New-York tribune., 1876-03-04

erstions, and he Is probably of the few French
men who would have the courage TO write, 4" IL
such prince is better for such office than sueh
radical, let rs without hesitatng take the prince
but If such a radical is better than such prince, let
take the radical" But in truth. in France, when
the radical shall lie down with the PRINCE imagine
that the millennium really will have arrived. NJ de
Girardin has the further audaciy TO recommend for
giveness Of the Prussians-to deprecate that is. in
the strongest terms, all thoughts Of rerGRche
He hopes for peaceful one some day, by diplomatic
and equitable means, and meantime he wishes
France to shake herself free of her military
incubus. He deliberately entreats her to
give up arming. and he maintains that if
she does it Germany will bo enchanted
to do likewise. do not know that he is absolutely
right, but there is certainly something to be said in
that sense. have suspicion, however, that VI. dc
Girardin docs not privately for the rerdnehe
much as O purely ideal patriotism would seem TO
recommend his dream is to see France the greatest
commercial and industrial country. The sanest men
have their hobbies, and that of the editor of the
France is that his country if it only wills il, may
become n great maritime power and cover the seas
with her merchant fleets Certainly there are things
enough under the sun France can do If she will
only set her house in order and give her mlnd-her
admirable mind-tO them. / had marked as worth
u
makes from two Bonspartist publications, but |
have space only to allude to them. One of these
volumes is by NJ. Georges Lachaud, and it consists
Of an exemplifcatiOn of the programme contained
in these words: "The condemnation Of the
French people to gayety in perpetuity.' % Per
suaded as We are" says NJ. Georges Lachaud,
behalf of the Empire, =" that a dictatorship
alone, by dsembauassing the French people of It.
grave cares, restore to it its Gghtness and It's
grace we await with impotence the hour in which
France will transfer to the shoulders Of master the
burden that renders her thoughtful Let our future
master bring the imperial corruption into honor
again And if his detTactOrs accuse him OF lie
grading the people, and bring forward to outrag"
him. the old Roman yice, pdRcm ct cTcenss, on that
day the chief Of the state may say with pride that
he is really great sovereign !" The great duty OF
the Empire" NJ. Lachaud adds-and the formula
seems to me an exquisite trouraHe III is worthy to
have been put into circulation by Napoleon III. him
self who had genius for the invention of phrases
with just that soundl-" the great duty of the EN-
pire ia to egtirpT Ie pessimisme." Delightful idea
But things are not looking wei for NJ. Lacbaud's
optimism and IL seems If he and his friends were
more likely TO be eXtrpated.
In the midst Of her political turmoil Paris has had
time to drop a sigh over the grave of Frederick
Iemaitre, who died at very advanced age fort
night ago. The newspapers have been full Of |
tributes to his memory, and his death following So
close upon that of that other grotesquely aged yete
ran, D6jazet has been piece of good luck for the
anecdote-mOngers. incline to think from what J
have heard and read of him, that he was one of the
greatest of actors but that he needed great license
a great margin, to show his powers. The present
generation had seen hm-for poverty had repeatedly
driven him back 10 the stage after the chill Of age
had settled upon him-but 1t did not know him. II
is only our elders-th0se who remember Victor
Hugo's Marion Delorme" and Ruy Bias" and
Alexandra Dumass Anthony new pieces,
that know him. lie was formed by the passionate
romantic drama that began its career in 1880. lie
was the actor for the time he inspired Victor
Hugo, and Victor Hugo inspired him in turn.
He never succeeded at the Francais-he was
too fantastic and audaciOus-he played tragedy
with a sense of humOr. For an actor he
grew old very young. He reminds one of what
We hear Of Garrick in having had equal triumph
in tragedy and comedy The theater of our own
day with its relish for small realistic effects, pro-
,luce- no more actors Of those heroic proportions.
The nearest approach to them is perhaps TO be found
m Got at the Theatre Franeas, who has an element
of high fantasy as those who have seen him in the
curious revival Of the medieval farce Of "Maitrc
Patclin" must remember. But GOt Is on the whole
really phosOphic actor aud Frederick Lehaltle
was an imaginative one. The ideal actor noWMlay,
tho actor formed 10y SaTduu aud Dumas Ills AMI
Feuillrt-is Worms of the Gymnase, who renders
prose- not verse, and whose minute and exquisite
strokes are like a mastery etching. But Frederck
Lehairc rs see him III his tQeRde, ~ like huge
fantastic shadow moving silhouette, projected
,luskily against the wall from a glowing hIe lhe
tire is the romantic movement OF 1880.
Ii. JAMES, JR.