme danger in men trying to run
government for persona! glory and ad-
vantage or merely for the defeat OF an
opponent. Men who are called to the
management of affairs occupy in the
truest sense positions of trust-to
which trust they are utterly false when
they think more OF personal pleasure,
personal profit and personal triumph,
than they do of national welfare.
Frances mark of peculiarly during
the past five years of continuous tur-
moil has been the absence of any great,
broad line of policy for national affairs.
The officials OF the army have tried to
score points against civilian power.
The Socialists have had designs upon
both. The laboring men have clung to
the army and mistrusted the civilian
power and each and all of these have
clattered and scrambled, fought and
torn at each other, like lot of captur-
ed crabs in a float, heedless OF the fact
that unless they escaped they would all
utterly perish.
These sweeping assertions are per-
fectly safe ones to make, even though |
there exist in France at the present !
time certain number of unselfsh, |
noble men who would give up their
lives rather ihan see human hopes as
by popular government dash
ed 10 the ground. The unselfsh ones
are not numerous enough nor do they
occupy places OF power sufficient to
color the policy of France in the pres
ent day. During the Dark Ages good
men existed and shone like points of
light In an inky setting, but they s-m-
piy were known to be light without
having any power to impart it. Thus
in all ages and in all countries our only
way OF judging Is by finding The pre-
vailing tendency. Zola, the author
Picquart, the military martyr; Goheir,
the daring journalist, are men whose
character and unselfishness and cour-
age might make any nation proud. But
their voices and their plead1ngs are
like the faint twitterings OF birds in
the midst of bowling gale, and only
toolate Will their prophesylng be found
own Many golden opportunities