The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1897-10-01
FRANCE AND THE UNION.
a nerican Institutions Appealed to Jules
Simon, Taine and Carnot.

~ Herlcan institutions Appealed to Jules
Simon, Taine and Carnot.
Baron Pierre de Coubertin, the we'll
known French legislator and the founder
of the modern Olympian games, writes his
impressions of political society in Paris
for The Century, under the title of Roy
alists and Republicans. In speaking of
Taine, M. de Coubertin says:
He regretted that he had not been able
to apply his method to American civilian
ton. He looked always for the ensemb BILE
in the detail. He loved vast undertake
ings, but he treated them infinitely. And
America was too far away. 1t drew him
and fascinated him, but since he could not
study it at close quarters he realized that
it escaped his investigations. He OWNED
that it presented a mass Of social problems
which are not even clearly enough defined
in Europe to call for a solution. His curl
osity was alive to it's phenomena, which
have no counterpart in the history of peo-
Piles. The rapid growth of the United
States and their new conceptions of gov
eminent and society were matters to him of
perpetual wonder and reflection.
Jules Simon likewise turned his eyes
frequently, i'll surprise and admiration,
toward the new world. In his youth and
in Taine's no one, Tocqueville notwith-
standing, had foreseen the great intel
lectual and moral impetus which has
transformed the United States. l once re-
ceiyed from the venerable DIR. McCosh of
Princeton volume which he asked me to
deliver to Jules Simon. He had written
within it fiattering dedication to the
French philosopher. In giving this vol
ume into Jules Simons hands I described
to him as best / could the buildings, the
trees, the mental life, the habits and Pc
culiarities which render Princeton and
several other American universities I'M
like any other spot on the globe. Eyes, ,"
he cried, fthat is the America which will
really give the old world something to
think of-when the old world shall have
discovered it. He referred to the COM
mon European ignorance of the force and
intensity of the university movement in
America.
Jules Ferry had foreseen this movement,
in measure, at the close of the civil war.
He had even intended to devete serious
study to it, But his political career never
allowed him to put his project into execu-
ton. AS to President Carnot, of the
many topics which he permitted me to
discuss with him on more than one occa-
sion, none interested him more than the
subject of the intellectual relations be
tween the United States and France.
And that is why gave the name of Car
not to the students annual debate on con-
temporary French politics which l insti-
tuted between the universities of Berkeley
and Palo Alto at San Francisco, and at
Tulane university, New Orleans. And the
.Carnot medal is already popular in Cal
ifornia and Louisiana.
never had any conversation about
America with the Count de Paris, but he
must often during his career as pretender
have recalled the days when he fought in
the admirable troops that came together
at the appeal of the immortal Lincoln. He
had seen the great struggle of the Amerl-
can people, its yalor and its indomitable
energy, near at hand. He may have said