The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-03-16
ANECDOTES OF GAMBETTA.
AN ATTEMPT TO MAKE A PRIEST OF
HIM.

AN ATTEMPT TO MAKE A PRIEST OF
How He Lost nm Eye and Became n Law
yer-Bamb0Ozled by Mime. Bazaine-
His Unselfish Patriotism.
[London TRUTH
| Gambetta was born at Cahors and Is the
sons of crockery dealer in that town, who
sent him to the seminary, intending that he
should become priest. The Able Massable,
his uncle on his mothers side-an excellent
man who still Hves-had sought to instill into
him principles OF religion, and was pleased
with the lads impetuosty in mastering Scrip
ture history, which he mistook for holy zeal !;
but young Leon had not been two years at the
seminary before he was expelled for repeated
acts of INSTRUMENTATION, and the Superior
dolefully wrote to his parents: "You will
never make priest Of him. He has an ut
terly undisciplinable character" One may
compare this with an opinion expressed many
years later by nj. Grevy, who bluntly said:
You'll die in the skin Of revolutionist."
Gambetta, on leaving the seminary at Cahors,
proceeded to the Lycee of that town, and
he was still there when he met with the
was playing in the shop Of a carpenter his
fathers neighbor, one half holiday afternoon,
when an apprentice whom he was teasing
made lunge at him with q pointed stick, and
Inadvertently Doked the eye out Of its socket.
This cruel mishap indirectly made the boys
fortune, for had he retained the sight Of both
his eyes he would have studied for the med
cal profession, whereas now 1t became neces-
sary to prepare him for profession where he
would only have TO use his tongue. Thus,
partial blindness converted Gambetta into
barrister just as total blindness, the result o.
an accident, out shooting, transformed Mr..
Fawcett into a politician. Gambetta went to
study law in Paris. He took his degree in
1859, and, having been called to the bar the
same year, became secretary to "the uglieSt
man in France" Isaac Cremieux, the Jew ad-
vocate, who had been member OF the Pro-
visional government OF 1913. M. Cremieux
had not chosen the young man at haphaZard;
for M. Gambetta had already acquired name
in the student world, both for his fervd
Repubcansm and for the ascend
ency which he exercised over his COM
panions He became famous and
popular all at once in December, 1868, when
speaking as counsel for the Reueil which had
been prosecuted for organizing a subscription
to raise monument to the representative
Baudin who was slain at the coup d'etat of
1851. He delivered harangue, which was one
against Napoleon Ill. Most people wondered
that the judges of the Sixth Chamber should
have allowed him to proceed to the end of this
denunciation unchecked; but one must have
heard Gambetta speak to understand the en-
thralling charm Of his oratory. | witnessed
a proof of this in April, 1870, when he uttered
his memorable speech about the ''irreconcila-
bles, plainly telling the Olivier Ministry that
he and bis followers only accepted the Liberal
concessions Of the Empire as a bridge"
toward the Republic In the ardor of his
peroration he swept his hand over the ledge
of the tribune, ana knocked bowl Of beef
broth which had been brought for his refresh
ment on the heads Of two ushers beneath.
hap would have raised inextinguishabe
laughter; but AS 1t was no one
even smiled, and the two ushers wiped their
hair, ears and coats in the mutest resigna-
ton. | met him a few days after the battles
of WOerth and Forbach, when the Empress
Regent had put Paris In state of siege, and
at parting | said: eau revoir au Capitol"
He shook his head and answered that he
thought Palikao the Prime Minister, would
try to kidnap him. "All my footsteps are
me to carry revolver about with me. But
that would do no good" The apprehension
of being arrested did not shake Gambettas
nerve or interfere with his spirits. He had
not taken to 'doing Banting" in those days, |
and after every one OF those copious repasts
in which he delighted, and where Bur
gundy was his staple wine, he would
jest In O truly Kabelaisian style about his
Imperial eIeInleS One OF tue MISTAKES ne
made at this time (he himself calls it the
capital blunder of his life was to trust
in Bazaine. He worked with all his might to
get that traitor appointed Commander-in-
Chief, and he succeeded. II the truth must
be told, he was fairly carried away by the Sc
ductive eloquence of Nine. Bazaine. There
was no resisting that dark eyed little Mex
lean beauty, who chartered Ikea humming-
bird, and amid weeping, wringing of hands |
and ecstatic declarations OF patriotism, vowed
her husbands Willingness to die for his coun- |
try. Cant you understand what soldier /
like my husband must feel at seeing the |
army commanded by an oaf like this third
Napoleon exclaimed Nine. Bazaine passion |
ately (within an hour after she had kissed the |
hand OF the Empress and protested her ale |
glance to the thronel Yes" answered Gam |
BETA, and for that one time IN his Life he was
weak
After the peace he took up mis- residence in |
a third h0or apartment OF the Rue Mon
taigne, where his aunt, Mile. Massable, acted |
as his hou5ekeeper, and there he remained |
until his proprietorship OF the Repubtique
FiancaiSe having made him rich he removed |
to more suitable lodgings. The Conservative
journals have pOked much fun at Gambetta,
and tried TO paint him as a greedy advent
urer, but do not think it would be possible
TO lind man less wrapped up In self and |
more devoted TO his party and its principles
The dominant sentiment in his mind is the |
ambition to do whatHo one else has been able |
TO do, viz, found the republic In France. Very
good-na5ured withal, he refuses the co-opera-
ton OF no one who can help him toward this
end; insOmuch that when the Cabinet Of the
sixteenth of May was overthrown, and hun
dreds OF placemen were trembling for their
he kept many of them in their
situations simply because they had sent him
letters.