New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-09-05
TIE DLA1H " 1RIERS.

The sudden death of Adolphe Theirs, at the
present crisis in the political history of France,
is the final stamp Of triumph set upon his
long and eyentful career He has died, not
like other OctogtnananS ont Of harness or toll
Grated in the councils OF nation on account
of ancient service aud such wisdom as mem
DRY may draw from experience; but awake
and alert in all bis faculties, until the last mo-
mcnt planted in the centre of action, and rep
rcsenting in his own person the best hope and
the surest faith of he great Republican party of
France. There is no Frenchman living whose
place could not be more easily filled than his
no one whose loss could possibly be of such
evil pOrtent now, or may be so sOrely felt
hereafter. In passing away from life he has
made wide breach in the wall of defence
which the Republicans have built against the
siege OF reaction. 1t is net the retired vet
eran but the General in command that has
fallen. Rarely can this be said Of Il man VINO
has passed his eigltieth year.
The achievements of THEIRS shine forth all
the more cOnspicuously when we contrast his
end with his beginning. His career would have
been impossible before the First Revolution.
Intellectually, he was the child Of that stormy
period of transition. The son of poor lock-
smith, the unsuccessful young lawyer of AK,
he finally found his true field Of activity as Il
journalist in Paris. In educating public opin-
ion TO understand and accept u constitutional
mOnaIchy-which he described in mot that
had universal circulation, "The Ming reigns,
"but docs not govern "-he educated himself
for actiYe political life. No other discipline
could have given him such clear objective
power of Judgment, such quickness of perccp-
ton, such capacity to distinguish between that
which is attractive in theory and that which is
possible in practice. The twelve years of his
activity as an editor determined the character
and quality of all his later work. Succeeding
Pericr as Minister of the Interior i'll 1882, when
he was but thlrty-fiye years old, he at once
made apparent the difference between a con-
ventional figure-head and an intelligent worker.
With the exception of the Oriental difficulty
in the year 1910, his conduct of the foreign
policy of France, under Louis Philippe, was
shrewd, sensible and far-sghted. His compul-
sorry Withdrawal from Office enabled HIM to
undertake his famous History of the Consul
cate aud the Empire" which established his
fame as an author. The constant growtl, of
may be detected by comparing the first yo,-
umes of his history, published in 1916. with
the last, which appeared about ten years later.
From the enthusiastic admirer he gradually
becomes the impartial judge of the first Napo-
leon. Possibly the suspicion with which he
was always regarded by Napoleon Ill. may
have weakened for him the glamour of the
Imperial name.
When the revolution of 1S4S burst sudden
ly on France, Louis Philippe sent for Theirs,
and then-as usual-Tefused to follow his ad-
vice. During the brief life of the Republic,
the latter was a member of the Legislative
Assembly, where, as an ayowed Monarchst
he had little influence, and became a disturb
ing, rather than an organizing, element. The
coup d6tat relegated him once more to lteIa-
ture and thus, from the year 1910, when ne
yielded to his rival, Guizot, until 1868. when
he again became member of the Assembly,
he participated but lightly in political life, ex-