New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-04-28
THE French CENTENARIAN
PERSONAL "REMINISCENCES OF NJ Cf"h'-
REUL-DoN LUIS DE RUTE.
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The deaths of " Chevreul the "or''-'''n'"
centcnarian. OF Auban. the illustriohs o"'
piston player and band leader, ana u Iva LUZ
de Rute head the neurological record Oh '.,'
I need not s,,. who the first was. but Will mercy
relate my juvenile impressions a"ou' "
which take me back more than twenty years ne
was then hale Old man, appearing less 'i''" -.
arc si,onle Of manner. looking at politics ~
chdsplav. ard rcgarlng rs serious Only
art and all the great fruits Of individual EFFORTS %
find out truth. stand by il. live in IT, ana "PP'' ~
in rendering tho world moro lovely, comho"'o"'
and healthy dwelling place for tho hum"" i''n'|
He had an enthusiast, love Of science ""'o"
never abatcd until consciousness ded OUT ~"
DAYS y, fore his long life came an end. The I'm
uire was in full swing when had my first meet
ing with him. Mt q dcieuncrT at the residence
in the Salpctricre Hospital OF the late DR.. ir''"'
the governor Of that great establishment
DR.. Trclat was a member with the late senator
Garnet who was also nj the "Gcicunrr refer 10 OF
tho Executive Commission Of ls+s. which hal ten
cral Cavaignac for its head. lie was depressed Oh
the occasion especially refer TO AT the new start
. the Empire seemed 70 be taking under TIE 'hhu-
ence which Emile Olivier was known to '>'r''So
nj the TuilcricS Chcvreul was plnyfuliY accuF'u
of being Indifferent 10 the triumph OF inl4uitY ~
represented by Imperial institutions lie denied
the charyc with warmth but said that his way OF
fighting evil was through light Why' hc
asked was the Empire not only possible Dut IN
evitable9 Because people did not sec that sell
interest really lay in justice, kindness, strenuous
effort TO do we'll what work lay before them, ana
that law undcrlav every storm. whether i'll t!ic
material or the moral world If the vision OF the
Frcrcb nconle and the so-callnd educated claSS"'
had been clear. through strong light. bogey wouio
not have frightened them, and Louis Napoleon
must have shaken the red rag in vain Were ne
inset something not much batter would arise ont
Of the too dark brain Of the nation DR.. Trent
los, patience and asked where the glazler could
possibly come in TO let in light, seeing that the
Empire WAS the enemy of knowledge? Chpvreni
contcnded that few dozen men loving knowehSe
and dcvoting thcmseivc, TO 1t with Slng@nfsS oil
mind would be as windows not to France only
but 10 the world
But il may be moro interesting TO give the
conversation as il was jottcd in Il diary.
Chcvrcui-Did not Newton change TN" thoughts
of the civilized world. and open regions, the
frngcs of which are only explored ne IT,"
things I have done in science are greatly uue
70 Newton Was there ever such rrNolu'lohsb
os Wattp His inventions make democracy as
a polit cal governing power not only 7 SslpP
hut inevitable lie had revelation OF srl'htlHc
".
consequences. The laborer is being "mancipatct
everywhere and are only At ne heginnlh2 OF
the movement. The American civil war ndlrec'N
came ont of Watts workshop. steam gave tne
North the power 10 destroy slavery in TIC south:
and opened its egeS TO see the p0S,iolHll Va
replacing gangs OF slaves ny I'm rnpl,m'hN
Trnlot-I don't undcrrac what Watt mas zone
Rut say that the political organization OF france
heinz vicious. his inventions have greatly WorK'h
nrGinst thc class doomed 10 labor for daily bread
They have created simply Jewish ohgarchY
he is
child manipuatcS him as = potter mlGl' s"lt 'l"S.
Chcvrcul-Ihcrc are some Tree NATIONS III w
world Their progress VIII force thr o'nr, ~
clear their eyes OF cobwebs or to step out ii th'y
don't woe betide them.
Mile Rover, n lady with round face very
bright and very boyish. and short rnrIed h'ad
Of hair. who proclaimed herself Darwinlan' sup
nortcd VI Chevrcul hut not with the modesty oi
the savant for she was absolute and scf-a>srrt'Ve
rushing on in the assurance not OF strong iighN
but of scmi-knowl,dge. However, She Thought VI.
le Drecteur WAS too much the Quaker, whc" size
pronounced Quaacre lie ought to join the No7i-
ctv of Friends VI Garnet, = snowy headed white
whiel,crcd and scdare gentleman, very erec' ot
o,rriooe and of ? cold though rot at all disagree
able physiocnomy. thought tho host right and VI.
CLcvr,u1 rirht Politics ard liberty were not an
end but n means. Unless the State took up IN"
question of public instruction. the smoke OF waits
steam engines would only leave the world OF mInd
darker than they had found it, Governments ~
pressing the votes of ignorant electors would Keep
ont li.,lt and the nation would lie either reduced
to seryituGe by some strong nrighbor or some
greedy cliour, or vcgctate in misery In the long
run things would come right, because God h'd
60 ordered humanity that it had eventually 10
come 10 thc truth and 10 progress Mile Koy'r
did not SEE why races Of human beins should not
Il, a. had, iona.
She denied the action of Divine Providence IN
human affairs and thought that the weak aud low
ty,es Of humanity had to be cleared of. When
she went 50 far aS to approve Of the Spartan way OF
wedding out Of nurseries the puny and delorncd
children, the gentlemen treated h,f a. BIAS
phcmer'
VI. Carnot WAS ircful for an instant III thought
that the Lame the halt and the blind bad l
great junction in humanity namely, to call on
and strengthen. by giving occasion for their eA-
ercl>. the virtues of seii-sacrlce and charity |
10 him the admirable side Of Christian DciSm
was It's care for the weddings. II the Spartan
system were adopted, one mi"ht, carrying n ont
logically, Kill mutatcd soldiers and nirm parents
The best neral discipline we could undergo was
in dcvoting ourselves 10 works OF compassionate |
s,lI->lcri.icc.
CONNIE vous ctcS dams lie vrai' cried the
Director of the Museum. 1--WE are very poor
creatures until the heart is educated. My children
were all weaklings and my wife lad feeble Lealth
from an accident that tick place soon after her
marriage. was able 70 rear only one son. The
uItcctIonatc care which ny family needed made
me unseliish and opened my soul TO Gods light.
u. Chevreu. remembered Napoleon He saw
him. frs at tie cotton factory Of GherRampi,
for which Nauuuclln the great 5hc.list to whom
tleytcul was an assistant, prepared dyes. Ma
polron N.,, Very short and had no neck to speak
49, Ihe collar Of his uniform covered the orr
Sec L> ears which were hardly higher than
u> r Ncr,. Napoleon had just made himself
D. WI him ar.L 81.