1870—1872 185 



istically French, exhausted his eloquence in putting sentiment 

 into politics, spoke of European rights, of the right of the 

 people to dispose of themselves, tried to bring out the fact that 

 a brutal annexation was in direct opposition to the progress of 

 civilization. ^'I know very well,'' said Bismarck, ''that they 

 {meaning the Alsatians and Lorrainers) do not want us; they 

 will give us a deal of trouble, but we must annex them." In 

 the event of a future war Prussia was to have the advantage. 

 All this was said with an authoritative courtesy, an insolent 

 tranquillity, through which contempt for men was visible, evi- 

 dently the best means of governing them in Bismarck's eyes. 

 As Jules Fa\Te was pleading the cause of heroic Strasburg, 

 whose long resistance was the admiration of Paris, ''Strasburg 

 will now fall into our hands," said Bismarck coldly; "it is 

 but a question for engineers; therefore I request that the 

 garrison should surrender as prisoners of war." 



Jules Favre "leapt in his grief" — the words are his — but 

 King "Wilhelm exacted this condition. Jules Favre, almost 

 breaking down, turning away to hide the tears that welled into 

 his eyes, ended the interview with these words : "It is an inde- 

 finite struggle between two nations who should go hand in hand. ' * 



Traces of this patriotic anguish are to be found in one of 

 Pasteur's notebooks, as well as a circular addressed by Jules 

 Favre to the diplomatic representatives in answer to certain 

 points disputed by Bismarck. Pasteur admiringly took note 

 of the following passage: "I know not what destinies Fate 

 has in store for us. But I do feel most deeply that if I had to 

 choose between the present situation of France and that of 

 Prussia, I should decide for the former. Better far our suffer- 

 ings, our perils, our sacrifices, than the cruel and inflexible 

 ambition of our foe." 



"We must preserve hope until the end," wrote Pasteur 

 after reading the above, "say nothing to discourage each other, 

 and wish ardently for a prolonged struggle. Let us think of 

 hopeful things; Bazaine may save us." . . . How many 

 French hearts were sharing that hope at the very time when 

 Bazaine was preparing to betray Metz, his troops and his flag! 



"Should we not cry: 'Happy are the dead!' " wrote Pasteur 

 a few days after the news burst upon France of that army lost 

 without being allowed to fight, of that city of Metz, the 

 strongest in France, surrendered without a struggle! 



Through all Pasteur's anxieties about the war, certain obsers 



