New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1852-11-18
EUOPE.
augrst Cornte.

has the name been meDCOIe" WIN" ''
the head of this article. There Is no pon'icAi
moyement in which COmte has taken par1-ho
,oterie which can number INN among i's 'neni
bers he belongs TO no scientific as"eh "S F"
Lopoliticel clique H.. hin, nm,
,rh;s sc;enti6c rc,iremeut. He belongs neither
90 tho soc;etv Of adventurprs, who now govern
France. nor TO the scientific opposition when
has arisen against the military Empire. lie VIII
hsrdIy owe any faTortO the present Governments,
s;nce IL rewards and pays only TOR the services
which are of immediate use 10 lt-but he VIII
hsrdlv return disfavOr for the disfavOr OF the
Covernrpent. He belongs, a. few can say OF
themselves 10 himself, and viii blame no po-
l;tieal p0v,er if il does not feel called upon to
withdrew Kim from himself
Untiitke Revolution Of J7S9 and the catas-
trophies which, one after another, fell upon the
French aristOcTacy, it may be said that the
French were divided into two pe0pes--the
Franks and the Gauls. Now, il would seem,
we can better, and with more justice, say the
French people consists of two classes, namely,
men and fOrmula-men.
The contrast between these two classes does
not first date from the revolutionary victory OF
the Gauls over the Franks. 1t is older / date
IL from the time Of Descartes and the deyel-
sopment Of exact science. Descartes was
man--a man of firm grasp--a man who, 10 his
whole position and bearing expressed the conf
dence Of bis inner nature--a man, who was pro-
loundly convinced of the value of his phll0sOphi-
cal discovery, but still had no inclination TO de-
,maDd that the Werld should immediately submit
10 his philosophical idea. He was actually
man, since he proudk and mOdestly opposed the
world He knew the worth OF bis idea, but he
also knew that deas, although they inialllbly
make themselves felt in the organization OF the
world, are not destined 20 take possession OF lie
world in q moment
The fOrmula-men, the true Celts aud genuine
representatives OF the Romantic peoples are the
antipodes Of these men ct exact investigation.
The more obscure and abstract the formula, IN
which they have expressed their inner be-
ing the more imperiousY do they demand that
the world shall bow before it, The literature of
the eighteenth century with its phianthropc
phrases-ROusseau with his will of the people
hirabeau with his illusion, that the rOyai .nd The
popular interests c0incided-RObespierre with
his antique virtue and love of country, were
fOrmula-nen and RGbespierre even placed the
guillOine in motion in order 10 slay the wietchcs
who had not the same antique virtue with him
self nor were willing to sacrifice themselves for
their country
Among no people have formulas had such ON
impotence as among the French. NapOlcOu's
motto, "The Glory Of the Great Nation" the
BOurbon's Chogte, Louis Philippe s Jaste WIieu,
Lamartines Fraternity, Louis Napoleon Uniycr-
sal Sufage-are all formulas, 10 which the
French people have sacrificed and still sacrifice
their whole vital energy.
Ii has often been matter OF surprise that
the French Immediately after the revolutionary
excitement should so easily submit 20 AbsOut-
ism But any ground Of surprise fills away
when it is considered, that even in their revolt
tons they obey an absolute dominion, namely,
the dominion If q formula When they submit
10 the absOuiSm Of an individual after revolu-
tiOnary cOnyulsion, they do not change the sys-
TEN OF government, but only the ruler
August Comte says, in one place of his d" Posi-
tive Philosophy" that Lis school is limited tohs
own person lie is right-he stands alone in the
midst Of his peoplc-in the midst of the formula
men--e fate which belongs not TO him alone, but
10 all who cliticisc the prevailing formulas, and
who are prevented by a iar-reaching survey of
history from throwing themselves into the arms
Of any prevailing party and giving themsclEesnp
TO its phrases.
August COmte is no critic-but of all French
men, he has come into the closest contact with
German criticism. In his principal work, "POsl-
tive Philosophy he setstorth the criticism which
history has exercised and wishes 10 organize on
human conceptions and crcatIOns-Or sketchesa
picture Of the organic condition, which in his
view is the result of historical criticism up 10
this time and of the organic endcavors which
pervadc ills criticism, this dissolution, negalion
and perpetual revolution.
His Positive Philosophy" one of the most
important philosophical works which the French
have produced SINCE the time Of DescaI1eS, 1
will make the subject oi some of my next let-
tiers; patty on account Of IFS peculiar intcl!i-
gence, and because il deserves 10 BE- known ina
wider circle; and partly or the sake of describ- |
ing the present condition of European science
and its position in regard to politics by the CON
tnst and mutual points Of contact, the differ
ence and the coincidence Of French and German
investigation
Iycnture on this attempt, also, because be-
Ieye that the modern intellectual anarchy has
now reached that extreme degree, where solid
and exact research will obtain appreciation and
influence.
In my present letter, will touch on some
points in Comte's biography
Descended from Catholic family in the South
If France about the close of the last century,
educated at the Polytechnic Scliool-he was AZ
traered to st. Simon by his conviction that a
radical social regeneration was necessary, found I
ed ON an equally radical intellectual revolution.
Count ST Simon had intact concluSvely shown !
that the present age is laboring under com
pletc contradiction Ii he had limited this con-
tradction 10 the formula that while nations were
essentially industrial, Governments were sull
feudal he would have expressed the general
feeling of social discomfort in pointed aud to a
certain extent accurate language
Ii was moreover, great merit of ST Simon
that he gave new impulse and AT the same time
a safe direction 10 the study of history, when he
followed, with precision and cleamess, the down
fall of the feudal aristocracy and the develop
ment OF industry.
A further merit of ST. Simon was his criticism !
of Liberalism and its advocates. He showed the
origin of the uninterrupted blows which have
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