The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-07-20

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party in France
Strange that this avowed and ostentatious
democrat, this eloquent powerful spokesman
of French Radicalism, is not popular even
with Democrats and Red Republicans. They
do not trust him. They cannot understand
now he can honestly extend one hand to De-
mocracy, while in the other he receives the
magnificent revenues assigned TO him by des-
potlsm One might have thought that nothing
would be more easy than for this man, with
ms daring, his ambition, his brilliant talents
MS commanding eloquence, his democratic
| principles, and his Napoleon face to make
nlnseh the idol of French Democracy Yet
ne mas utterly failed to do SO. AS politician
ne has almost invariably upheld the rightful
cause, and accurately foretold the course of
events. lie believed in the possibility of
Italy resurrection long before there was anv
Iuea OF ms becoming son-in-law TO a King of
Italy; he has been one of the most earnest
lrlehds OF the cause of Poland; he saw LONG
! ago what every one sees now, that the fall of
| the Austrian system was an absolute necessity
! TO the progress of Europe; he was n steady
| supporter OF the American Union, and when
| IL was the fashion in France, as in
| England, to regard the indie
! pendence of the Southern Confede-
racy as all but an accomplished fact he re-
! NAMED firm IN the conviction that the North
was destined to triumph With all his char
''ii"'iO lVShlessllesS ana lmpetuOSlty, he
has many times shown a cool and penetrating
| judgment, hardly surpassed by that of an99
other European statesman. Yet the undenia-
bic tact remains, that his opinion carries with
1t comparative little weight and that no Marty
recognizes him as a leader.
is he lnsincere? Most people say he is.
They say that with all his professions of de-
mocratic faith, he delights in his princelv
rank and his princely revenues that he is
1,,xy,,
decelttuL The army despises him: the popu-
lace do not trust him. Now, for mvself. I
do not accept this view of the character of
Prince Napoleon. think he is sincere demo-
crat, genuine lover of liberty and progress.
But think, at the same time, that he is
cursed with some of the vices of Alcibiades
and some of the vices of AIirabeau that he
has the habltual Incidence almost of Ven
dome, with Vendome's occasional outbursts
OF sudden energy; that a love of luxury, and
a restlessness of character, and fretfulness of
temper stand in his way, and are his enemies.
doubt whether he will ever play great his
tor1cal part, whether he ever will do much
more than he has done. His character wants
that backbone of earnest, strong simplicity
and faith without which even the most bril-
liant talents can hardly achieve political great
ness. He will probably rank in history among
the Might-Have-Been Assuredly he has in him
INC capacity " pay IL great part. IN Know
ledge and culture he is far, indeed, superior
to his uncle, Napoleon l; in Justice of politi-
cal conviction, he is long way in advance of
his cousin, Napoleon III. Taken for all in all,
he is the most lavishly gifted of the race of
the Bonapartes-and what part in the cause
of civilization and liberty might not be played
by a Bonaparte endowed with genius and
culture, and faithful to high and true convic-
tlons But the time seems going by, if not
gone by, when even admirers could expect to
see Prince Napoleon play such a part Pro-
badly the disturbing, distracting vein of un-
conquerable levity, so conspicuous in the cha
racter OF his father, is the marplot of the sons
career, too, After all, Prince Napoleon is per-
haps more of an Antony than Cesar--was not
Antony, too, an orator, a wit, a lover Of art
and letters, a lover of luxury and free COM
panionship, and woman? Doubtless Prince
Napoleon will emerge again, some time and
somehow, from his present condition of COM
parative obscurity. Any day, any crisis, any
sudden impulse may bring him up ito the front
again. But l doubt whether the dynasty of
the Bonapartes, the cause of democratic free
dom, the destinies OF France, will be infu-
enced, much for good or evil, by this man of
rare and varied gifts-of almost measureless
possibilities-ther restless, reckless, eieouent.
brilliant Imperial democrat of the Palais
Royal, and Red Republican of the Empire
the long misunderstood and yet scarcely COM
pretended Prince Napoleon.
From rather gushing article, entitled
'How they Keep House at Compeigne," " we
quote as follows
At last you are in the house, and in your
rooms, and as dinner is punctual at seven,
you can rest yourself, take a bath, arrange
your halr nicely, put on little, very little,
perfume; will select from among your clothes
such as you thind will make favorable i'm
preston, and in. due time will appear in the
grand Sdt0n, to make that impression. There
are collected the various guests, and, if YOU
are lovely woman, you will for a few mo-
ments be totally absorbed in the many-colored
and perhaps fancifully-cut dresses which
others have devised to make their favorable
| first impressions. At first you will forget
about your own schemes in that direction. in
the absorbing interest of silks, laces, gloves,
and flowers. But, alas, then you wili2if Of
an Over-sensitive nature-you will reflect that
you are outdone, that there are more startling
colors and more fancifully-cut dresses than
yours, and, forgetful Of the proprieties, you
may be betrayed into giving your skirts a
petulant twitch which, let us hope, may
gracefully dispose the soft, falling folds.
The evening is upon you-what will you do,
how will 1t go? Can you enjoy it? You
know some; you speak with them. chat with
them, laugh with them. The Emperor and
Empress pass about informally and easily;
they say pleasant nothings No state secrets
are whispered, so far as you can hear The
Empress asks about America, if you are an
A5lmlencan, as hope you are-indulges ia a
lttle enthusiasm, wonders if Niagara is as
great as they say; if the praires are as wide.
the caves as profound the Indians as wild,