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Show JUSTICE TO FRAXCE. Editors Herald: The American press has been of late unanimous in proclaiming to the world the errors of France. Mr. Jas. Orton, professor of sciences of Vassar college, has written and publishsd in the "Vassar "Vas-sar Miscellany" (a monthly review) a lengthy paper entitled "What we owe to France." This ablo article forms a perfect contrast to those I read too frequently in tho American newspapers on the same Bubject. It is on that to oount that I will offer a few remarks on that matter. The learned protes-sor protes-sor thus begins his paper : The brave nation dismembered and humbled by Prussia is still worthy of our profound respect. True, France has had her errors But let us erase these errors. But let us erase these facts, and many of its most beautiful pages of history, many of its most splendid triumphs in the arts, in tho sciences, shall be scratched out from tho annals of humanity. The world could sooner do without the works of half Europe and of the two southern continents than without the works performed per-formed between tho Rhine and the Pyrreoeans, "Drawing most of our appreciations from the English writers, we havo not always acted as impartial judges towards to-wards the French people. We bear about France as being light and superficial, super-ficial, the country of fashion and dancing; dan-cing; about the rivolousness of its inhabitants, in-habitants, the kings of toilet and cookery. But in this race can be found the most wonderful qualities, the Celtic vivacity, the Teutonic love of independence, indepen-dence, and the Roman genius of organization. organi-zation. To the passion of external manifestations they unite the philan-thropio philan-thropio enthusiasm. They produce light literature and the most profound studies; they have not only ercated magnificent gardens and boulevards, but they have borno arms over ail Europe. With all thrse various qualities, quali-ties, with its glorious past, with its uncertain present, and with its mysterious myste-rious future, tho race forms a unity; and since one thousand years, France constitutes one of the essential elements ele-ments in the life of humanity. "Tho world smiles at the historical vicissitudes of France but tho world mubt remember that France does more in a day than China in a century. France is the nation which sums up most distinctly the state of humanity; she is the needle which shows minute by minute the march of time on the ! dial of the human mind. The diapason of universal harmony is in Paris, and the world walks according to the mct-romcnoo mct-romcnoo of Paris. Its revolutions have been the speaking trumpet of the great ideas which havo manifested themselves through'the st rug-tics of Europe. Tho explosion takes place on the banks of tho Seine, but tho world reaps its salutary result. France has been submitted to the crucible in which arc worked every kind of social experiments. experi-ments. She has greatiy B'iffercd, and the world hai too frequently made a je.st of her calamities. She has done more work and sho has shed more blood to defend the doctrine of per-pouil per-pouil independence than any other nation under the sun. Certain writers proclaim with a mi per pride that the liberties of England have been conquered con-quered by blood, but it is far moro true to a-ssert that they have been purchased with money." After this exordium, tho author re views tiie glorious acts oi Franco, her men and her works, her legislation and literature, her rich poetry, her philos ophy, iho phalanx of her historians, lie: museums aod libraries, her schools and her discoveries. "In the sciences, in tho arts and industry, who stands at the bend of tbo nation?; in every branch of lbs human mind sho counts initiators and immortal nauictj. A greanuajber of illustrious foreign, erudite, artists and philosophers, have drawn from her uoadcmic3 and io frc-tuenting frc-tuenting her savants their knowledgo or their inspiration?. " "Hut," continues he, after a lengthy numbering of treat names which constitute con-stitute tho hitrh intellectual nobility of lranee, "the. list cf honor would he too long even lor a monthly review. However, wo aro compelled to remember remem-ber that, in spite ot what tbey can think of the French logic, it is perfectly per-fectly true that amoag aoy other nation M" Europe the intelligence is developed in a reotilioar line, aod Descartes is the father oi' tho modern motapnysie." 'Iho learned professor winds up his paper in asserting that tho names of Murion, Lawrence, Jay, Bodinot and Lafayette wiii bo aiw-jya remembered with gratitude by future generations, a.s havinif greatly contributed to conquer con-quer our national independence. And 1 will closo my remarks in asserting that, among tho mmberlcss gems of French poetry "Aihaiie," a tragedy of Racine, is tho muster piece of the human hu-man mind. Louis A. Blrtrand. |