The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-17


position. within constitutional limits; thirdly,
that tho act OF the radical chiefs In America
In pushing their opposition beyond those limits
into open rebellion, into treason and an attempt
Mt national dlsmeinbormcnt was notat all ncces.
sary 10 the political safety OF America, and was.
therefore,. both q blundcr and u crime, tho awful
consequences OF which must surely como In
suffering md ruin. not only to those who were
guilty, but TO millions of men ard women who
wero Ruiltless.
Prof. Tyler tells us that through all tho songs
and satires OF Jonathan odcll there runs ono
thread OF passionate sentiment which has to 10
recognized as something profoundly character
istic OF him and Of the great Loynlist party
wherein he was n leader, namely, nm unwaver-
ing confidence in the ultimate and perfect tri.
umph OF their party through the success OF the
British arms In America. How. he said, could
IL be otherwisei Who that had mastered the
first four rules OF arithmetic could doubt that
Great Britain would put down and stamp ont
the American rebcllionl In spite OF tho fact
that year followed year, yet the power OF armed
instruction in Americg did not pnss away.
Odcll doubted not that the cause of tho colonists
was doomed, and felt able near the close of 1878
to FIX the exact date of the extinction of the re-
bellion, namely, the year 1870. When the end
OF tho American Revolution came at last, an
end that brought with 1t 10 the American Loyal.
lists a shock OF sickening disappointment md
OF irreparablo catastrophe, We find them pres.
emily breaking up into two sections: on the one
hand, those who after n time relcnted and
sought reconciliation with the ~victors. or were
glad to como back and dwell at peace in the
young rcpublic; on tho other hand, those who
never rclcnted. who never sought reconciliation.
and who, In England, Nova Scotia. Upper Can
ada, or some other portion Of the British Em-
plre, found a shelter for n political hostility
which no lapse of time could qucnch. To the
first section, Joseph Stansbury, as we have seen.
belonged; n typo of the second was Jonathan
Odell. Even after the surrender OF CORVALLIS
in 1881, and SO long as England kept a
solitary soldier in tho United States.
Odell continued to talk of aggression, of
renewing tho struggle. of getting victory
and vengeance even vet. When, finally. Eng
land herself gave way and forced her reluctant
King to mako terms with the American rebels,
Odell for his part could not make terms with
them; he still denounced and dcfcd them. and.
with other unapreasable opponents of American
independence. he abandoned the land OF his
forcfathers and settled himself in Nova Scotia.
where no had q distinguished civil career. and
where. at last, in extreme old nge. he died with
out ever taking back n word or uttcring an
apology or f~linching from an opinion, the stand
ard bearer OF a party that had been defeated but
not convinced. NJ. w. II.
American Opinions or tho French Revelation.
One of the most valuable contributions to the
Johns Hopkins University studies has been
made by CHARLIE DowNER HAzEN, Professor OF
History at Smith College. The book embodies
the outcome OF an extensive investigation touch
ing the Opinions Of the French Rerolution cx.
praaeed nv pntCn,nornry A p,ericnpa broad mud
at home. The first half OF the volume is devoted
TO a review of the Impressions of Thomas Jeflcr.
son, Gouvcrneur Morris. and James Monroe,
who, as il Is well known. were brought in actual
contact with the stirring events TINT followed
the meeting Of tho Stats General. In the Sec
ond half Prof. Hazcn follows the movements
OF public opinion on this side OF the At
lantic regarding the startling changes which
were taking place in France. 1t would
not be easy to find a more interesting
subject. for. rs the author himself recalls. in
q brief introduction. 1t was n fierce ferment of
discussion which the aspirations and efforts of
the French for liberty and equality provoked in
the United States during the first decade of our
national life under the present Constitution.
From the moment the French decided to pull
down their King and set up Il republic, party
strife in the New World took on through SYM
patty n color strangely foreign to any that 1t
had hitherto worn. The reason was" as Col.
IIigginson has pointed out. that the French
Revolution really drew a red. hot ploughsharc
through the history OF America. rs well AS
through that OF France. 1t not merely divided
parties. but moulded them: gave them their de-
narration, their ~watchwords, and their bitter
ness. The home issues were for q time sub
ordinate, collateral: the real party lines were
established on the other side OF the Atlantic
OF the American diplomntists who resided in
France after 1876. jefferson. Morris, and Mon
roe are. naturally. best qualified to throw light
upon the French Revolution. since they speak as
eycwitnesses. Franklin. Adams, and Jay can
help us but little to understand this crucial
period of French history, since, for them. COM
ing events did not cast shadows before. Frank
lin, for instance, who soiourned in Franco from
1916 to 1888, detected no signs OF u revolution
terminating there. According to Mr.. Hale,
who has made all exhaustive search. there Is
not q single expression known to us in any
Of Franklin's letters or papers up to the
time when he left France which shows
that he expected any considerable change
In the government of that country 1t
may be said that Franklin never had oC-
casion or inclination to probe very deeply be-
meath the surface Of French life. Seeing, how
over, q great deal of the political, literary. and
scientific society OF tho capital, he would have
caught whatever revolutionary prcmonitions
were in the air, and would most certainly have
recorded them. Prof. IIazcn. for his part, is
equally certain that no symptoms OF II trcmcn-
dous change impending are disccrnible in tho
writings of Jay and Adams. Adams, indeed.
travelled across France twice in 1878 and 1880,
but the observations he made upon his journeys,
being very fragmentary and superficial, arc of
no value to tho student of the old regime. JEFF