New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-06-26
THE YOUTH OF LA FAYETTE.
A SOCIAL AND POLITICAL STUDY.

two 10 be devoted to La Fayette, has made the
eighteenth century special study, and has written
several works dealing with ts notabiliiies and with
its significant movements. In the present case no
has undertaken to show the relations oil La
Fayette first with the American War OF lnde-
pcndence, and. second, with the French Revolu-
ton, and his main object is to fix the historical
position of his subject by ascertaning as accu-
ratcly possible the true character OF his motives
and inspirations, and the amount and quaiity Oh
his merits and defects. Into this inquiry Maoamo
de La Fayette also enters necessarily, for through
the husbands correspondence with his wife we
ar enabled TO derive fresh light upon the character
of the former. ~ Bardoux in his preface eA-
prcssly discaims the attitude Of the panegyrist
and il Is clear that he has labored earnestly TO
avoid all extravaganza and enthusiasm through
out But the general result of this caution and
moderation is TO heighten our impression OF La
Fayette's character, and 10 assimilate II, 70 Tar
as nobility purity, integrity and unselhshness
are concerned, to that Of his great and venerated
model, George Washington.
NJ. BardouX passes quickly, though not lightly,
over La Fayette's American career. AS he says, he
is not writing history either Of the War Of In
dependence or of the Revolution. lie has to do
with both ouly as they serve to illustrate the
character and actions Of the man he is analyzng.
What, then, he brings out in the American career
Of La Fayette is what Matthew Arnold might have
characterized as his steady and almost instructive
making for righteousness. And this Is the
more noteworthy, inasmuch as his antecedents
had been, according to ordinary notions. not al
oil calculated to foster such tendency. DC
prived, by the early death Of both father ana
mother, Of the most valuable discipline chiia
ran ever have: finding himself while in his early
and NJ
thrown callow among the most light-mlnded ana
frivolous of the young aristocracy; there was no
surface reason why he should not have fallen into
The WAYS of his companions, and simply been one
more illustration Of the "ancen regime now
approaching its end so rapidly. But from the
first he was original, and above all high-mlnded.
Without being in any sense priggsh, he revoi.ea
from everything approaching profiigacy: ana tnis
for a young. handsome and rich French noble III
The third quarter of the eighteenth century was
at least remarkable 800
He married at seventeen, his bride being Still
Younger. Her family made opposition because
of the immaturity of the boy and gri, put LII
Fayette was tenacious of will. lie waited scar
and then he insisted upon his reward. more
faithful and devoted couple never lived; no'hihe
came between them but circumstances over whion
control can never be had. The outbreak OF our
alize that he had found his mission. AT once ne
sought the acquaintance of the American agent
residing at Paris lie consulted with Franklin ana
Silas Dean lwhose first name NJ BardouX wofuliy
misspells and alters, calling him Sileas. Simeon,
and what not and ascertained that the ldea ne
entertained of offering his services TO the so-caeo
Insurgent Provinces. was not impracucaoe. ne
had already had some military training ana Kne"
enough to handle troops in a small way. OF the
manner of his getting away, of his crafty evasion
OF his angry fatler-n-aw, and the rest OF Tile
story of his outward voyage. there is no need 10
speak further. What is impressive IS ulat ti'e
qualities he first manifested were modesty ana
mapnanimity. He would bear all his own charges.
and he astonished everybody by not asking 1or any
high command To be aide-de-camp on the stan
Of Washington filled the measure of his ambition
Washington very soon took to the young man,
and as he came to know him better, learned 10
entertain very warm regard for him. Other
foreign officers had brought the whole class OF
adventures of their type into sharp dsfavor with
tie American army aud Government. but it was
never so with La Fayette. whose charm or manner
was but the external indication of q truly modest,
loyal and gallant spirit. AS he once observed TO
his Communicating Chief. he was there TO learn,
not 70 teach; and he proved close student. BE-
fore the siege of Yorktown, there were not many
openings for him. Rhode Island only had IN
store for him bitter disappointment. The Ca
madam expedition was Gasco from the beginning.
But La Fayette always came with credit ont OF all
his ordcals and especially was his course upright
in regard to the Conway caba and the other in
trigues directed against Washington. In brief
he learned much in America, and when he returned
to France he was firmly grounded in American
principles of government. and on the inception OF
the French Revolution he thought it practicable
10 apply those principles to his own Nation. In
is easy to sheer at him as doctrinalre" with
all tie light Of experience in our favor; but in
those days doctrinairism was the general habit
of mind among those who thought at all, and
especially this the case in France.
la Fayette found himself hero on his ar
rival at home. No doubt his contribution to
the results obtained was really much less valuable
than his countrymen supposed. But national
vanity was tlattcred BY placing him on almost
equal terms with Washington, and in ascribing
to him half the honor of freeing the new world
from oppression. That neither the French King
nor his Ministers felt any apprehensions Of what
might flow from the strange alliance between n
Republic and Monarchy has always been one
of the puzzles OF the situation. La Fayette.
however, was not blind to the possibilities, and
this NJ Bardoux has sufficiently demonstra ted
in the present work Made commander of the
National Guard tue prestige Of the friend OF
Washington steadily increased. La Fayette at
this time only followed the prevailing intellec-
tua fashions in imagining that the French nation
could be reorganized upon the American model.
Practical men like Gouverneur Morris tried hard
TO disillusionize him upon this point. The in
fluencc of Rousseau predisposed the French mind
to accept wide and baseess theories and never
was this tendency stronger than between 1881
1901. But no blame can seriously attach t.
the mistakes made by well-meaning men like
La Fayettc, who were confronted with state
of things wholly unillumined by experience.
In the first place the French nobility and the
Court did not understand the French people, and
had lost all touch with them. The expression for