The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-04-18
u, MOREBN Low.

--EW Americans who do not read
- French and German and who
have not access To tn. less dis
tinguished and more cphemeral
literature of the two countries can
have any idea of the extent to which
during the past few years the people
Z both France and Germany have
been indulging in the we'll known and
popular pastlme selling the skin of the
near before the bear is killed
As a matter of fact To any one who
has been following the trend Of the
popular feeling in the two countries
This war cannot have come with any
sense of surprise. As far back as 1907
prof Rudolph Martin announced what
Germany would insist IN as the price
Of peace in the coming war with
France. Germany was tn take all the
northern provinces of that country as
well as Belgium and Luxembourg, so as
TO secure outlets To the sea at CaIais
Boulogpc and Antwerp. for even then
the Pan-Germans were beginning to
regard the crushing of France as a
mere preliminary to the attack on
England. II was in 1908 that the agi-
tation against the French Foreign Lee
zion which had been fomented by the
various pan-German societies came TO
a head with the Casablanca incident,
which resulted in yet another pan
German society being formed for the
express purpose of irritating the
French the "Deutscher Schutzverband
gegen die FremdenleGion."
The French meanwhile. not feeling
strong enough to make the really APP
proprate response To these neighborly
proceedings, took out n good deal OF
the bitterness engendered in writing
romanccs of the coming war. in which
naturally the German army did not
show up to advantage. and also took
great comfort in remembering and en-
larging upon the various remarkable
prophecies in circulation which all
seemed to point to the triumph of
France over Germany during the sec
ond decade of the twentieth century.
Perhaps the most detailed and eN-
traordinary OF these prophecies is that
~ Strasburg. or. as IL is sometimes
called the prophecy Of Mainz which
predicted the formation of the German
Empire and its destruction one gem
~
Commandment de Civrieux, well
known French officer, was moved by
this prophecy to write "A book called
La Bataille du Champ des BouleauX,"
in which he gives the history OF the
war that was to come and the final
destruction of the main German army
on a battlefield mean Iiamm in West
phalia. concluded 10y the blowing up
OF the German Emperor and his entire
staff by bomb dropped from an
aeroplane. one IL bound TO admit
that NJ. de CiVrieuX did not foresec
the alignment of the various nations
with any very remarkable eNaCtltUde.
He makes England quarrel with Ger
many oven Belgian Congo. and after
'hree hours notice attack the German
feet and destroy ten ships. Germany
then gives France twenty-four hours
n which to join her against England.
France refuses, and the same night
Germany attacks French territory
fpm Metz.
Russia. being already. according To
he author. engaged in a struggle with
China and Persia. Is unable to come
10 Frances assistance, while Italy and
Austria both declare their neutrality.
England of course accounts very easily
for the entire Germany navy, while
France with the assistance of small
English contingent wipes up the
Germany army, and the empire is OH
liberated as political entity, the
Kingdoms of Poland. Hanover and
Ssxouy being all that is left of II.
This vivid but filmsy war story was
published in 1871. and was received
with a good deal of anger and de-
rsion in Germany. II was shortly
followed by a more serious and much
more bitter German work entitled
"Frankreichs F.nde." by Adolf SOM
merfed, in which not the defeat only
hut the absolute wiping out OF France
as country is described.
The conditions which the author
presupposes for this war are very
Interesting, as they show with great
exsctness what the majority OF the