ALSACE-LORRAINE.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume IV, Issue 242, 26 September 1914, Page 3 (Supplement)

ALSACE-LORRAINE.

A LONG, EVENTFUL HISTORY.

Forty-two years ago Alsace-Loname, •the centre of European slaughter, the scene of one of the saddest pilgrimages in history. At the close of the Franro-German war the people of the two provinces, until then the piopeity of France, were called upon to decide whether they would become citizens and remain in their beloved country, or remove to France. Neaily 60,000 of theb valued their French nationality more than itar possessions. They said Good-bye to “the blue Alsatian mountains,’ and set out with their families over the border. Most of them never lost hope ot seeing the day when they might return. The desire to do so was implanted in the hearts of their children and grandchildren; the yearning for a restoration of French rule has not been obliterated from the minds of hundreds of thousands who remained. Ihe two Rhine provinces embrace the natural frontier line between France and Germany. They have been the scenes of devastating wars throughout the ages. Bismarck looked upon them as the chief prize to be won m 18/0. for he regarded them as a kind of military bulwark indispensable to German security, and the gate that gave entry to France at any moment. Strange to say, although the pegP 1 ® of Alsace-Lorraine are mostly ot teutonic origin, their sentiment is strongly French. After the French conquests i i>f the seventeenth century the native tongue of the great majority was still German. In 1870 no soldiers fought with more ferocity against Gen. \on Moltke’s invaders. The territory formed part of ancient Gaul and wa-> held as part of the Roman Empire for 5W veare. Strassburg, the capital ot Lower Alsace, was founded by the Romans as a barrier against the Germanic barbarians. It was sacked by Attila and the Huns in 401, and was rebuilt bv the sons of Cloy is, the cruel King of the Franks, more than a century later. Charlemagne made AlsaceLorraine his battle grounds during his lierce struggles with the Saxons —at the end of the eighth century—and in accordance with his policy divided both provinces into counties, each governed by Royal envoys. In the thirteenth century the greater part of the territory came under the control of Austria, and remained under this rule for over 300 Thirtv Years’ War, which ended in 1648, devastated the whole of the Borman Empire. Alsace and Lorraine vere amongst the severest sufferers, rhe all-conquering Gustavus Adolphus, sith hi« Swedish army, laid waste the country. The Protestant and Roman Catholic princes waged a war of extermination in the cause of Christian peace. By the treaty of Westphalia the provinces were ceded to Fiance, with an amount of misgiving which showed that there was mere fighting immediately ahead. Twenty-five years later Louis XIV., then a young man, swollen with ambition, became irritated with the success of the Dutch and conceived the idea of acquiring Holland. I'hat country was reduced to the brink if destruction. As a last resource the nhabitanta broke down the dykes, and let in the sea. When Louis XIV. had ■eturned with great pomp to Paris the Prince of Orange prevailed upon Austria to join him, and set out with a ireat army—about 50,000 all told—for , revenge. Marshal Turenne, with 20,000 Frenchmen, met them in Lorraine and conducted a brilliant campaign throughjut the Vosges ranges. The enemy was entirely expelhxl from the lelt iank of the Rhine. Turenne pushed on to Strassburg, near where he was killed in 1678 the French Emperor laid claim to several principalities, of which, lie allaged, Alsace had been dismemliered, and in 1684 secured the cession if further territory, including Strassaurg. Further fighting between 1688 v.d 1697 confirmed the possession, rhereafter. peace for nearly a hundred rears. Battles raged not far away, and the provinces suffered little loss. They i tad a narrow escape, however, from be- I ng added to the battle grounds of the llustrious Marlborough. In l>os the , ’reat British general planned an invasion of France from the Moselle and lie Spar. His aim was to take Metz, .he capital of Lorraine, and cut off Usace from the interior. Later he abanloned the plan, and transferred his irmy to the Netherlands. After the devolution of 1789 the ’’rench acquired Mulhasen. which had >een a Republic allied to Switzerland, ijpon the downfall of Napoleon, Austin wanted to deprive France of AlsaceLorraine, and Prussia proposed that he forts there be garrisoned by Austria. . Ireat Britain objected, and as Russia vas also unfavourable to the scheme? (Trance was allowed to retain possession, j Che bitterest trial came in 1870. The I teautiful villages, vineyards, and agri- ( ■ultural fields were left charred, smokng heaps. Strassburg, famed for its ; culture, its cathedral and its mono- I nente, was partially reduced through he cannonading to cairns of stones ana Metz, the- fortified capital of Lor•aine, played a more striking part .he campaign than the _ city of the at hedral. Bazaine. with his vast rrench irmv, was shut up there in a state of liege, and ,amidst bitter yells of I Hit- ; or!” surrendered to the Germans with . has whole force —three ®6 »enetal s , 300 cannon, and 1/3,000 men. Chat surrender was the cruellest experience in French history. After their victory. the Germans promised to treat the Msatians with generosity. They start>d by imposing heavy taxes, and falling ill civil and railway offices with Ger- • nans. The occupied towns were garn»ned by the Landwehr, or first reserve; the schools were reorganised on the German model, the French language was discouraged, and every effort was ■ made to destroy French influence and i national sentiment. The people, although exasperated by many alts of oticial tyranny, and humiliated by the I requent pressure of the iron hand, had io alternative but to submit. Alsace-Lorraine has an area of oWH iniiare miles. 3344 miles of which is included in Alsace, and is traversed from to west and from north to south »r main lines of railway. The greater »rt of both provinces has fine natural ■esources. Alsace produces silver copier. lead. iron, coal, and rock salt; and toth vield fine crops of cereals, flax, tobacco, grain's, suger beet, and hope Fhe climate is temperate, having a mean of about 49 degrees, and the annua] rainfall is about 26 or 2/ inches. Fhe most recent figures available show lhat the total population is;about 1.706.000. including aliout 400.000 Protestants and about 1.300.000 Roman Fntholira. Fully 85 per cent. spenk German as their mother tongue. The other 15 ner cent, consists for tlie most part of the more educated with FwjUj wociatranfi.