Year: 1873

ate. 1t strikes us as being worse contrvance
than the old Council of Ancients with their
gray boards and Roman cloals, which young
Bonaparte, Murat and attendant grenadiers
sent scampering out of the windows one frosty
18th of Brumaire.


When we come TO Gambetta in his character
as politician we like him better than in his
character as a statesman. And certainly he
has shown, beyond any man now visible in
France, the best qualities of the politician
GOODNESS and tact in his relations with Theirs;
wonderful patience and skill the quality OF
waiting, which one so rarely sees in French
men, and which may come TO Gambetta with
the Italian blood which makes him descend
ant of Machiaveli. His sketch of the present
condition of the republican party in France is
brilliant, vivid, and, as we think, from all
information, perfectly true. Gambetta leads
party greater than himself. France sees no
peace but under republic. 1--WE have but
one throne" says Thiers 'tand three princes
fighting on its steps, There is no royal party
in France. Royalists fight, not for the idea of
divine right, but for some descendant Bour-
bon, Orleans or Bonaparte As for Napoleon
ism, we do not see how any one can make it
possible as system except Napoleon
We do not mean Napoleon like the
one who died the other day, but one like the
founder Of the house, whose genius dazzled
mankind and whose brain comprehended the
world. Nor does it seem probable that
France, which exiled Napoleon I'LL with all
his eminent qualities, will submit to be ruled
by lad not half through his studies at Wool
wich. No, 1t required Napoleon I. to found
ON empire and France will never consent to
surrendering her destinies to Napoleon Nv.
Nor does il seem to us that France will
throw herself into the hands of Gambetta. 1t
is evident that the under thought in the mind
of this able and daring young man is that
there can be no republicanism without
strong executive and that no executive would
be as strong as Gambetta. Republicanism
can be name as the world has well seen,
and Gambetta, under the flag Of freedom and
the Republic, has shown that he can be as
severe and absolute as Cesar. What
we see in France is a growth of
that healthy, honest self-respecting pub
lie opinion which makes any political
system impossible but France governing
France. M. Theirs, with his many good
qualities, has marred his administration by
faults of absolutism as marked as those shown
by Napoleon. We desire government in
France which will be afraid of no French
man, be he prince, priest or social dreamer
Napoleon banished the radicals. The Bour-
bons banished Napoleon. The Republic
banished all but its followers. But the happy
thought is that this spirit though not dead
is dying NJ. Gambetta will be worthy of
leadership when he learns tolerance He does
not, on the whole, impress us as one of those
wonderful men who come with an age and
stamp upon it their individuality, but an
eager, studious, shrewd, cool-minded young
leader, who will learn discretion and charity
as years grow upon him who served France
faithfully in her time Of agony and deep
despair, and who may again, under some we'll
grounded republic, serve it again and show the
sincerity of his avowal that he is at heart a
conservative, and that he sees no questions in
France but questions of government and
politics.