The French Peasantry.

Cromwell Argus, Volume 1, Issue 50, 26 October 1870, Page 7

The French Peasantry.

The Paris correspondent of the Melbourne Weekly Timet writes as follows :- You must not expect from me any account of our "manifestations" here. 1 have no heart to speak of them. .Some papers have even gone so far as to suggest—and I give my cordial approval—that these noisy patriots should, at their first appeal to arms, at once be surrounded by the police, and conducted honorably to the nearest mairie, then and there to be enrolled as soldiers. There is, however, one great objection to this otherwise excellent plan of enlistment ; the brawling crowds of our streets are, for the greater part, composed of the poor', stunted vuyous (blackguard is a poor translation), that every military conaeil de revision would reject contemptuously, I have been a good deal in the country during these last few days, and I can affirm that the enthusiasm for war is far less great among the sturdy peasantry, who will have to furnish both men and money. Even in our villages there is a good deal of drumming, drinking, and singing in order to stun and drown the sorrow of the youths who thought themselves safe, and are now obliged to join their regiments. The leave-taking is made as cheerful as possible, and th« chief courage-giver our rustic knows is our brave red wins. The fact that its aid has been resorted to so generally and so abundantly shows, perhaps, as well as anything can, the necessity felt by the village folks of giving themselves, as an expressive French saying has it, " du cceur au ventre." But the war excites no enthusiasm. Our peasants are landowners and landworkers ; they are held down to the soil they love, and debarred from heroic flights by their wooden shoes, and still more heavy minds. They know nothing of the Rhine, nor have they the least notion of what may be the difference between the left or right bank of any river. They have heard of the Prussians, because their fathers have told them that half a century ago Prussians entered France, and laid waste fields and farms on their passage. They consider that a very good reason for driving out the Prussians if they invaded France once more, but also as a still better reason for not provoking them, and " pour rester tranquille, chacun chezroi."