New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-05-25
1813-l915.

of ono century more accurately reproduced
those of preceding than in recent weeks.
In 1913 Napoleon was fighting his last
campaign in Germany. he had against
him an alliance that included England,
Russia. Prussia. Sweden and Spain. De
spite the odds be had opened mis- campaign
with his characteristic skill and accus-
toned success. Lutzen, Bautzen and
Dresden had been fought and won. But
the issue Of the war was still IN doubt.
At this moment Austria served upon the
great Emperor a demand the main detail
in which was that she should have the
Ilvrian Provinces. And the Illyrian Prov
inces included Istria, Dalmatia and
Trieste. What Italy asked yesterday Aus
tria asked a century before under Ccndi-
tons almost identical. Like Austria,
France refused. Francis Joseph's answer
now is that Of Napoleon.
Looking backward now it is clear that
this refusal was the decisive incident IN
the Napoleoric disaster. 1t brought Aus
,ria into the field with 100000 troops, some
of whom shared in the great triumph at
Leipzig a few weeks later. Bavaria and
Saxony, Napolcon's allies at that moment,
changed sides when Austria joined ms enc
mics. When Austria declared war Napo-
Icon, ike the Kaiser today was hFh''ng
on foreign soil Wellington mao not yet
reached the Pyrenees. IN the no'th frehcn
troops were along the Eloe, and DanHg ana
Hamburg were IN French hanas'
Il requires no argument to demonstrate
how completely the situation to-day repro
duces that Of 1913. Italy now comes IN as
austria did then, at the moment when
great coalition is making head against one
great nation, for Austria has become niue
more than German province hunanla'
Bulgaria. Greece are bound 10 1olio"
Italy ultimately, as the smaller GERMAN
states followed Austria. or them lhe
profit Is all in one direction, and the en-
trance Of Italy is final evidence that IN
the world outside nor own frontiers Ger
many cannot win.
But there Is something more thah chahCe
resemblance between me present anu ''e
Napoleonic era. The German ldea' "nlch
has plunged the whole world into war, is
but an adaptation Of the Napoleomc idea
Of world empire. It was not an accident
that century ago practically all OF the
nations Of Europe united to drive Napo-
leon first out OF Germany ana SPAN ana
then out Of France.
The one great TACT IN the "orIo Si'ua-
ton Of 1915 Is the one central Tact OF me
situation OF 1873. The battle that Is Delng
fought to-day IN Europe IS just as clearly
battle for liberation as that IN 1913 IN
which Prussia played so honorable a part
For generation German scholars sol
diers, teachers, princes have been looking
over their own frontiers 10 o'her iahd'
in which they hoped to plant the German
nag the German i"hEu'se' INC "'i man
idea. They have looked upon the "orIo
as Alexander the Great dld, they nave
sought 10 adopt and adapt the ideas OF
Napoleon; for them Corsica has con-
quered Galiee.'
In German propaganda literature the
nations Of the earth have been sentenced
TO death, decadent France was 10 VaIis H.
the corrupt British Empire was 70 IAN
apart, Russia was TO feel the weight o'
German might rolling her o"cA from inc
Vistula. Turkey was 10 become German
annex, Austria to JOIN IN me eu'on''
world which was 20 pass tnc Ddi ddIlclIVS