to the
international distrust and nervousness which are the main causes of
such armaments. The book is also the work of a good Frenchman who
realizes that no settlement can be durable which does not safeguard
the sacred rights of the conquered peoples of Alsace-Lorraine, who are
the first victims of outraged justice. There lies the originality of
the book. It reveals the new direction which public opinion and
political thought are taking in contemporary France. The whole
question of the relations between France and Germany is lifted to a
higher plane. We hear no more of the humiliation of France, of her
pride and dignity, of rancour and revenge. We hear less of the balance
of military force. The main question which is raised is a question of
moral principle and of international right.

II.

The work of Monsieur Bourdon is not only a good book; it is also a
brave deed. Too long has it been the fashion for French publicists to
entrench themselves behind Gambetta's phrase: "N'en parler jamais, y
penser toujours!" Silence may have been the best policy on the morrow
of the catastrophe of 1870, when one single indiscretion might have
set Europe aflame. But after forty-four years, and under entirely
altered conditions, an ostrich policy of reticence, a cowardly policy
of mental reservation, cannot be the best means of bringing about a
settlement.

Monsieur Bourdon has therefore chosen the bolder course, which happens
also to be the wiser course. He has broken down the barrier of fear
and distrust. He has taken the first step. He has gone to Germany in a
spirit of frankness and conciliation. He has tried to get at her
thoughts and afterthoughts. He has cross-examined the German people,
and he has cross-examined them with consummate tact and skill. An
unofficial ambassador of peace, he has revealed all the qualities of a
diplomat, and he has added qualities which the diplomat does not often
possess--outspokenness and uprightness, a loyal regard for truth, and
that moral preoccupation and that delicate sense of international
honour which are generally alien to the official diplomatic mind.

III.

And the result of this searching inquiry is most satisfactory. Quite
apart from the value of the opinions expressed, and of the author's
own opinion, the inquiry in itself is an historical document of prime
importance. Here we have before us at first hand the public opinion of
Germany. Nor is it the irresponsible opinion of an