New-York tribune., 1916-07-10
To the Editor Of The Tribune.

To the Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir: In the terrible winter of 1s70-'71 dur
ing the Franco Prussian War, a little man
seventy-fve years old left Paris, carrying
with him an old fashioned "sac de voyage
and an umbrella. The object of his trip was
n visit the crowned heads of Russia, Eng
land. Austria and Italy. That man was
Adolph Theirs, first President OF France III
the Third Republic
The mission of the aged patriot was sad
one He had been delegated by the French
government to humble himself by asking the
Car of Russia, the Queen of England, the
Emperor of Austria and the King of Italy to
induce the victorious King of Prussia to con-
sent to arrange peace prelmlnares with
France. The powers refused to comply with
the old statcsman's wishes. Notwithstanding
the force of his arguments, foremost among
which was the danger for Europe OF too
nowerful Prussia, Mr.. Thiers's mission failed
completely.
To-day forty-six years have elapsed. and
the very nations that the old French states
man tried to warn against Prussia are en-
gagged in death struggle with Prussia and
her allies.
And vet, notwithstanding her great dlsap-
pointment at Mr. Thiers's failure, and not
withstanding that her two regular armies
were lost the one at Sedan through the i'm
becility of Napoleon Ill., the other at Metz
through the infamy of Bazaine, France in her
majesty kept up the struggle and saved her
honor. With what men or boys she could
muster, with what equipment she could hnd'
with the humiliation of defeat stamped upon
her brow "la douleur dams Tame ct la honte
au front" as the poet said, France for three
long months successfully resisted numeri-
oally superior, well equipped, well fed Prus-
sian army, intoxicated by repeated success
and she signed the preliminaries of peace
only when Paris, starved and exhausted
capitulated. Realizing all that, how can any
one wonder to-day at the remarkable achieve
ment of the sons of France in this great war
In 1870 Frances defeat was due to the
criminal negligence of her imperial master,
backed by clique of ofice-holders and ad-
venturers. Il was to consolidate his shaky
throne that Napoleon III, alias Badlnguet, de-
cared war on Prussia. successful war
would have saved his dynasty.
To-day it is not on the part of France a
one mans war It is an entire nation stand
| ing up in a sublime attitude fighting for its
existence II is not a war Of conquest; il is
war for justice, The French people, repre-
sented in the German press az the beginning
of the war as nation of wine, woman and
song" OF degenerates and absinthe fends, are
giving the entire world an example of what a
free people can accomplish when they are un-
Justly attacked; they are slowly and surely
driving the invaders out of their territory
The German nation are no longer deceived
by the misrepresentation of their press; they
realize that the French people are doing
pretty well for nation of "degenerates," and
the lighting qualities of those "absinthe
fends" are at least as good and as sound as
the Teutonc "beer-soutfers" The virtuous
nation with "Gott nit Uns" stamped on its
stomach is to-day face to face with the little
"polu," who is gaining steadily on her
/ But aside from its military showing. which
does not and cannot surprise any student OF
French history, the greatest wonder in this
war is the remarkable union of all the politi-
cal factions of France. As soon as the wal
broke out the French people forgetting all
past differences, stood up as one man and
presented a united front
! | do not believe that there is nation in
the world with record OF political dissen-
sions such France had since the founda-
ton of the Third Republic. Whoever has fol
lowed closely the events since the downfall
OF Napoleon III must feel astounded at the
France Of to-day. Bonapartists and monarch
ists of old have tried time and again every
possible means to undermine and eventually
! to destroy the foundations of the republic