Evening star., 1924-08-17

men and Frenchwomen have seen the
country invaded and ravished by Ger
many on two successive occasions
1870 and 1914. AS they vowed at
Verdun, "They shall not pass" the
French have sworn as eternal vow
in 1924: "They shall not come again.
At any cost, they have committed
themselves to postponing and prevent
ing another German invasion.
burned too indelibly into French
any sacrifice. however expensive, TO
make it impossible. In the World War
France riobilized 7.935.000 men OF
French blood, in addition to 476.ooo
African natives from her colonies.
More than a million Frenchmen-
1,O3S.30O-were killed: 249.000 were
never seen alive again and figure In
the casualty roll as missing" Count
ing dead and missing natives,
Frances roll of losses reached the
staggering total of 1.355.o0o. or 16h
per cent of the men she mobilized.
French losses aggregated S.29 per
cent of Frances population in Eu-
rope. 1t was nearly twice as heavy
a percentage as any Of the European
allies suffered and, of course, re-
duced Americas percentage to reia-
tive inSignificance, ours being only
O.10. In addition to her loss in killed,
France is caring for nearly 75O,0oo
MANNED and incapacitated men.
Causes of Attitude.
These are the facts and the figures
that Frenchmen proffer in justtfica-
tion of their determination to hold
Germany down and keep her down.
These are the conditions. and not the
-. tv,
that flaming resolve. These are the
reasons, the French say, why they
pursue policies in Europe that out
siders assail as militaristic and i'm
perialistic. These are the mainSprings
of her diplomatic and military ALI
ances with Poland today, with the
states of the little entente tomor-
row. with Italy and with Japan ana
with Belgium. sand with whomever
They have, all of them. security
against Germany perpetually and al
most exclusively in mind.
France claims she would have pre-
ferred some other kind of security
than a stranglehold on Germany, or
great army, or a great air fleet, or
chain Of minor alliances all over the
world. She would have preferred,
above all else. the tripartite treaty
OF QeIenSe, WHICH AHlSIlCd anu ca
Britain pledged her at Versailles. but
did not grant, when she renounced
the security a natural frontier on
the Rhine would have given her
against the eastern foe But these
things we're denied France. She has
had to find substitutes. She Is doing
so. She will continue to do SO,
whether the outside world likes it or
not. The world may call it militar-
ism. or imperialism. or what it
pledses. France calls it security.
One devoutly wishes that the hosts
Of Americans who throng France this
summer could see into the heart and
soul of France instead of merely into
it's pleasure resorts in Paris and at
the seaside. One wishes, too. that
advertising men and lawyers and
other opinion moulding Americans
who have descended upon France in
mass formation had been given op
portunity to hear something else than
professional Franco-American amity
talk across the banquet table. 1t is
vital story that France has to tell
the world on this all-embracing sub
ject of security against an impenitent
Germany. No open minded American
can listen to 1t without being moved
and impressed.
Copyright, 1924)