The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-03
SOME NEW BOOKS.
rhe Deciinc and Recovery OF the
French Nation.

hAS century is meat for the political
philosopher. 1t is treated with va
ration on the decline and fall" style
Of history in ERNEST DrMNErs France
Herself Again (Putnams). the record
Of national decline and recovery.
After the war OF 1901 France deterio-
rated, and not because OF external COM
pehing forces but because the nation
trod the paths Of perversity and wasted
its strength in the worship Of false
idols
After ihe war with Germany, so the
author traces the process. healthy ma
tionalism in France gave way gradually
TO a debiAtating individualism and "hu-
manitarlanlsm." So-Called materlalism.
taking the gulse Of pacinsm "a witches
dance Of the isms), caused the nervous
incertitude" that breeds fear OF a neigh
bor's power while destroying the native
power OF courageous,y confident self
assertion and resistance to aggression
The Tangier and Agadir incidents"
aroused the nation to q realizing sense
NJ the fslseness Of its fancicd security.
France climbed quickly up out OF the
hole herself had dug. the pit Of "unpre-
parednsss.'
II France could have spoken with one
voice in the latter years Of the Second
Empire it would have been the voice
Of materalism, proclaim.rg the non-,x X
istence Of soul and God. the supremacy
OF matter II human life. X might have
sald. is so Old as archaeology and biology
are beginning to assert. and Is To run
through countless pons more. until the
10.
in space. why bother with details in the
face OF an aimless infinite? Why cherish
costly patriotism when human consti-
tutions and institutions are 50 perish
able so void Of significance in the pur-
poseless mould OF universal existence"
Such were the fa!neant counsels that
suffused the national consciousness,
awaiting the influence. pre- cipltating or
ennihlatlng to them as IL might he, of
national stress or distress.
Socialism and humanitarian" i'm
pulses weakening influences. were re-
fected in the literary success OF ener-
waiting ideas. Realism" in literature
took the form OF tragic relations in
which the principals suffer without the
resistance that is part Of moral
health: literary art became snobbsh,
and its "slaEg" outweghed its sub
stance. Its cynicsm Is alleged to have
been that Of conscious deterioration.
While Frenchmen were increasingly in
different. except in ineffective protesta-
tlon. to the continuance Of their ma
lions ancient glory as a power IN Euro
pcan affairs Prussia was making
cleverly planned and persistently prose-
cuted siege Of the hegemony OF the
German States. When the war came
II was 4 war of genius and persever-
ence" against "lev.ty and imprudence."
Under the Third Republic there was
a,natural opposition between President
and Chamber. and the Chamber was an
element OF division. not OF union or
unity. While the fraudulent democracy
talked about the progress Of mankind
the Cabinet leaders pondered the prog
reSs NJ France. Policies OF colonization
helped divert the thoughts Of French
men from Ia Revanche The colonial
policies OF Messrs. TIanotauX and Del
casse necesstated alliances or at least
ententes. and the ar!stoCratiC Foreign
Office split further and further of from
the babbling. blind democracy. with
governors medtating and under cover.
initiating the designs Of a first class
Power France had come to possess only
the executive means OF Power Of the
second class. Measures that the people
accepted as safeguards Of peace carried
hiddens seeds OF war. Alliance served
but TO weaken the popular sense OF re-
sponsibility, and. so Mr.. Dimnet AYERS
the national pride centred on the recol-
lection OF past greatness in actual
power and present greatness in culture
and the arts.
Premiers reads like "a list .! incarna-
tions OF medlocrlty." Placed beside the
American Presidents they cut a sorry
figure" even though the United states
does not devote lts best men to poll
tics" Under their leadership in the
latter years OF the nineteenth century
anti-clericalsm was in France the only
continuous policy: and at that 1t was
not a religious war but a religious per-
secution. From 1898 to 1905 lnterna-
tional socialism COMPOUNDED the con-
fusion worse. Premlers OF France
looked on while the red flag futtered,
and heard with seeming patience the
"1nternationale" sung In place OF the
'AIdrseilaise." Under Combes democ-
racy was rampant in the army level
ling merit down. The Dreyfus case
split the nation. Education fell from
its old severe standards and sought the
short cuts. The people talked peace.
Deicasse prepared war; and knew what
he was doing, and knew that Germany
knew. And then France woke up:
The Tsngler afHair was a fash Of light
ming, after which the clouds lifted. =.
Tho sdmiIture Of materldlism, yelled COW
srdice fear not OF lighting but Of being
eonqueredl and se't-deusion which had
caused the deterioration Of the public spiri,
snd emphasized the political losses OF France
suddenly appeared In rs uEllness. a silence
followed, and when II was broken the men
who had been the orHcles Of the people f0I
two generations found they had lost thi,
position. The thinkers who had a
RICH; to the intellectual leadership -
had an unexpected opportunity for making
themselves heard. And when they did
speak their ideas were found Il
he nothing more nor less than the long for
gotten ancestral wisdom. French
voices had not sounded 50 French since tn,
troubled times OF the Sixteenth century.
Among "A people as meTcuglal as thu
French are often. quite unfairly. saiC
to be, panic would have been expect,
able; but the French people like to pa,
with new ideas before adopting them
and so in this instance they came easily
and safely to the conclusion hat they
had been travelling The wrong road. tina