Echo de l'ouest. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1883-1929, 1918-07-26

gency, he could not absolutely depend
to protect his person, on the French
guards charged with secret sympathy
with the peoples aspirations called
near him two regiments of foreign
soldiers, the Swiss guard and the
royal allemand.
There was great ferment on that
account for days in the Paris popu-
lation and on the 18th of July a
young and eloquent lawyer Camille
Desmoulins laboring under great ex-
citment suddenly jumped on table
in the garden of the Palais- Royal and
snatching from an adjoining tree a
as rallying sign, he yelled: "Fellow
sovereign will likely this evening at
on your guard. Thousands of his
hearers following his exen1ple flew at
once to every corner of Paris in
search of arms and found but 10000
rifles at the Invalides. To be fully
prepared to meet any emergency they
manufactured $4,000 pykes on the
18th, and at noon on the 18th after
a night of intense excitement, an
immense motley crowd moved as
from common impulse from every
section of Paris towards the Bastille,
and commenced it's storming after a
short parley with the defenders, M.
Delaney and his Swiss guards. Its
huge doors vigorously rammed soon
yielded, and the Swiss guards sur
rendered after short but spirited
fight in which 1856 citizens lost their
lives. The people, in their frantic joy,
danced as it was burning. The Bas-
tile fall had apparently then more
than local interest, since, according
to the comte de Segur>s memories,
the St Petersburg population joined
the same acclaim and festivities,
when they heard the great event.
The Bastille destruction was for
France merely symbol; it was the
foreruner Of the destruction forever
in France of unchecked absolutism
in matter of government. Since 1889,
France has each year conquered new
until she is to day consider
ed with the United States the freest
government on earth regiously and
politically. Through her matchless
devotion to the cause Of freedom for
generations, France has today the
esteem, the love and confidence of
all nations, great or small. She is
loved in Ireland, because more than
once for the sake of Irish freedom,
the blood of her valiant sons has
crinsoned her green hills: she is re-
vered in Italy, because she has fought
for her unity at Maganta and Solfe-
rino: she has been for one hundred
years dear to Poland, for during
those many years, France has con-
stantly advocated Polands' restora-
tion as an act of absolute Justice;
she has the warmest corner in every
true american heart, because LaFay-
cite and his companions were at
Brandywine and Yorkton: she is trus-
ted by all nations great or small for
her word is synonymous with truth
honor and devotion to liberty. For
1900 years, she has been in Europe
the true rempart for civilization,
having alone by turn defeated the
Huns of Attila at Chalons, the Sara
Gems with the Koran at Poitiers and
many times the Turks in the Holy
and. Young, brave and courageous
as ever, France has now waged for
years a titanic battle to save demo-
,racy, and nobody today seems to
lave any doubt that with the United
States help, she will crush forever
militarism, but should she
oe, God forbids, overwhelmed by
veght of number, the Central Powers
will however be defeated as there are
our things eternal unconquerable
hat prussian brute force can never
,verawe, and they are: Right, Justice,
Truth and God.