Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1873-02-22
Talleyrand.

Ialle!rand.
In Temple Bar we find the following
story
Ialleyrand could neither love nor
hate he was a passionless man; he
never committed a cruel or vindictive
action, and never a purely motiveless
generous one. Every thought, feeling,
plan of his nature revolved round one
great centre-self. He could not, as a
great statesman, have created broad,
comprehensive scheme of Government
his own petty interests dwarfed his
ideas. In him the reasoning faculty
was largely developed, the imaginative
not at all I; he trusted to no deductions,
to no speculatiOns that were not rigidly
derived from his own personal expert
ences hence his views, although won
derfully correct, were never all-compre-
hensive.. He understood mankind sec
tionally; he could almost infallibly
foresee how each section would act
singly; but of that "touch of nature
that makes the whole world kin of
those subtle links that can mass man
kind as a whole, and by which all great
rulers have swayed their worlds, he
knew nothing. Because no process of
mathematical reasoning, no experience,
however extended, can deduce them !;
| their existence can only be. the inspira
ton of those creative faculties of the
mind that revealed to Shakespeare a
Macbeth and 4 Hamlet. He worked for
the greatness of France, because upon
the greatness of France depended the
greatness of Talleyrand.
He was purely a cynic-the we'll
beng of mankind never for a moment
entered into his calculations. To him
| the world was a chess board-mankind
the pieces he ranged his kings and his
queens, his bishops and his generals,
and played them one against the other ;
when the game was exhausted, and the
sovereign was encompassed by enemies
beyond all hope of escape, he cried
Checkmate," and began the game
afresh. 1t was said of him, "Like a
cat, he always falls upon his feet cats
do not follow their masters, they are
faithful to-the house." His vices were
those of the age in which he was educa-
ted !; his RIGHTEOUSNESS, his cynicism,
his skepticism, his selfish contempt for
mankind, were learned in the boudoir
of DuBarry. In reason and in action
he was of the nineteenth century in
thought and feeling he was of the an
cient regime. His liberalism had been
learned in the school of Voltaire he
accepted the advance of political ideas
as a necessity, but with no sympathy.
"The thoughts" he said, ''of the
greatest number Of intelligent persons
in any age OF country are sure, with few
more or less fluctuations, to become in
the end the public opinion of their age
and community, and he always yielded
to public opinion. While attached to
any Government, he served it faithfully
and zealously; and in all his tergiver-
sations he scrupulously retained the
outward forms of decency, reserving to
himself respectable excuse for his
detection. 81 have never kept fealty
} to anyone longer than he has himself
} been obedient to common sense" he
said. The most brilliant of his talents
} was a marvellous and most prophetic
foresight, in proof of which L extrac
the two following quotations from his
writing.
The prophesy contained in the first il
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 re
} elimination or reprisals. America grows
each day. She will become a colossa
power, and the time may arrive when
J brought into closer communion will
) Europe by means of new discoveries
she will desire to have her say in ou
7 affairs, and put in her hand as well
Political prudence then imposes upon
) the Government of the Old World tC
7 scrupulously watch that no pretext il
; given her for such an interference
, The day that America sets her foot il
| Europe peace and surety will be Danish
} ed for many years. Do not let us de
ceive ourselves the European. balance
that was established by the Congress
of Vienna will not last forever. It vii
be overturned some day, but it promises
us some years of peace. The greatest
: danger that threatens it in the future
! are aspirations that are growing uni
, versal in Central Germany. The neces
sites of self-defense and common
peril have prepared all minds for Ger
manic unity. That idea will continue
to develoy until some day one of the
great Powers who make part of thu
2 Confederation will desire to realiz,
, that unity for it's own profit. Austri'
; is not to be feared, being composed O
pieces that have no unity among them
selves. 1t is then Prussia who ough
to be watched, she will try, and if sht
} succeeds, all the conditions of the bal
ance of power will be changed it vii
be necessary to seek for Europe nev
} bases and a new organization.