New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-03-12

Madame d'Houdeto;. Rousseau's mistress.
wrote verses in honor or the sage. Men
bought copies Of the Constitutions OF the
American Colonies. II was a hardly unmis.
taxable omen; and when Joseph II Of
Austria was at Nantes and some one
pointed out 10 him an American flag float.
ing in the harbor he turned away 1T is
my business" he said. 80 be a royalisi.'
Z Not IN England's outworn institutions.
urged BrisSot de Warville again and
again. but in the free institutions Of the
new republic over the water. people seek
ing to recover its Liberties must find the
true model. The relation between French
participation in our war and her own sub.
Sequent battles for reforms in land sys-
TEN and social and legal and political or
ganization is obvious enough. Brissot, TO-
example, admired in the American system
that scheme OF governmental checks and
balances advocated in Montesquieu's
spirit of Laws" 1t is hard 10 trace.
summarily. the connection between the
American Revolution and the French. but
the returned soldiery must themselves have
counted for no less than the sedentary
philosophers the officers and men who had
seen that it was possible for a nation TO
/, exist without kings, without nobility. with.
out crushing taxes
But for the example Of those states il il
p doubtful whether Brissot, who visited
America in 1888 and wrote his "travels.'
would ever have declared (in criticsmg
. the projected reforming Of Necker and
TurgoO The methods of republican
government cannot be harmonized with The
spirit and customs Of monarchy" dob
seyations dun Republican, etc, Lausanne.
1852 The spark that changed thought
into action was supplied By the Declaration
Of American Independence" writes Lord
Acton. in one Of his Lectures on the
French Revolution" II surpassed in
force all the speculation of Paris and
Geneva. for it had undergone the test Of
experiment"
b. Frances revolution was sped also By the
very generosity Of French aid TO us: the
burden Of that S772,O0O,OOO spent 70 free
the American Colonies lay heavy upon tho
royal treasury. which, one may venture,
never recovered from the blow. Yet It
would be a cruel error 20 infer that France
as a nation ever recoiled from her treaty
obligations toward young America, or even
regretted them. During the five years
that the war continued" writes James
Breck Perkins, historian Of France in
the American Revolution "the French
people remained constant in tho cause
And NJ. Jusserand adds: people groaned
under the weight Of taxation, but never
grumbed at the expense for such a cause.
Peace came, France kept her word.
She made pro-American peace, not an
anti-English one Public opinion again
was fully satisfied; the joy was
universal" When Washington died the
French army went into mouring-juet
as at Lincon's death, on the eve Of tho
Franco Prussian war that was 10 abase
France popular subscription was opened
(of two cents per head. so that the poor
est might share in it, "for a medal 70 %
struck in commemoration Of the life and
death OF Lincoln, honest man as the IN
scription reads. who abolished slavery,
reestablished the Union, and saved 'he
Republic. without yelling the Statue %
Liberty"
Historically. America has had no better
friend than France: and that friendship
has been very real, for IL has rested upon
the sentiment and the conviction Of fr se-
men. France to-day is q little puzzled that
we are taking 10 active part in defending
civilization against the maGmen; France
Is grateful for our succor Of her wounded
in hospital and on the battlefield, but many
n Frenchman marvels that we are not CONF
batants upon that field. Yet France is too
intelligent not to know that we have trou-
bles Of our own. our own house 20 keep IN
order General Joffre's message TO Amer
ica is notable for what it doesn't say rs
we'll as for what it does say: "The United
States have not forgotten that the first
page in the history Of their Independence
was written with a little Of French blood
By their inexhaustible generosity and their
great sympathy they bring to-day 10
France. who fights for her liberty. the most
precious aid and the most puissant COM
fort"
These two sentences form the opening
contribution 70 the volume Of prose, verse,
music and pictures which Mrs. Edi-h
Wharton has edited, under the title "The
Book of the Homeless" lie livre des sans
Foyer. sold for the benefit of two Ameri-
can war charities and issued with the im-
print Of Charles Scribner's Sons. General
Joffre's message follows in his own words:
Les Etats-Unis .d'Amerioue mont pas
oublie que la premiere page de pHistoire
de leur independence a etc ecrite avec un
peu de sang Francois. Par leur inepui-