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ticipation in the periodial international conferences no reparations and war debts; from the creation of an international institute for the unification of private law to the laborious preparation for commercial, treaties, of which seven have already been concluded and others of great importance, including one with Germany, are being negotiated.
All this constitutes a vast mass of work of great importance on account of the exceptional circumstances in which it had to be carried out, and such as should suffice to create a title of legitimate pride for any statesman. The country has indeed promptly responded with admirable and satisfactory spirit to this policy of reconstruction.
This, I repeat, is the satisfactory reality. Should we then shed tears if a few tons less of paper, which is often a corrosive stimulant like absinthe, are printed?
But, you will say, what about freedom, freedom crsuhed by reaction? Who of us has ever discovered that he was not free in this fair land of ours, where everyone is free to come and go, to discuss, work, live, suffer and enjoy, earn and lose, according to his humour and his
