d composure as courtier after courtier entered, bowing low, to
proclaim him King of kings, Light of the World, Commander of the
Faithful; and he speedily came to believe that the present had always
existed, while the real past was an idle dream. Of a nature kindly and
modest, President Grant was assured by all about him that he was the
delight of the Radicals, greatest captain of the age, and saviour of the
nation's life. It was inevitable that he should begin by believing some
of this, and end by believing it all. Though he had wasted but little
time on books since leaving West Point, where in his day the curriculum
was limited, he had found out to the last shilling the various sums
voted by Parliament to the Duke of Wellington, and spoke of them in a
manner indicating his opinion that he was another example of the
ingratitude of republics. The gentle temper and sense of justice of
Othello resisted the insidious wiles of Iago; but ignorance and
inexperience yielded in the end to malignity and craft. President Grant
was brought not only to smother the Desdemona of his early preferences
and intentions, but to feel no remorse for the deed, and take to his
bosom the harridan of radicalism. As Phalaris did those of Agrigentum
opposed to his rule, he finished by hating Southerners and Democrats.

During the struggle for the Presidency in the autumn of 1876, he
permitted a member of his Cabinet, the Secretary of the Interior, to
become the manager of the Radicals and use all the power of his office,
established for the public service, to promote the success of his
party's candidate.

Monsieur Fourtou, Minister of the Interior, removed prefects and mayors
to strengthen the power of De Broglie; whereupon all the newspapers in
our land published long essays to show and lament the ignorance of the
French and their want of experience in republican methods. One might
suppose these articles to have been written by the "seven sleepers," so
forgetful were they of yesterday's occurrences at home; but beams near
at hand are ever blinked in our search of distant motes. The election
over, but the result in dispute, President Grant, in Philadelphia,
alarmed thoughtful people by declaring that "no man could take the great
office of President upon whose title thereto the faintest shadow of
doubt rested," and then, with all the power of the Government,
successfully led the search for this non-existing person. To insure
fairness in the count,