Sodger lad, my sodger lad-- D'ye mind, my time is nearin'? Alone--alone--wi'out yer hand! How shall I keep frae fearin'? Sodger lad, O sodger lad, Far, far awa' ye're goin'-- I'll not dare count the leagues an' days-- _Gude God! The cocks are crowin'!_ Sodger lad, my luve, my dear, Awake! The morn is grayin'! E'en tho' my heart drags, sick wi' dread, I wouldna have ye stayin'. French Hate and English Jealousy By Kuno Francke. It is easy to see why American public opinion should have condemned by an overwhelming majority the diplomatic acts of Austria and Hungary which have been the immediate occasion of the terrific explosion which now shakes the foundations of the whole civilized world. Austria's break with Servia and Germany's violation of Belgian neutrality--the one leading to war between Russia and Germany, the other bringing England into the fray--must appear to the uninitiated as reckless and indefensible provocations and as wanton attacks upon the laws of nations. The thoughtful observer, however, should look beyond the immediate occasion of this world conflict and try to understand its underlying causes. By doing so he will, I believe, come to the conclusion that fundamental justice is to be found on the German side, and that Germany has been forced to fight for her life. It is an unquestionable fact that the unification of Germany and the establishment of a strong German Empire, half a century ago, were brought about against the bitter opposition of France, and that the defeat incurred by France in 1870, in her attempt to prevent German unification, is at the bottom of the constant irritation that has agitated Europe during the last forty-three years. Germany's policy toward France during these forty-three years has been one of utmost restraint and forbearance, and has been dictated by the one desire of making her forget the loss of the two provinces, German until the seventeenth century and inhabited by German stock, which were won back from France in 1870. Whether the acquisition of these provinces was a fortunate thing for Germany may be doubted. The possession of Alsace-Lorraine has certainly robbed Germany of the undivided sympathy of the world, which she otherwise would have had. But it is probably true that from the military point of view Alsace-Lorraine was needed by Germany as a bulwark against the repetition of the many wanton French invasions from which Germany has had to suffer since the time of the Thirty Years' War and the age of Louis XIV. Sought to Heal the Breach.