The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1848-03-16
French obaracter-1amartine,s "Girondists."

| One of the books that has lately attracted not
onlv the attention of the mass of readers but espe-
cially of that part called the critics. is Lamar
tines History of the Grondists, handsomely is
sued in three volumes by the great publishing house
of our country, the Harpers, in New York Read
ing over the pages of this remarkable work lately,
orr mind was turned to consideration on
French character. Perhaps no other book gives
one fairer insight into the more vivid points of
that character than this same " Glrondists. -
There we have the Frenchman himseif-full blown,
excited by all the most powerful passions that can
actuate the soul-warriors, demagogues, men and
wolnen-the rabhle, the mobiles, the leaned-poets,
ru1ans, the king and queen!
What metaphysicians would call the poetcal SEN
tnent is at the bottom of the Frenchmans charac-
ter. This often developes itself in ridiculous
sort but it remains yet. The genuine Frenchman
wants something different, something better, than
mere matter-of- fact life can afford perhaps he
wants neutrality-suspicious. glory perhaps he
knows not what he wants, and only shoots out of
the beaten track because he feels the irresistible
impulse within. As to physical grace, even the
lower classes in France possess it, fer it is conse
quence of the mental quality we have mentioned
Every woman however poor and uneducated is
Then there is general honor among all
classes there In this same 8 Girondsts . are re-
lated numerous instances of the most blood thirsty
mob being actuated by feeling of refined honor
worthy of Chevalier Bayard. One was that, when,
sacking the apartments of Maria Antonette, $ the
evil Austrian, and after wreaking their fury in a
horrible manner upon every thing they could lay
their hands on, the Sans-culottes came at last to
some private letters just written by the Queen and
in all probability containing information and senti-
ments that it would have been useful to the .pur-
poses of the revoiutoniss to know. But instead of
opening these letters, even destroying them they
Were carefully enveloped, and sent to the posses
sion of her Majesty! Is there rabbe in any other
country on earth that would have done likewise
1t is mdeniabe, at the same time, that the char
acteristics of the gentle nation speak of, while
more ornamental than the others, not fitted
to do the hardy work of life those of our Anglo
Saxon race. The former have not pushed their
emrire and domination like the latter, nor effected
those substantial improvements. Yet in the domin-
ion of tact and good taste the Frenchman.(and wo-
NAM ahead of the world.
As history, conveying the full philosophy, COM
bined with the minute particulars of that wonder
full era, the French Revouton-when the works
and changes that at ordinary time require hun
dreds of years, We're done in so many days, 1--WE
may almost say hours)-ths Z" Girondiss - is, be-
yond comparison, the best book yet written 1t is
of almost painful interest, too-an interest springng
from the fact that, though its variations slrpass
romance, they altogether true, and of real
characters