New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-12-08

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tounts of diplomatists meant nothing to him'
rho cana, was as real to him the morning
IN 1854 when he explained his maps ana draw
,,,re :, tbo yiccroy as il was on the afternoon
Of 1859 when the Empress Of the French opened
tho waterway and shortened the voyage from
Europc to India three thousand miles II was
the dcalist's enthusiasm which maze INC "i'""
Frcnchman what he was.
NJ. de Lcsseps's failure nj Panama was the
Logical sequel Of his success at Sucz. The sec
ond project was not his own In the sense III
which the first work was his own unique idea.
1t was the adopted child of his OLD age coh'ihs
70 him =; q time Of triumph when all the world
was honoring him as an inspired dreamer WHO
had accomplished what engineers. capitalists
and statesmen had condemned as fantastic ana
impossiblc To his devotion 10 the idea was
added mystical faith in himself a. wonder
worker who could not fail in any great under
taking. Without reputation except as Il dipio-
matist no had won his first battle against an
unbclicving world. With his fame established
in Europc. how could he fail in second cam
paicn at Panama? Scientific criticism OF MS
second project could not influence an dcalist
who had triumphcd as he had done mt Suez. IL
only tended to confirm his Judgment that it was
and to work another miracle of modern progress
The idcalist who went To Panama III lSS0 10
inspect the canal work could not perceive what
was apparent to every one else. lie returned
to Paris TO report that the canal would certain
" be finished within two years, and that the
original estimates would not he exceeded
whereas it was evident to every other observer
that the work had barely been begun. and That
the project had degcncrated into a systematic
swindIc ON the eve Of the collapse of the en-
tcrnrise he was not like the drowning man
catching hcpcssly at siraws He was the Ideal
list still the dupe Of his own crcduliy lore
casting with elastic confidence his final triumph.
Surrounded with Il swarm Of spectators. adj
vcnturcrs and blackmailers. he seemed to be
not only hazarding with a gamblers deSpera-
tjon the prestige of a great name but also 10
no orminr the enemies If France with resources
for discrediting existing institutions. But he
cond not perceive realities. The gamblers and
thieves were in his way just as the English
and the Sultan had been at Sucz: but he was
convinced that he would ultimately conquer, be-
cause n great idea was always fnvincible, and
Ferdinand de Lcsscps never could fail
The career Of this great dreamer is frcightcd
with homillcs. II any one has the heart Tor
morallzlng The parhos Of his conviction as
swindlcr at a patr!archa age. when for II
qliarter-ccntury he had been the hero OF Eu-
rope and the idol OF France. disarms criticism
and cxcics compassion alone. As he was not
Spectator in Sucz funds. so he was neither
spcndthrlft nor a thief nj Panama. He was
always an idcalisi. swaycd by noble cnthusi-
asm for the worlds progress and the glory or
France Success on one isthmus where Nature
was with him Offset Ia failure on the
other where Nature was against him. Inc
worlds working stock Of original genius. never
too large is heavily depleted by his death