The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-02-27
Gutzot ON Father MFacintise, Nauo-
leon, End tsfsr,o,.car

Il Z. a,
From long report in the New York
Herald of q recent Interview with the yete-
ran French statesman Guizof we take the
following interesting extracts:
81 confess" said NJ. Guizot, "that It does
not seem as If Father Hyacinthe would meet
with any great success ia France. Iregard
him rs thoroughly honest man, and in his
| new. work intensely earnest. Bit the French
mind Graves logic. Frenchmcn know well
that there is no halting place, no middle
ground, between Atheism and Catholicism,
mean that man must be whole Catholic
Or none at all. One cannot be a half Catho-
lie.
This is the position Of Father Hyacinthe.
Added to this there is prejudice In the
minds of Frenchmen against the marriage of
tue clergy, and the marriage Of Father Hya-
clnthe has offended public opinion greatly.
IL may interest you to know, perhaps, that
before ne married he sent to consult me upon
the ACCESSIBILITY of an act which. among other
Things, would separate him forever from the
Church OF Rome. / answered that he should
think long time before doing thing so
radically opposed to his career and calculated
to embarrass his position as reformer in the
church. Furthermore, said that before
marrying he must make up his mind to 20 all
lengths IN opposition to Rome, and to feel
assured that he was really in earnest and
prepared for all the contingencies of his
ne" situation. My daughter Went to hear
Father Hyaclnthe preach the other Sunday
at the Oratory. She tells me she was more
impressed with his eloqucnce than by any
speciai depth Or originality in his sermons"
Your correspondent, alluding to the sud.
zen death OF the Emperor andsthe interest
which mankind would feel in the criticism
oil such character by a man like Guizot.
asked the venerable statesman what he
thoughtof Napoleon III. 1.-The prominent
trait in his character" .said NJ. G,lizot, "and
it was an uncertain, devious, contradictory
character, was indecision. 1t was extra
odlnlry-his inability to arrive at a coucl.
sion or really make up his mind. He toyed
with politics. Hc would turn a question
around and around, look at it from all sides
aud under every aspect, and brood over it
ior long time, and yet be incapable Of ar
rlvlnS at decision when it was necessary TO
act. ~
:" 1t almost always happened that he took
the least decided course. Again, like ncop|c
who lack genuine decision of character. on
some points II" was obstinate, and on occa-
slons bold. We saw that under certain cir
cumStanccS. At BoulOgne and Stra,bo,,rr.
for instance, he could be rash. cannot re.
gard his mind as tirst-class. 1t ran into COM
moDplacc expressions, and he never seemed
to regard them as commonplace. He was q
gentleman; l mean gentleman in tue Eng
lish and American sensc.
Napoleon III. never willingly gave pain
to any human being. TO those about him,
who served him, he was always kind and
considerate. In some respects be was even
generous to his adversaries. In this and in
other respects the Emperor stood apart from
his party. His party often committed acts
which he did notapprove, and which grievcd
him exceedingly when they came to his
knowledge. In his way-a way do not ap-
proye-he loved France with sincerity"
you made an alluSion, Monsieur" said
your correspondent, "tO Prince Bismarck
when speaking Of Napoleon and Cavour rs
conspirator>. May ask if you applied that
criticism TO Prince Bismarck also?"
by no Ileans,' was the response; 81 do
not call Bismarck Il conSpirator in the sense
l would call Napoleon. lie impresscs me us
the exact opposite Of Il conspirator.
"AS Il diplolnatist he has his schemes and
plots and Stratagenl<. But in the main he
seems TO have been distinguished by Il Ger
ain brutal lrslnkncss. II was this startling
and unusual quality which deceived men like
Napoleon llI.--mcn who, never meaning
what they said, were quite oyerpowcrcd and
amazed to find that Bismarck did mean what
he said. II l., because the German Chanccl-
lor has not been a conspiratOr that, dealing
with conspilsltors, he has gained his aStouish-
ing success"