New-York tribune., 1905-11-15
Literary yNesvs and Criticism.

eaboratey set forth by n Hanotaux Con-
cisely summarized, they amount to this: The
Comte de Chambord stood for the monarchicai
principle in its integrity: Of that principle the
white flag was the conclusive external express
sion: The trfcolor not only symbolized the
tragic aspects of the Revolution, but implied
a diminishnent of the royal prerogatIve. NJ
Chesnelong put the matter before him with
irrefutsble logic. without the tricolor,- he
said "the rlonarchical enterprise would neither
be welcomed by the army, supported by the
country. seconded by the government. nor
voted by the majority" With IT the prince
might have ridden into power, and that he was
infexible in his refusal shows his nobility OF
soul. There is something fine in the spectacle
presented by this prince who. politically, pre-
ferred suicide to dishonor'; who, one of
his countrymen put it, threw the crown out
of the window, for a principle 1t is impossible
not TO sympathize with the emotion which NJ
Hanotaux thus illustrates.
The trcolor hag! Can forgetY-. said the prince
to himself lost IN his reflections. always the
and which SO many direct witnesses allow US to
killed LOUIS xVia 1t vas this ii troolor Dag voh
By pixies pPing with tie ra sGod sd e5 s Tns
great-uncle And / am to accept this flag! Never
S a tas ss Is w has dens Is beag "" Pp pa R
bringing me back behind m it It is Is the ,sgydbP the
to which am the antithesis, of the Revolution
leas know It's iRsdious G T efhodst Is the pre-
dominance Ok the hckle will OF the nation over
tradition, of the aspirations OF the modern world
ever the principle OF auth9rig @ ct rha S
ane oea kts IN 9f Fsnee FPs ge
signifies supremacy of parliament guided by some
ediSnt5 reignifg. F9'iiF-''''9'
It is impossible. we repeat, to withhold sym
pathy from the man in the tolls Of these refec-
tions, and respond the more readily to the
appeal he makes in his difficulty because we are
constrained to admit that he was justified IN
some of his fears. On the other hand, we can
not ignore the fact that. whether actuated by
purely personal feeling or by a righteous con-
viction as 10 the public good, the Comte de
Chambord drew away at this crisis from the
people whose destinies he so sincerely cherished
Fickls or no, the will of the nation was bound
to triumph over tradition, and while it might
have been led by persuasive monarch. 1t was
too fully awake to the Importance of it's own
liberties to surrender to a king without proper
safeguards The tricolor implied precious safe
guards, and sternly was the national temper
fixed upon it that to reject it was like flying in
the face Of nature. The Copte de Chambord
did not realize this He, like the Due de BrogEe
was Indifferent to the knocking of democracy at
the door Both men let a great chance slip
through their fingers through failing to see that
when ali the innumerable moves in the political
game had been played. the issue remained one OF
simple human natura. NJ. Hanotaux constantly
tempts US to pause upon this or that episode or
personality in his narrative We would Ike fof
example to do more than note in passing the
admirably dispassionate manner in which he
speaks of Bazaine But this volume as whole
is to be commended chiefly for its exposition Of
the way in which the stars fought in their
courses, despite all that the Due de Broglie and
the Comte de Chambord coud do, TO give the
French democracy its chance.