The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1848-04-12


spirit They have no doubt promised more in a
week than they can perform in twelvemOnth.
But that is a necessity of and incident TO their
very existence for day-for an hour. All men
succeeding to power, alter so radical and organ
ic change, must promise more than is possible,
or more than would be desirable, if even posi-
Bile. So 1t was in 1889, 1890 and 1880 it was
in France in 1880, aud in England IN 1881, 1882,
1888 and 1884.
Why should we expect human nature to be
different In lSiS, after revolution more awful,
more unexpected, and more immense in its re.
suits, than any recorded in the page of history
| Obstinacy, pride and blindness, the provisional
government have not exhibited; butt succeeding
TO- government OF obstinacy, blindness and
| pride, based on the most soul debasing selfish
ness, fraud and corruptlon-they are forced into
extremes the very opposite. They must yield
| too much and too often, and level themselves
down to the spirit that stalked abroad in the
| streets of Paris with a torch in one hand and a
sword IN the other. But whose fault is this I!
| 1t is the falkland the fault only-of those mad
and silly men who resisted slight, but just and
| necessary changes six months ago, and who are
now expiating their short sghtedness, their per-
verse and pedantlc imbecll.ty, In exile and dis
| grace. For the present. let 1t be undertood by
all statesmen and politicians, by all thinking
| men, that there is nothing to lean on but this
| provisional government.
There is nothing to fall back upon but anarchy
| if they be removed or set aside; and who will
not say that the worst measures yet issued by
| the existing authorities, or that can emanate,
from them, not preferable to civil war, confu:
n,plunder, or recurrence to street-fghtlng and
the last two years placed in the unfortunate posi-
| ton aptly described by that famous Frondeur,
| the Coadjutor of Paris :" II est DIES conjonc-
lures (says the cardiuaD dams iesqueies Ton
peut plus faire que DIES fautes." That certain
ly was the tate of the stiff, soured, and arrogant
pedant, made for his sins minister, and 1t
| might be considered his misfortune too, did not
| man who knew human nature better than any
| m Of his time n n tell n La
| ne met jamais les hommes en- Get etdt q,ti est de
tous de plus maiheureur." If this present revo-
luton was, the Steele says &c inevitable ct in
| domptable," it was made so by the perverse and
aynastic selfshness of the exMonarch, and the
| unsymp ithising, uasocial, and wholly Gene
vese, character of his first minister. OF the peo
pie or their opinions, the late French Minister
for Foreign Affairs, though greatly his superior
| in every respect, knew no more than our own
| Peel. OF the Doctrinaires, indeed, he knew the
| opinion, as Peel does of the mlllowners, the
Manchester cotton men, and the followers of the
| money muck; but England Is no more exclu-
| slvely composed of milowners and Manchester
men than France OF stiff, squlre-bullt pedants, or
| Swiss economists.
| One of our contemporaries, the organ of Peel,
the economists, and the holders of heaps of un-
| employed money, has endeavored to raise pre-
JUDGE against the provisional government, by
quoting, unfairly, isolated passages from former
| works OF Louis Slanc; but If Peel were treated
after this fashion, and Hansard called in evil
dence against him, where would be the wisdom
of his solemn blagne set to the variations Of for
ty years OF perpetual change We seek not to
| defend every word or every writing of Louis
| Blanc But, unlike Peel or any of his disciples,
he Is an admirable reater and painter. There is
| no Clumber heavlness-nO Tamworth prollxity
| no Gladstonlan paltering in double sense,
| about him. At least you know what he means
| what he would be at, and that ismore than can
be predlcated OF the most substantial, the most
artful OF human mystifiers. The thoughts OF
| Louis Blanc are often robust; his reflections are
| nearly always original; he Is too manifestly a
| true man, and sincere. There is no dryness of
heart--no 'arttul dodging"-no callous selfish
| ness about him. Can as much be Sid of any OF
| the Peel-Lincoln politicians Louis Blanc may
| be, and Is, We believe, most mistaken on many
points--on some points his views noxlous
and nonsenscal; but on his public character
| there Is no stain. What he is now, he has been
since 1882 and 1888, when in his 18th year, he
came up from the College of Rhodez to assist the
| National.
| TO some we may appear to attach too much
| importance.to this In most respects clever, but
| In many respects most mistaken young man; but
| when We state that his character and his wrl-
| ungs have been Tor the last fortnight the whole
| stock In trade OF the writer's of two daily Lon
| don morning journals, We may be pardoned tor
| telling our contemporaries something of a per-
son about whom they evidently know nothing
| whatever.
Also from the Herald of March IL ]
When the future historian oil the revolution OF
| 1913 shall 81. calmly down to collect the many
and extraordinary facts connected with his sub.
Ject, he Will not fail to advert to the remarkable
| readiness and unanlmity of the eplscopate In
France, In adopting and proclaiming the repub-
| lie. The R0mish bishops are not only not luke
| warm In their adhesion to the new order of
| things, but they are In the very first ranks OF
| those who are cheering with their applause the
| destroyers OF the monarchy. They accept the
| revolution almost before it is offered, and that
nothing. may be wanted which the sanctIty of
their office may confer, they commend lts,per-
feet success to the prayers OF the faithful. Has
ty as was the flight of Louis Philippe, the last
| print OF the foot OF majesty h ad not disappeared
from the soil Of France before the republican flag
fOated In the breeze from every cathe dral tower,
| whilst the vaulted roofs within re-ochoed TO the
sound of Domino saiUum fac populum, substituted,
at the shortest possible notice, tor the too quick
| y forgotten Domino salcum fac regem THIS I'M
petuosity OF the priesthood, however, Was even
surpassed by their singular agreement. The re-
cognitlon of the fail OF dynasty came not from
tae lips of this spiritual autocrat or OF that, but
| from the lips and hearts of all. The prelates OF
the French church, In their several dioceses, IN
| moment, ss 1t were, took the same view, ana
| adopted the same course, without taking coun-
sci, without conferring upon the nature OF the
crisis or the duty OF their order in a terrible
emergency, they received the news OF the events
only to welcome them with accammatlon, and
| to circulate them for approval
| II would be uncharltable to suppose that these
sacerdotel chiefs had any hand whatever IN
| bringing bout the catastrophe, which they hail
with such unequivocal delight, or that they them
| selves attempted to work out the perfect immu-
nifty and autonomy OF their church, for which
they vainly contended against the consea d'etaf
| ofLouis Philippe, in the uacanonical vestment OF
the blouse. But may they cot have had the sagaci-
| ty to anticipate the downfall at hand Did the
confessional breathe no hat of the coming whlrl-
| wInd, and was there no agreement beforehand
on their position, which IL behooved the church
to assume, for neediul protection from the storm
Ii Is, perhaps, as impossible TO arrive at salts
| factory solution of these questions, as 1t Is to
quell the suspicious that naturally suggest them
| selves to the distant and impartiA observer; but
| We submit them to our readers Let them make
| Of them what they may
To quote the various circulars or pastorals Is
sued on the occasion of the revolution IN differ
eat dioceses, is by no means necessary-the