, 1876-01-15
HENRI TAlNE'S NEW BOOK.
"Tlc Origins or Contemporary
France"
Taino's Estimate of tho Writers Of tho
Old Rogime.

tho author doals with "1ho Old 1.esiao," pro-
postng to follow It with "Tho lsovolut!ou and
"Tho Now Icg'mc." In Lis prefaco ',o sayu:
The French Ct Tho 9l rtg,,ae are ~ within Tho
s T. s snrs,o e ~ d 1P a ss
world. Many q thois naansiona a o.ist. with ther
md shs!s furniture Intact " means q
tuass and their ecstures viii t1cis literature, .hcr
enca, caa reconstruct Iii thsr thouaht, md svcn
the!r familiar conversation. multitude Ut molnoifa,
v.o a1eh3ss eoac rarlos @ d 1ss rsrios ~" as
Hws wera presented there. The leie1s and jonrnaf
nsnsT. q.
tFAiss Which this hoetety has kracs! nf itsalf.
THR SOURCES OF TIE MATERIAL.
NJ. Talno informs us that, IN order 10 ro-8a!Ab.
llsi for the consideration Of Tho resent seusrs-
tion tho old regime ns II WAS, lie has been long
engaged In tho most pa!nslaksug search among
tho archvos Of tho Thirty years which he de-
sirod especially 10 study, thoso preceding the
Revolution. Out Of the dry and dusty tones Ia
| walctl Ia emba!mod tho correspondence OF the
small nobility. Of cutes, Of monks Of city and
country. Of advocatos, shoriEs. tho bourgeois,
tbs myattc procureur, tho village syniIc, lahorers
In the fold and artisans in tho workshop, officers
nad soldiers, ho has brought, By tho nagto Of hts
ponor, living figures which pass before us In q
rapid phnorann. In order That NO N ~ thor-
ouEhly understand Contemporary France" he
finds that wo mist 80 back 10 tho anse-nevolu-
tlonneJ noriod, and discover how people thcn
nnnsn,is n..n,tsn "v ~ G, rap @ .esua nuu
| wosk1nans wages Wcro, what Hold produced,
how the peasauE Was troate1, how Tie tax-co!-
ioetora behaved, Uhat grand aelgnanr OF a pro-
| cerem oniaIs OF tue court cost. 'rainc IL 1hn
| apostle OF hlui Who recommended the most caro-
ful minutcnoss iu investigation adding that
aenlua -, Waa pnt Talent for taking to0nsso
powers o, rsere to seF s3oatest pas test hi IN
| tliis trsk volume l1ls proligions faculties
~. asa''a,lat.ou haro mover appeared to
- Ma~,o oss"u.Iiss.+ s,,.aitss+, no sses 1no pLlco
ssi, Of Mouesouies ch7rscop e1a 'nn wi.h Aps H.
pplete tableaa q manners aad morals within tae
yotca ohaptcr 10 liz rond,.;or ~ ,,o ,sa.srtrs
s,ortlv hnfn,e liz nov",r.ion H. f.nt. in.;
ca'Iy sfranScu, and told With IN eloquent sim
sy snG~ hat seq p peasant, must loeyltsbly
toler.oo. e ,s @ morct1ess M % ia hs @ sapaxsI"s Of
Tie fo!bioa aud follleb OF ths Inter hnf OF lin
lat eeutn1y' but bo wsstos little time in COM
nntns as a9a m"s ,h Sso5 eean an'e 70 ntnE 20
Ge.her 'asRe hamoof o. important iaets Which
luton and m.ch of tho COURSE ] % Of Franco s.nco
tha. tlmo ho.t,t than Any ono oise Las ever bcen
sso ssons 20 .a % neh ., tho SANG . mar
w i l1st "t.eu ny alttsouIes ~ sotaisb
nlhy W lou1d III n1s own Ho1Ks. VI 'oltafre no
says
Thp most striking trait Of hts svlo Is tis nrtpnu.
rapitY Tie disabling ana startling panorama Of syer
things, Ct iaess. images osons, lands:apes, TO.
arsep slonR one after smother ~ in mIec- lantern.
taken away almost soon ~ presented by tns i,na.
tient magician. who u Tho tw!ntna Of eya make.
au9tler, history fable, truth, fauta.1, ns p1csent
and t1nlo paat rlacc4 ha main wcrk now In fscat1o
a. notiay ~ thai Of q fAIr an, now In fsirY nncn
more magnificent than tLoso of lis ope.n, s'~'
rnino I,ns mi iii ~. l,a,o n,i 1,rnru.o r.,,.
~ .aao..nas a LII; H H. ~ .u ta nap aua y otuhe "Gste
=. ~ Resources Hn'eA no atts1hutes 20 Foltaire but
no hppehfs al"aSa TO heVe tho rhme sncx xhaustt-
bio rlclluoss Of material, no matter with Hllat
speciality ho deats.
coSsrITurIoSs AND gTszEMg or GOVERNMENT.
In lin nrafnro II 1'nirn J1.a,i,,aa ~ !. h;.H.
of L,s trthnin tions ~ uhan T., tpin ~ ta LILY
salf ~ aon md vntor and i,s d,o. d T., .n
foi,ow1ng remarks on con statl.o1s Y Gcooral,