The sun., 1918-09-01
Benedict XIV, Four
Years a Pope; French
Republic 48 Years
Old; Lafayette's
Birthday and Marine
Victories to Be Gel
ebrated
By F. cUNLIFFE OWEN.

a Tuesday Benedict XIV. completes
the fourth Year of his Pontifcate. On
Wednesday the present and third Repub-
lie Of France enters its forty ninth year.
On Friday all Americans will unite in
celebrating the 161st birthday of the Mar
qIIis de Lafayette, the fourth anniversary
of Marshal Joffre's memorable victory Of
The Marine in 1914 and the 29Sth ami
versary of the sailing from England of
The Pilgrim Fathers.
/ was about TO set down Marshal
.Ioffres victory on the fateful 9th of Sep
TENDER, four years ago, as the first battle
Of the Marine, since his former Chief of
Staff, principal lieutenant and successor
in the supreme command, Ferdinand Foch.
has just won his baton of Marshal by an
other victory of the Marne But the first
battle of the Marine was fought 1,467
:e:rs ago, when King Thedoric, allied to
81, Romans, as France is allied to-day to
the Italians. STAYED the advance of the
diminish monarch Attila and of his bestial
horGes and inflicted upon him such a
crushing defeat that the invaders were
forced to retire TO the Rhine-and beyond
Changed History, Saved France.
Like the Marine victories Of Joffre and
of Foch, it was one of the great decisive
iattles of the world, one that changed his
tory and in which the dead numbered
Inore than 100000. 1t saved not alone
France, but all of what there was of civil
ization in those days from being over
whelmed by the Huns, just as Joffre and
Fock have on the same bloodstained fields
OF the Marine defeated in 1914, and again
last month, the Hohenzollern Attila and
his equally bestial hordes who threatened
to destroy every vestige Of civilization of
the twentieth century.
With regard to the Third Republic, it IS
preparing to celebrate two years hence
crowned with victory-its Golden Jubilee
1t may therefore be considered as having
outgrown both childhood and youth, and
10 have attained that period of life when
vigor remains unimpaired, while sagacity
is at high tide. 1t has outlasted every
other regime in France during the last
hundred years.
The first French Republic ended in its
twelfth year. Then there was the First
Empire, overthrow after decade. That
was followed by the regime of the elder
branch of the House of Bourbon, which
lost its crown after sixteen years through
the July Revolution of 1880, which eul-
minated in the elevation of King Louis
Philippe, of the younger and Orleans line
of the Bourbon dynasty. He reigned
eighteen years. Thereafter came the Sec
ond Republic, which was brought to
close by the Bonapartist coup Tetat four
years later, and after that its author, Ma
poleon I'LL, reigned for eighteen years, up
TO the time of the proclamation of the
Third and present Republic, on that
eventful September 4, 1870, when on the
news of his capitulation at Sedan his
deposition was proclaimed by mis- indig-
nant subjects, and Empress Eugene was
compelled TO flee to England
Hesitated to Celebrate Day.
Until the present war the people OF
France hesitated to celebrate the birth
day of. the Third Republic because it CO.
incided with the anniversary of Napo-
leon Ills surrender in 1870. But the
French victories of the Marine Of 1914 and
of the present year, as well as numerous
other defeats inflicted on the Germans,
now. like the Huns under Attila, in full
retreat TO the Rhine, have completely eff
faced the bitter memories of Sedan, and
The Germans have no longer any stomach
10 observe its anniversary as national
holiday.
The real national holiday of France,