The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-05-31

LOUIS Napoheon ana II - AssoS00s
The Prince President Of France has proved himself
to be ordinary genius, whose purposes be anti
ciIaed and predicted. Like the great Napoleon, his
designs not manifested to the public conception
by any antecedents, but remain mpenctrably sealed
within his own mind His coup d'eiat Of the second
AZ December unheralded bv any palpabe signs,
bnt came upon the country avalanche, and
took the civilized world by surprise. Since then,
however politicians, Journalists letter writers. and
wiec ,ncn--who study the phases of the political
aimcsuhcre ard make acute calculations Of the
signs which they obserye--have given birth to
III, hceies foresha1owing his further movements.
In THE instance, however, they have proved them
selves false prophets. The tenth Of May has been,
Tor months back. set down by these pretended
scothsayers u por,entous day. which the En-
pre should be reinaugurated in France. This augury
prevailed. ard found almost universal belief in that
country. and tie whole Of the European continent,
as well rs on this side Of the Atlantic II was
looked forward to with as much anxiety and tremu-
loGspess was the day fixed by the insane Miller
ties, few years ago. for The second and final
destruction Of THE planet. But the day has come
and gone without witnessing the accomplishment of
that great and important augury; and now prophets
have fallen into disTepute and their predictions into
well merited contempt.
But if the Empire was not proclaimed in France
the tenth Of May, another event, almost equal to
it in the importance Of its aspect, has taken place
That event was the presentation of the imperial
eagle to the French army. more brilliant specta-
| Gle hardly presented than that which the
Champ de Mars displayed ut the celebration of this
sol,mnity, where four hundred thousand men, repre-
senting all conditions and localities in France, at
tended to do honor to the occasion. This was not
idle military parade, or a meaningless ceremony,
but calculated, and designed by its author, to
ren1le, in the army and the nation that enthusiasm
which the elder Napoleon stirred p,through the same
means, on the fifth Of December, 1904, and which
| displayed its terrible effects for more than half
Of years. in the resisess march Of the French
| lcgons against Europe in arms 1t may be, too,
that this replacing Of the eagle the national stan
dard is destined as prelude TO events as mighty as
those which followed its first adoption. No doubt
but Louis Napoleon calculates; and it would, in
deed, almost to have been intimated in the
following sentence, translated fron the bencdicton
pronounced over the standards by the Archbishop OF
Paris, with all the pomp and grandeur Of the Catho-
| lie ChuIch:-
0, God Sovereign Master Of and Of peace who scat
terc'h couspfaces Nho cameth sue npests vino break
eth. when thou wilt the sword drawn for the combata
con,is bacomc thou, bless these standards impress
upon them The bright sign OF thy power and thy sancy
render them terrible only TO The of public
reposc ana TO those natons-f any such may still DO
foundeaoas Of our glory and our prosperity and who
| would attempt to disturb them. . May they
tain in thcii glorious folds and for the secur
~ Of the good and the terror Of the wicked and may
France under their shadow exist for the welfare Of the
world AZ the grandest and haPpiest Of nations
/ There is something in the style Of this bcnedc-
I ton, taken in connection with the extraordinary
ceremony itself, calculated TO lend force to the
I lectures which have for some time past existed
to Louis Napoleon's determination t. find employ
rnent for his army. 1t seems to point with unms-
,alenblc meaning TO the nation against which those
| standards should be unfurlod and that army en-
| gagged. :" Peridious Albion Is shadowei out as
the nation jealous Of our glory and Of our pros
| perity. and who would attempt to disturb them
There is hardly any inistaking the alluson; and
may he it found cordial response III the heart
of that mighty army to whom il was addressed
| Who knows but that the genius OF Louis Napoleon
may not itself have suggested its introduction into
the discourse Of the holy man who came to pro-
| nourcc the benedjetion Of the church upon those
eagles which were to recall the memory of the glo
rious duys Of the first Empire 1t n most APP
prorriate suggestion, and one in every way worthy
Of His talents
/! Bat while we thus point out this apparently
| trivial ceremony, which probably las been
designed prelude to nj ghty results, We 40 not
by any means intend to found upon it any prophc-
ties of own TO the which Loai.
| Napoleon may have il view for the French army.
We have said, in the beginning Of this article, that
it is difficult matter to penetrate into his secret
thoughts, and do not wish to expose ourselves to
the inputatiou Of being false prophets We leave
4 r,r,diciop mn res hanis md n