The sun., 1906-02-18

ereat cities, whore thought Ia superficial
and feelings can quickly be stirred py
sensation mongering press, has undoopt.
edly helped to feed political passions ana
national suimosities. A rural population
h not deeply stirred by stories Of sights TO
Ambassadors. The peasant OF brittahy
had no aotive dislike for the peasant OF
Brandenburg. In 1870 each asked only 70
he loft to till his fields 10 peace ana safety.
The crowds on the Partisan boulevaras'
however, and In Un'er den linden, TOOK,
and perhaps will often take. dine rent
view OF life. To them tho news OF tne
humiliation Of the rival beyond the Rhine
was the greatest, and, therefore. the most
welcome OF sensations; and unfortunately
the newspapers which pandered to tner
taste got the tone OF thought for no small
part Of France and Germany, and exerteo
on national policy an influence out OF
all proportion to their real weight.
In Ono. from Mr.. Roses point OF view the
story Of the Franco German War Is one OF
national Jealousy carefully famed for four
year, by Newspaper editors and popular
speakers, until spark sufaoed to set west
ern Europe in q blaze. The spark, OF
course, was the Hohenzollern candidature
for tho throne OF Spain, a spark which woulo
have fallen harmless had not the tlnder
been prepared ever since the battle OF
Sadowa by Journalists at Paris ana az
Berlin. Our author would describe the
resulting oonhagration as due partly TO
national friction, and partly to the sup
posed interests OF the Napoleonio dynasty'
but mainly to tho heat engendered by SEN
sationai press. He considers 1t OF extreme
importance to identity the causes or the
Franco German controversy, because he
holds that the chief danger to the peace
OF tho modern world should be distinctly
recognized. "The oentraliaation OF Gov
Srnments and of population may have its
advantages, but over against them we must
sSt grave drawbacks, the worst among
those Of a political kind being the growth
OF nervousness and eIoitability, and the
craving for sensation-qualties which un-
doubtedly tend to embitter national jeal-
ousiea at all times. and in the last event,
TO drive weak dynasties or Cabinets on
to war. Certainly Bsmarck's clever shifts
to bring about q rupture in 1870 would have
failed had not the atmosphere, both IN
Paris and in Berlin, been charged with
electricity
IL will DO observed that Mr.. Rose does
not regard as important the charge first
made by tho Duo de Gramont and never
since refuted. the charge, namely, that the
Empress Eugenie was personally and mainly
responsible for the French declaration OF
war. The Duke told Lord Malmesbury
that before the final resolve to declare war
the Emperor, Empress and Ministers went
to St. Cloud. After some discussion
We are quoting from Malmesbury-1Gra-
mont told me that the Empress, "a high
spirited and impressionable woman, made
a strong and most excited address, declaring
that war was inevitable If the honor Of
France was to be sustained She was i'm
followed by Marshal Lebeuf,
who, In the most violent tone, threw down
his portfolio, and swore that, il war was
not declared, he would give it up and re-
nounoe his military rank. The Emperor
gave way. and Gramont went straight to
the Chamber to announce the fatal news
Our author looks with suspicion at this
story. He says in footnote, "No Minister
who had done so much to stir up the war
feeling ought to have made any such con-
OF all against a lady VIII o
could not answer it." He QUO tes with
approval what NJ. seignooos says OF Gra-
mont. -He it was who embroled France
IN the war with Prussia" .,'
On pages ISL and 152 OF this volume will
be found some sound. suggestive and sympa-
thetic observations on the record and the
prospects Of the Third French Republic,
which, amid such dark and doubtful omens,
succeeded the Second Empire. We are
reminded that democracy has never until
now had fair chance in France. The
bright hopes of 1889 faded away ten years
later, amidst the glamour Of military glory.
As for the Republic Of 1s4s, it scarcely out
lived the troubles of infancy. The Third
Republic, on the other hand, has attained
To manhood. 1t has met and overcome
very many difficulties. 1t was handicapped
at the start. for parts Of two valued rrov-
inces and q vast sum of treasure had been
shorn away. In the days Of its early weak
ness it had to crush serious revolt, to foil
the intrigues at once OF Bourbon monarch
lists and of Bonapartists. Hardest task
Of all, 1t had to allay the natural irritation
OF Frenchmen at playing a much mailer
part in the world.
ouT duIHOI pVtito cbU oiioe, III opleC vi
these difficulties, the Third Republic has
now lasted some thirty years. That is to
say, it now rests on the support Of a genera
tion which has gradually bee ONE accus-
tomsd to representative institut ions-an
advantage which its two predecessors did
not enjoy. The success Of institutions
depends in the last resort on the character
Of those who work hem, and the testi.
mony OF all observers is that the character
Of Frenchmen has slowly but surely changed
in the direction whi ch Theirs indicated
in the dark days Of February, 1871, as offer
ing the only means Of sound national
I believe in the future of
France: believe in it, but on condition that
We have good sense; that we no longer use
mere words as the current coin Of our speech,
but that under words We place realities;
that we have not only good sense, but good
sense endowed with courage"
The conditions seem to have been full
filed To fulfil them has cost toll, worry.
disappointment; but all these have played
their parts in purging the French nature
Of tho frothy sensa tionalism and eager
that inevitably resulted