Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-09-20

scanned. There were plenty Of them,
but it afterward proved that there was
Paris to the. Rhine. Every one in Paris
was confident of a quick and easy VIC
tory. But the provinces. the real stay
of the nation. did not share this con-
fdence. as events showed.
Many Frenchmen fondly believed that
they would have as allies the south
German states, which were not in the
confedera ton, and which had all along
been jealous of Prussia's growing
power. But any one who had hoped
to bitter disappointment. 1t Is true
Bavaria and some others hung back for
a time, but by the day when war was
formally declared and the French army
old feeling of a unified Germany took
firm hold in every German state, and a
solid frSIt was presented to the COM
mon enemy's advance.
. ~.
And now was presented again the
working out of the Prussian kings
military organization brought to a
still greater efficiency by the genius
of Won Moltke. 1t was said that this
strange man had figured the campaign
out in advance and that when ne was
informed of the declaration of war, he
being absent at the time, wired that
plans would be found in a certain
;pigeonhole 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 modified and
on the border in miraculously short
time. The world was amazed at: the
,rapidity displayed. England declared
its 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 SO IN
win against one already mobiIized and
on the frontier. There was not an
arm of the French service fit for war
at that time. Arms, ammunition,
clothing, food, transportation, horses,
medicine. all were inadequate or lack
ceived the emperor and involved the
nation in struggle the end of which
easily could be foreseen.
Alsace and Lorraine were invaded by
August at Worth and sent his army
in fight toward Paris. After one or
two small reverses at the beginning
of the war the success of the Ger
mans was almost continuous. While
MacMahon was retreating, another
French army was beaten and pushed
toward Metz. which was strongly for
titled and under the command of Ba-
zaine. Metz was cut off and besieged.
MacMahon was ordered back to re-
lieve Bazaine, but he was met at Sc
dan September and after a heavy
battle was compelled to surrender.
With him was the emperor. Nearly
half the French army was killed.
4
When Paris learned the stunning
news the empire was at an end. A re-
public was declared and preparations
made to defend the city. The French
spirit now was aroused. and in spite
of the humiliation of successive de-
feats in the past two months it con-
tinued with much smaller force to
resist the German advance on Paris.
The capital was Invested by the Ger
man army September 10. and until the
last of January the garrison made a
heroic defense.
The seat of government had been
transferred to Tours and Bordeaux,
and the depleted nation raised armies
in the provinces and continued resist
ance to the invaders. After holding
out to the end Of October. Metz sur
rendered. and by this and the fall of
Strassburg almost 100000 Frenchmen
became prisoners of war. These events
sealed the fate of the capital. and 1t
settled down to resist so long as its
supplies lasted. At the point Of star
walton it gave up January %. Peace
was concluded at Versailles. and the
vanquished nation promised to pay
Germany $1.000,060.000 in three years,
support the German army until 1t was