New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-04-07
THE MARQUIS D'ARGENSON.
A PROPHET WHO SUFFERED THE USUAL
FATE OF PROPHETS

loge Pr 9s2 Imported by G. =. Punam's Sons
The subject of this book strikes one as more IN
teresting in his unconscious part Of seer VINO
had premonitons Of the ills which his country
was - suffer than for what he actually acorn
plished either as a statesman or as writer on
public affairs. Now that thu French ReVo!uton
has reCeded to a line in the perspective OF history
where it can be viewed as whole, the influence
Of almost every great Frenchman Of the genera
tons Just preceding the upheaval is seen to nave
something TO do with it, This could hardly fail
10 be the case with one who was contemporary
born in the same year and lifelong friend Of
Voltaire. in close agreement with him on mat
ters Of both politics and religion Mr. Ogle claims
rather more for d'Argcnsol as man of action
than II has been usual with other writer's 10
grant. 1t was incumbent him to do TINS
since he vas tracing the career of man VINO
wes djslikod or neglected by most Of his contem-
porarics and almost ignored in later times. YET
even Mr. Ogle has had to depend more on Wha'
d'Argenson tried to do than on what he actuaAy
accomplished. He gives his readers on almost
every page the impression Of man VINO was 50
far ahead Of his times that his aims were III
comprehensibe. and worse than this OF man
utterly wanting in the powers of persuasion.
Here in the midst of a world where NlNaCl'y vi
language was a prime necessity stood man
whose
dened by the traditions of royalty and aristoc-
racv. blind to the inner principles that sepa-
rated nations uniting each within itself, stood
man who foresaw and endeavored to hasten the
unity Of Italy who tired to provide for local self
government in France. who felt the incompetence
of Austria and the coming power of Prussia; out
who only incurred ridicue and hatred when ne
sought 10 carry out his ideas. He was some
wears ahead Of his time in approaching the real
strength of Austria and Prussia, half century
or more ahead in the matter of remedylng abuses
in France and more than 100 years ahead oi
Italian patriotism The wonder is not them that
he failed tut that ne had his premoniuohs
Europe and France must have been weary
enough of the old ways Of doing Things 10 pro-
duce such a man when as yet they could MAKE
no use Of him. Nevertheless in spite OF his 81
lence and his unfitness for getting on with those
about him. a really commendable effort was maze
70 Mace him where he would be efficient; but 1t
can hardly be called successful In mooern
Cabinet he might have done much. but in place
,,.baro ba was a mere clerk TO an absolute but
incompetent King he only incurred blame. lie
had the memory of a grandfather who was use
IN, in his time TO Richelieu and Mazarn. and OF
father who first as a country magistrate ana
afterward as Chief of Police of Paris showed
rare skill in handling men. From MS youth up
he had been an ar;stocrat by heredlty ana edu-
cation and everything but an aristocrat IN many
of his associations. He resembled his rather IN
his taste for low life. 1t was in the environment
which he made for himself that he must nave
learned what many Frenchmen OF rank IN ms
day never discovered, namely, that there was
large measure of intelligence among people VINO
had always borne the burdens and never enjoyed
apy Of the privileges Of government. He realized
VIC md no
the provinces were capable of attending to their
own affairs. a fact wholly foreign 10 the pater-
nalism of Louis XIV and his Council.
A merely destructive genius like Noltaire be-
came power in the world. But the wish to con-
struct as we'll to destroy doomed dArsenson
to obscurity. What little there was of his pubic
career belonged TO the years 144 to l741 inclusive
when he was Minister of Foreign Affairs to LOUIS
XIV But before that time he had studied the
shadows Of Paris as a youth. he had become
familiar with the country folk in years OF ser
vice as Intendant Of Valenciennes. and he had
studied political questions in the fairly CAIN
atmosphere of the Club de rEntresol' MI
Ogle suggests that this club. which was made up
of men connected with the administrative and
] diplomatic services owed its existence to the ad-
vice Of Lord Bolingbroke, who was like Noltaire,
contemporary, exactly 10 the year. with dArgen-
which show how Englishmen rendered alert in
every department Of life and thought by contests
Of King and Parliament. by the explosion or
the direct line Of the Stuarts, and by successful
efforts at expansion and colonization. Influenced
France before the outbreak Of the Revolution.
This English influence is Of course most clearly
seen in the life Of Voltaire. 1t was about the
time Of Voltaire's setting out for England that
d'Argenson joined the Entresol. The life OF the
latter was comparatively sedate and narrow.
Voltare and he had been at school together. But
afterward their ways had parted. While Vol
tare had been absorbed by that brilliant coterie
whose host Vend0me and whose laureate
was Chaulieu" dArgenson, on the other hand,
pursued the path OF the robe, which led far
away from the dazzling dissoluteness of the
Temple" Thus the main element in the develop
ment of the latter was purely French tradi-
ton of political thought. while Voltaire, begin
ming under cosmopolitan influences, soon "a guest
at Twickenham and Battersea, was accustomng
his eyes to that foreign light which he was after
ward 10 diffuse so fatefuly around him" Aside
from the influence Of Voltaire and the Entresol.
d'Argenson appears never to have been in con-
tact with anything tinged by English thought
But probably he was like many other original
men. The slightest touch sufficed TO start him
on the only road his mind could follow In the
quiet of the club he began to work out his ideas
Such retirement we'll suited 10 his mood
But the doings and sayings Of the assemblage
began to be talked of abroad. At first the Gov
eminent was favorably impressed. Then the
more indiscreet characters. not dspleased with
their notorety. talked with less reserve than
they had done D'Argenson, above all the rest
tried to restrain these careless gentlemen. He
wished them to know that soon the Government
would ask what the club was about, and III
knew that no answer to this question that coult
be given would be deemed satisfactory HI
tired himself to death, he said. urging modera
ton and discretion. The fatal day came at last
Under the frown of Cardinal Fleury the clul
gave UP its tea and cool drinks. its comfortable
seats, and seemed to disappear. The more eau