The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-02-22
OUR PARIS LETTER


OUEsTroN-RoNE, Enc.
EVENING TELEGRAPH SPECIAL CORRESPONDENCE.
PARIS, February 4.
VOltRire.
The proposition to organize subscription
for the purpose of raising statue to Voltaire
has given rise TO very sharp discussion IN
the Paris press, some of the journals opposing
the proposed measure in the strongest terms
The Pays, an organ of the Bonaparte dynasty,
in long article, says that Voltaire was de-
famer of the popular classes, speaking OF them
with the greatest contempt. As a citizen, he
eulorized all the Ministers who succeeded
oach other under Louis XIV, and likewise all
the Kings mistresses He, in fact laid his
incense in turn at the feet of Fleury, Barnis,
Ricbelieu, Maupeon, Choiseul, and Turgot.
He adulated the pure and virtuous Queen
Maria Lecksnska, and almost in the same
breath Madame de Pompadour, and afterwards
Madame Du Barry. 1t is true that among his
intimate acouaintances he made up for the syco-
infancy of his adulations by the abusive
bitterness of his mockery. certain school
of casusts has been reprOached with its doc
trine of mental reservation; but what can be
said of Voltaire For three years Q7j9, l76O,
andIl76l) he was in correspondence with King
Stanislaus, who, wrote he to Marmontel, ''has
sent me q letter of the kindest description"
etc. ''The King" he said to Thiriat has
sent me his book. I enclose you my answer;
see if it is not favorable" And nearly at the
same time, again communicating with Thiriat,
he treated King Stanislaus as a fool, getting
mp silly books by the aid of his Secretary, an
ex-Jesuit. AS q patriot, he was still worse.
France was engaged in the unfortunate ''Seven
Years. War" At that time, so full of humilia-
ton and disasters for France, what was the
game of Votaire! This one-He inhamed
Choiseul against the King of Prussia.
The King wrote satire against
the Minister, and the very first thing Voltare
did was to show it to the latter. On the
other side, he swore to the King that he had
never breathed word concerning the matter
to any one, whilst at the same time he advised
Choiseul not to treat with the King. To the
latter he wrote:-"Your verses are charming;
and if your Majesty has beaten your enemies,
they become still better.' We must not for
get that the enemies alluded to are the French,
those unfortunate victims of the ignorance of
Court generals, named by the favor of the
Kings mistresses, heads of the army and
Marshals of France. Is it really necessary
to draw money from ones purse to glorify
such "reminiscences The majority of the
Parisian papers are of opinion that it is not
necessary to honor such person by a sort of
national manifestation They say he was car
ried to the Pantheon; that surely is enough,
if not too much.
The Changes In the Constitution
The Paris journals still continue their re-
marks on the late changes in the Constitution.
Several of them, during the last few days have
been carrying on a rather animated discussion
respecting the merits of the Ministers to whom
the Emperor has given or continued his CON
fdence, and those whom he might have chosen
in preference. The public of France will have
some difficulty in taking any interest in such
dispute. Nobody cares much whether the
policy of the Emperor is defended before the
Chambers by statesmen long in Office, by
friends of the second degree, who have passed
into the first category, or by former adverse
ries, suddenly touched by grace on the way to
the Tuileres. In reality, as well as in theory,
it will be the policy of the sovereign alone
which they will come to defend before the
Senators and the Deputies. We therefore
believe that those discussions as to proper
names, maintained by certain journals, are not
worthy of the attention of any except the few
men who find an amusement in comforting.
withdrawing maintaining, or retaining port
tOlios,
The Oriental Question.
In perusing the European journals, one
would suppose that war was on the point of
breaking out. The European press teens
with incorrect statements, forged facts, and
false judgments. Because a portion of the
Cretan population has risen in insurrection.
the conclusion is jumped at that Turkey in
Europe Is threatened with general conhagra-
tion. If the Greeks were more numerous. the
bursting forth of this fire might alarm the
Porte; but as they are in a minority. rising
in Thessaly and Epirus could only be disastrous
to the populations of those two provinces.
People seem to have forgotten that there are
between the Black Sea and the Adriatic six
millions of Bulgarians, irrecOncilabe enemie,
of the Greeks and devoted subjects of the
Ottoman Empire. Unless foreign power
should declare war against the Sultan, Turkey
has nothing to fear; and if an attack should b,
made from without the allies of the Port,
Would do what thew have already done