The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-07-23

fifty francs; but they looked with respect
upon Maitre Leon, who left the court with his
head erect and his eyes sparkling, whilst the
crowd parted reverentially before him right
and left, and followed him wonderingly into
the streets.
An hours speech, life's triumph. 1 had
known something of Maitre Leon before that
great day, but had never looked upon him
as anything else but q very amusing French-
man, very witty, and very skeptic. 1t had
never struck me that he might be republl-
can for it had not occurred to nae that he had
any political opinions at all. If had gwen
the subject a moments thought, should pro-
bablv have reflected that he must be a liberal,
for all French barristers are liberal, just as all
French magistrates are conservative. When
a student of law takes his gown, he at once
makes his choice as to what he shall be. If
he is ambitious of magisterial honors, he re-
signs himself to be a government ser
want He begins by being appointed to
a minor justiceship at twenty-three or
twenty-four, and goes on rising step by step
to the end of his life-that is, 50 long as he
behaves himself If, on the contrary, he
elects to be a barrister, he knows that he will
never be anything else but a barrister, for
judges are not chosen from amongst the cele-
brities of the bar as in England. A barrister
there has only one road by which to attain
honors, and that is the political road. When
he gets to be thirty-five or forty he dreams of
the Corps Legislatif. His chances are better
than anybody else's can be. journalist has
only his pen, and has seldom more than few
thousand readers. A barrister has an au-
dience, and as his speeches, if important, are
reported in all the papers, his readers can be
numbered by the million. Under
these circumstances, barrister who
would set up for anything else but a
violent radical must either be very conscien-
tious OF very stupid. With universal suffrage
to sail upon, he has only got to hoist the red
flag and to go straight ahead. If his lungs
are good; if he talks nonsense plausibly if he
promises to knock down everything; if he
takes the part of labor against capital, and
urges the claims of fustian and corduroy to
sit side by side with broadcloth in the Legis-
lative Assembly, he can snap his fingers and
sing, 10 Triumphe!" He will be elected
without fail, and may keep his place undis-
turbed so long as he does not lower his key
and fall into the error of being moderate.
The next time 1 saw Maitre Andre Leon
after his remarkable speech he had added
cubit to his stature. 1t was not the same
man who used to frequent the Cafe Voltaire
He was one of the newly-chosen deputies of
the Corps Legislatif. Two constituencies had
elected him-heaven help the constituencies
and in each case an old and valued liberal
had been turned out for him. When we met
after Boquillon. He had forgotten Boquillon.
who was no doubt still in prison, but he had
plenty of Boquillons friends to think of, for
he was besiged from morning till night by
Republicans" who wanted him to defend
them gratis. ''Is honesty at SO low an ebb,
then, amongst these gentlemen?" ?"
asked. ooh! their honesty's all
right, answered Maitre Leon grimly; ''only it's
the police who oppress them; and that's why
they get into trouble. You know what an
agent prOg0cateT is? Well, these rascals
go prowling about until they light upon an
inoffensive citizen, and then they dig him
in the ribs. The citizen, of course, shouts
'vive la Republique? p" ''Why should man
who is dug in the ribs of course shout 'Vive
la Republique! interrupted. I'm sure
don't know" he answered, ''but they gene
rally do, and they come to me to defend
them" 'And are you always fortunate
enough to get them a years imprisonment ?"
1 went on. Maitre Leon looked at me a
moment over his absinthe, and then laughed
with some of the old spirit of the Cafe Vol
taire eau diable !" he said, ''vous etes tous
les memes; vous ne youlez pas me prendre au
SerieuX,