New-York tribune., 1872-07-05
FRENCH LITERATURE.


yTAOn rHB REGULAR CORRESPONDENT oP TIiB TRIBuNRl
PARIS, June 5.-A volume of Gen. Trochus
editing which has just appeared is not only calculated
40 raise his injured credit somewhat, but deserves,
what comparatively few OF the numoerless Volumes
selating to the and siege Of Paris do deserve,
attentive perusal from the student OF current French
history 1t is documentary the largest OF the
word teaching by statement and suggestion, more com
prehensyey and tenngly than perhaps any other one
volume dated since 1870 does what the potco-moral
situation was out Of which the foreign war grew and
what that partially modified situation to-day is in which,
conditioning medium, the civil war OF angry discus
sion rankly grows with such small profitable frutage.
The body of NJ. Trochu's book is filed
with an impartially complete report OF the
famous trial for defamation which he insu
tuted against the Bonaparst hbeers Of the Legimist
Rysoro newspaper This is the first full report OF that
trial. giving the testimony OF witnesses and speecnes ol
counsel, all Of which, with the other attendant
circumstances, rendered the trial the most care
fully prepared test Of strength of the Bonaparnst
against all party crimes that the French public
had been or since invited to assist at Duly
note In passing that the testimony or witnesses
called by the and the almost vruent speeches
Of their who the ablest members OF the
Pay bar are taken word for word from the reports Of
the stenogaphers employed by the Figaro This readi
ness 10 meet worst give the heroest enemy farest
chance is characteristic Of authors bravery and
intimate consciousness Of his right.
But the peculiar value Of the volume lies in the oriG
nal matter an introduction and several vindicatory
chapters mostly written by the General, and now first
Published To this department belongs the famous Tes-
lament that old first Testament which were used to
hear much Of in the siege me and which some OF us
bad TO regard apocryphal In all senses despite
OF the Generals assertion wearisomey re-
peated, that it was signed sealed, and deposited
with his notary. Here It is long journal record OF
what he saw and painfully made TO personally feel
Of the distracted doubling impocy of government be-
tween the declaration of and the 4th Septemberi OF
his reflections the general aspect OF affairs and his
remarkably clear provision Of coming disaster Remark
able TOO for breadth OF view is his argument In the
Introduction for the maintenance Of mpersona gov
eminent; that is the government of the republic, not
che republic OF this that sect OF republicans bus
conservative republic, ralying all parties and alone
capable Of saving France frorn party revolutions.
The press with births begotten OF the
var and the Commune. of them poems and novels,
eonfessedy works Of imagination others of graver pre-
tense much coored by that faculty under the influence
Of party spirit and personal feeling; official reports and
protests against those reports most of which are mate
sals for future historian" and which people at
your distance will leave for that patient gentlemans
Fssa. Here and there crops out from the mass work
Of higher merit. Such one, military critics say, is the
hAst volume by Gen. vinOy u LArmsttce e Ia Commune
The complement TO his Siege dc Paris with due appara
maps showing the positions occupied by
federal national guards and by the regular troops in
Of the latter in the different quarters of Paris after their
entry into the city.
politics and the late war longer absorb al the
sstenton OF French writer's and readers although au
ve passages in works other themes often reveal tho
A<ge place they hold in the authors thoughts In the
Bshest and lowest literature of the day there con-
slant spurts of chauvnism not las the chauvinsm
Of ether people. but always altogether contempt
Hle-touching rather at times the self-cOnsoling
sAeFished sOpe of the Revenge word which careless
fSOeba sensibly says he will not pronounce land with
sAAracteristc rhetorical abundance he pronounces it
three times in paragraph because TO my eyes," he
add "n the actual state Of country it shows
both Of sincerity and dignity 1t is against ourselves
that must take revenge by repudiatng vain
Esry, luxury, our sefindugenee, social iudfs
spline. The other revenge will only when we
sAan have merited it, viii by Unforeseen
kaws, Providence and the moral law, which,
said and repeat do this world shall have pre-
yarcd for it."
The late tendency of thoughtful Frenchmen 10 look for
the Revenge in reformation of national faults and
aefeets and to study the of such reformation
n the institutions and national virtues of their enemy
Aas already been remarked on in this correspondence
B continuous, serious, growing To argue that 1t Is
zone Of these and never bear fruit from such an
Isolated fact reported fact as that out of 100
ssoers entered 1t last year only nine stick to
ther journal course Of German lessons instituted by
for the etst major, is too swift and
gay Of Overtaking a foregone conclusion from narrow
premises 70 be the right way Keeping in mind that this
tendency has it's object the reformation of France
within the conditions Of It's proper nature not the worse
than useless undeniable transformation of the nation
tto image OF foreign people, let turn again to
ihe new bookst where indeed we meet constant signs
ef It.
The actual situation" in France 10 made up of a
peculiar completely inerfuson-no to say confusion
of its moral economical. military, historical phIo
sOpheal elements, all subject debate So that there
theory in the higher order Of their respective literary
kind, which do not, with without their authors
special intention have positive and less direct
hearing political situation. Could there be one
for example, seemingly more abstract from it than
BOurnoufs philosophical one, La Science deS Religions
which is noteworthy by the way has already reached
its second edition. the ESsdiS dhistOre reli0ese
saeaH0eS Rherae resdably translated from the German
Of Strauss by NJ Ritter and prefaced with introduction
by his highest vein OF thought generous
feeling But the Catholic party regard the verbal
eolocatiOn OF science and religion attack the
church, and Strauss and Renan q gemni OF Anti
chTlsts, and the Catholic Church party q militant
party in the State, and call the and next van
Of political allies Join forces with them in counter
attack and defiant defense Of equally iinperiled
church, State and society.
The veteran Miehelet volume the first his pro
pesed Hisoire Dir Neaviere Steele is flaming
edged sword drawn from arsenal Of old sturdy
and reeoectons applicable applied to the warfare Of
actual political contrOv Although bearing the gen
era title History Of the Nineteenth, this first volume
of the work exclusively deals with events Of the
Eighteenth Century The subtitle is lie DrecoTe et les
Orloies Bonapores 1t is divided into three parts
the first part having for its general label "The End of
Jaeobns" On OF its early pages this chsracers-
ing sentences "The France Of 9s, the oreScendo OF its
suerngs, accumulated from century to century, and
bearing down the weight Of preceding ages will
never be appreciated until shall have written
terrible book that Is wanting The History Of Hunger
The very title presents itself reproachfully, gaunt
awful vision with somber eloquence OF that other title