The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-09-13

would anger Napoleon and the French govern ment- The prince reluctantly accepted and war. like utterances made in the French chamber
 The French ambassador to Berlin was sent to visit King William at Ems to ask that Leopold withdraw, and on July 12, 1870, the withdrawal was announced, but not by King William Not satisfied with ths the Paris government insisted on an assurance that Prussia would not again put forward candidate This King William could not but refuse to give The king wired Bismarck the details of the interview Whereupon the latter "edted /" the dispatch, much as Metternich might have done His tampering with the message made the interview appear to have passed in hot inter- change of demands and refusals. He then gave out the faked dispatch and in few hours Paris clamorng for war.
 In vain did The moderates in the chamber demand copies of the ambassadors dispatch The ministry had made up its mind for war and the excited populace backed it up Preparations began imme- diatey. The city appeared ubilant at the prospect Napoleon, it is said, was not confident, but his minister of assured him that the army was ready to the last button the soldiers coats Results proved that this was all that was ready
 Paris resoundcd with cries of On to Bern~ Maps of Germany from the Rhine to the capital
 
 them, but it afterwards proved that there was scarcity of maps sof France from Paris to the Rhne Every one in Paris was confident of a quick and easy victory. But the provinces, the real stay of the nation. did not share this conh- dence, events showed
 German Efficiency Amazes v orld.
 Many Frenchmen fondly believed that they would have as allies the South German states which not in the confederation and which had all along been jealous of Prussia's growing power. But any who had hoped for aid from that quarter doomed to bitter disappointment. It is true Bavaria and some others hung back for n time, but by the day winch war was formally de- clared and the French army moved toward the beloved Rhine, the old feeling of unified Germany took firm hold in every German state and solid front presented to the common enemy's ad- vance.
 And now was presented again the working out of the Prussan kings military organization brought to a still greater efficiency by the genius of von Moltke. It said that this strange man had figured the campaign out in advance and that when he informed of the declaration of war, he being absent at the time, wired that plans would be found in certain pgeonhole of his desk. This. however, IS not true tale, and he said in his memoirs written after the war that such plan Would be fruitless owing to unforeseen obstacles
 The German army was mobized and on the border in miraculously short time The world was amazed at the rapidity displayed. England declared it's neutrality, and Russia, Prussia's friend then threatened Austria with invasion if that country offered France aid
 Meanwhile in Paris even the emperor became aware that no nation 50 unprepared as his could ever hope to win against one already mobiIized and on the frontier. There was not an arm of the French service 1t for war at that time. Arms, ammunition, clothing. food, transportation horses. medicine, all were inadequate or lacking. The ministry had grossly deceived the emperor and involved the nation in struggle the end of which easily could be foreseen.
 Alsace and Lorraine invaded by the Ger mans, who defeated MacMahon Aug. at Worth and sent his army in flight toward Paris. After one or two small reverses at the beginning of the war the success of the Germans was almost con tinuous While MacMahon was retreating another French army was beaten and pushed toward Aetz, which was strongly fortified and under command sk