The Hawaiian gazette., 1869-01-27
The NIonifeur.

gan. but few win be acquainted with the
facts concerning il that they will discover in
perusing this article from the Saturday Re
vie7c.
A discussion has lately taken place in the
French Chamber as to the character andy
ton Of the official journal, which threw Dlueh
light on the history and conduct of the Hon
ielr, and shows how important a part it
plays in the machinery of the French govern
ment. The term during which the subsidy
is granted to the No1iifeltr is on the eve of
expiring, and it was necessary to take a vote
for the renewal of the grant. This offered an
opportunity of freely criticizing the mode
in which the official Journal is worked. But
all speakers of Whatever party agreed that
1t was necessary that there should be an Off
cial organ. That there must be some means
by which the government let's the nation
know authoritatively what are its views, and
what il intends doing, was taken for granted.
Something of the sort exists in almost every
country; and even in England, where the
House of Commons affords so natural mode
of effecting this object, the system of using
q particular paper to let it be known what
the government proposes, and what it wishes
to have believed as TO its conduct, cannot be
said 10 have died out. Mr.. Dsraeli had hard
ly got into Office as Prime Minister when he
began writing letters TO the Times. In France
where the government does everything
and controls everything, ii of course wants
an organ far more than government can
want it in a free country; and the very corner
stone Of personal government may be said
TO be that the person shall not only act for the
nation, but shall be able TO communicate by
some rapid, diffused, and Ineligible method
of information what it is that he is doing.
But it is a great mistake to consider the Non
stelr simply as an official organ in the sense
in which there is an official organ at Berlin
OF Vienna or Madrid. 1t is much more. It
is nothing less than a current history of
France under the supervision of the govern
ment. 1t contains all bulletins, DEGREES, and
ordinances; il gives copious accurate and
impartial report of all that is said in the leg
islaiive body, and it furnishes France with
a summary of what is happening abroad and
at home. Mr.. Rouber stated that all this
was done with the utmost care, and under
the direct personal supervision of himself as
Minister. To illustrate the pains he took,
and the burden thus thrown on him, he said
that he had felt Obliged to spend some days
in reading a work connected with the French
Revolution before he could sanction its being
noticed in the columns of the NoniteE. The
history of France is thus made day by day,
under the direction of the government for
the time being, and this is one of the most
curious and fruitful sources of governmental
power in France For this history is, in the
first place, the only history permitted, and,
in the second place, it is very well done.
No other paper is allowed to give any report
Of the debates varying from that of the Hon
iteuT, and any paper contradicting statements
in the Noniteltr, or pointedly qualifying them,
would Immediately lay itself open to prose-
cution for spreading false news. The -Honi-
teur is thus protected against historical com
petition, and il contains treasury of mate
rails of great value with which those who
undertake TO look into the story of the past
in France cannot afford to dispense The
early numbers of the Moaite,r published in
the first years Of Revolutionary France, have
lately been republished, and contain Il cur
rent history Of those agitated times which
brings their character before lis in most
striking and graphic manner. In this way the
government not only supplies almost all the
materials from which its actions hereafter
will be judged, but, as it presents them
in the shape that il considers best, il
insensibly colours the thought, not only of
those who read its current history day by
day, but of those who in future ages will
teach men what to think of it,
One OF the consequences of this manutac-
ture Of history by the Government is that
French historians are naturally driven, in
discussing or writing the history of their
country, TO brilliant theories and audacous
And this is n tendency which |
may be expected to increase. There are no
materials from which criticism of the gov
eminent history can deduce an independent |
account. All that the critics can do is to !
take the lloRiteUr and make theory of what !
they find there, and manipulate the state |
ments of the 4HOI,itear to suit the theory, or /
else invent those facts which they guess (
ought TO have happened in order to make /
the story of the KoHiteur true, or to supply /
its missing links. Half century hence, /
what will the French historian of the present .
Emperor be able TO do except to follow the /
pages of the lHonitesr? There he will find .
abundance of materials, and elsewhere he .
will find next to none. There may be some /
excellent and intelligent people at the pres
ent moment writing journals and memoirs |
and letters in France about current politics;
and their writings may hereafter be publish !
ed, and will probably be taken not only for
what they are worth, but for great deal
more. But what can these persons really
have to say as to the conduct and action of .
a government with which they have no sort
of connection, and of the proceedings of
which they have no sort of knowledge?
The historian will discover nothing in their
writings by which he can check what he
finds in the Nonitear. He will therefore
speedily save himself the trouble of going TO
more than his one source of information
But it is not TO be supposed that a brilliant
Frenehman will degrade himself into a mere
servile compiler from the 1oniteur. That
would bring him no amusement or credit
and We may safely reckon that, in order to
do himself justice, he will spin theory He
will have some startling view about Louis
Napoleon which he will offer TO his
cOuntrymen and if the con-
ents of the MOniteHr do not suit his theory,
80 much the worse for the Moniteu. The
present Emperor may therefore, have the
satisfaction of thinking that there is every
nope that the school of history will be per-
Detuated in France which teaches its disci-
Dles to call a person like Julius Caesar Mes
,iah. Perhaps, however, it is even more
Interesting to him to think that the 1i0aiteur
lOes so much to shape the thoughts of the
living persons over whom he rules; and the
ioRite,tr is specially cOntrived so us to do this
Is much as possible. 1t is not enough that
current history should be written, ii must
llso be read, and the Nonitelr therefore aims
Il being readable. 1t adds to its current his
DRY literary department in which reviews,
tories aud criticisms, fully equal in ability
o those offered by other journals, are fur
lished to its readers. 1t was chiefly this de-
which provoked opposition in the
Chamber The speakers who objected to
he proposed subsidy said it was necessary to
1eep up a government organ of news, but
hat it could not possibly be necessary to pay
'Xtra LOT mere literary cOIDpOslllOn- 10 lnls
u. Rouher replied, that this was q most i'm
,ortant part of the paper, for it was the sweet
ming in the cup, the gliding round the pill.
10 human being in his senses, he was pleased
o say, would buy paper merely TO have
he pleasure of reading the debates. But if
lie was encouraged by getting little literary
un for his money, he might stray from tina.
Which he liked into that which he did not
ike, and when he had got through his review
n story he might, from wish to kill time,
" from powerlessness to make up his mind
o put the paper down, go on to read what
ha d.rutiao had haau saxf1r