The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-12-30
tranquil fatalism took on all the appear

| ance OF v1gor ana ADDRESS.
HE was quite without address. The
and reflective air. He never posed 40
his uncle did. He had not learned to
put on the toga Of the ancients. He wae
slight, STOPPING, withered man, and
did not try to look majestic. Louis
Blanc, who saw him at Ham, says he
had the profile and tho eye OF Gagged
eagle, The eagle glance had disap4
peared when l saw him, but the cage
was yet there's certain restlessnesys
constraint, shyness, all of which went
to make up touching and melancholy
"The empire was proclaimed con-
not say founded. Its chief had slapped
It's foundations in mounting upon these
stained shields which bad passion held
out to him. Born an honest man, he al
lowed himself TO be carried in triumph
by ambitious men destitute OF all scrt-
pies. Whatever was impure La the
French nation assisted him and gave
him the support OF everything evil al
ready done and yet to be committed.
France condemned herself. And then
he believed himself great and strong.
He undertook great things which could
not succeed. He conceived 1t hie duty
to carry out whatever public sentiment
demanded. A man OF erroneous prln~
ciples, he governed q nation destitute OF
principles and possessed OF an idea OF
Romanesque prosperity rather than OF
true civilization; success and chance
Instead OF right and justice. Therefore
by sentiment alone could It be gov
erned. He understood this once when
he wished to rescue Italy. He lacked
the confidence necessary to the denoue-
ment Of his drama, and failed In the last
act. From that time his star paled and
he saw 1t no more. Perhaps he ceased
to believe in 1t. Perhaps this man ct
spiritual illumination became skeptic
then; his intelligence could not survive
such q transformation. He began to
die during the war In Mexico. France
had accepted him too thoroughly; she
had become chimerical like himself; III
precipitating his fall she partook
OF #. She found herself dis
organized, anarchieal and with
out knowledge Of herself. She
cursed him with excess when she saw
herself lost; her implacable wrath did
not admit that 1t came too late to be
worthy. Wrath more logical and nobler
WAS that Of Victor Hugo, who from the
time OF his rise hurled the most eI0-
quent OF his anathemas at Napoleon the
Little. But the great romantic poet did
not display here an adequate sense Of
the reality. His masterpiece will re-
main 81 literary monument; historical
never melted either this excess Of
honor Or this indignity'-namely, OF be-
ing treated as monster. Much less did
he merit being lowered to idiocy. He
had, as private man, real qualities. 4
had opportunity OF seeing in him truly
sincere and generous side. He had also
q dream Of French grandeur which did
still less belonged to d mediocre mind.
Truly, France would be too much dis
graced il she had submitted for twenty
years TO the absolute power Of an idiot,
working for himself alone. We should
have to despair OF her forever. The
truth is that she took this meteor Tor 8
fixed star and this silent dreamer for q
profound man. Then when she saw him
succumb to disasters which she ought
to have foreseen and prevented, she
took him for q coward. He was not g
coward. He had cold courage, and IN
do not believe that he chung TO life. He
felt himself overwhelmed, disillusion~
lied, concerning his role, perhaps weary
OF himself.
doubtless there were many conspir-
ators around him in his last exile. They
must have fastened his end In enliven-
ing the remainder OF his life, which was
employed, several well informed people
have told me-can you divine what ?--in
painting water color landscapes, which
greatly delighted him.
"He believed himself the instrument
OF Providence; he was only that ok8
chance. The party, at first ridiculously
small, then all at once vast, which eIe-I
waited him TO power, was not even 8
party, il by party 10 understood a
fraction OF the nation which to obedfent.
TO doctrine, to q system, to some creed
This party WAS swarm OF adyenturers
in the first place; then a combinations OF
interested men playing with fortuness
and then the sudden infatuation OF the
masses disguised with Republic In it,
death throes. France, become industrial
under Louis Philippe, had not become
political again not knowing how TO-
govern herself, she cast herself into
stranger arms. The Republic commit
ted suicide in June by dreadful rup-s
ture between the people and the bour-
geoise. We were no longer worthy o.
polished and cold. rode In the street
upon a horse trained to curyetingss II
) found In him that day the profile ofs
Don QuiXote. People who came TO the
spectacle to kiss it applauded It; / have
never known why. A. kind OF vertigo
took possession OF the Paris OF the
Boulevards, which he had cannonadod
triumph. He seemed astonished by IT,
and perhaps because he had his mo-
ments OF wit, and of q nice cynicIsm. hes
understood that he owed this ovation TO-
the grace of his horse. Paris Ia artistic |.
Paris is childish. Paris is sublime and
silly; admirable to-day, absurd to-mor-I
!; row. He saw that, and became bold z
he who had great depth Of modest
timidity. People wished him 10 be daz-
ing-he became so. He ordered his i'm
perial cloak. The seamstresses we're
. occupied In embroidering it with golden.
bees while he was saying to those who
pressed him forward, No, will not be-
tray the repablic.' And the amaziAH
,, thing about the matter is that he said fs
in good faith. He was his own dup0 up
to the last moment. He was persuaded