Year: 1876

be deliberate in It's conclusions broad controversy
inmical superstition and error, and slave indeed
the spirit and opinion Of its time but there should
be no necessity for the human sacrifices the consum-
ing holocausts that every despotsm necessitates and
demands Thus true human grandeur is found united
with Assemblies Athens became illustrious through
her Agora, Rome by her Senate Florence by her
Councils, England by her Parliament, Spain by her
Cortes and municipal guilds America by her Congress-
France by her Assemblies and Christianity by It's
meetings Whenever meet together therefore, to
receive the inspiration fdeas and to exercise the divine
art ofspcech they advance In mental power and clear
ness and breathe anew the spirit of civilization.


PICTURE ASSEMBLY vERsAILLEs,


which has been so often judged with severty-an As
sembly OF reactonary sections ofclerca superstons,
Of unexampled tenacy in opposing the political idea
which every fact has imposed ana hunting among tho
ruins for the spoliatons of the past with the view OF
viviiyng and reconstructing them Arising from these
faults, these and weaknesses, is Assembly
which, by the strength of rational discussion, has
established a firm government On the very hour OF
its dissolution, at the present moment in fact can
look back to tho past aud with pride that it
has liberated the national territory paid indemnity
which simply prodgious, established institutions
representative of the modern spirit, restored the
balances in the exchequer improved the military ad
ministration so counselled the French, who were
greatly opposed to compulsory military service until
they went into camp they would go to ete aud sub
mittcd with aacry the tedious duties of the army
maintained complete order and brought about state of
prosperity almost without example Such results the
worst that the Assembly has given and their impor
tance increases when compared with the results that
might be obtained under the most favorable Empire
No. indeed, ought not to forget the results of the
Assembly at versaes-nor those OF the Empire OF
Bonaparte-and especially that France has been in all
political history what the clinic is In medicine.
Neither should France forget that the Empire gave her
fallen tribune, enslaved Parliament, continuous
war, caused her humiliation in the New World, pro-
duced horrible outbreaks the ruin OF her treasury the
loss Of her army the dsmembermen OF her territory
terrors Of defeat and the revolutionary incendiarism of
tho Communo-a through the entrcaties OF those
lutioniss through the foolish Uptopan supporters of
Casarsm


THEIRS AND GOVERNMENT.


And here It may be said that NJ Theirs has
rbuted most to the supreme end by the extraordinary
cearness of his intelligence and the purity of his
deriu patriotism He Is the real founder of the third
French Republic monarchist all hts life he would
have preferred governments whose ideal is in England
TO that whose ideal was in America. But
every effort made in France to put this
idea In practice had been frustrated The French
people did not award to the monarchy that
religious respect awarded by the English, and the
kings of France did not maintain the respect tor
the constitution the kings of England. Every
French parliamentary monarchy has ended by subject
ing the will of the nation TO a personal policy And
thus every generation of liberals has set aside the
divers monarchies and substituted for them the Repub
lie. Absoutsm became the result OF this double
else OF monarchical power, and the fact that liberal
opinion formed the Republic inspired NJ Thiers, a
of deep penetration and observing talent with
idea that became almost fixed In his tenacious
convictons-that France could only and fortify
herself by the establishment of conservative Repub
c that should embrace all the necessary liberties and
beyond these necessary liberties strong government
with all the essential attributes Of power indispensable
to unembarrassed and regular Executive. From the
moment that this idea entered mis- mind, which is
gifted with unrivaed shrewdness, NJ Theirs applied
himself to complete realize 1t, and labored with
disnterestedness SO LOFTY and constancy thorough
that 1t will be the eternal honor of his life.


Republican OF reason, as he says himself he lent
hand to the alliance of the monarchy with liberty and
among the old republicans in order to tho
alliance Of the liberal republic with order and authority
The mobility ofthe French character the ngrattude of
the Assembly, the odum from his former friends the
orleansts, the displeasure ard vndicveness of the
imperalists, the imprudent rashness of the repub-
licans preferred obscure radical from Lyons to
their Minister for Foreign Affairs. Parliamentary
conspiracy carried intrigue for monarchca restora-
far lead to believe it possible to
cure a return of the old legitimacy. All these
aided in deprving the government of official power but
,could deprive him Thsrs his opinion; neither
could they deract from the immense power and moral
influence that his genius, which is eminenty French
in clearness and precision exercised ncontestiby
the mind of France.


THE HABITS oP Ex-PREsIDKST.


He rarely goes to assist at the sessions Of the
Assembly because he has horror OF tho climate of
Versailles because OF the memories the old seat OF
royalty revives and Of the vulgar Deputies who disre
gard his supreme authority and forget his lustrious
services He speaks in the tribune but whenever
it necessary he gives his well considered vote with
mathematical exactitudo and juvenile vivacity. He
starts from his house in a carriage drives in 1t to
the door OF the palace OF the National Assembly,
takes refuge In the library, looks and reads the
oraons of Cicero votes in his regular turn and having
fulfilled his duty. returns to the hotel of La Place
George where he relates with incredible grace all
the incidents and most interesting details that may
have occurred among the law makers OF the dcberat-
ing Assembly His enemies constantly casting in
his teeth the assertion that he preferred the Republic
to the Monarchy simply to crafty personal ambition
aud he replies to them, not with undgnifed speeches
on the tranquility Of his conscience and his exalted
position but with undeniable rreiragable facts. Even
to-day for instance, he could the demonstration
of his popularity If he desired by obtaining any num-
Der and in many departments that his cleo
tion would almost be equal to a pebisce. But, far
from this that such manifestations would be
trbuted his vanity and would finally tend injure
the present President he has all the candi-
datures but that for Bcfor place preserved 10 the
territory Of France in the midst Of ruins like the
remnants Of shipwreck, by his tact and patriotism
Thus 1t was that


THE LEFT CENTRE,


the group animated by the mind of Thiers. pub
lished electoral manifesto, which cannot be called
the programme Of parliamentary section, but the
soul Of French policy. II is we'll considered broad,
formulated with precision, written with a mastery
hand in natural sensible STYLE founded on the solid
basis OF the majority which, for the welfare OF the Re
!. D.