The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-02-13

nauts or the efforts of the first Homeric uayi
gators. The sirens hidden beneath the waves
of the Mediterranean would now raise al
0dyssy in its praise
THE GREAT ENGINEER AND HIS AsTRcEDESrs.
The other day l saw Lesseps, and observed
him with the attention due to all men who are
| really extraordinary. He Is originally from
the coasts of the Mediterranean from those
| coasts which gave Marco Polo his daring and
| Christopher Columbus his genius. He has In
his talent something of Mnrseilles, mercan-
| tile COLONY of the ancient Greeks, and OF Bar
oelona, the city which sent her navies from
Msjorcs to Sicily, from Sicily TO Athens and
her soul the bright stars of The Mediterranean.
Marsellaise by his father, Catalonian by his
| mother, he unites to the vivseity OF the Mar
seillaiss the thoughtfulnes: Of the Cataloninne.
| To these advantages of birth he adds prodi-
gious advantages Of education, begun in Orien-
tai palaces, under tho shadow Of the Pyramida,
on the banks of the Nile, among the ruins Of
consumed 50 many peoples and have exhaled so
many ideas where the phenomena of each day
| seem natural miracles, and supernatural and
marvellous events most natural. He speaks, In
Greek aud ancient Arabic; Catalan, as If he
were still in Barcelona Spanish, as though he
had not left Madrid, and the current jargon of
our Southern mariners that You will hear in
Of an international language. Hearing him,
you would think you heard o Cagiostro, and
that, a. the one would be present ct all times
in our history, the other has been present at
every spot on our globe. He is already ad-
vauoed in age, but his body 10 yet erect. In
telligenoe beams on his forehead. and between
his eyes tenacity and presidency. The look ia
head 10 white, his beard is white and his cheek
has yet the bronze mack put there by the Gun
of the deserts. How that man has toiled! An
untiring traveller, prolific writer, fluent
orator, true poet, he has stopped like courtiers
ha kA fri he haa
dissimulated like Florentine in the councils
of kings, and has shouted like dsmagogue in
the assemblies of tho peoples. He has drawn
after him believers With their mystical trans
ports and merchants with their commercial
calculations, involving them all 10 the magic
of his poetry. Thus aud ouly thus has he
broken tho geological obstacle " hich separated
the waters OF the Red Sea from the waters Of
the Mediterranean, and within sight Of Sinai,
on the ground Of the Israeltish wanderings
There, where they defeated the slaves and
drowned the people of Phsraoh in the watery
depths, he has maintained the creative virtue
par excellence, the virtue of his faith in the
grandeur of his work, virtue that has moved
mountains aud softened the rocks.
LEssEPs AS POETIC DIPLoMATIsT.
have heard him speak of Eastern land
scapes with the poetry of Lamartine and of
the results of the canal with the confidence of
Golden. Dumas would envy him if he could
hear him speak of his embassy to Madrid by
the side of Narvaez and the adventures of his
SUCCESSOR, Prince Napoleon Bona
parte, i'll an evil hour selected to represent the
dawniuE of the Bonapartist Empire in the
immortal town of the 2d of May, the worthy !
of the people who sustained q heroic |
war for their liberty and Independence. The !
account oil has relations with the Viceroy Mo- |
manned SAID shows at each step u curious in !
cldent which might appear by its Oriental in |
SEPARATION as II copied from Biblical accounts !
or from Arabian tales. Nothing is curious |
than the Niceroys railroad trip in Egypt, at |
the locomotives highest speed, hIiug from the |
presence OF Lesseps in Cairo for fear of losing |
Snltan nj Coastantnaple. Nothi0g is more |
graceful than the observation OF his successor, |
the present reigRing Khedive, when in that |
giddy and unbridled flight he said 1--WE run |
much more dangers than we would in seeing |
Lesseps." flow truly Oriental is that council |
OF Minister, IN which tho Viceroy Numbered
in exaggerated phrases against every canal
project, and all the Ministers Numbered with |
MIN excepting the Governor of Alexandria, |
" ho rem0tned alone at tue close of the session. |
and said:
a. understand. your Highness, those ,mbe-
Giles do not know that now The opening of the |
Sutz Canal is settled, seeing that your High |
ness Ia moro decided than ever To open it,"
What grace there is in the request that q |
coach should be bought in Paris with soft |
springy seats for the Viceroy and the Governor, |
anu very uncomfortable seats near the window |
for his two adnlatOrs! How characteristic is |
this observation addressed by Said to Lessons:
When thou contest to the palace and sees5 me !
with the stat which thou hast presented to !
NE speak to mo about the canal. When l do |
not carry the stan thou mnsb not speak of il, !
no matter what may be thy hurry or interest.
lu listening TO the eminent innovator the
entire East, which he has brought near our
iresides, is seen aud almost delivered into our
lands. Glory to genius Glory to labor!