, 1877-09-12
THE FETE.

Tbs Gte Of the Assumption was quietly
and simply celebrated on Wednesday by
the Bonapartists at ChiseihArst and in
Paris. Ia the little church on the Ken
fish common some 500 friends and adhe-
rents gathered together about the Empress
and her son in the church of st, Angus
sin at Paris there was q somewhat larger
assemblage !; but in neither case was any
attempt made to magnify the political im-
portance of the anniversary. 1t may even
be thought that pains had been taken to
throw this aspect Of the day into the
background. NJ. Rouher, the Due de
Padoue, and q few more OF the most deYo-
ted friends of the Imperial family and sup
polters Of the Imperial regime came over
from Paris to Chiselhulst last week, but
instead Of remaining with the Prince I'm
perial until his JStc day was passed they re-
turned to celebrate it in the French CAPT.
tai. The gathering at Chiselburst thus
became nothing more than one Of those
annual reunions Of friends such as the Old
Chevalier was accustomed to see about
him at St, Germans, and as continued TO
greet, 10 dwindling proportions, his sons
until the last OF the Stuarrs passed away
at Rome. Such meetings may be full of
"reminiscences, but they have little of the
animation Of hope. They suggest rather
that if active ambition is rot dead, it is
for a time at rest. By and by the moment
my come. 1t was probably the faith OF
nearly every one in The Chiseihurst Chapel
that it will come, and there are assuredIy
tens and hundreds Of thousands in France
that cherish this belief. 1t may be that
it will be realized. The experience of the
past throws no certain light on the future,
and none can pretend 10 a confident assn
rance what msy be in store Tor the young
man who on Wednesday attained his
twenty. FIRST year /; but we are sIlrPly inter
preting the attitude OF the most a:dent
Bon apartists themselves when we say that
they hold it wise to refrain for a season
from pr%oCIaimirg the right of their Prince
to the Imperial Crown of France.
W. do not pretend TO forecast the for
tunes of the Prince Imperial. In the East
personal claims would seem to be never
extinct, and it has often happened that
after years spent in neglect and obscurity
some scion Of q family that was once Soye-
reign is discovered and brought back to
restore order to a disorganized Empire.
Again and again has this come to pass, so
that the line Of descent may be traced for
generations through alternate bursts of
Spltndour and misery. In the West also
nations have sought stability in a recur-
renee to the Right Divine of q particular
family {; but the cases are rare where the
same dynasty has been re-established
twice. When the Commonwealth threat
ened to fall TO pieces, we brought back
Charles II. from Holland but the English
people did not care to 20 after that race a
second time. Louis XVIII. was summon
ed home on the fall OF the first Napoleon /;
but after Charles K. proved the elder
branch Of the Bourbons to be unteachable
they were dismissed for ever If the Comte
de Chambord ever had o chance, be
must now be held to have cast it away.
Can it be inferred that the Prince Imperial
10 in the same way doomed to permanent
exclusion, since bis father was the second
Napoleon discarded by Franesf Such q
conclusion would be . rssh inference from