New-York tribune., 1876-07-15
FRENCH AFFAIRS.
THE NEW UNIVERSITY BILL.

h. SAYS SPEECH AT THE ADAM SMITH BANQUET
-TuE TURKISH QUESTION.
fFRoM REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUsEl
PARIS, June 9.-The great event of this week has
been the Waddington bill on the University degrees.
do not mean half so much the vote as the discus
sion. After the opening of the debate by the very
remarkable report of NJ Spuller, which would have
suflced to pr0ve-had proof been wanlnS-the
practical moderation and business-ke qualities of
the young Republican school, came the skirnishing
engagements led by Pascal Duprat, Paul dc Cassag-
nae Germaine Case, the Marquis de Castellanc,
and others. OF these great notice need be taken,
exccpt that already one found united together Royal
lists and Banapartsts by the strong bands of clerical
ism. Paul de Cassaguac was very verbose, and
did not play easily his part of cx-dueilist con-
verted into an amateur religionist. Young Castel-
lane pedantic enough to suit the entire band OF
Orlcanists who have forsworn V0ltarc, and for the
first sitting 1t may be said that 1t disappointed every
one, elicting from neither side novelty OF view,
strength of argument or readiness OF wit.
But with the debate Of Saturday the scene
was altered and the public interest was thor
oughly awakened at once. To a man of Angio-SaXon
birth and habits NJ. Wa.dington's speech would
bring no surprise 1t was the straightforward, able
speech Of an able, straightforward man, who is
Minister and means to act up TO his words and con-
because he is beforehand decided upon doing what
he saws. But there was what SO puzzled the large
part of his listencrs-it was what bc didn't say that
they could not make up their minds to: Its dryW
every coldD Not effective" "He is not elo-
ouenty These We're few of the phrases that, on
leaving the Assembly, and on the return home by
rail heard on all sides, and from aderents as well
a. antagonists and should distinctly declare that
the first and direct impression of this concise, mat
ter-of fact speech was an almost uniavorlDle one.
But that matter of fact everybody felt, Tor no
one forgets what the Minister said You hear his
words repeated since every one understood what he
intended and why he intended It, ana
when he had finished speaking not shallow
Of ambiguity remained upon the mind OF any
one present they knew what was to be IN the future,
and that every word that had been uttered was the
truth still It was not what they had been used 20
and if this was Parliamentary cloqucnce, why what
then had they been taught TO regard as such TIL
now "pain statement X not ordtory. mat
seemed 70 be the idea of all the public that day
but perhaps (wEo knows u the time was coming Tor
plain statements instead OF rhetorical flowers.
They shook their heads, but | again repeat they
remember.
When this steady quiet, everyday man Of business,
whose voice is not loud enough for tn" house aud
whose prsLurcs are those of an English gentleman
co.v,r,i Ith his friends. had descended from the
Tribune The sp,ctaclc-llvng audience had enough
of oratoryr and rhetoric" and dramatic art for
any app,tiic however Unsuitable. never rccollect
having upon any occasion witnessed such Il contrast
The Contc de Nun stDrncd the Tribune as though
il were pulpit erected on the breach OF captured
citadel: there was that mixture OF Ldpttnoc~
and monk Of cxccUtioncr and priest, that Is 50
characteristic of the Sgucur Of the 10Th
century, and added to all TINS the theatrical air
that Distinguishes the young Coniinrntas oil our
ages who have set down fur themselves some par
t.cular task, which is after oil, and inevitably an
imitation frw days before ! had been shown
some curlou, Franco-Grcel medals of the first
crusade one Of which represents Baldwin. who was
KIM of Jerusalem after Godircy's death. The fiery
knight /, represented armed aud mailed from head
10 heel. a hugo sword-high himself aImosi-to
bi, left but in his upraiscd right hand hc brandshes
n cross. which looks a truly formidable weapon OF
d,structiou The motto runs thus: " THIS IS Bald
win th. servant of Godw In truth fcrocl0us
Pilgrim but "A mathematical servant should say
of any one or ANYTHING. Wen, for the life Of me.
could not get this image out of my BRAIN WliIe
looked and listened 20 VI. de Nun. lie seemed to
me to shake the at us all, terribly rs though IL
were a life prc-crver, and to have instituted himself
thcchiefp policeman tothc Almighty with an nnmcrci-
l energy that threatened the peace OF all Chrsten
dom. In answer 10 the assertions oi poor s Nad-
dington touching the country srght-, he Numbered
forth the declaration q. the Creators rights IN a
way that fairly took abacl the Whole Assembly, eX-
cent the small knot OF Royalist Ultramontaucs, who
thought il must be very dnc though they did not at
ali understand IT, It was Peter the Hermit with
vengeance, and il on reaching the tribune he ma
SIMPLY cried out, &" Dcu le ruet" il would have
Ia, ,y,yttl hIa yitpls
attitude than anything he could say. 1t was the
r,ur,,cntatiyc of another age, of another clyll!zl
tion of another race that was before one. and the
real problem 10 my mind land should think to any
one of Anglo-SaXOn blood wa9, by what process
young strong healthy, and not unintclgcnt man
could have been preserved III his present condition
through the conflicting currents and influences OF
our modern life. Il is all very well To say Nl' dc
Nun is a fanatic but he is neither fool nor a mad
man therefore how has he remained what he Is,
namely an individual of the twelfth century living
the i fo of the men of the ninetecnthF Nhlie 80
many of the moral and intellectual gains 0l the pres
ent age 80 much of it's varied culture, have found
their way into his brains, how has IT been possible To
shut up all iuprcs, To the rest NJ dc Nun IS re'y'
genuinely, phenomenon, andncyer was seen 10 osnch
perfection "a the other day When attaeN-
ing the entire fabric of our cotempo-
rary civilization. do not mean to say thit' "a to
talent or parliamentary value he remarkable;
no. he was far more so when simply defending his
electoral rights three months ago; but as curl
osity-as a lusus naiarG-hc was seen to the utmost
advantage IN the discussion the WaldlnSton
clause As To the vote of that no ono doubted and,
as | told your readers long ago, majority so enoT-
nous was forcscen that, enormous as 1t H. II ~ but
what was expected. What tho Senate will do Is
another question. Probably the Minister VIII have
there n comparatively small majority
There Ia a little disappointment felt here among