The sun., 1916-04-16
De
August

sometimes 10 the poin, OF Joining al
liances with their previous enemies.
Why. then. has Frances wound re-
manned uncured? Why has France
persisted In this feeling that she can.
not live thus Wutilated? This feeling
indeed has been SO strong that Frances
most cruel sacrifice during the past
forty-tve years has been precisely not
TO have taken up arms to recover AL
sace- Lorraine.
i, Is certain that the notion Of the
material and moral value of the two
provinces forms part Of our sorrow.
Metz IL a beautiful city. its peop:e are
OF stable and amiable character. Al
SAGE is a rich agricultural and indus
trial country. The serious and origl-
nal intelligence Of the Alsatians was
one of the most healthfui and vigorous
clements ~ ~ national French
genius. Those oil us who have gone
into the question OF the menace 10
liberty represented BY the too great
preponderance Of one religious creed
over others felt that the presence Of
the .Alsatian Lutherans in French So
c!ety was valuable counterbalance.
These were fine provinces, their in
habitants were sympathetic and useful
fellow citizens.
But the real. fundamental yaaso.
why We nave rever been corsolei can
bc found only nI study of the OF.
sanlzation OF the revolution through
ont France at the end Of the eisa-
! teenth century.
/ Under the au,len regime the organ
/ iZation OF groups of people into prov
: .Eccs had been effected after the then
{ prevalent conception OF public right;
that is. ny force of arms, by dip!o-
macy. by contracts Of sale or en-
change, by treaty. without consulting Z
! Tie will Of the populations affected.
! \ State 50 composed was incoherent,
| without moral or administrative unity.
The King represented the only bono
II union, the various and different
elements not having the disposition
20 blend themselves into a single
unity.
Tire E'rcN,l Revolution, which was
anove al unifyins. had as It's result
the melting all Of these little French
countries into oIe patric. Tire process
wls accomplished through a sponta-
neOus movement of agglomerat!on. As
II animated with ,ent.ipetal force
all the provinces. all the cities. all the
communities Of people, federated
themselves first resionally, then na-
) t.onally. There mas then free con-
tract bctweHr Frerchmeu. ny Virtue
Of which Individuals and groups were
formed into a s!ns,e nation, a single
patrie.
They fe: even thai he Iou..da :
: ton of the pa,ric began only from
thar day, for their philosophers had
taught them that there can be no
patrie under depotlsm. that il can eN-
ist only by virtue o. laws. liberty
equality. Paternity, the sovereignty OF
) the people. Those vino had this no.
} ton OF the patrie called themselves
and were called patriots"
One OF the most iliustrious fedora :
tions which helped to prepare the ma =
tional federation and the unity Of the
new France was the Federation of the
Ehine. active in June, 1890 and also
known as the Confederation Of Strass-
burg. There were assincbicd the dele
gates Of the National Guards OF the
neighbor!ns departments, Jurs, Loire
lnferieurc. Mar,,e. IIaute- -Saone
+. Douhs. Meuse. Meurthe-et- Mosellc
Nosges, Haut Rhin, Bas Rhin. in all
2,2sl delegates. The delegates met on
a plain near Strassburs around a knoll
of grassy soil surmounted by an altar
to the patrie made Of turf.
There was a benedictioa OF flags. a
mass, during which only the Catholics
knel,, patriotic speech by Calvinist
preacher. religious hymn sung by
young girls Of Lutheran faith sucl,
were the initial patriotic ceremonies OF
the Strassburg pact. Then the oath
to the nation. the oath between
Frenchmen. was sworn OH the altar
The delegates swore before the God
Of the universe" to be faithful to the
nation, the law and the KinS, and
above all "to he inseparably united
and to fy to each others rescue, for
the common happiness The fetes
lasted three days around the turf altar
where the Strassburgers came to adore
the very image Of the new patrie.
When a decree from the central as.
sembly at Paris convokei at the capi.
tai representatives Of all the regional
fcderations the delegates from the
uaut Hhin and the Bas Rhln--that is