New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-08-03
MIRABEAU.
THE TITAN OF THE REVOLUTION.

LES GRANDS ECRIvAINs FRANCOIS MIRABEAU.
Par Edmond Rouse de rAeademie tr'ah9 AIS.
12mo, PIP. ON. Paris Hacheue et Oie' Ne"-
York +. W. Chnstern.
NJ. Rouse has conceived his task in a truly modern
spirit and considering the limitations under wich the
publishers arrangements placed him, he has mace
very satisfactory study OF most dinlcult charao'
lie sets out with the proposition that IL Is lhposuo
to understand Mirabeau without first investigating MS
ancestry and his family relations. This is unaouD',
true for If ever there was family III 'ne p'oou -,
which madness ran It that of the Requetes. Inc
h,opru,hers rarely employ that too uncompromisihs
word Eccentricty is the expression most In iaVOr
with them. But 1t Is scarcely possible 10 STUDY oe
history of these people through three genera1oS VIZ
out reaching the conclusion that most Oh nlem WV
rs crazy tenths Of the unfortunates VINO Pep
modern insane asylums In MlraDeau hlmsen all V"0
n.cparities of his progenitOrs resumed and IN
ienslsed He differed physically from them, or rater
from the later stock, for these had been no'ed i'
beauty whereas he was remarkable LOT an ush''eN'
ub,ch was phenomenal. Even here, however, inc
race characteristics were apparent for his father oe
rlared that the youth was the double OF MS lorn'i
grandfather in external appearance
Tho vouth Of Gabriel Honore de Requete should 20
400 familiar To most readers to need more thal uie
brefest indication. 1t was that Of SOU WHOLLY
uithout religious ethical balance lie was az
his life the slave of strong passions but II MS carry
rars no rave loose to them with an abandon winch
ennld NOT
had inherited baseless pride OF ancestry oaSo
lee for the Requetes were of mushroom hooii'y'
snrunp from trade but few generations sih0o
Vet the MARQUIS talked continually OF the hve huareu
wears of his house, and no parvenu ever mort ohai
acta-stcav outdid the extravagances and abuses OF
class privilege which belonged TO the anceh res"c'
Noung sirabeau took full advantage Of his aristocruc
,schte and exemptions, and his powerful relations
and connections helped him ont Of many serious dlih-
entities by cleverly making Of "letueS ue cache"
interdetions and other fcudal methoos OF ueIeaune
3ustice in the interest Of ghe nobility Inc en-
baustive researches of the Lomcnles nave ehaoeu
NJ Rouse TO throw new light upon this part OF
Mirabeau's career. When Carlyle wrote his "french
Revolution it was the general belief that the young
man was almost as much snned against as SHINING
that his father and his relatives behaved to hlm win
conspicuous and unnecessary severity ana that al
his mprisonmens were in the nature OF revenGes ana
punIshments for HIS many transgressons
No doubt his father was greatly lncensed against
him. especially for his affair with the Marquise de
Monnier; but It is certain that In nearly every
Instance Of imprisonment he was really placed In
aurance N save him from his multitudinous creditors,
or from more serious processes Of law, rising out OF
his scandalous in various ways lie was III
tact nut in prison with his consent and as
means of recuperation. and his last and longest IN
generation was the urningpO OF his life, Tor IL
vss during those four years of reflection that he re-
solved TO address himself to serious matters and to
odopt politics as q career. All this time he was
writing and it must be said that large proportion
NJ what he wrote rubbish He was, OF course,
saturated with encyclopaedlsm like every thinker OF
his time. Where he differed from his contemporaries
WAS in his intrepdlty He had the courage 10 publish
the ferces attacks upon existing abuses long Deloo
II had become safe to do lie suffered. but not
much for his audacity. The vehemence and tor
rental force of his language its Intense energy ana
sincerity, gave TO his political writings an hhuehce
which fairly frightened the uphOlders Of the old sys
TEN. VI. Rouse aCutcly points out that Mraoeau
was first of all orator and that all his "ruhgs pear
the stamp of oratory lie wrote precisely as he spoke
and he even impaired to his dscourSes on paper the
terms of phrase, the exclamaticns and intercctons
which a speaker naturally employs Yet nc was hOV
as was long supposed, an "improvlsat0re. IN u'e
Assembly he read all his speeches. which were Wri'oeh
nut carefully by his secretaries or by Others ior ne
never hestaed to use the ideas that were offered to
him any more than he hesitated to pagarize freely
In his books.
All through his life he law1ess bound by no con-
ventons, controlled by principle, defying consist
ency laughing at moral rules. despisng religious pre-
cepts frankly protesting atheism, lmpudeny OutTaSns
decency, following his caprice or fantasy III lhe
great struggle during which he suddenly collapsed MS
efforts immense as they were failed principally be-
cause his character and his conduct were aIayed
AGAINST him. There can be no doubt that death, In
his case solIdiied reputation which a few more
years, nay months, Of life, might have ruined com
pletely. When examine his connection WIN inc
Revolution we see how fortunate II was for nm that
he died when he did. Not otherwise could so much
have been ascribed to him which in truth is ascnbed
without due warrant. Nothing, for example, can be
less iust than the tradition that he in any way en-
gendered tho Revolution. lie made very great noise
at the beginning Of it, but much more than that can
hardly be said. VI. Rouse, with cOmmendabe eau
ton declines 10 express opinion on the test ones
sFlv a1y H.
tican or great statesman but he lets us see whittier
his conclusions tend by pointing out that while the
great Tribune was amazingly prolific in suggestions
and plans, he actually executed anything. lie
wanted to be minister without department, and nc
might have made ideal minister. But he never had
IN opportunity of showing whether he had admins
tratve capacity and all the differences deducbe from
his private life either negative or unfavorable
II has been the custom TO assume that If he had
lived no would have dominated the Revolution and re-
duced IL to orderly progress. NJ. Rouse does not
think So and in accord with him on this point
For IT is should be clear enough that while Mrabeau
still lived and worked, the Revolution had swept be-
vond him and left him stranded Nor ia il less certain
that he himself realized this. No other Interpretation
can possibly be given to his prediction of the fate OF
the King and Queen. "They will perish" he declared
"and the people will drag their bodies through the
Streets When he said that he knew that it had
ceased TO be possible for him to avert or to control
tbe movement Moreover his influence had been de-
elning for months before he died. His reckless osen
tatIous display of the subsidies which he received from
tile roya exchequer could not the suspicious
of the populace and his many enemies; while the ex
tyavasantly revolutionary attitude taken by him in
The Assembly as certainly prevented him from gaining
or keeping the confidence of the Court His daring
ATTEMPT 10 run with the hare and at the same time
hunt with the hounds certain TO end In disaster
,be more certain seeing that at the Court he had 10
with fools and nonentities. lie could not always
silence the Thirty Voices" He could not always
command a following under such circumstances. Death
I'm his case did not therefore, probably, cut short
great career prevent the carrying ont OF weighty
en,erprises II is more reasonable to conclude that it
saved Mrabeau from fall which must have Swallowed
his fame forever.
n Rousse considers the often repeated assumption
ho haNn hnn 1l,o ~