M. Emile 011ivier, who died on Wednesday, achieved the summit
of his political ambition when only half-way through his long career. He was only forty-five when he became Prime Minister in the "terrible year" of 1870 and immortally linked his name to the unhappy phrase in which he assumed full responsibility for the war with a " cceur leger." Fuller knowledge has inclined historians to judge his failure as a statesman and diplomatist more leniently, and to recognize that if he was outmatched by Bismarck he was heavily handicapped by political divisions at home. After several unsuccessful attempts to re-enter politics M. 011ivier resigned himself to letters and in particular to the composition of his voluminous " L'Empire Liberal," which he had brought down to August, 1870, and which, apart from its splendid literary qualities, and allowing for the natural desire of the writer to vindicate his own repute, is perhaps richer in first- hand material than any other history of the period. As M. Clare tie puts it in the Temps, "in listening to this man of eighty-eight, almost blind, always working, always fighting against the severity of history, it was impossible not to experience keen emotion."
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