THE FRENCH CRUSADE.

Greymouth Evening Star, 29 July 1907, Page 1

THE FRENCH CRUSADE.

The remarkable peasant agitation in the south of France- had its origin, as we explained at the time, in the failure of the Government to stop the adulteration of wines and the sale of “artificial” beverages. The fraudulent practices which ruined tno market for the pure, cheap wines of the sou!li, dated from 1875, the year of the phylloxera plague. Chemical mixtures, preparations from sugar, supplied the place of the vanished harvests. Foreign wine-growers established a. footing in Franco and countries that used to import from France. The south gradually recovered from the phylloxera plague, but the chemical stuff remained in possession of the market. On the first Sunday in June there were 200,000 peasants at Carcassonne, almost as many at Perpignan, and - Beziers, and even more at Nimes. The leader of the movement was Marccllin Albert, of Argollicrs, clearly a man of remarkable personality, lie was also worshipped by his followers, and we arc told that at one gathering “women kissed him, young men struggled to grasp his hand, old men in tears embraced him on the forc-he-ad.” Arches bore actually the insciiption meant for him, “Homage to our Redeemer.” Those who saw the demonstration were convinced that Marcoliin Albert, with a wore!, could make the huge host work liis will without hesitation, whatever it might be.

“He seems to bo a Napoleonic or Cromwellian man,” says the correspondent, “and to exorcise a mesmeric power over two hundred thousand men and women. The question is what lie may not will them to no one of these days, u bloodless or a warlike revolution, there seems no doubt that they will do it. For the time being he is content to call upon them to emulate their ancestors and put the same pluck and dovoiion into this new crusade. ‘An equally noble, an equally holy cause.’ The crusaders of the wine vats inav tickle norfherncis, but when Marceliin iold them 'Brother winegrowers, von will l>c worthy of your forefathers’ a man who smiled would, have been lynched.” As wo know, Hie agitation ended blondlcssly. but if it had not been for .M. Albert’s restraining influence. France might easily have been involved in a small civil war.