Lexington weekly intelligencer., 1883-01-27
THE DEAD FRENCH LEADER.
Gambetta's Strong Individuality as
Shown in Public and
Private Life.
His Position Among French Repub-
licans ana Causes of His
Rapid Fall.
[Erom the resident correspondent of the N. Y
World.

PARIS, January 81 will add moth
ing on Gambetta's political career to
what has doubtless long since appeared
in your column3. Every one knows
his great services to the republic. He
ssved Its honor by prolougiug the
national defense during the war. He
saved its very his by playing off the
monarchical parties one against the
other in the Constituent Assembly aud
making them vote the republic in spite
of themselves. He saved it from the
second coup d'etat by organizing the
resistance against the 10Th May, which
finally overthrew MacMahon. And If
he did not destroy the empire he cec-
tainly gave the final impulse to the
movement of opiuion which broke it
up, by the speech in defense OF Bsudin,
These were inestimab!e services. and
they more than deserve the great pub
lie funeral his remains are to receive on
Friday, All the garrisons of Paris, all
the garrison of Versailles, are to turn
out; it will be like the funeral OF the
virtual kiug that he was. He was in
deed too much like q king. We have
to look sn that side of him to find his
bssetting sin-a certain arrogance that
grew on him in his later life. Losing
sight OF the masses, he naturally lost
his hold On them he began to talk like
a master to old friends, he was no Ion
ger easy to access, he Kept al "ante-
chamber Still these were but such
faults as such man in such position,
not being superhuman. could hardly
help having; the groat virtues, the meal
culable services 10 the republic remain.
He was great man.
It was by the breath aud richness
and exuberance of his manhood that
be made his way. Everybody felt that
be was a great personality; hs was
very human. He won mon over by a
smile or bon mot or a good story,
whore all the arguments of Theirs or
. Gulzot could not have brought them
to his side. He only lived in society.
Some time ago, when he felt that his
increasing corpulence threatened his
life, he asked doctor what he was to
do. "Est underdone beef" was the
answer, t'and dine by YOURSELF" ''Dine
by myself! would rather die" And
die he did, for indirectly his oorpulence
killed him. 1t was impossible to get at
the root of tho disease through all those
masses Of tat. A simple operation
might have saved him, but 1t could not
be made. Conviviality was his weak
ness as we'll as his strength. On Sun
days, which were his free days, wher
he ought to have been taking exercise,
he only ate the more. He took his ex-
srcise at table, aud dou bled tho number
of laps made with his bread crust round
tho edge of his plate. for he ate like q
bourgeois to the last. A dozen or fif.
teen covers were laid, q select few drop
pad in at II. they played with the fol.
or the dumb bells little for about hall
an hour and then they sat down to d
gargaatuan meal, where, they talked
of many things under the sun, and lr
particular OF the government combina.
tions OF the coming political week.
lie was always ike that. When he
came up to Paris from distant Cahor,
he was not actuated. by any of those
maxims OF steady industry which art
generally believed to be young man,
| most precious possession in making hi
way in the world. He came to work
indeed, and he worked very hard, bu
to work strictly in his own way. Fol
long time after he had been called tt
the bar, as one might put it, he was il
want of clients and he had to live by hi
pen. lie never wrote half so we'll Al
he spoke; it was not in the nature o
that exuberant talent to warm ltsel
merely by the fire of its own tancies il
the retirement of study. He needle,
to have men before him, the movement
the excitement of crowd. Still, sucI
was the force and the interest he in
spired, even when a mere law student
that he might always have found enoug
work to do as a writer to keep him
only he would have done it, but b
would not. Sometimes the copy wa
sent in and sometimes it was clean fol
gotten. 1t was the same even with hl
pleading. Cremieux the great Jey
advocate, took him lnto his office, ant
through his secretary. Laurier, Le some
times handed him brief. Ii the brie
suited him he would attend to it an
plead spleudidly; If it did not Laurie
had to attend to it himself. 1t wou
have ruined any other man just begir
ming life, aud yet such was the force q
their common belief In his future tha
it did not injure him In the least. II
kept up his prestige by now and the
doing something, astonishing them al
Such was his pleading tor Groppo,
rather weakened revolu,ionist chare
ed with one of the countless plots, res
or imaginary, against the emperor
life. When 1t was over, the lmperia
ist council for the prosecution almo:
offered Gambetta his own terms to sid
with the dominant party, but he woul
have nothing to do with them. Pei
haps he did not as yet want 10 put hi
10 Into any collar, even the repubi
Can one he was enjoying his freedor
OF the Quarter Latin. His time Wa
spent at the assembly listening to tn
debates-that was the one thing hc di
assiduousIy. and that only as u pa.sio
not As duty. 1t has been said that fo
three successive years he never misse
a single sitting. or all eveneing b
went to the cafe and gave a viUa Uoc
report oi the whole thing. with abstract
OF the speeches Of the great orators an
very iull speeches OF his own in reply t
them, all IN the strong southern accent
with that ringing voice and ample gel
ture which were So many new forces
him, because they helped TO mark ou
bis individuality from the cold correct