New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-05-06

land were strong enough to attend to all their
other affairs and 20 the Dutch as well. But IL ~
also possible to suppose that, IT the Du'ch hau
paid throughout the seventeenth century less at
tention to colonial enterprise and more to Euro
pean politics. they might have been more potent
among the nations than they were. the siihi
fact was that the United Provinces had Things
their own way at times when this seemed I'M
possible, and they brought 10 bear In the emo V"e
necessary force TO bend the French monarchy.
Meanwhile everything contributed to carry
France toward supremacy. Before the close of
1861 she had obtained by the peace OF west
phalIa and that Of the Pyrenees a scientific from
tier The people were misgOverened. oNertaXed
and oppressed In various ways. but their patriot
ism could not be subdued. Now, after the
achievements Of Sully and Richelieu and Ma
zarin. they had a young King. and this King
started with one Of the ablest finance ministers
known to modern times. "A young King says
Mr.. Wakeman. "who took up the reins OF the
government after the middle OF the century,
found an open map before him He had to deal
with a country weary Of war and willing TO en-
dure anything for the sake OF peace with
nobility thinned and impoverished and unable To
resist royal cncroachments. The only thlns lelt
in good condition was the army, ana mat was
In nerfect fitness for an ambitious rulers use.
Tins Joujs XIV came to the throne just when
Europe was adapted to his genius. H made the
utmost of all his opportunities but the trouble
was that he exhausted them IT the frehch
monarchy under his care reached the summit Oh
It's power and grandeur, ii also began 10 descend
with him toward inevitable destruction. Inc
reason for this Mr.. Wakeman finds in the iact
that Louis was essentially barren man, singu-
lary skful In making use Of the material WIN
which he was provided. but unable to add to It"
and In the fact that as an absolute monarch ne
could tolerate no one greater than the King.
Even I'm the Prussian monarchy Of today re
marks Mr.. Wakeman there is no room for
bismarck: still less could one have been per-
mitted to exist at the court Of Louis NV The
ideal OF perfect kngship was one thoroughly at
tainable but it could no more be- preserved than
the fantastic notions Of knight errantry. 1t was
simply necessary to have a genius for organiza-
ton and to pay unwearied attention II details.
Dress and etiquette rivalled in Lous's attention
the profOunGest diplomacy. II anything was
worth doing It worth doing with the utmost
completeness What the King did himself. ne
chose that his officers should do. The great
ministers are organizers not Statesmen They
are at the very antipodes of the genius To Rlche-
lieu. And they organized, not In the sense
in which Sully was an organizer. merely the
rooter-out Of patent abuses bur I'm the far higher
sense in which Charles Montague was an organ
izer. one who laid down true principles OF ad-
ministratlon and constructed the machinery
necessary for carrying them out. Lionne organ
Ted the French Foreign Office and diplomatic
service; Colbert. the internal administration OF
France; Louyois. the War Once. on principles
which became the acknowledged principles OF
I,,;r icfr fff,f1aT ln
all countries for more than century" As
against the notions Of many English students 81
French history. Mr. Wakeman sees In the APP
nIication OF the principles OF Protection by Col
bert bv no means an unmixed evil. The picture
which he draws ~ France in 1871 Is one &
be cnvied To Colbert, perhaps. more ihhn 70
any other single man, due The chang" By
which war ceased utterly t. be The resort ~ re-
llgious factions ana became the instrument oi
commercial rivalry The Dutch war Of 1872 looks
like n direct outgrowth OF the cusi'm-house. II
was a for-taste ~ the conflicts ~ the eight
zenith century wnen. 1t must be said m"aey
talked n 1t ever spoke In this world. To Col
berts initiative was due the fart that EraI''
emerged defeated at the death ~ Louis XIV
defeated. but stronger than she had ever been
before.
might have beer another story To tell Not
all Of Louis's good fortune WAS Of his own de-
Vising There came time whcn Marlb'r"hsh
II he had been adequately supported IN the
councils II England and the United Provinces
might we'll have executed his plan ~ s"iZing
Paris Every frontier fortress ~ Importance
was in his possession But he could not hght
the French on his front and the Tories Ia his
rear 1t took long-contnued war and the ge-
MUS Of Marlborough to bring this about but II
was a significant forcwarning 81 what was ~
be done somewhat more than n century later
The English soldier had begun his career on
the Continent not I'm great numbers but win
brilliant success He had figured at Benhcm
and Romillies. and he kept himself pretty well
in view from those days onward until Napoleon
was safely housed St Helena. Thus We
see that though Mr. Wakeman has made the
history Of the seventeenth century mainly his
tory Of France. he has opened the drama In
which England H. 10 be- the foremost actor In the
eighteenth century. He has also. by dwelling !
on the steps I'm the growth OF Brandenburg ana
Prussia from the meagTe times before the
Thirty Years down 10 the recognition 81 |
the Prussan Kingdom. foreshadowed the great
tragedy ~ the present age. His style f. ami |
mated and II is enlivened rather than injured by |
figures of speech from the borderland Of slang; |
as for example. when he says that Turenne in |
1874 by skilful strategy bundled the imperiallst
army meek and crop out Of Alsace.