New-York tribune., 1896-05-16

THE LIFE AND WRITINGS OF TURGQGTs;, Gs,..s Comp 1pr
trosr,GenerGa Of FT2ncS walker issr0 Stephens Pp
xiv, 33l. Longmans, Green x 90.
Mr. stephens has done we'll in endeavorng 10
depict the foremost Of the French Physiocfats
as he was in active life, instead Of dwelling upon
his theories After more than century OF ois-
cussion free trade as Mr.. Stephens rneiuiiy says
IS professed by only civilized nation. Asiue
from his Views on this subject wnich usually
attract undue attention. Turgots personah'y was
an interesting The friend OF hume anu
Adam Smith. and the disciple OF Newton anu
John Locke. he was at the same time on allec''oi
ate terms with Voltare and could leei 'ha' "e
was In some respects the predecessor OF rousseau
He was better than Rousseau for his sympathy
with humanity was never vitiated oy lo"ois
for pathetic or declamatory writing ne was "
s,npu,arlv well-balanced man who viewed kindiy
at distance the eccentricities OF RousSeau' an.
even ventured 70 defend him when he quarrelied
with Hume Turgot's letter TO Hume pail u
which "a quoted by Mr. Stephens, is really
model in its appeal for indulgence toward ma"
who was incapable Of acting properly. Inc writer
saw how difficult il was even to make Hume see
.u asnects Of the case No man knew better
than he tha. Rousseau could write ike an angel
I'm. ne was also we'll aware that the author couiu
not be Judged from the writings. TO say 'ha' 'iie
man was personally intolerable. and yet 'ha' lie
Was "one of the authors who have best serVeu
morality and humanity" was TO put IN the inos'
compact form all that could be SAID
Turgot.. kindly vet judicial attitude In TINS
..,,o,s Quarrel was characteristic. His life was
given TO doing good 10 people who were iai 1ioi'
grateful At the very beginning he was as II
were caught In the act Of philanthropy NopouS
would ever have suspected the deed from HIS
antecedents Imagine a boy so ABSORBED III oooNs
that he paid no attention 70 mankind SO shy anu
awkward that he was subject to endless re''""es
-rou, bis mother. One might fear that he would
come to hate his kind. But II was this poy "hoSe
pocket-money disappeared in the purchase Oh
.axthooks for his comrades who were too poor
IN buv them All his life he seems to nave re-
..r,ed tho fact that he was found out and COM
,,erded for his conduct. Long afterward' wheh
r,ritinp of education he not only censured those
who restrained the generosity Of children ou'
als, those who did the opposite 1 "lsh' sd'u
ne that we could avoid exciting in them s"S
ness in doing a good, and that we did not oeiieNe
In inducing them to do It by praises Ihese iepe'
q t,mid child" Such remark could only nave
been wrung from experience
rbinkne of the youths sensitiveness and Sc
rluded ways the parents doubtless let '"a'
they did right in educating him Tor the Chulch'
They thought little Of the tendencies thaI were
heginnine 70 show themselves in the intellectual
life OF France. Turgot could give MS nina 10
the studv of theology but the clerical life had no
charms for him He was an expert IN MS pio-
fessional studies; yet his lectures as student
NJ the Sorbonne though in Latin were remote IN
tone and purpose from all ecclesiastcism. When
The time came 10 decide. Turgot SAID that ne
could not wear a mask all his life. and so turned
20 the law But the law was after all, only au-
ditiona training for a man who was ntteo 10
he neither a Bishop nor a Judge but relornnel
In political administration and finance Inc re-
cluse student with preferences for translatihg
the classics and with literary horizon that EN-
braced the most important languages or Europe
found his life work In removing the ABUSES Oh
q feudal system Of taxation. in rescuing the
French peasantry from despair, in saving people
from famine in making good provincial roads
without forced labor and finally IN the vain
effort to save France from bankruptcy and the
Revolution He was a polished and skfu writer.
Mr. Stephenss method Of presenting his essays
in fragments hardly does him justice. But all
his writings would have failed to give him per-
manent fame. 1t is the personal background
that has made them attractive and that Will
always keep them so. They help TO show what
manner Of man it was who, under Louis XVI.
and In spite of Marie Antonette, strove to save
France, and for the moment succeeded within
reach OF success.
Subsequent events show that he had OWNED
truly the Ills that soon to be loudly COM
planned Of. and the reforms which he proposed
were carried out. But he not strong enough
TO avert the catastrophe which he foresaw. No
man could have predicted the danger In palmer
words. 1t Increases ones respect for Louis XVI
20 see that, dull he was. he sympathized
long with a Minister whose very virtues were
unpopular. French Kings few who would
have listened patiently while they told that
they had no right to dictate in matters of
igion. or reminded sharply Of the fate Of Charles
]. Turgot. indeed. was more than plain in
speech: he bitter at times. He was sensi-
tive to the charge Of awkwardness in his methods
Of reform. II gave additional pang to the
courtiers to have their incomes reduced by man
who did not know how TO apologize: and Turgot
who had sympathy for all humanity doubtless
pited the courtiers without being able TO make
himself both honest an0 graceful at the same
time.
Mr. Stephenss book gives a more comISete
view Of Turgot a writer and OF affairs
than has hitherto been accessible In English
1t Is generally worthy OF It's subject In point OF
accuracy thought II is somewhat puzzlng TO find
two different dates given for the death OF Seig-
neur de Gournay.
OLD DAYS IN WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON IN IINCOLN's TIME BY Noah
Brooks. Pp ix 32s The Century Company.
The author Of this book possessed unusual ad-
vantages for gathering "reminiscences of Lin
coin. He was acquainted with the War Presl-
1,hap fho iaf,o only riS prair rio