New-York tribune., 1905-11-15

s.. aa. II four Volumes. Vol II ds7s-1s751 svo
nn 1v. 7eo G. P. Putnam's Sons.
-,s second of the four volumes in which NJ
,,.,osaux has undertaken to survey the rebuild
~ modern France, after the disaster OF 1870
a. rts the first, nothing If not readable. The
.,,,bar is not only sober historian-he is q
.ss-..n,an. but he writes Of events that have
80 --ithiY1 his own experience, and he writes,
.,.~.sore like human being. sensitive TO all
e .,e nassions involved in the epoch with
...ob he deals He sees the personages OF the
s-s,,a he describes not simply figures in the
-,e IF politics, but men, and the result is
: narrative Of singularly vivid interest THIS
,-,.tsIr,ent of 1t is chiefly concerned with the
..o-ts of the Due de Broglie TO keep France
.es.bful 20 conservative ideas. and with the
..ns which promised for time to lead TO the
r.sto-stion of the monarchy in the person OF the
I,o-,te de Chambord, but only paved the way
.or the final establishment of the Third Repuoiio
80. On. recognition of democracy as the defni-
4,v. exnression Of the genius Of the French
reopIe. Ganbetta is portrayed in some of the
h.e- naees of this volume, and divers other men
~ marx are brought upon the scene with the
,tnrnI and sympathetic touch of which NJ.
rrs,o+ar1x possesses the secret The two chap
..ys In which the authors, publfcists. artists
and scientists OF the period are tersely skeicheo
.-e not on the same level of excellence tna1
tbs author has reached in the bulk OF his Work'
snd indeed, so very scrappy are they tnat IheS
might t1st as well have been omitted But
after ALL it Is for political history that we go
70 " Eanotaux, and there he does not olsap-
point US Mr.. J. c. Tarver supplies an Ensllsn
version Of the text which reads smoothly ano'
barring a few misprints, the volume is hand
sonlely presented
The situation comnemorated in this history
lofl-- conflict
had given way 10 the conflict Of tongues and
NJ mems especially Of tongues. Yet II was, in its
p-ev ss dramatic az any in the annals of
France, for it meant the choosing of that path
On which the country. for good or for III. would
develop through an indefinite period 1t is easy
yor the observer who likes TO consider the
French unstable in their political arrangements
10 point to the excessively variegated character
Of their political history ever since the Revoiu-
ton and to dilate upon the celerity with whlch
their modern ministries rise and fall 1t Is
probably true. as Mr.. Bodiey and other acute
students have concluded, that there is some
thing in the genius of the race which will for
ever prevent the successful termination of any
effort it may make to approximate in its gov
ernnental fabric to the ideal embodied in Brit
;sh practice. Doctrinaires may again and again
look lovingly upon the constitution which holds
sway across the Channel and plausby advo-
cate the creation on French soil Of something
Ike II, but the French will never emulate their
neighbors beyond point soon reached Yet at
the tine taken by NJ. Hanotaux for his point
of departure in this volume the country was
steadily arriving at the conviction that it had
snsde experiments enough. and, If only as a
matter Of self-preservation, must choose line
and s.ick TO It. France wished TO manage
her own business" says NJ Hanotsux. She was
Et the right solution Of her problems, for gov
eminent which did not thoroughly know its own
,1ind Chaos had come again with the advent
Of trs Prussians, and on their departure France
set about putting her house in order. The Due
de Broglie believed that he could make valu-
able contributions to the performance OF the
heroic task and nobody questions his good
faith or underestimates his abilities. But he
had not the gift Of prescienoe which would have
fold him that the moment had come for taking
the people on as partners in the business Of
government not as investors in a scheme which
might or might not turn out profltably.
A man OF the purest honor, conscientious in
his attitude toward the people and resolved to
deserv. well of his country, he had. nevertheless
what NJ Hanotaux calls "a latent fidelity to the
orleanist cause, a very prudent fidelity. which
vas willing to wait. in order TO pledge the
princes without compromising them, the hour
when. consecrated legitimate heirs of the dy-
nasty, they would be able to proclaim without
danger and without surrender their unshakabls
attachment to modern France" In short, lie
was for the monarchy, il it could be restored
without bloodshed and, in fact with the fullest
guarantees of that conservatism in admnstra-
ton which, as good citizen. he believed 10
Ia for the best interests of the greatest number
Unfortunately for him, the moment called for
direct dealing. and if his cabinets fell it was
because he practised "a very refined policy al
in half-hghts, tact. reserve in which the task
vas to surprise everybody little. for the good
Of everybody" He did not hear democracy
knocking at the door, or, IL the sound did family
touch his ears, he deemed it injudcious to place
al his cards upon the table, Influencing the too
diplomatic course OF the statesman was the
temperament of the man. whose handicap whera
the divination of democratic aspirations was
concerned is well hit off by NJ Hanotaux in this
rassage:
him one day: Just stretch out that hand of yours
70 60 sfbs 8b T9T ST 6aes dread not Of k0ng ee0s what
oered the demeanor OF this honest man icy.
Tlie must rather be held to have been. IKE some
others. shy.
What France needed q man quick to
enter into all its emotions and ready TO meet
II half way. or even more. as it groped toward
political light. 1t found such a man in Gam
BETA Meanwhile, the Due de Broglie steered
prudent course in the hope that events would
OF themselves bring about q restoration Of the
monarchy, and, as it happened, the candidats
for the throne who could claim the most prom
isng following. the Comte de Chambord, was
equally i'll equipped to penetrate to the heart
OF the situation and to act with the decisive
ress of = born ruler Of men. The details Of the
long struggle over the question Of the flag are