, 1879-05-03

~-,AS!A 'stA0 dHuluilAl&OQ OF the COUEcul-
posary French poets. His criticisms on con-
temporary uoVcl1sts hare made such stir that
tne Iact IS worth mentioning. The author of
~ Assommo1r is happier in his slashing at-
tasss on me noTe!ists bv-the-by, than Ia his
1nane. lie driVels when he ventures to discuss
music.
TITO INTERESTING ATTEMPTS
at improving the tone Of Anglo-Americau Jour-
uaiism IN Paris are being made just nov. a
capital weekly .paper, called the Parisian-
founded on the lines OF the .imerican REGISTER.
hut vastly superior in every way to that publ
catlon-appearel Il fortnight ago. Next week
VIC are to have the first number Of new weekly,
called the bou't1Hrd~ It is to appeal to they
wealthicr and higher classes chiefly, al1t will be
journals, IN some respects,-though, as / see
George Augustus Sala, Grenville Murray, etc.,
etc, are to contribute, it will probably be light
er and more literary in style.
The latest at the Palais Royal is q farce Gu
titled st Bas de Laine,' from the pens Of NM.
Dusnach (dramatisr Of 't pAssommoir " and
Duru. Tits reminds me that s. L Assommoir "
is being played to-day for the Tooth tIme, To
celebrate the occasion, N. Cbabrillat gives q
freq performance at the Ambisl, Father a
costly freak OF liberality, tor, when the Ambjgu
is full, he nets about 6,00oir.
BLASQUI.
PARIS, April ia strange piece Of news
came to Paris the other day. BfauQui-a man
unknown to the rising generation-had been
put up as candidate for a vacant. seat in the
Chamber of Deputies, and the populace OF Bor-
deaux had given him 3.00J votes The Repub-
licau who stood in the Government interest had
1900; the other candidates great many less
By tile Electoral law OF France new. ballot was
necessary. Blanqut was not elected yct,-he
had not even secured the highest plumber OF
suifrages,-and vet those 3,00O votes recorded
In his favor startled our worthy rulers aud Our
worthy bourgeois like moral thunder-clap.
Why al! this ado about nothing! you tuay ask.
Who is Blanqui! What is B1anquis Is lie ut
all! Or have the Bordelnis uncarthed s9eleton
candidate, which they haye set up as a scare
crow to terrify the tiI.orous shopkeepers OF
the "Capital Of Civilization - With! Naturai
questions all of them: fur, as I said just now,
Blanqui is unknown to this generation.
II my readers were old enough un1 curious
enough about foreign affairs ut the time to
watch the fantastic course OF the events which
preceded the bloody outbreak Of the Cou~
tnunists, they may remember seeing passing
mention in the papers OF futile rehearsal o1
the coming tragedy, attempted by three men,
on the 31st Of October, 1870 Que Of the three
was Blanoui. The others we're Flourens and
slilliere. This triumvrate played the Marats
for 80 instant; but their triumph was dearly
bought. Bianqui was arrested. thrown Into
PRISM, and there was an eud OF him Tor u
season, Us there had been GU four previous
occasions. But the Bordeaux election. proves
we had not done with him by any means. IN
1877 they dragged him out Of prison, before the
court-lnartial sitting at Versailles. Accused Ut
conspiracy, he vas found guilty, t.ud sent oil to
prison again. He was theu tt years OF asc- Hc
Is now 53,-a Whatchalsed, lu!sssa, seoepsi's cla
man.
Ills way, Blanqui is one Of the
MOST EXTRAORDINARY FIGURES
OF the Nineteenth Century. His life has
been a long conspiracy; but his conspiracies
have all failed, and he has paid the penalty OF
eacl, failure by long Years Of confinement ihe
oldest point in him is. that he has plotted
indiffercutly Under Charles X. he was inpii.
Gated in the affair Of 1927. III 1882 he plotted
agaillst the Republic. Later, he matte war op
tie Empire. Finally, there Game tire Affair ut
1870 since which he has had III chance ot tslyll'E
effect to the rebcloas designs OF h1s brali' The
Republicans dread him, the alonarchists hate
him, every quiet citizen loathes him, butwltn
lie mob bis name is u power, Witness the curl
GUS demonstration Of the Bordelais. Blauuu Is
s!e incarnation Of lmpeniteut Revolution. He
would overthrow atI existing religions and
societies. What he would Set up III
their place, DO Que kpo~s,-pefnap7
not even himself: but uf this VT may he
toierably sure; hts work would NJ sooner be ac-
conplisbe.3 than he wouiu b. found buslts
plotting to undo it. So,ue people are afflicted
with tic belief that they must bc wrong il any
one agrees with them. It is pretty generally
agreed that Blanquiis
t A LITTLE Mad.
Who but mailman would pass bis life 10 Or
sanizing hopeless consDiracies agalnst Society.
when, 6y swimming quickly with the stream,
he might avoid perpetual Imprisonment, aud
perhaps rise to political and literary honor {
Nobody, however, can reasonably deny that hc
is au honest enthusiast. FoTk Sears o. l., I'M
prisonment are registered to proVe It. Wnen
he was undergoing .ria. for the 3lst of October
revolt, the Judges asked him the usual qnes~
1jou: "Where do you live? - "1n PRISON. r.
oiled B!anqui, not without q touch Of priue. he
has been condemned to death, TOO; but Fate
has spared him hitherto
by many Barbes, nf 1883 and ls4S revolution
arv fame, taxed him with betraYing plot, IN
which be was implicated, to 1ne anthorataes, anu,
OH the strength OF Barbts' denunciatlon. Tile
world at large mas added feeling OF contemnt
to its hatred Of tile fierce and obstinate Old
Socialist. !. for ny part, lind it hard to believe
the accusation. He is III irrational. sa7a:e,
mistaken lunatic, very likely; but how can u, he
be a coward and traitor. having riskea his lie
aud liberty so often and so fechIessi}s
Since 1872 be had been
UTTERLY FORGOTTEN.
Nost ri us had e. vague ilea that he was dead;
aud the few who remembered that BlanQui was
Iappuish;uy in provincial prison did not thluk
it prudeDt to remind other people of tile fact'
Suddenly Bordeaux takes it iuto its heau To
Dity tile SeptuAge0aFlAN oucuk4es.. tau C1eNsto'4
comes, Some one, Oh the eve Of the voting
day, prouounces his nasue, Biauqul! Aud wave
uf sympathy rises in moment lnfee
thousand voices protest against his cruel puu~
isbment The rulers OF the nation Get alarmed.
Barolct's election At Lyons in 1878 led to u.e
downfall Of II. Tners. Bianqul's return ut
RorJeaux might, Us SOME absurdly fancy, he
followed by the downfall OF The Moderate Re
publjc Whether the popular wave Will carry
him to the head Of the polls remains to be seen;
ion the Goth Of Aprii-as bus been announced
hy telegraph Bianuui was elected to the
Chamber Of Deputies by vote OF G,o0i. against
$3.50 fora Moderate Republican, 1KlbuNE.I
One thing IS certain: Even If B1anquf Should
be elected, he will have
NO LEGAL RIGHT
to sit at Versailles: for he has torte!ted MS 10
litical rien1s O'DouoVan Rosa did unt de-
strov the British Monarchy: and do not under,
stand why Blauuui should-were be younger anu
= hnndreil Times more iu1uential-do great ln-
iury to the French Republic, even though ene
noltical rights he has lost were to be generously
reetorcd him. aud his white head and bowed
form we're to be seen 10 the Versailles chamber
beside the Radical figures OF Louis Blanc anu
Madie, dc Montjau.
If have fingered long over this curious mat
ter. it is BECAUSE for a week past Parls mas been
full OF IT, With the edifging death q NJ ae
Vitlemessant and "Rur Bias ~ at the Francois,
It haa been the subject OF conversation at m
nun1erable gatherings. But 1t is time L SAID
something OF few OF the thousand TITLES "hlcn
make IN Ihe daily Lille Of Paris.