Mr. Baxter has been giving his constituents in Scotland an
account of his recent tour in the East, to which he has added a burst of stern joy over the defeat of France by Germany, and the- wrenching of Alsace-Lorraine out of French bands. The song of the "Watch on the Rhine "is obsolete, says Mr. Baxter; moreover, "in our time, the heights above the Rhine will never be crossed again by soldiers of a Latin race, except as prisoners of war." It is always impossible to determine the value of prophecies till they are- either fulfilled or falsified, and in neither case are they apt to be recalled with much interest. But it is new to us to find a Liberal of any shade of opinion dilating with joy on the forcible annexa- tion of a reluctant population to a conqueror's country, and we should have thought that Germany's use of her European predo- minance had been a sufficient source of anxiety, even within the last few months, to make a cautious Scotchman hesitate in his trans- ports over the security of peace. Light and volatile temperaments are often cruel, but solid and grave temperaments like that of the Teuton and the Saxon impose a weight on conquered pro- vinces which it is often even more difficult to bear. In which of our provinces do people of a different lang,uage from ours love us as the Alsatians love France ?
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