Yea, even she as at first,
     Yea, she alone and none other,
     Shall cast down, shall build up, shall bring home,
     Slake earth’s hunger and thirst,
     Lighten, and lead as a mother;
     First name of the world’s names, Rome.

CHAPTER IV

THE FOUNDING OF THE FRENCH REPUBLIC

     “[Greek:  egigneto te logo men daemokratia, ergo de hupo tou
     protou andros archae].”

     “Thus Athens, though still in name a democracy, was in fact
     ruled by her greatest man.”—­THUCYDIDES, book ii. chap. 65.

The aim of this work being to trace the outlines only of those outstanding events which made the chief States of the world what they are to-day, we can give only the briefest glance at the remaining events of the Franco-German War and the splendid though hopeless rally attempted by the newly-installed Government of National Defence.  Few facts in recent history have a more thrilling interest than the details of the valiant efforts made by the young Republic against the invaders.  The spirit in which they were made breathed through the words of M. Picard’s proclamation on September 4:  “The Republic saved us from the invasion of 1792.  The Republic is proclaimed.”

Inspiring as was this reference to the great and successful effort of the First Republic against the troops of Central Europe in 1792, it was misleading.  At that time Prussia had lapsed into a state of weakness through the double evils of favouritism and a facing-both-ways policy.  Now she felt the strength born of sturdy championship of a great principle—­that of Nationality—­which had ranged nearly the whole of the German race on her side.  France, on the other hand, owing to the shocking blunders of her politicians and generals during the war, had but one army corps free, that of General Vinoy, which hastily retreated from the neighbourhood of Mezieres towards Paris on September 2 to 4.  She therefore had to count almost entirely on the Garde Mobile, the Garde Nationale, and Francs-tireurs; but bitter experience was to show that this raw material could not be organised in a few weeks to withstand the trained and triumphant legions of Germany.

Nevertheless there was no thought of making peace with the invaders.  The last message of Count Palikao to the Chambers had been one of defiance to the enemy; and the Parisian deputies, nearly all of them Republicans, who formed the Government of National Defence, scouted all faint-hearted proposals.  Their policy took form in the famous phrase of Jules Favre, Minister of Foreign Affairs:  “We will give up neither an inch of our territory nor a stone of our fortresses.”  This being so, all hope of compromise with the Germans was vain.  Favre had interviews with Bismarck at the Chateau de Ferrieres (September 19); but his fine oratory, even his tears, made no impression on the Iron Chancellor, who declared that in no case would an armistice be granted, not even for the election of a National Assembly, unless France agreed to give up Alsace and a part of Lorraine, allowing the German troops also to hold, among other places, Strassburg and Toul.