Year: 1870

/ hood OF Paris reveal state OF things Wnlcn


has had no parellel, perhaps, in the whole his


tory Of mankind, certainly not in the history


Of great cities. Without, destruction glares


upon the doomed city and is ready to burst
|. Within, she is attacked by an enemy more dan


gerous, certainly not less destructive, than the


enemy without Poor Paris! Poor France!


To-day, when we had begun again to believe


that Paris was France, and that salvation was


within her walls to-day, when many had be-


gun to hope that the siege of the most beauti-
full Of modern cities, the most beautiful city,


perhaps, the world has ever known, was about


to give another and noble illustration of repub-


lican virtue, we have to read the sad and
painful record that Paris has turned against


herself, is burying her own bright hopes, is
| giving fresh proof that virtue in the ancient
sense is to be sought in vain among the debris
of the second empire.


| Paris is surrounded by the hosts Of Ger
many. and the populace is at war with the
government. 1t is house besieged and house
divided against ITSELF So long as Paris
presented calm, arm and united front to the
| foe France hoped and her numerous sympa-
thizers in all lands hoped; but now, that the
strength which ought to have been directed
| against the foe has become self-destructive,
| hope must give place to despair. General
| Trochu is not in the position of General Bona
parte when he made sharp work with the
sections, or in the position of the honored
Lafayette when he placed Louis Philippe on
| fho I'm Do


although in state OF rev olution within, was
not besieged by an enemy without. General
Trochu cannot now play the part of Monk or


Lafayette. It is not impossible for him to


crush the enemy within and to restore some


thing like order. But when the shot and shell


of the besiegers is about to fall in torrents on


the doomed city it is not time to turn the


soldiers against the populace. General
Trochu is in circumstances of peculiar diff


Guilty and danger. II he fights against the
populace the work of the Prussian invaders


will be made proportionally easy but what


makes the situation more serious is this-the


soldiers may fraternize with the populace, and


the gates of the city, if not opened to the foe


by the Commander-in-C Chief, may be opened by


the leaders of the mob II the rising in the city


be one-half as serious as it is reported to be


General Trochu has but one course before


him that is safe and wise-he must surrender


and trust to the clemency of the conqueror.


So far as we can see at present the surrender
| of Paris has become as desirable in the in


terests of humanity as it is necessary in point


of fact. We are still willing to believe that


things are not so bad inside Paris as they


seem to be; but whether they are or are not


the prolongation of this now unequal struggle


is to be reprobated. Prussia cannot halt until
| Paris raises the flag Of distress; and the


situation has become such that he who is re-
sponsible for not raising this flag is the enemy
of his country.


| 1t is safe, we think, to conclude that with
| the surrender of Paris the war will end


Strasbourg and Metz will bow to fate, and the
yet uninjured cities will see the propriety of


making an and Of unnecessary bloodshed It


is not our opinion that Germany will be so un-


just as some people seem to imagine. Count


Bismarck's terms for an arinistice are not so


severe as they seem. He demands as pre-
liminary to an armistice that all the fortresses
| in Alsace and Lorraine be delivered over to
| Prussia, as well as Fort Mount Valerien,
| at the walls of Paris. These terms seem
harsh to the Parisians, and a proclamation
has already been issued to the French people,
signed by Cremieux, Glais-B -Blzoin and Fouri-
chon announcing the purpose of the govern
ment to resist to the last extremity, but all
things taken into account, who can say that these
| demands are too much? AS preliminary to
| serious negotiations and to cessation of hos


tilities he might have made larger request
| He might have demanded admission to Paris
| He has not done so-he has not sought to un-
| necessarily wound the pride of the French
people. Near as he is to the absolute occupa-
ton of the French capital the conqueror is
willing to halt and make peace without its
walls. If the men now in authority are wise
| they will yield at once. Surrender now will


save the city, and it will save as well the spirit
| of the nation. 1t ought to be borne in mind,
| too, that the conditions laid down by the
| Count are not intended to be permanent
| Because Prussia demands the surrender of all
! the fortresses in A!saee and Lorraine and the
possession of Fort Mount valerien it does not
at all follow that Prussia will make any at
| tempt to retain these. 1t is manifest to every


person of common sense that Prussia has no
such intention These forts she demands as


means of security and as pledge of good
faith. 1t is possible that Prussia may insist
on the permanent possession of Strasbourg
| she will retire from the neighborhood OF Paris
so soon as treaty of peace is signed by .bc
proper authorities; nor is it at all likely that


Bismarck will mar his good work by annexing
useless territory and compelling the allie