New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-01-24
FRENCH POLITICS.
THE VIEWS OF A STATESMAN IND i
GOSSIP

THE RECOLIECTIONs OF ALEXIS DE
TOCQUFvIILE. Edited by the Comte de
TocQieve end now first translated into Eng
sh by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos. With
Portrait. Octave PIP. xiv. 400. The Macmillan
Company.
UNDERGRADUATES OF THE SECOND EMPIRE.
(Notes and Recollectons>. BY Albert ID. Van
dam octave, PIP. X i32 G. T. Putnams Sons.
Though these volumes offer a violent contras.
being very nearly literature. the other n.
semblng the semi scanlaloIs gossip Of a Paris,
ian Journalist. they fall tremendously into asso-
citation with one another Mr.. Nandams mar.
rative is practically continuation of Tocqu,
ville's. The latter colfined himself in the pres
ent volume to the Revolution Of 1S4S. Mr.. Van
dam writes of the years Immediately following.
Thus the reader of both authors gains a fairly
uninterrupted survey Of the transitional period
which ushered in by the fall OF the mon
archy of July and which at last gave to Franc.
the Second Empire. The reign Of Louis Phi
lippe possessed a certain definite character. ip
spite OF it's errors. which made the Revolution
of 1S4S seem distinct break with old tradi-
tions. Tocquevil,e himself adopted this view.
He seems to have recognized in the events Of
1S4S a more tangible expression Of the will Of The
people not Of the bourgeoisie. but OF the people
pure and simple-than visible In 1893 or n
any Of the succeeding crises Of French politics
He points this on: In a striking passage: AL
though the working classes had often played the
leading part in the events of the First Revolt
ton. they had never been the sole leaders ana
masters of the State. either de facto or de jure
Il is doubtful whether tho Convention con-
tained single man Of the people, 1t was COM
posed of bourgeois and men Of letters. Tbs
Revolution of July was effected by tho people.
but the middle class had stirred II up and led 1t.
and secured the principal fruits OF it. The Rev
olution of February on the contrary. seemed TO
be made entirely outside the bourgeoisie and
agains. it." This seems to imply a complete
volt face in the Revolution Of 1918. az though
France really had substituted for Louis Phi
lippes Government form of rule entirely diff
ferent. springing from movement entirely new.
As matter of fact. Tocqueville himself shows
how consistently selfish and material French
society was from the fall Of the frs, Napoleon
TO the fail of the third.
Mr. vandam would like to ascribe the founda-
ton of the Second Empire to a recrudescence
Of the Napoleonic enthusiasm. Perhaps he il,
right. The hypothesis has much in it's favor.
But 1T seems more likely that 1t sprang from
wirepulling and chicane. and from nothing else
save the French love of change. This is by i'm.
plication at least, the view OF Tocqueville and
he was a philosopher. His recollections will
probably be taken UP by many readers with a
vague remembrance Of him as a rather aca-
demc Individual who wrote a classical volume
OF American institutions They will be read
and put down as the important testimony Of
a man who saw his countrymen as clearly n.
he saw the citizens of the United States He
describes the guiding principles Of the July mon
archy with merciless truth. Louis Philippe
thought he says, that all he had TO do was 70
observe the letter Of the law. while violating
its spirit. and that, provided he himself kept
within the bounds OF the charter, the nation
would never exceed them. To warp the spirit
Of the Constitution without changing the let
ter to set the vices OF the country in opposition
10 each other; gently to drown revolutionary
passion in the love OF material enJoyme such
was the idea Of his whole life A base idea As
suredly. and the conclusion OF Tocqueve would
appear 10 be that IL but reflected the general
feeling Of the time. Ii IL true that the Revou-
ton OF 1s4S brought about by the Kings
failure to perceive that his beautiful scheme
would not last forever But did II not last
eighteen years? In that biting fact lies the
justification OF refusal to believe with Mr..
Vandam that the Second Empire rose from the
sumbering fires OF a grandiose tradition.
The bald truth Is that France fell upon unin-
spred days when the First Empire disa ppeared
Then inaugurated era OF petty politics
and contemplate Instructions; then. TO follow
the chain Of TocGuevilles argument, the state
OF society made Louis Philippe possible his
Government gave politicians Of the place-hunt-
Ing type their day. and these selfsanc poll