The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1868-03-13
N. EDoUARD LABoULAYE AND HIS
LECTURES.
Pans, January Odd, 1868.

of speech is found. One is the Corp
Legislatiff, and the other, the alma ma
ter of Paris and all France-the "Col
lege de France" Among the profes
sors of this ancient and most eminent
institution there are some Independent
minds that, regardless of the political
circumstances surrounding them, ven.
ture TO examine the great questions Of
modern times with the utmost fearless
ness from a liberal point of view, and
express their opinions with great free.
dom to their audiences, Perhaps the
boldest of these hardy spirits is M
Edouard Laboulaye, the well-known
historian, moralist, satirist, and advo-
cate of the American political and So
cial system, who fills the chair of polit-
ical history. For many years this ac-
tive agitator for social reform and po-
litical progress has made his regular
course of lectures at the college the
means of propagating the self-evident
trueisms that find their most perfect
manifestations in the Institutions of the
United States. This winter, he again
pursues his noble work with undated
zeal. He lectures nominally on Mon
tesquieu's Esprit of the Laws" But
with his usual habit of preaching his
faith on every possible occasion, he
makes his subject furnish him constant
opportunities for dwelling upon the
solid structure raised on the sure found
ations of true liberty in the North
American Republic, and for pointing
out, by dint of comparison, the short
comings of the present political sys-
tenn of France. Indeed, for every one
word devoted to Montesquieu, he utters
four in praise of democratic regime OPP
pressing his own country, Yet neither
| his eulogies upon the former or his crit
cisms of the latter are of direct kind.
He approves and censures altogether by
indirection; and this constitutes the pc
culiar characteristic and charm OF his
lectures. He never asserts the superb
GRITTY of the institutions of the United
States over those of France point-blank,
but he places them in juxtaposition in
such way as to lead his hearers natuT-
ally to the right conclusion on the snb-
| jcct. Again, he never bluntly pro-
claims that the present rule in France
is constitutional only in semblance and
despotic in reality, but by his mode of
contrasting it with the degree of hber-
ty enjoyed on the other side of the At
lantic, he impresses his audiences just
as deeply with the fact as though he
openly stated it. BY this method he
manages to inculcate his views in the
public that hears him-thc lectures at
the College de France are regularly at
tended, not only by students, but by
hundreds of cultivated ladies and gen.
tlemen of native and foreign extraction.
including many Americans-withoui
running the risk of provoking direct
conflict with the powers that be. In
his constant digressions upon political
ground, he brings into full play the
powers of art, irony and satire, will
which he is more richly endowed thar
any other living Frenchman known tc
fame. So redundant are his capacitie:
in this respect, that almost every sen
: tence he utters is seasoned b. some
, spark of humor, ironical allusion or sa
tirical turn of speech. He has an inim
liable dry way of saying sharp and HUI
morous things that keeps his nearer
continuously in state of pleasant emo
ton. Yet, whether they be moved t.
laughter by some of his witt,
savings, or excited into loud applaus
by plain hit at some political abuse il
France, he always maintains remarka
BILE sobriety of countenance in full keep
ing with his apparent Inconsistencies
= of the moral warfare he is wagin
e against H'tyranny disguised" / hav
: seen him look, indeed, amidst both tn
roars of laughter and shouts eff ''bravo
of the audience, as though he was uttel
" at loss to understand how thos
d around him came to make such demon
$ STATIONS of satisfaction. Only at sue
81 times the slightest twitch in one of IL
8 corners of his mouth betrayed his syn
Of pathy with the sensations of his hea
- ers. Resides the gifts mentioned, NJ
Laboulaye possesses pleasing Voic
= an extraordinary fluency, beauty and
versity of expression, and astonishing
quick, concise, and yet always logic
d augmentation, and the difficult art
retaining the attention of the audien
from his first to his last word. Alt
nd gether, no finer intellectual treat can
No found In all Paris than to attend his Il
Iso lures. And, in addition to entertaini
ND ND and instructing, they afford an excelle
opportunity for obtaining a good i'd
As. as to the state of political feeling amo
the thinking people of the French c;
ital. The readiness with which the i
yon turer's covered attacks upon Napole'
ism elicit enthusiastic echoes from
Ia. Intelligent native audience, shows v,
,Ons strikingly how profound the discont
with the present regime is among
- well-informed and rejecting classes
IL, France. 1t has been a matter of w,
der to me all along that the governmt
which ordinarily displays such me-
4, is less rigor in suppressing everything
the nature of a political demonstrate
permits the outbreaks of dissatisfied
N il with its policy that takes place twic
antly week in the lecture-room of M. Lab
Wing laye. To be sure, it could not DEF
made, him from his professorship without
olating an organic law. But sti
could repress the manifestations of ]
ular sympathy with his teachi