Page:The Royal Family of France (Henry).djvu/92

 X.

THIERS.

It belongs to French Statesmen to reduce to practice the political theory we have here put forth. The first among them was the late M. Thiers, the "Liberator of the Territory," whose name ever will be associated with the payment of the largest distraint ever known, not forgetting the fact that the indemnity was fully paid many weeks before the time which had been fixed, through financial efforts which had appeared quite impracticable, but richly merited the admiration of all Europe. M. Thiers was an enlightened mind, whose logic was full of persuasion and whose good sense was most practical.

Called by his unexampled services to be the Protector of France as Cromwell by his crimes rose to be the Protector of England, Thiers held the fate of the country in his hands: they were safe there. Of all the Statesmen who have governed Europe during this century,—Ave may say,—M. Thiers was the only one who had taken accurate note of the past, the only one who had learned the lessons inculcated by Providence and who had deserved by making an open confession of his political mistakes that the spirit of God and France should speak by his mouth. In his defence of the Holy See in the French Senate he said: "There is a thing more worthy of respect than glory, genius, virtue; it is justice." In truth, nothing could be more illogical or ridiculous than to impute wild illiberality to M. Thiers or to brand his memory with principles which he thoroughly abhorred. Toleration, moderation, and liberty were the political doctrines of M. Thiers; and most of his ideas and policy we find reproduced in the spirit of his personal friend, M. Jules Simon. The programme of M. Thiers consisted then of the Holy See, justice and national liberty. Who owns not the conviction that such a programme should bring good 86