Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1854-05-20
r. WALDO EMERSON ON FRANCE.

TnE following is the report of the lecture recent.
" delivered by Mr. Emerson in New Bedford 81
Nature said Mr. Emerson, has not chosen to nut
the best wine into one jar. IL is placed in many
vessels. W Q must search through city to find
all The faculties that constitute a man. French
writer has said that IL takes one thousand seven
hundred or one thousand eight hundred men tol
make complete man. The sea cducaes one
class, the mountain one, Europe one and America
another the Whole constituting the symmetry of
the race, aud the result is u secured soul.
lie should Observe the different members Of this
mundane body and see what Offices are sorvcd by
thom, and particularly by France. Paris Is
france All the rest of the country Is but Paris
on smaller scale, an imitation The English
built London for England. France constructed
faris for TIE world. In Paris the buildings are
more grand and national than in London. Every
species of amusement exists there. Twelve thou
sand students resort there annually to attend the
public lectures on scientific subjects The city Isl
filled with tue treasures Of art. The people are
lively and chatting. They are easy in conyersa-
tion and ngrccrbc in their manners. Paris is to
the foreigner what London is to the Londoncr.-
Everything attractive centres there. The people
IoIscsS q high military character, and on parade
IT IS as dHicult to determine their social position,
~ 1t is to penetrate their boards. All receive n
military education. The dancing-nasler comes
to you from his fencing lessons. The lively tone
of the French journals is remarkable. The read
ing-rooms are extensive and fitted up with great
OF the language it to be universally spoken
The French are a nation that talk more than they
think but there Is prosclyting force IN their con-
yersation that captiyates and attracts the mind of
the listener.
The lecturer gave description of the Partisan
clubs, ono Of which he attended. A laborng man
was declaiming with terrible force. WHY said
he "do the rich fear that wo shall destroy their
property. We shall do no such thing for we ex-
pect that it will soon be oursw
All EurOpe is "A mark for tho nonuiar Trcuct ro.
mancers, in which they can meet their frionds.-l
In any European country they are well known so
extensive is the circulation Of their works. Thel
unyersality of the French language is n capital
secret Of the power Of their books Said distn-
gushed statesman, book written in French is a !
declaration Of war to all Europe. The nation is a |
vast propagaudist. They ignore all things else
but themselves. France is always foremost in the
rNce. Those of Tcutonic blood assume to consider
it serious misfortune to have been born French
man, and that the latter pays for his winning nd-
dress by smaller scale OF faculties, lie would
cndeayOur to be impartial, and should draw his
witnesses concerning the French, from themselves.
They occupy one Of the inircst territories in the
world, and they have spared no efforts to make it
attractive. We visit Italy for its antiquities
France for the present and the new. They have n
clear intellect, and make the most Of what they |
have. Everybody has n fine idea Of order, and the
French mind is clear and excellent in exact scien-
ces. They are great ciphcrers. Their leading
idea is ccarness, perspicuity. The word genius
has no high significance with them. 1t means a
fine cook, hair dresser or dancing master, who.
is superior in his business. They are less national
than other countries. They 1--we for the world and
TO make Paris attractive TO the world. They have
had no true idea Of poetry until recently, u fair
specimen Of their poetic genius being we'll describ-
ed by the old lines: "a cobber there was, and he
lived in STALL"
The contributions Of the French TO the useful
arts and the comforts of life highly credtable.
Their taste, equipage furniture, are all very fine
and elegant. In designs, fashions, dress, etc. all
nations copy after Paris. There is law of gra-
dation in fashion, and the skilful milliner can de-
termine what peculiar notifications the next style
will bring out by the last. If we strike discord
We must prepare the for the true noie by few
intermediate notes. So in fashion. One style
must be only slight step in advance Of its prede-
cessor. Paris mlner could make the Bloomcr
costume popular, at last, if she would only APP
proach it by degrees, despite the satire of Punch
French Patterns arc the models for the world and
all others are collated from them. The French
taste in most instances, is too correct for our peo-
pie, and our designers are moro engaged in cor
rupting them SO as TO adjust them to our taste,
than in searching out new designs. In u word
the French excel in Dress dancing, cookery, and
in police. The latter has no equal anywhere IL
iS most admirable and excellent in all its parts.
In n word, the French are a nation wise in their
pleasures and most foolish in their business. The
opera is the soul of Paris, and Paris is France
In Paris, what cannot be said can be sung, and
NHut CthuOt bc sung CuIl DC uanCeu. ulNe France
good government for twenty-four hours, and no
matter what it may be afterwards. In that short
space, everything bubbles up, and then gives place
TO novelty. In two days the most important affair
is forgotten, and the great tide sweeps on unmind
ful Of the past Madame dc Stae says that Pa
ris must have something new every month, to cap
tiyate the nation"
France is the empire Of bagatelle. Its idea is
amusement. Its pleasures are all refined and are
made the most Of Mirabeau remarked with his
last words -" Oh, lghtheadcd, thrice light-head-
ell nationl" As an illustration of their giddiness,
when the allied armies captured Paris the citizens
forgot in few hours their defeat, in the splendour
Of the show. The women graceful and beaut
full, bat the control of French Cupid is never
longer than few days at most. The hero is he
who invites the spectre that haunts him, to drink
wine with hin French life wants yeracity; still
underlying all this levity, there is much Of goot
in the French character. Nature has scattered
generous and beautiful souls among them-Fene
ion, Monesquieu, Pascal, and noble and beautiful
women, who have made France the centre of let
ters. The sense they give to love is a bar to the
civilization. They should cultivate sterner anc
laughter virtues. While the English march for
ward steadily and with severe brows, to freedom
the French run laughingy away.