Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1873-03-13
TALLEYRAND.


In Tempe DdF We u ou eno
Story
Talleyrand could ncisher lore !.
he was o passioniess man; he ner
nitted q cruel or vindictive nel
never purely mo,ive!sss GET -,
Every thought. feeling. plan n
revolved round one grcasz
He could not. as great sfS6
created q broad. comprehend =
of Government; his own pe'ty r
dwarfed his ideas. In him The
faculty vas largely developed. i s
inative not at ail; be trpste1 = e
tinas. sosvrFerussSsun5. q nj {;
idly derived from bis own personal expe-
riences; hence bis views. although won-
dertully correct, were never al-compre-
henslve. He understood mankind sec.
tiona!l,; he could almos, infallibly foresee
how each section would act singly; but Of
that Z" touch of nature that makes the
Whole world kin'-of those subtle links
that can mass mankind as whole. and
By which all great rulers have swayed
their worlds. he knew nothing. Because
40 process of mathematical reasoning. no
experience. however extended, can deduce
them; their existence can only be the in-
spIration OF those creative faculties of the
mind that revealed to Shakespeare a Mac
beth aud Hamlet. He worked for the
greatness of France. because upon the
greatness Of France depended the great
ness of Talleyrand.
He was purely cynic-the we'll being
OF mankind never for a moment entered
into his calculations. To him the world
was he-s-board-mankind the pieces.
he ranged h.s kings and his queen. his
bishops end his generals. and played them
one against the other; when the game was
exhausted. and the sovereign was eucom-
passed by enemies beyond all hope of es-
cape. he cried Checkmate. AMI began the
game afrash. Il was said Of him, Like
a cat. he always falls upon bis feet; cats
do not follow their masters. they are faith
full to-the house." His vices we're those
Of tho age in which he was educated: his
RIGHTEOUSNESS. his cynici.m, his scep,i-
cism. his selfish contempt for mankind
were learned in the boudoir of DuBarrv
In reason and in action he was of the nine
teeu'h century; in though, and in feeling
he was Of the ancient regime. His liber-
alism had been learned in the school of
Voltaire; lie accepted the advance of poll.
teal ideas as necessity, but with no
sympathy.
1.-THE thoughts" he said. "of the great.
est number of Intelligent. parsons in any
age or country are sure. with few more
or less fluctuations. to become in the end
the public opinion of their age and COM
munity.' and he always yielded to public
opinion. While attached to any Govern
ment. he served it faithfully aud jealous
ly; and in all his tergiversations he scru-
pn!ously retained the outward forms of
deeency. reserving to himselfa q rcspccta-
bic excuse for his detection. II have
never kept fea.'y TO anyone longer than
he has himself been obedient to common
sense" he said. The most brilliant of
his talents was a marvellous and mos,
prophetic foresight. in proof Of which cx-
trac. the two following quotations from his
writing.
The propaesy contained in the frst is
rapidly coming to pass that contained
in the second has just been wonderfully
fulfilled: Upon the side Of America.
Europe should always keep her eyes open.
and furnish no pretence for rccrimina.ion
or rerrisals. America grows each day.
She Will become colossal power, aud
the time may arrive when. brought into
closer communication with Europe hy
means of new discoveries. she will desire
to have her say in our affairs, and pu. in
her hand as we'll Political prudence
then imposes upon the Governmen. of
the Old World to scrupulously watch
that no pretext is given her for such an in,
terferc"cc. The day that America sets
her foot in Europe pence and surety will be
banished for many years Do no, le, us
deceive ourselves; the European balance
that was established by the Congress of Vi
emma will not last forever. /, will be over.
turned some day, but it promises us some
years Of peace. The greatest danger
that threatens in tnthe future are aspirations
that are growing universal in Central
Germany. The necessities of sele-defensc
aud common peril have prepared all
minds for Germanic unity. That idea will
continue to develop until some day one
of the grca. Powers who make part Of the
Confederation will desire to realixe that
unity for its own profit. Austria is not
to be feared. being composed Of pieces
that hsve no unity among themselves.
II is then Prussia who ought 10 be watch
cd, she will try. and if she succeeds. all
the conditions Of the balance of power
will be changed; it will be necessary to
seek for Europe new bases and new organ