Year: 1878

By CABLE TO THE HERALD


PARIS, June /, 1878.


There was q good deal Of croaking by the
timid about the possibilities of disturbance
in the celebration of the centenary of Vol
taire on Thursday last. The great man
whom the advanced thinkers were getting.
ready to honor might, if he knew anything
about it, have felt complimented at the stir
they were making about him, for he came
with sword which was to be more potent
in the end than that Of the Corsican, and
people who WELD lethal weapons have
pardonable pride in finding out, by the
howls of their adversaries, that their blows
tell.


UNACKSowLEpoED oBLIGA1 IONS.


The tremendous influence of Voltaire
upon French thought is something you
cannot rake together and look at it in the
lump. 1t is diffused and disguised in
hundred different ways, and it would sur
prise most Of the haters of his name if they
only saw how much even they are indebted
to him for precision in research, broadness
Of view on many questions and the senti-
ment Of ordered liberty which, they being
in the minority, permits them to live. Yet
some Of the clerical party here blame him
for everything that goes wrong, just as
Hugo makes Gavroche sing:-


Je suits tombe par terre;


Cest IL iaute de voltairs


In view Of all this think it was sheer
ingratitude for the clericals first to declare
in terror that Jacobinism was to take a new
life on the 30sh of May; then, seeing
everybody laughing at them. to demand
that the impious Arouet should be put
down by the government, and then. as the
government was not moved by their ex-
hortations, to get up O commemoration of
Joan of Arc. Poor Joan, whom the
legitimists Of her day gave over to the
English to be roasted alive, was rather o
weak foil to play against the author Of
"La Pucelle !" but the legitimists are
badly of in the philosophic line, and the
bloodless battle between the Maid of
Orleans in her armor and the Sage of
Ferney in his cynicism was the result.


EVERYTHING PEACEFUL.


The Voltairians went to the theatre and
the circus, and the Joanists went to church
the voltairians listened to blazing orators
waxing eloquent and the Joanists became
eloquent looking at blazing wax. 1t was
''the church taper against the light of prog
ress, contrast suggcstive! as Victor Hugo
would say in his lurid way of putting sim
pie things. However, everything went off
quietly-expiatory tapers and oratorical
rockets-and what Is also gratifying the
observance Of the day brought the greatest
crowd and the highest receipts yet to the
Great Exhibition.


GREAT DAT AT THE EXHIBITION.


That was good way to honor the men,
ory Of voltaire, who had good deal to say
in his time Of the functions OF matter and
the triumphs OF human skill. There were
1872, 900 admissions to the great fair on the
Champ dc Mars, and they certainly were
not q very dangerous looking crowd that
roamed about and ute their lunches in
honor Of Voltaire amid the wonders Of in
dustry and art. They were not rs dainty
as the people sulking up in the Faubourg
st. .Germain or protesting against voltairo
by the innocent method of going to church,
but they were tho bone and sinew Of the
French nation.


SUCCESS ron PARIS.


Tho registered arrivals OF visitors in
Paris are still on the increase. From the
official figures l learn that the number of
furnished apartments demanded and occu-
pied during the first fortnight Of the month
Of May was 120.6G4 To-day they are
$4,000. One would imagine that with
such an inrush of visitors nobody in Paris
would object to a centenary OF anybody, SO
long as 1t brought the people out.


AnT rEATURlA


The Exhibition continues to develop
fresh features OF interest / was permitted