New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-09-27
JULES GREVY.
HIS CHARACTERISTICS AS A LAWYER AND
STATESMAN

apprehended by his intimate circle of friends
and relatives has taken the world by
surprise. When II was announced, all the best
writers in the Paris press were on holiday tours.
or in the country or at the seaside. This may ac-
count fer the extremely commonplace biographical
notices which have appeared Of him in the news
papers. NJ Grevy was considerably older than
Vapereau in his dictionary of contemporary men
of note made him out. That work states that
his birth took place in 1913, and IN an edition
the press rectities the date, giving 1t as lSO1
IL was neither one nor the other. NJ Grevy was
born in 1905 But at that time birth registrs-
tons were not regularly kept and the fathers OF
boys had strong interest in making them out
younger than their age. Napoleon was then
sweeping the youth OF France into the army by
means of a CONSUMPTION decree boy born in
1905, and set down as coming into the world
much later did not the danger OF having 10
shoulder musket before ne was fully grown. lie
had also longer time before him to prepare for
scholarships in State schools.
NJ Grevy's father had known the hardships Of
war Originally ranger in State forest, he in
1892 volunteered 20 serve in the army. and was
elected by his comrades chef de battalion or
major He was in all the wars Of the Republic
and under the Consulate married. bought lot of
confscated ground which he added TO an inn, his
own Maternal property. 1t was on the coach road
TO Genoa and was the hating place of Madame
de Stae and her father; OF Votaire, Prince
Henry of Prussia 1.-THE brother Of Frederick the
Great, Madame Recamier and other old-tme
celebrities Post horses kept and the
neighborhood abounded in fresh.water FISH and
game. Later the innlIeeper was made postmas
ter Of the village. He had five children-thTee
sons Jules who has just died Albert, also an adj
vocate, who was Governor-General of Algeria UNI
Do,1 ...bo &c
retired General OF Engineers. There were two
daughters who never emerged from Obscurlty.
They were sacrificed 10 the brothers, and brought
up rather as innservants and country house.
keepers They married in the neighborhood of
Mont Sous Vaudrey. The three sons were placed
early at preparatory school kept by an eAprest
and Jules entered, leaving him, on scholarship
at the State school at Poligny. He obtained
there another scholarship for the Lyceum OF
Besancon, where he distinguished himself. His
brothers followed in his wake. Albert devoted
himself to the classics, Paul showed capacity for
mathematics and determined TO compete for
scholarship at the Polytechnic with view to
the army. He carried cut this plan of life and
became distinguished officer Of engineers.
NJ. Grevy must have been a rather mature
law student when he was admitted TO
the Paris bar in 1887. He is said by Vaperesu
to have been only seventeen when, in the days
of July, 1880 he fought behind barricade with
Lttre and helped to take by assault the barrack
of the Rue de Babylone. lie in the full man
hood Of twentythree
Jules Grevy never seems to have been in haste
TO get on. Patience was one of his virtues and he
believed that patient peggng away would in
good time bring its reward. He also believed IN
being true to himself, and was true TO bis prin-
cipes and a sure friend. He was easy going in his
family relations and kindly. lie always felt that
his sisters had been sacrificed TO their brothers
and was forward to help their children and grand
children. He had also an innate respect for law
and acted ON it, but was tolerant of lopses in
others from his standard There was every temp
tation for him 30 be penurious his family being
in cramped circumstances and he being obliged
by the regulations Of the Paris bar TO live in
circumstances Of external dignity.
NJ Grevy first pleaded in a great case in $50
the wear in which Gambetta was horn. He
was then counsel for two accompces of the
forgotten but famous revolutionst Barbes.
He belonged to the group Of Republicans Of which
lie National"-a journal that served as intel
lectua pabulum to Gambetta in his boyhoOd-was
the centre. A strong polemist-Armand Cerrel--
who wrote up TO high standard of journalism
and was eventually shot in a duel by Emile dc
Girardin, was the chief Grevy persuaded
that the July monarchy coud not live long. lie
differed from his friends in not getting angry
because il was then living and went on believing
that he would see il end. Berryer, Louis Blanc,
Barbes and Blanqu placed their hearts and souls
and minds at the service of the causes they de-
Tended and Ledru ROllin and GARNER Pages their
nervous energy. But Grvy merely served Re
pubIicanism with his He had everything
that a rational mind and delicate perceptions gave
and in his early days all the irmness of reason
lo1.o n
may be said that he grew rather than raised him
self by striving. At any rate his onward course
was noiseless and gradual His life Yves methodic
and studious He spent his evenings often in
studying classic French literature. Horace, Vir-
gle Georges and in playing chess. Epic poetry
had not much charm for him and struck him as
false He fully understood that the only way To
be a good speaker was to be close thinker and
observer and to feed the mind with the best kind
of food Form should not be much thought about
q II the ideas We're good the best words were sure
TO present themselves. When Grevy had lived
long enough 10 electric light, he compared
modern Oratory TO IL and the copious phraseoogy
of the ancents TO narng torches Fills favorite
master was Voltaic. who he said would if a pub
lie speaker have brought in conversational and
natural style of oratory, charming in manner be-
cause the subject had been well elaborated by
prevous study and the words neatly fitted TO the
thoughts which suggested themselves.
No member OF the Paris bar when Grevy was a
practising lawyer had more of the attention Of
whatever court before which he pleaded. There
was nothing striking at the outset in any OF his
speeches, either in the man or in what he said.
But he grew upon he went on. The voice
was clear and the enumeration distinct though the
tone was rather low His emphasis was faultless.
One saw that he thought less of cOaxing round
than nj convincing: vet he ended by charming he
was so simple, lucid and dangerously sly. This
quality gave peculiar SAVIOR to his speeches and
familiar conversation. | forget who it was that
called him cross between PhOcon and Franklin.
Nevertheless he to a great height Of eoqnence,
as hntnnnier Of the Paris bar. in delivering the