The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1872-11-06
I.Oufs Adoiph Thfcrs.

seyenty-ffth year. Yet he bears
burthern of responsibility whicl
! might reasonably appal yOunge
, man, and accomplishes in the way o
public duty and private intellectual
occupation an amount of labor o
which few at any age are capable
Similar evidences ofiniellectual actiy
ity, pro;racted through long lives, a
, in the case of Brougham and Seward
and MANY other distinguished men
seem to prove that the habit of intel
. leetual activity coufers on the aged
intellect the facility of weil-traincd
faculties. Ii was said of Theirs inhi-
youth by a contemporary, "iie medi'
tates without effort, ne marches with
out fatigue. and he is the most rapid
thinker of whom | have knowledge .
French biographical notices have a
flavor OftwO-sidedness in them, espec.
iaIv the notices written for .he peri,
odical press. They seldom praise
without a sneer. or blame without a
qualification. The reader may be
amused at the following passage from
a publication. in 1910, when Thiers
was an opposition orator:
go into the chamber some day
when there is grand parliamentary
tournament. Direct your ewes to-
ward the narrow cage bordcred with
marble, which serves for tribune for
haranguing deputies. Behold in it a
little man whose head alone is visi-
bic. 50 diminutive is his stature. That
head is adorned with a passabIy ugly
face. somewhat monkeyish in sooth,
but quick, vivaci0us, expressive, orig
inal which seems to be hanging from
an enormous pair Of spectacles.
While our 'honorables' are employed
in hushing their school-boy buzz, ex-
anime the eaprieioGs contour of those
thin sneering lips, on which is ever
playine the most minute, sarcastic.
/ inau;sitorial of smiles At length 81
lenca IS established, the orator is
about to speak. Listen; or if your
organization is at all delicate or mu-
seal begin by stopping your ears and
openinr them by degrees, for the
voice YOU are going to hear is one of
those shrill scrceching, piercing voices.
which would make Rubina shiver and
rive Liblache ft. 1t is anomalous.
amphibious, neither masculine nor
| feminine, and strongly favored, more
over. with q provincial accent. Yet.
this little man without appearance.
without dignity, and without rhetori-
cal voice, is one Of the most eminent
personages Of the epoch, and one of
the most powerful orators of the
Chamber. Those shrill lungs emit
sounds almost always listened to with
favor. and often appIauded with
pbrenzied enthusiasm. From that
nasal throat issues a flow of words
Transparent as crystal, rapid as
thought, substantial and compact as
meditation itself. "
Contrast with this the Theirs Of
1870. as described by Or. W. II. l,us-
sell. while the negotiations with Ger
many were in progress He has, at
Versailles. large sitting-roOm, in an
hotel. which is like 4 Prussian bar
rack. The tables are covered with pa
pers. There he repairs as soon as
it is daylight-this aged, inGrm and
toi-worn man, filed with cares and
terrible anxieties-and writes for
hours. assisted by his faithful seeretc-
rv. He suffers from severe palpita-
tons of the heart, aggravated by his
recent travel, and speaks as if he
thought his time was near at hand.
III fail now, | shall retire to NV
family and await the end, which con-
not be far distant Before dinner he
sinks into his chair, or lies down aud
sleeps for an hour or two How mar
velously he wields the only tongue he
knows every sentence polished like
some elaborated gem of foratory The
Germans scarcely notice him, and the
little man, in his plain black clothes,
chimney y-pot hat, gold spectacles. pass
ing through the groups of great uni .
formed Feutons, is curious represen- /
tion of that warlike race, whose 1
military passion he has done so much I
to excite and glorify."
But NJ. Thiers did not fail. To /
him more than to any other man
France owes the repair of her disas-
ters, so far as they have been repair
ed. He is a man of the people, and
whatever have been his political chan
ges. he has preserved the character of
a patriot and those who denounce
him one day, trust him the next and
those who satirise him every dav
have always confidence in his capaci-
tv. They may not Ike his measures,
but his results are usually fortunate.
That he is capable of degree Of
inesse and management nobody
denies. An amusing anecdote of his
Doyhood shows that their accomplish
nent is not entirely the fruit of his po-
itical experience. While student
1t AK, in 1915, he PLAYED the part
If a leader among his fellow students,
md harangued them against the gov |
,rnment of the restoration, was dis
iked by the professors, execrated by
he Commissary of Police and adored
" his comrades A prize was of
cred at the Academy of AK for |
realise on given subject, the au-
hors, all save the successful one to be |
Inknown. Theirs sent in his manu-
cript. The authorship was suspect I
bv some means became known |
o the judges Though the essay c
vas preeminently excellent, rather ;
han give the prize to the little Jac- i
bir,n the Judges deferred their de- ?
ision for year Theirs again seat in I
is paper for competition. Meanwhile I
production had come from the City s
f Paris, which was clearly above all {
hat had been offered, and the delight {
Judges gave it the crown at once. I
hey then accorded to the paper sus- $
ected to be written by Theirs, the .
onor of the second place. Upon Il
the names. both were found "
} be his. The little Jacocin" had C
aused the last written essay 10 be '
Dpied in another hand and forward v
! from Paris.-Piiia Ledger. o
Iaior Andre n Prisoner at Carlisle. y