New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-01-05

,he grasp of tho law il You spoke your mI"a'
II ia not only the press which 10 mauo "
dance in letters by this new democra'e a."
.,;n;o,rotion. The delight of the badauds oi
a.. sidewalk in Paris has always been tno
..s;oo,,,ras in the windows Of the print SHOPS
nh p.risian taste for eccentric and piquant
art hos always keenly enjoyed these products
of the cynical spirit OF the studios i-iS.'Oo
looks and laughs, with flying ribbons, Oh ".i
way TO her shop. The pastry COOKS poy ','
the pies on his head cool IN the vino "nno
he has his grin at the follies OF his petters.
The man in the blue blouse stops mome"'
70 enjoy his comfortable grumble at society
But we are told that political carlcatures arc
m no prohibited henceforth by the Govern
ment The very fact Of this prohibition VIII
drive vagabond genius into something "orSo'
The caricature of mere humor Will have DO
favor when the Jest at the expense OF the
"big bOnnetsr becomes an unlawful thlng.
A still more foolish thing is the prohibition
of the sale of the photographs OF the CoHi-
munist leaders. 1t is easy to imagine that IL
il not very pleasant for gentlemen OF the Tow
eminent to see the shadows OF their Banquos
everywhere in the shop windows. Ialeyrahu
once escaped q visit from Aaron Burr by iet-
ting him know that portrait OF fauiiOon
HING in his library. But however disagreed
BILE it might be for the men who ordered the
execution of Rossel and FerTe, who sentenced
Rochefort to penal servitude, ana Eiisee
Reclus to exile, to see their images Dougnt
and sold like those of saints and martyrs IL
is hard TO see what right they have to pre-
vent il. The faces are well worth buying as
matter of history and physlognomy.
The inveterate and implacable honesty
YOU see in tho rugged face OF
Delescluze the intense stare of Rochefort
which shows the near alliance of great wit
and madness; the fantastic courage of Flou-
rens. and the exquisite and almost feminine
beauty of Pascal Grousset. give positive
value to their pictures, which even so great a
historian and statesman as AdOlphus liners
might study with pleasure and proft. some
of the faces are so rascaly as to Justiy all
the Philstines say of the Commune, ana some
are so fine as to make us cOnslder-what IL Is
always well to cOnsider--that even the WORST
and most reckless of our opponents are not
without redeeming elements OF human ma
tme.
But this fussy anxiety of the Government
to nip even the unopened buds OF treason
reaches point where it becomes grotesque.
An officer of the Department of the Interior
has been detailed to examine the stock OF the
toy-sbops to see if perchance any germ OF
sedtion may Turk among the tin soldiers and
the wooden dogs. IL would not be possible TO
conceive Of measure better calculated to
excite "hatred and contempt against the Gov
"ernmentn than that of setting some middle
aged employee, with spectaclcs on bis nose
and the red ribbon of the Legion of Honor In
his button-hole, to spying out the deadly
dangers to the State that might lie con-
cealcd in the box of jllmping-jack or the
small satin petticoats of a Nuremberg doll.
All this attempt to bottle up the manlfesta-
tons of party spirit, which would be COM
paratvely harmless if left to themselves, are
altogether futile and may result in serious
damage. In the ambitious romance of Mr..
Ward, the pirate captain, after his head is cut
off. falls to the deck eyclaiming, The world
is governed too mucb.n 1t would be well II
Mr.. Theirs and his Cabinet wonld recognize
this great truth without waiting for similar
ga tas trODhe