The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-01-29

Forty eight years ago another peace
conference had finished its sessions IN
Paris n another emperor was In ex-
lie. That peace conference disposed
Of the results of the short Franco
Prussian war which ended on Sept. 2,
1870, In the disaster Of Sedan. In add
ton to imposing ar indemnity Of $780,
900, 900 francs In gold upon France and
taking the provinces Of Alsace n
Lorraine, the German military leaders
ended the peace prellminaries by the
coronation of the king Of Prussia as
German emperor under the title of
William I, In the Hall Of Mirrors at the
palace Of Versailles.
Forty-eight years ago the emperor
in exile was Louis Napoleon, the last
of the B~onapartes who ever tried to
uphold the Napoleonic myth. After the
surrender at Sedan, Louis Napoleon was
a captive guest Of the German govern
ment for a few weeks, Upon his lib
GRAFTON he went to England where he
died at Chiselhurst on Jan. 9, 1873. His
widow, the famous Eugenie-whose
grandfather was a New York merchant
named Kirkpatrick-still lives at Farm
borough, England, where she is said
to be revising her memoirs written
some 80 years ago.
AS far removed as these apparently
detached facts are from the present sit
is useful, interesting and necessary, for
the reason that In them lay. the origin
Of the third French republic and the
recent German empire, which, after 40
years of preparation for war and four
years Of world struggle, collapsed al
edge Of the France and Germany OF
1870 a full comprehension of present
problems is impossible. The great
events of the present hour. naturally
something about historical politics. This
knowledge Is not difficult of acquisi-
ton, Right here in Memphis it is
within the reach of every boy, and
| girl, mar and woman who will take
the time to scan the shelves OF the
public library.
There are three books in the Cossitt
library which everyone interested in
the peace council should read: ViZetel-
ley's Third French Republic" Gabriel
Hanatoux's Contemporary France ana
Ford MADDOX Heuffeur's When Blood Is
Their Argument"
No writer, not even Bryce or Nc
earthly, has written more brilliant his
torical sketches than Vizetelley. His
book upon the republic Is not only q
master narrative, glittering with
pageant Of great men and great events,
but it is also regarded as the best story
of the origin Of the republic and OF the
men who made republicanism possible
in France. AS a book for boys and
girls Oh nlgn sCnool age IL ndo ~"
equals unless it is a companion vol
ume entitled, Paris In Peril" There
is not a. duh line in THE Third French
Republic" A book, the chief charac-
ters Of which are gambettai Theirs,
Jules Favras, MacMahon; tne DUKE "a "a
Boulanger. needs neither recommended
ton nor comment. :
Hanatoux is the Bryce Of France
without the cosmopolltanism OF the
great Englishman. AS a historical work
p~retentious in its scope than Vie
, telley's work. Hanatoux writes wholly
from a French republicans viewpoint.
However he tells the story OF the orr
gin and the rise n stability OF the
French republic as few men have told
il, Those who are interested enough
in these suggestions to delve into
French political criticism should read
both books, but Vizetelley's book first
Both books remind n that the
great Frenchman, who is president o.
start in the last days Of the French
empire. That man Is Georges Clemen-
ceau, sometimes called 1.-THE best hateI
in the world" Clemenceau had an
American experience early IN life, "a
ing lived in Connecticut as a physician
and school teacher, where he married
a Yankee girl, Miss Mary Plummer, II
Connecticut the young ~pedagogue drank
in republicanism and upon his return
!, to France Joined the radical element
which was inspired by Victor Hugo and
l led by such young men as Louis Blanc!
Rockroy, Paul Burt, Eugene Pruler and
Gambetta. In those days journalism as
the French understand journalism--not
, the n~ewspaperdom Of the American
, world-was the only open door to poll
= tics, hence Clemenceau began to write
: for the papers, Henri Rochefort, editor
of La Lanterne, aided the american
as Clemenceau was called, and politics
/, in Paris began to bubble with sucf
i incidents at the Noir-Bonaparte due
/ and the fifth proscription-an Of which
. Is another story. Clemenceau did no
play a great part in the commune, tina
. carnival of insane rage which nearl!
. ruined Paris in the weeks between
March IS and May p, 1870; blu it |
: said that he syrnpathized with Pierr,
Blanqui, Felix Pyat, Rossel, Clusere
and other murderers of Archbishop
Darboy. But the point is that Vie
telley and Hanatoux discuss the grea
r contemporaries of ~Clemenceau. And tn
! commune has long been buried In tn,
sack of oblivion.
y Heuffeur's book deals with German
A nroblems rather than with politics. TIL
hook is no cheap criticism of Germany
a Indeed It is far removed from the am
o bilious ignorance of the modern specia
= writer who's sole stock in trade to-
frequently is an encyclopedia n
presumption that other persons are a