The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-01-29

ewerea:-"Monsieur 10 President when was Am.
hassador under the emo,re always acted In the
do. and should never have had in view any other
1nieresl. received tneh At nv house impsrialists
lee1ttmIsts. Orieaniss, republicans. and even your
self. Monsieur Thiers often favored me wish
visits BUT since you entertain such apprehensions
concerning me am very glad OF having anticirated
your wishes, and OF having gwen IN my resigna.
tion" They separated very col Nv.
AT the weekly meeting OF the Academic Fran
caise Yesterday the resignation OF Monseigncur Du.
read the letter he had receive from the Bishop OF
Orleans and afterwards his answer 10 the prelae,
couched IN the following terms:-"Monseigneur,
have received the letter which you have done me
the honor to address 10 me. will communicate 1t
on Thursday to the Academy. Accept Monseigncur,
the assurance or my perleci cOnsideration.-E.
Legouve" II appears that by the rules o. the AGA
DENY thar the election OF a memDer can only he
made when fauteuH has become vacant bv death.
once an academcian always an academician.
Mouseigneur cannot be forced to attend the meet
ings but he has not the power TO resign MS chair,
which. should he persist In hrs present determine
uon. must remain untenanted until the Bisnop OF
Orleans be called away from the scenes of
clared that without violation OF It's traditions
the Academy could not accept the resignation
OF Monsegneur DupanlOup notwithstanding the
want OF respect he had shown towards their Illus
trious body by having sent his resignation to the
newspapers before having done so to the Director OF
tile Academy. NJ Guzot tnen poured oil on the
waves and terminated a speech OF considerable
length with these ords--"Gentiemen. until the
present moment throughout this ailair-,o he re-
GREETED In everv resrect-tne French Academy Il
say so with PRIDE. has acted with dignity. Let 3
continue to do so until this incident be closed which
cannot lie long. for nave some reason to believe
that our dear colleague MOnsegneur OF Orleans,
VIII not persist In his resolution to leave after
having remained win us for more than twenty
years" All The academlcians expressed themselves
as entertaining the same sentiments. The "order
OF the day" pur et siaoe was then voted. and the
stting broke up. II was understood that the Bishop
had written In reply TO an article IN the journal des
aud the ieading part which OF late years Monseig-
neur DupanOup has assumed at its meetings. The
writer insists that the academicans can console
themselves for his loss by the restoration OF Tie
caniacss necessary for their deliberations, as the
Bishop Will no longer at end their meetings simply
la The letter replying TO tnis article Monsigneur
DuranIonp saws That IN opposing the candida ure OF
nj. Littre he mas considered before everything else
religion ana the sous OF men, the peris or tile Dung
among society," the superior interests OF morality
and truth, convinced at the same time that the
Academy can not be indifferent to these sacred
tercss. al he French Academy
was only sa,on Tor literary conversation, and IL
the pubic and persistent denas OF GO OF the soul
and or human liberty are only chImeras, without
any Importance you are perfectly right and am
WRONG What matters IL who Oitencst enters o
salon. or who retIresS But l had formed quite
another idea Of the Academy and, as have said be.
lore. the Academy, seeing that 1t includes the hrst
statesmen the rst IN losopners the first lawyers.
the trst literary men of my country, Thought and
words ana its elections NV error has been, any,
in accustOming myself TO the thou ht That nothing
could make the Academy descend rom TINS
zine doctrines Of M. Littre are such that with
them society," no religion. no philosophy Is posi-
bic. TO sanction these IDEAS by raising TO The hlgn
est hOnOrs the wrier who Is the most ardent pro
pagator OF them, appeared TO me absolutely impos-
sible. one says th the Academy has not
always been faithful TO this grand idea OF seli-re-
spect. an Ignorant or It, but what DO know IS
that have never seen 1t depar ing from IL. and
what also know Is mat VOliaire, whose name
some one prOnounces here, was moi an atheist, and
NJ. Littre himself calls him somewhere very ndV in
the expression Of a belief IN God.
"You are among those VINO after the Congress OF
Liege told me- They are but children and to whom
replied, Ia ten years, perhaps, these children Will
be your masters Ten years nave not passed, an l
only Yesterday they were Of the Commune OF Paris,
and YOU NAV have seen some OF these chidren's
names at the foot OF Its DEGREES. Let France con-
tnue 10 feel such moral carcessness as TO persons
who indulge IN such compromises and such COW
ardIce--not only In the Academy. but elsewhere,
too-and 1t Will not be long before fresh disasters
oycrtakc u.s."