The sun., 1916-10-18
BRAND PREDICTS
STRONGER FRANCE
Forecasts a Concentration Of
Political Forces After
the War.
GAIN IN PRESTIGE SHOWN
Premier Says Victory Must BE
Complete to Insure
Freedom.

h'F ~
French political methods after the war.
resulting in a concentration OF govern
ment. Is predicted by Premier BRAND.
according to Alfred Capus. the dramatist
and member OF the French Academy.
who quotes the Premier In the Figaro
as saying
II do not pretend to do more than
sketch the main outline. As the result
Of lessons which it cannot escape ! be-
l.eve our country will resume instinct
lively the notion Of direct council n
authority.
IL am convinced that the spirit born
Of the war Is about to clash with the
spirit Of parochialism and that 1t Will
break II. There will be substituted the
notion OF public welfare which has been
lost In what one might call the pulver-
ization OF efforts. What will be wanted
will be the concentration OF effort In the
general interest.
"In my opinion the need Of to- morrow
Is to concentrate instead Of d'sperse, and
you cannot imagine with what good VIII
universal suffrage will accept these prin-
| ciples. The war has put 1t In a state or
rcceptivity and It remains only to speak
+, tc II clearly and frankly and to awaken
IL to a realisation Of its " condition.
Reviews the situation.
Speaking OF the actual situation Pre-
mier BRAND said:
81 simply asx you to consider what
has already been gained and what no
hazard OF war can take from us. Com
pare what France and Paris were IN
| July, 1914. with what they are In octo-
Der, 1916, The truth Is that 'vs we're not
decadent. but that a new Eer"sat'on had
sprung up. more sensible. perhaps. 10
reminders OF defeat more nervous. more
impatient, than those which had pre-
coded IL.
German insolence had contributed a
Great des, to this state OF mind Ana
A. one, nevertheless. dared not 10 mink
Of war, there resulted "A continual con-
fict between exalted imagintaions ana
humdrum routine politics. 1t was a KIND
Of moral confusion. which manifested
itself by an acute need Tor distraction
by a violent desire for the new. the I'M
expected. =.
NO, asain. II was not decadence II
wa. rather anger driven inward-the
old insult revived bluntly In the mind
by incessant provocation. And then We
fe,, that the world did not appreciate
us a, our Just value, and that irr!tated
and hurt us.
French Prestige.
"a nation seen from without has a
general aspec. TO which all n citizens
contribute. II - that aspect which n
foreigner sees and upon which he forms
his opinion. We'll, our aspect was NOT
in our favor, and that was because u
was not truly ours. II was distorted
by an old defeat. and the truth In that
the day that defeat was wiped out. when
France showed BY unheard OF heroism
that she meant to throw on the obses-
sIon-on that DAY suddenly all peoples
by common agreement recognized their
error as regards us. and the prestige of
France has become again extraordinary
greater than It has ever been at any
epoch.
I'm resaining our individuality as n
nation We have re~conquered at a blow
all our influence. all our attraction, That
is what We have gained, and nothing car
affect II. That Ia the moral work ac'
complished in these two years. not 70
speak of the rest.
The completion of the task. th'
crowning OF II by victory. is we'll wortf
Taking time and patience over. And II
that victory II hard 10 win u Is pre-
clse,y on account of Its extent and o'
what must be wrested from the enemy
before II can he complete. For much
depends upon ia free existence. pros
perity, social reforms. a republic power
full and unchallenged."