The Washington herald., 1916-10-09
BRITISH WAR ARDOR
CONTINUES TO FLAME
: Pans, However. No Longer Talks of
Winning Lost Provinces.
By JOHN L. BALDERsToN.
tCopyrisht. 1915.

Dg l.. bAl1DEhSION.
Copyright 1851
London, Sept. 2L-Throughout the first
year OF the war, France burned with
hatred and desire for revenge against
Germany and her publicists eoneocted the |
most humihating and disastrous schemes
Of partition which were to make forever
impossible another German onslaught.
Britain. meanwhile, was slow to arouse,
and the French people accused their al
lies OF apathy
The two points Of view have now been
reversed. II is England who insists upon
The continuance OF war until the absolute
ruin OF her rival In France nothing
more Is heard Of revenge. very little Is
said about invading Germany, and in
the course of several trips in France dur
ing the past six months have not once
heard the sacred names ''AIsace-Lo
raine" pass the lips Of Frenchman.
The resolve OF France not to submit
10 German domination has not slackened.
nor does the heroism Of the French peo-
pie appear less remarkable now than
earlier in the war, but the French now
believe that German schemes OF az
gression have been wrecked, and their
whole energies seem to be concentrated
on getting them out of France. Talk
OF conquering Germany Is sometimes
heard In Paris clubs, seldom among the
people, and. above ALL never in the army. |
ehIrateu rurys
IN England, on the contrary, the cold. |
concentrated fury aroused by the lists OF
nunoreos or thousands Of killed and |
wounded on the Somme surpasses any ma |
uonal passion ever felt in the island ma
lon- 1t is Incompatible to the passion in |
france In 1914, when the flower OF the
french youth, the standing army of |
peace time, was cut down. Since that |
% tlme France has suffered 80 much that |
even nate OF the foe does not suffice to |
make The people wish the war to last in |
definitely. Early in the war, some Ger
man comic paper coined the gibe, Eng
land VIII fight till the last Frenchman," " |
and It Is perhaps significant that that
phrase is heard sometimes today in Paris. |
AS used by aNFrenchman. 1t is a protest |
against the war of attrition'' theory
constantly advanced in England. English |
CRITICS and soldiers are never tired OF as
serting, quite sincerely, the readiness and
ability Of England to fight as long as
neceSsary-ten years. the London Times
said-unttl, in the words OF Premier As
quith, the military domination OF Prus-
sia Is utterly and finally DESTROYED. The
she" french spirit was perhaps summed |
up oy Premier BRAND when he ignored |
the previous bellicose speeches of govern |
nent ministers and said that France de-
manded Germany be willing to resume |
It's rank among the nations with the In
tention Of developing itself according TO |
us genius while respecting the genius of
others"
The peace movement in France Is
strongest in the southern provinces. In
speaking Of peace movement, I must
not be understood as suggesting that anv
section Of opinion in France favors Quit
ung on terms that would enable Germany
10 Calm a victory. But the mass OF peo-
pie In the south, have been told, believe
Germany could be negotiated out of
Northern France without more bloodshed
and would at least like to see the govern
ment attempt this. Grenoble, Toulouse
and Limoges are three cities where the
Socialist parties were strong before the
war and where the feeling that the gov
eminent adopts too uncompromising an |
attitude exists most strongly.
Alsace-Borraine Question.
The great question is that Of AIsace- |
Lorraine. do not pretend TO know
whether the French people would make
peace without the restoration Of the lost |
provinces. I do know that early In the |
war II was taken for granted that they
we're TO be reconquered. Great crowds |
tore away the crepe from the statue of |
Strassburg in the Place de la Concords
when Joffre entered Alsace in August |
1874 Their names were on the lips of |
every ona
AEo now, as was said above, the |
Frenchman does not talk about the |
provinces. My guess is that he feels too |
sad at the prospect of again abandoning
them to the Germans to discuss them, but |
that he feels now that Il would be wrong
to destroy French manhood and frnpover- |
ish the country for generations by pro-
longing the war for their sake. Possibly |
this diagnosis Is wrong, and his silence
due to feeling that 1t Is time enough
to worry about regaining the lost
provinces when he has the Germans out
Of northern Frence. At any rate, he
keeps quiet.
The sporadic land strikes that took
place in the south Of France have doubt
less been exaggerated by German propa-
ganda, but that they happened at ali Is
an indication Of the feeling among the
peasantry in some sections. Infiamed by
agttators who, according to Paris gos-
sip, were really German agents, but we're
probably sincere paCiists, these ignorant
men decided that the government could |
be compelled to make peace IL there was
no food to eat in the country
Accordingly they refused to cultivate
their land. Such a-novement would have
been most dangerous had Il spread, for |
the scarcity OF labor in France makes !
the food problem a serious one The gov
ernment acted promptly. and by sending |
around speakers who told the peasants
OF the outrages OF the Germans and the |
impossibility Of peace without complete
victory, ended the strikes In most places |
where they had commenced.
one Great Difference.
There is one great difference between |
the economic effect Of the war in France |
and England. In France it is the upper |