The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-06-07

In sultry weather of this sort it is delight
fully refreshing to find man of such univer-
sal and exclusive knowledge as Mr.. John
Swinton come boldly out and ask for infor-
nation. The grandly modest recognition
thus made by our only domiciliated Commun-
list that there are some things few-two or
three-that he does not know, put in brilliant
and happy relief his less modest but more
natural assumption that he is the only man
who possesses any knowledge worth having on
the run of subjects up to the proper level of
human attention
In the course of his introduction to MIR.
Rocheforts lecture on Friday night Mr.. Swim
ton admitted, unwilingly, as he has done
hitherto in other places, that he was the only
man in this country who thoroughly and
clearly understood the history of the Paris
Commune Evidently this admission was
painful to him; for, as he is On absolute
democrat, he does not like the notion that ma
ture and his own industry have compelled
him to be superior in requirements to almost
every one he meets; and to come nearer to an
equality-to blur somewhat and keep from
sight his too evident intellectual supremacy
he hit upon the happy fancy of putting much
of his eloquence in the form of inquiry, and
asked of the audience and of the general pub
lie whole series OF questions touching
the career the motives. the achievements and
the wonderful history generally of the keen
Rochefort, whom he transformed into q very
Gargantua Of the Commune and the Red Re-
public. All this device of questions was, Of
course, mere fiction. Mr.. Swinton did not
ask for information, but only in order that
he might not seem to know too much
Nevertheless, they are questions that will
stagger the human mind generally, and We
apprehend that unless they are answered the
world will not move smoothly on its axis any
more, but will wabble and shake down king
doms. Here are two or three of the thrilling
inquiries those who think he is a
brainless adventurer tell me how he achieved
his glittering fame, how he won his wonderful
popularity, how he compassed his power-a
power which rnllied Paris and struck down
the front of the imperial despot. Let those
who look on him as an impracticable visionary
tell me why the republican voters of Paris
elected him twice to the Assembly, once under
the Empire and again under the Republic
Tell me why the astutest republican leaders
in France asked him to become o member of
the Government of National Defence. Tell
me why, during the siege, he was appointed
Chief of Barricades" Will anybody answer
that first question and tell Mr. Swinton how
Rochefort comprised his powerp It would be
easier to tell how he has boxed the
compass, but the original inquiry may
not be hopeless, especially to any
one who recognizes that Rochefort ever had
any power, except that which resulted legit-
mately from his capacity to write very telling
and malignant political epigrams As to why
the people of Paris elected Rochefort, if he was
an ''impraoticable visionary" is question
beautifully contrived to look like the query Of
ignorance. Paris republicans resolutely refuse
to elect any but visionariea Why did they
make him q member Of the Government of Ma
tional Defence2 Because they were all babes
in the woods together, and not one Of them
knew OF dreamed the utter unfitness or inca
pacity of any other one. But why, during
the siege, did they make him Chief of the
Barricades2 Because at that time there were
no barbados and because he was of all men
in Paris least at for the place when there
should be any-which last is o good reason
for appointing men to Offices all the world
over.
But we scarcely propose to answer the
superfuous Swinton, or we should say his
superfuous questions; for Mr.. Swinton, SO
far from being superfuous. was really the
pith and spirit of the occasion. Rochefort
was dull, quiet, almost respectable in his
decorous serenity. All that was startling and
new in his story had been given, of course, in
his letter to the HERALD before, and as he had
to 60 over the ground again it was a good
fancy to introduce, for the sake of q foil, the
moral and intellectual antics of comic Com
munist.