New-York daily tribune., 1856-08-02

r.taint3 most IT ,te aeltinents, nsUps snI
., a., -,>n r. yiae bv .bs sep ~ ~hc1 'h"y Ss1
a., oy me R,voiu-iop 5vc-hrev ~ znt sSr, WITT
out intenog 10 dn 20 they had nade 1se OF its fe.
man IN rsts,ruet the e5iSCs 0, tho he1 epteJi ~
tAst 10 hty eamsr. beES the Rsv"rton and ts wk,
II as desirable TO forge. for moment the Frerce %.
fore our t,es and 90 10 question in her ion2 iba'
Fr,,ee which il 20 more. Sujh is The task have
bre uroposed to vny.e have found Il more diii ut
We f,r ey hat we know the French society Of the
Eighteenth Ceitnry because we see clearly vnat sn'ne
On its surface. We have even the desis "i tne hVes
of the ebIated persons OF that age ls HusI
Gus Writers have been sIpoundel 10 Us Ds Irgen'us
and eloque, critics. Bot as ~ the manner ih "bfn
sfars were then conducted, The real practich ratfe
Of rsti'afions the exact position OF cases 70 reatoo
to each other the condition and sentiments o tnose
cIas,es who had not a. vet found the means n sboF
III, m, elves and mske themselves heard Whist reauy
were the fuldsm nts .Iaits of opinions aod manner
as to thtse points have only confused and often
eDert ideas have attempted to p neSate 10 we
core OF tbis ARcien Fegtme." go
Does Dot this show the best spirit Of philoso-
phic historical arch in pursuit OF tnls pur-
pose NJ. de Tocqueyille has spent many isoorous
Years in pouring over, not simply the celebrated
books of the Eighteenth Century, but mass OF
documentary matter, such SIS the records OF the
assemblies d fEtqts, the Cakiers drawn up BY the
three orders in I7s9, and the numberless reports
still TO be found in the archives Of some Of the old
nttndsnets, upon all subjects that interest men
in this life.
Here" he ssys, found the An''en Rtg!ne al
alive with it potions i,s passions its prejudices, ts
forms and habts As advanced in those staoies,
wa surprised TO fnd from moment TO moment, many
{, atures in The FiaLce of that time WHICH are most
iIikirg in the France OF to-day found mere ass
| Of entineDts which bad thought were the ohsPhng
Of ile Revolution mass Of id-es th4. had huherto
~ posed Origin ated from it thousand customs thst
the Revolution ha. alone the credit OF having gwen
Us; everywhere met with the roots oil modern society
| profOunoly paDteo in that cd soil
| The present volume treats OF the 1ncieR Rtgtme
| bnt the butbor purpO.es 70 continue his studies,
and, if strength and life permit, TO give another
volume more directly upon the RevoIution-i. e.,
the Revolution after its explosion.
| There are other parts in this preface that
should like to quote one passage especially, that
begins: IL trust that l have written this book
without prejudice, but do not pretend to have
written IL without feeling (passion)" This feel
| ing this passion, is for liberty, which the writer
begs to be excused for entertaining nowadays
WIEN as be is told nobody 10 trance cares for it
on the around that il is old aft ction with him.
And then he poes on TO repeat, respecting democ'
racy and despotism, nesrly Nhathe wrote more than
twenty years ago in bis Democracy in America
Had he written il for the first time to-day It could
not be more apt to- nor more severe upon, the des-
| pOtsm that now rules France Scattered through
out the work are other similar reflections, which,
though they contain the statement OF but general
truths, such as become the dignity OF history, are
as directly applicable to the regime OF to-day,
al will be as directly so applied by every French
reader as the m )st puDgent paragraphs OF the
candestine Republican press have had occa'
zion to notice something similar to this 10 the
recent volumes Of 1hers, Nillemaln aud other OF
the foremost writers of France Indeed, some
thing like il must appear in the works OF all great,
honest writers. II is not the opposition OF poitl-
cal faction; ID ia the opposition OF truth-neces-
sary. unauenchable, and eterral-to the faseness
ard rohg of deepotsm. Ard it is sn opposition
that no political shrewdness or unscrupulonsness,
or great financial measures, or standing army can
Guel or even reach. Not even the la@ on the
press-so far are we got forward 10 France not
any law On the press can stop 1t. 1t VIII work Its
work.
know of no book that gives. so clearly as this,
the philosophy not only OF The French Revolution,
but of French revolutions. From the closing chap
ter which is peculiarly able in this respect, can
not refrain from quoting some traits from por-
trature of the French people:
Wien cor slider this patton in itself, hnt u more
extraordinary Than any OF the events OF It's history
Has there ever appeared on earth another peope 20
full OF contrasts and go eXravaeaDt IN al IT'S acts 30
much led by sensations, so little by pnDciplesl Ac-
coIdiIgy, always doing wOIse or better than was TO
be expected; stn ctin Is below the common level OF
humanity, sonetiu cs far above It. people 80 un-
clbnqeahe in ts primo nal instincts that It Is recogniz
abe IN it, portraits which drawn two or three
tbOusaud ago, ard at the same uole 30 lncon-
saIt in us daily ttOu hts and in its tastcs that 1t be-
G II es often unexpected spectacle TO Itself. aud
a. och supIstd Strangers at the sght OF MS own
wolk; the most home keeping obscryer of routine
when left TO tsef but II once forced nom its daiy
habits ard its b aten pa'h, ready to push on TO the
worlo's Il 10 the bOldest adyenturer in oce by
temperamtnt, and yet adapting Itself more readily TO
the arbitrary and even votnt rule OF prince than to
the II eual and zee government of the chief citizen;
to DAY the declared my ut all obedince tO-mOr-
low OBJ yI with fort OF passion which the people
tie BE- ged for seIvitude cannot rise to- he'd by
thread long no individual resis's ungoyenaOle
econ the first signal Of resistance il given; thus
always dtceivDg its masters, who either stand t0o
much not enoush in fear OF its nature; never
free that need despair OF subjectDg il, never
subeutd that il maf not yet be capable OF breaking
the yoke; apt for all thit gs but cxceiag only war;
wOrshipng acciCen', lorce, success, show and noise
latler than true glpry capebe Of heroism than
Of virtue If genius tban Of god sense ft to conceive
inmet plans rather thsn 10 cary out great enter
prizes TO the enc; the mOe brilliant and the most dan
terous Of the nators of Europe, and the most Likely
by s nature TO become for thum IN time an object of
admiration, Of hatred Of pity, OF terror but never Of
! Indifference"
had intepded to give more space than is aow
left me TO Les Marriages de Paris, by Edmond
| About ] eau only say that it contains half
dozen entertaining stories, the interest of
each turning On a marriage. All the mar
Iisges are the results of true love; they are
dll bsppy. This is net the generally received
Lotion of the character Of Parisian marriages.
! What is, perhaps, more singular, considering the
theme Of the book, aud considering that il is
amusing is that from beginning TO end there is
not sentiment or word to create blush on the
| purest cheek.
La Peintare COatemporaiHe en- France, by AnatOle
| de Ia Forge is crllical and historical treatise
upon the works of the great painters of the day
! Ipgres Delaroche, Del,croix AIRY Schefer, De-
camps, Troyon. ROsa BOnheur, and four OF five
other Of the living masters are treated of, with,
! am tod, al impsrtiaity and sOundness of judgment
ruriousIy rare In the critical literature OF art