New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-09-04

stndes could be pursued but the Senate sttle more
than an asylum for Emeritus professors, for large
part unleaned for most of the remaining part past
learning anything new i'll politics. Hence the embar'
rassment of the Emperor, when, last month, he had
to look up new Ministry to help him inaugurate a
new policy: 10 construct from the small material
OF his set Ministry that successfully carry it
out will be still more difficult. Let suppose for
moment that the Senatus Consultum being promul-
gated and a new election ordered, he should Jump
the long interval that still separates his position
from that of the constitutional monarch who
relgns, not governs, and, going frankly over to
parhamentatlOn, should offer the Premiership and
formation of Cabinet to any Liberal bold enough
to accept the offer There is not the material say
rather the personal, to-day in the sO-called Left
Center, Left or elsewhere for the composition of a
good Liberal Cabinet there are not four able men
among the 1l6 who signed or among the 40 more adj
vanced Liberals who did not sign the Interpolation
who would be likely to act harmoniously together for
any length of time Olivier Favro and Simon have
all hitherto been critics and destrOyers. Their bril-
liant talents have for years been expended in at
tempts at demolishing, In long years of discussion
they have taken advanced positions on many points,
from which their mere entrance into Cabinet
would be a retreat, and look like flight. The
pointed French proverb runs " IN Jdcobin Mnistre
nc pound pas 6tre an MniStre JdoObn" The point has
run through and down many French Minister
The extension of popular education Is, if possible,
more needed. And here let Justice be rendered to
the present Emperor for that degree of popular edu
cation that stops at reading and writing, and some
other small rudimentary book teaching. Though he
has done shamefully little. he has done more than
hls uncle or the Restoration, and positively though
not comparatively, better than Louis Philippe. And
justice should also be melted to those earlier French
days when there were glants-tO that grand common
school system elaborated by the Convention, which,
if applied its author intended it should be- would
have enabled every adult French citizen to read and
write 1t the finest of the many fine passages in
that terribly grand work, the French Revolution,
ruthlessy eXpurgated by its terrible great editor,
whose unlucky birthday was celebrated by the gen.
eTal reader last Sunday.
There were $1,000 soldiers, more or less on parade
last Tuesday, for the death of Marshal Mel. Mel
was uuquesionably an able engineer officer, and
more than ordinarily capable Minister of War. He
was an amateur and deemed himself an artist in
military man-millinery and mantau-lnaking. The
expense of lenghening and shortening the cOat-tais
and varying the caps of the French army TO suit his
tastes, would have doubled the yearly appropriation
for common schools, which are painfully
needed. But ! speak now more especially
of political education for the masses Universal
suffrage, instituted by the Republic of 1873, Jim
tied afterward but finally accepted in full by the
Cpeut of the votes of 1851 and 1852 for Presidency
and Empire respectively. Any most helpessly ig-
nOrant French human aged 81 years is constitution
ally competent TO vote for legislators as he was COM
petent TO vote IN 1851 and 1852 for regime that
should rule his descendants forever Yet no inclli
gent, cultivated FTenchman is competent to for
the mayor of the smallest village. The theory of
universal suffrage here implies that the people
fit TO decide the highest questions of home and
foreign policy, but not on the building of foot
bridge over the village brook IL is not requisite TO
multiply instances and Illustrations.