p. 56 | News and Miscellany

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jan 31, 1871

News and Miscellany.

“Can ye not discern the signs of the times?”

In the recent distribution of the monies in New York city, it is said the Hebrew societies received $6,000; the Protestant schools, $32,000; the Roman Catholics, $180,000.

The reported capitulation of Paris is not yet authenticated, and it may be delayed several days. It is liable to happen at any time, however, and will probably occur before the 1st of February. Resistance has ceased to become heroism, and is now unreasonable obstinacy—as when people resolve to starve themselves to death, who charitably call them insane.

NEW YORK MORALS.—In the Court of General Sessions, before Recorder Hackett, Henry W. Geston, a law clerk, was convicted of perjury, whereby Mrs. John Gowan obtained a divorce from her husband without his knowledge until after the suit was decided. Recorder Hackett, in sentencing Geston to 10 years at hard labor in the State Prison, said:—“I have often wondered that the Almighty has not destroyed this great city long ago, for I do not believe there is another community in the world where so much perjury exists, as in this.”

France.

The situation of France is most desperate and most miserable. Its three principal armies have all been defeated and disorganized within the last month. Prince Frederick Charles disabled the army of the Loire; Bourbaki has been paralyzed by Von Werder in the East; and the army of the North has been broken to pieces by Von Goeben. The story of disaster, commenced at Woerth and Saarbruck six months ago, has been interrupted only by a few bright episodes, which have but put into bolder relief the sad epic of the fall of modern Troy. Sorties from the capital have vainly dashed against the intrenched lines of the besiegers, who tempted the assailants into destructive traps, and opened upon them sweeping cross-fires of artillery.

Paris still holds out; contrary to all belief of the Germans, contrary to the general expectation and prophecy of the world. Its provisions, and its patience, and its patriotism, were all underestimated, and its prudence also; for its fall might have been averted long since by an acknowledgment of the hopelessness of the struggle, and an acceptance of the fate which its well-disciplined and capable, even though rigorous, enemy has prepared for it.

This day is the one hundred and thirty-third of the siege. For four months and a half the inhabitants have been shut out from the world. Two months it has suffered terrible privations. One month it has experienced misery and destitution, which will not be known and appreciated until its fall proclaims and exposes them. Typhus and small-pox rage within its walls. Its streets are gloomy and dull. The siege and its termination now absorb all thoughts. A meager diet of vermin and rice and donkeys still sustains life. Furniture and wooden dwellings are used for fuel. Distrust of Trochu and despair of assistance from without are sapping the courage of that distressed city. Gambetta may prophesy and declaim; but to the inhabitants of Paris there can be but one day of anticipation, one hour to which they look forward with mingled emotions, but always with desperate expectation and saddening hope—the day and hour of surrender.—Post.

Last Days of 1870 in Europe.

AMONG the notable events of the year 1870, history will record the death of Gen. Prim, Count of Reus, and the real head of the Spanish government. He was fired at by a band of political conspirators and assassins, Tuesday evening, December 27, as he was being driven home in his carriage from an evening session of the Cortes, and wounded in three places. From the effect of these wounds, he died at eleven o’clock Saturday morning, the last day of the year. Gen. Prim was undoubtedly the ablest and most successful general, and also one of the most successful, if not the ablest, politician that Spain has produced during the present century.

Another notable event of the closing days of the past year, was the entry of Victor Emmanuel, King of Italy, into Rome, on a visit of occupation. True, the capital has not yet been removed from Florence to Rome; but this visit is the precursor of that event, and expressive of the fixed determination of the Italian government to extinguish forever the papal temporal power.

The Franco-German war, during the last days of the year, furnished no particular remarkable features. True, the French provisional government has succeeded of late in raising and equipping large armies, and in developing a general spirit of resistance to the invaders; but there has been no great battle fought since Sedan, and no great event since the surrender of Marshall Bazaine, at Metz. The new French forces have engaged in several large skirmishes, with some credit to themselves considered as comparatively new levies; but they have nowhere fought as stubbornly as the Napoleonic armies did at Gravelotte and Sedan. That the so-called battles fought by Palladines, near Orleans, were merely desultory skirmishes, in which the French did not fight stubbornly, is proved by the fact that, though the armies engaged on the French side were as large as those which fought at Gravelotte and Sedan, the French were defeated after a loss of only a few thousand men on their part, while the Germans lost far less. The much-boasted sortie from Paris, was only a mere skirmish, as we must acknowledge, when we are officially told that one hundred thousand men, after two days’ fighting, were repulsed with a loss reported of less than eight thousand, including killed, wounded, and prisoners; and the Germans have now captured the important fort of Avron, one of the chief outlying defenses of Paris, with hardly any loss to themselves, and without any fighting sufficiently severe to be ranked as a battle.

Away from Paris, the German armies seem to be operating upon a plan which is designed to risk nothing. Von Moltke makes all other operations subservient to the sure capture of Paris. Hence the German armies, operating toward Orleans, Lyons, and Havre, are not allowed to push the new French armies rapidly, or to run any risks by undertaking enterprises that will involve much time. They are held well in hand, and not permitted to become so engaged that they may not, at any moment be hurried back to Paris, to prevent the possibility of the escape of the French forces inside the doomed city. After Paris falls, and its garrison of four hundred thousand men have been sent to Germany, as prisoners, unless peace is immediately concluded, we may expect to see the German armies once more marching over France at speed, engaging and crushing the French armies, and pushing forward their columns in all directions with the celerity and success witnessed at the beginning of the war. There will be nearly five hundred thousand Germans, now concentrated about Paris, relieved from siege duty, and at liberty to pursue and overwhelm the French armies of the north and south, and capture the remaining cities of France. Von Moltke evidently understands how to play the slow and sure waiting game, as well as the more brilliant, rapid, rushing, and crushing style of field campaigns, quick marches, great battles, and gigantic victories. He now seems guarding against the possibility of any mistakes, to run no risks, to be as slow and patient as he was, at first, daring, rapid, and brilliantly venturous.—Detroit Post.