, 1874-10-28

he felt that his end was approaching he
asked for q priest, to whom he confessed,
and from whose hands he received the
last sacraments. Tocqueville, not only
q liberal, but an ardent admirer OF Amerl-
can institutions, had done likewise yet
the republican journals in Paris affect to
believe that M. NORM was unconscious ON
the day of his death, and that his friends
sent for the priest. NJ. Gambetta and
some other distinguished men of his party
who followed the coffin remained Ostenta-
tiously outside the church into which it
was borne for the solemn funeral mass.
So, on O former occasion, a famous repub-
lican had Just been laid In his last resting
place at Pere la Chaise, and o~rations were
being delivered in honor Of the deceased.
Among the speakers was one whose pres
ence moved the wrath of the bystanders.
"What right has that man." exclaimed a
lean visaged fanatic, "to be among US
He was married III a church !" On the
other hand republicans urge, with some
show of truth, that the Church will not
have them unless they are ready to throw
over their convictions whenever they
clash with the supposed interests Of reIi-
gion. One cannot but remember that
even Montalembert failed at the last to re-
%concile. loyalty to the Church with the free
dom of thought for which he had suffered.
He died protesting against the dogma of in
fallibility, he who had been the historian
of the monks of the West and had labored
to trace back to their efforts the greatness
of the Anglo-Saxon race.
Were the contests Of parties in France
simply a case OF
MICHAEL vs.. SATAN,
there could be no doubt of the result, but
patriotism and faith, zeal and learning,
eloq uence and poetry, are found on both
sides. One thing is certaln-namely, that
the discussion on first principles, that is,
on what moral laws mankind shall be gov
erned, has been carried on in France for
nearly a century without the slightest pro-
gress being made for no preacher like
Luther or John Knox has appeared who
could drive his rough-heWn thoughts
into the minds Of the people. Proudhon
and Lacordaire have been equally unsuc-
c~essful. The indispensable majority re-
mains to be won to a creed which shall in
spire its national life. Till it is won even
SldSuluS uuFOCuICS uuu dtAlIuOlC yOuuS
princes who have passed creditable exam
nations will find the task of government
grow more difficult every day. All
Frenchmen who think, from philosophers
to hotel walters, are to be ranged, for
practical purposes, into two camps Of NOR
tai enemies. The best
APOLOGY FOR THE SEPTENNATE
is to be found in this fact, that France has
not yet made up her mind, and hat there
fore the best thing that statesmen who
may happen to be in power can do is to
keep the peace till the national verdict
can be ascertained to have been given un-
der no disturbing influences. In 1871 the
country, exhausted and sick at heart of
republic and empire, was ready to return to
the Cd Bourbon rule. In 1923 the ac-
CidenC ola vety shreWd old man, who was
governing extremely well, calling himself
a republican, made thousands-who wish
& chiefly for a quiet lile-calI themselves
also republicans. In 1874 the disgust in
spired by the intrigues of the Assembly is
turning the same men in the direction of
that Imperialism which does not trouble
itself about parliamentary divisions.