The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-02

my subject the revolutions OF Florence or
Of Athens. This book Is history. nothing
| more nor less.
Now let us look at some Of the letters
| translated in the book before us, bearing
! in mind that even the latest OF them was
| penned when the author was no more than
Is years old. They exhibit an amazing
maturity of thought. II may be remem-
| bcred that Taine's college friend, Provost
! Para dol, after fighting the Second Empire
| for upward of seventeen years. made peace
with it. and accepted from the Ministry
| formed by NJ. Emile Olivier the post Of
French Minister to Washington. Subse-
uuently, when he found that the sacrifice
Of the convictions OF lifetime to ambition
had been futile, he commit ted suicide. To
those who recall the incident there will
seem something prophetic in the letter adj
dressed by Taine to Provost Paradol, then
his comrade at the Ecole Norlnale, on March,
2. 1919: so you have become ambitious all
Of a sudden? My dear fellow. you will lie
unhappy. Everything that preachers and
moralsts have said OF the imprudence Of
committing ones happiness to outward
things il strictly true. You will be unhappy.
and-what is worse-agitated. uncertain
and disturbed by conhic, ing desires, like a
good ship deprived of ballast Your talent
will make you unhappy. Think over It..
The philosopher Of 81, with an asst onshing
prescienCe Of his own power Of self-control
and ability TO shape beforehand the course
of his life. goes on TO say: Il have made up
my mind. as you know for me pleasure IL
not happiness; have renowned II do not
care about il any more. ] use it to keep
| slumhering nature awake; II is spur TO
| urge me on to my object. nothing more.
| Nv object is the Good or the Being. as we
| used to say in metaphysics. That ] may
| think much and discover many new things.
| gaze upon and produce beautiful things.
| that may have food for love, that IL 10 say,
that / may have the friendship Of persons
| estimable In heart and mind, and in whom
may exist 30 as TO duplicate my being:
! | NAV render some service TO other men
| through the profession / shall take up
| such are my aspirat ions II have enough
| strength TO perscvere in this work, | shall
! obtain Calm. which il the ment al health Of
! man" Taine proceeds TO explain what he
understands by Calm. 1T is the supreme
| good" he saws, for il If Action, regulated
| and made easy. Why, | rust act so! My
! only desire Is TO improve myself, in order
! to be worth a little more every day and able
to look within myself without displeasure.
| Do you not know that such retreat Ia
| necessary to man? That real life if so full
Of cause Of disgust and suffering that we
! are ever seeking refuge from ity That the
greater number of men are so bad, so despic-
! able and 50 stupid that II il necessary 10
! converse with ones self? Well, being a true
! Sybarite. am going to sweep and garnish
/ this inmost dwelling, and TO ret up in II
some true ideas, some good intent ions and
! a few sincere affect ions That IL all; merely
! a home concern. | have no desire to career
! through the world with much noise ana fine
| apparel, gaining glory and respect. and,
/ AT the same time, leaving my house uncl"an
! ard unadorned; | do not like to return from
! shining halls to a dirty hut, and, before |
| try TO appear handsome and well dressed,
! ! shall enUea yor TO be- so. Only one thing
vsxes me in all this that il the insignf-
cancc of my own mind, and the immensy
! Of genius and science which il needed 10
! build up the complete and geometriCal
knowledge Of which have spoken
For a time after the Revolut ion OF
lSis. Socialism was rampant in Paris.
Provost -Paradol showed symptoms Of
being Infected with Il Not 80 Taine.
! In a letter 10 Lis friend, dated May /,
! lsi9, he tells him: Il am going to
converse with YOU az If you had definitely
gone 10 He'll mean TO Socialism" He
. then defiues his own polite attitude:
7 Il have but two firm opinions in politics
The first is that the right Of property is
r absolute, mean nat ma may unrcservcdly
appropriate things to himself. do what he
likes with them, destroy them when he
possc-Ses them. leave them TO his heirs.
&c | mean that ownership II "A right an
torior to the State. like individual liberty;
that man Possesses things absolutely and
b in their int rinsic value not according TO the
/ value he has given them The second il
that all the political rights Of a ci,i-
, zen are rcducihlc 10 one only. which is
, 20 consent Tor TO refuse consent 20 the
existing form Of government either ex-
plici'ly or ,aci,ly: that, consequently, all
. forms Of government q re indifferent in them
. selves and borrow their legitimacy from
, the acauicsCcnCe OF the uatiO Beyond
! that | know nothing, l am, therefore, in
capable Of voting lat the present electionl,
! fort two reasons" We shall -oe that Taine's
/ belief that a nations acQuosCenCc was tie
/ sole test Of "A governments legitimacy led
him TO regard Louis Napoleons admins
| traiion rs legitimate after his usurpat ton
had been ratified 10y a plebiscite. though
| he himself strongly and openly rcprobated
the coup 'ttdt Of Dec. q 1851 Meanwhile,
let us note what his reasons were for alb
staining from voting in 1919 THE first
reason is that, in order to vote should have
to know the condition Of France, It's ideas,
manners and customs, opinions and future,
for the true government Is that which is
! appropriate 10 he civilization Of the people.
l. therefore, lack a primary element for
Judging Of the best actual government /;
| do not know what il suitable to France
Consequently, cannot vote for the Republic
or n Monarchy; neither for universal nor
for restricted sun rage; neither for VI. Gu2ot
NJ Cavaignac nor NJ Ledru Rolln." Taine's
second reason for refraining from voting
was Even if knew what would be suit =
able for France, | have too little knowledge
of the merit, probty or opinions Of the
divers candidates to be able to choose be-
tween them. | have not been watching
political life very long yet. and, from all
| have read and seen, have gat hered but
a chaos Of contradictory Judgments, which
leave me in state of complete doubt