The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-06-09
NEW BOOKS OF THE WEEK
AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF ALFRED
DREYFUS ISSUED BY NEW
YORK HOUSE
INTERESTING EVENT REVIVED
Captain Still Declares He Was In
nocent, and Tells of the Suffer-
ing Attendant on His
Degradation.


fred DreyfuS, eX-captain of artillery in
the French army, with maps and dia-
grams. Mcclure, Phillips x Co., New
York
1t is not now hard to recall the Gu
.rious futter Of emotion with which, six
years ago, we of America read the
newspaper reports of the degradation of
an obscure captain in the French army
for high treason Of an abominable char
acter The case was remote, of small
significance in our sight, of no personal
interest, and the shadow of the mighty
events then impending had not fallen;
bat the incident was so dramatic in its
progress, and the bearing Of this de-
graded captain so consistent with inno-
cence that the reader paused, perforce,
to contemplate the horror contained in
that very possibility. Here, it might be,
was the realization of a situation which
had been the keystone of a thousand
melodramas; therefore, of racking inter
est the very essence of human tragedy.
The cry, Il am innocent! Vive la France,
VVe Iarmee! was not altogether to be
taken as the last pose of guilt. 1t rails
ed a doubt; and the reader wondered
and wondered again and regretted
that the drama might not be unfolded
to its finale, when there would be place
for speculation no more What an eX-
hbition of patriotism if the man were
innocent! The incident could not be for
gotten. 1t was thrilling with possibili-
ties
Soldiers, they are degrading an limo
cent man. Soldiers, they are dishonor-
ing an innocent man. Vive la France,
Vive TarmceI'
The correspondents faithfully recorded
the protest, and pictured the scene, from
1.-The stroke of nine" to the dry click"
of the breaking saber. We have been
made familiar with the attitude and emo
ton Of the spectators; with their con-
tempt rage, Kisses, cries of Death to
the traitor" What of this traitor
whom events have rehabilitated? What
were his emotions when the material
emblems of his honor fell at his feet?
They are, and, indeed, always have been
of chiefest interest. What did he suf
fer? What depth of despair did he sound?
What was his attitude toward this great
and unaccountable injustice? What sus-
tanned him through the horrible tor
ture" How cid he regard the mob which
spat upon him? What came to him when
he passed from public view to the Soli-
tary confinement of the Sante prison?
OF all this, we have continued in ignor-
ance, though, it may be, we have craved
to be enlightened Now for the first
time, after the lapse of six years, viii h
have contributed to the Importance of
the event, in Five Years of My Life"
by Alfred Dreyfus, we are put in posses
sion, by the man, himself of that which
was lacking. 1t is a simple, sold erly
story. a calm record of experience. not
obscIrSd by complaints and affectation.
highly dramatic, affecting, complete, re-
Veallng as much between the lines as in
the printed words. There are no cues
tons left to ask. The situation is dis
closed. The revelation satisfies every
dramatic requirement. The heart of the
man who, upon that day, rose to heights
that are sublime, is laid bare
The ceremony of degrade ;ion-the deg
radiation of an innocent man-how did
Capt. Dreyfus bear it? Could anyone
even an anti-Dreyfusard-as for a fair
er account of the ceremony than this?
And what a tremendous scene it was!
u underwent the horrible torture with
out Weakness, he begins simply, as,
indeed, the newspaper reports attest.
Before the ceremony l waited an hour
in the hall of the garrison adjutant.
- During these long minutes [
gathered up all the forces of my being.
After this I was marched to the
center of the square, under a guard of
four men and corporal. Nine o'clock
struck. Gen. Darras, commanding the
parade, gave the order to carry arms.
l suffered agonizingly, but held myself
erect with all my strength. To sustain
me l called up the memory of my wife
and children. AS soon as the sentence
had been read, | cried aloud addressing
myself to tre troops; Soldiers they are
degrading an innocent man. Soldiers
they are dishonoring ar innocent man.
NiVe Ia France, vive Farmeer' A sergeant
OF the Republican guard came UP to me.
He tore off rapidly buttons, trouser
stripes, the signs of my rank from cap
and sleeves. and then broke my sword
across his knee. I saw all these material
h IAra ~.g
Then, my whole being rac1ed by a fear
ful paroXysm, but with body erect and
mead high, l shouted again and again to
the soldiers and to the assembled crowd
the cry of my soul: I am Innocent
What were the emotions of the inno-
cent when the mob heaved forward In a
murderous surge, crying, Death to the
traitor! Kill MIN! Coward! Judas!
Dirty Jew
"I heard the bowls of the deluded
mob, he writes, Il felt the thrill which
knew must be running through those
people, since they believed that before
them was a convicted traitor to France;
and ] struggled to transmit to their
hearts another thrill-belief in my inno-
cence." TIC his wife he writes: Some
time wnen we are reunited 7 will tell
you what have suffered today as I went
through one after another, these igno-
minious stations of my degradation.
Again ana again I wondered to myself,
why are you here? What are YOU doing
here? ] seemed to myself to be the
victim of an Authorization. Then, NV
torn, dishonored garments would bring
me brutality back to reality. The looks of
hate and scorn told me- only too plain
~, why I was there. Oh, why could not
my heart have been laid open so that
all might nave read it--so that all those
poor people along my route would have
cried ont, This is q man of honorv
How well I understand them. In
their place I could not have restrained
my contempt for an officer branded a
traitor to his country. But, alas! here is
the pitiful tragedy. There is traitor,
but it is not Ir'
''The Book of Genesis in the Light of
Modern knowledge" by Rev. Elwood
Worcester, D. d. Mcclure, Phillips &
Co, New York. St. Paul: st. Paul
Book and Stationery company.
If we attempt to treat the narratives
OF the Book of Genesis as authentic his
tory of matters of fact, we soon see that
they run like quicksilver between our
fingers writes the Rev. DR.. Worcester
in the opening chapters of his impo tant
work, 1.-THE Book of Genesis in the Light
of Modern Knowledge" which is just
from the press of Mcclure. Phi lips & CO.
His attempt is to secure for these stories
recognition for what they are, popular
Semitic traditions of an llimitable past,
given an eternally true and beautiful
setting by men truly inspired by God as
we accept the significance of inspiration
today. From them, DR.. Worcester rea-
sons, we can learn the truths of God
they are so well able to teach u.s. with
out stultifying all our thought by trying
to believe the impossible. There is moth