The comet., 1880-10-02
MIRABEAT.
From the New Idea.

The most extraordinary man of the
] French Revolution, whose character is
j still problem which even the pres
cnt generation has no adequate means
of solving, was Honorl Gabriel Ri
quetti, who rulcCfthe National Assem-
! bly,, who directed the political opin-
| ions of twenty-five millions of men
! for two years together, and who was,
for that period, what has been clcverly
termed "thc intellectual Dictator Of
! France" This champion for the peo-
pie was born noble; his father was
the Marquis de Mirabeau of whose
ancestors we know nothing but, on
his mothers side, he could boast Il
descent of which even those who dis
like or care not for aristocracy might
! be proud; for she was granddaughter
Of Riquet, constructor Of the famous
canal of Lanquedoc. Mirabeau was
ugly in face almost to hidcousuess
and he was perfectly conscious of this;
for, in wiring to II lady who had never
seen him, he told her to fancy the face
of tiger that had been marked with
the smallpox, and then she would
have an idea of his countenancc and
at Il later period, when his voice and
Stot"lc aii' "Ppc'iaiiIc Stluch the
Na'loilil Assembly Win awe, he was
accustomed 10 say IL any OF It's mem
pcrS ilild SHOWN feiracIofiIless duflng
ms absence, - VIII go down to the
House ana snow tliem my Wlld boar's
heau' ana I.itI VIII silence them
All Ihe circulhsiauces OF the tlmcs
were iaDoraple 10 ms alllnllloll ana MS
Wohuerlu' IalchIsa anu energy puI per
maps no man ever begun pupllc ne
WIN more disadvantages, as regarded
ms own character, against nm. He
ilad pGcli seventeen tlnes IN prison
nc h''u urseltGu MS oW IL Wlle, ana run
away WIN otiier mems wives; ne h'td
lhe most ScaildalotlS laWsullS win MS
own Iamlly nad peeh condemned as
Il crilhihal, eNlled, executed III eillSy ;
ne had written ana publlshed one OF
the most uepraVed or books had lea
tIle illost diSSlpatGd Oh lives ana was
known TO De dangerous enemy 10
thoSe he naled, ana an insure iriGnd
10 thosc ne pretended 10 ioNe. me
morals oi lhG ffehch caPltal iiad beeh
reduced IN lhe days OF despotlsnl TO Il |
degraded standard but, according TO
DumOht, WhCli Iiie name Oh Mlfabcau
was llrst read III the NatIOnal Assem- |
ply among tllose elecUed 10 represent
the frcllcI iiaIloH, II was hlssc" "Il"
hooted hy all present.
In spite, however, OF all lhls, ne was
everything WIN tloSe men VINO Iad
conSluereu licll ulSSFaccu hS peii%
associated WIN nm ana gathering
influence ana power ny poulluS, ana
not ny SLOW steps, ne Decalhe almost
the absolute master OF the National
Assembly, the mass OF whose mem
bers he moved and controlled with as
much facility rs the Italian Snowman
moves ms wooden puppets. 1ils tal-
cnts and energy were lndced-ls we
have characterized thrm-wondertul,
and so was his e'OquencG; but these
qualities would not OF themselves
have given him the supremacy he OBJ
tanned. There were two other ad-
vantages in his favor; the hrSl OF
which we have never heard sufficient
Importance given to; the second of
which Nj. Dupont alone has clearly,
and, ii appears to us honestly stated.
During his long mprisonmcnts, Mira
beau had profoundly studied the
science OF politics. and during ms
'Nilc in foreign countries, ana partlcu-
arIy iii England, he had atIcntlvely
Investigated the practical part oi gov
he was the onI man that
uttered that entered the National As
embly well acquainted win the ne
'cssary forms ana true spirit ol rep
esentative government; all the rest
lad to learn their rudlments. There
vas talcnt--there was even genus III
all These new leglsla-
ors were theorists; Mlrahcau was the
'nly practical man; IN the second {
'lace, he liad Wohucflul ART lWhlch :
lie had also acNulred duflllS ms ms \
1rtuncs, when ms poverty onllgcd I