elles antitheses
genesiaques, de quel suintement sebace peut avoir ete generee cette
chose qu'on appelle M. Gustave Courbet? Sous quelle cloche, a l'aide de
quel fumier, par suite de quelle mixture de vin, de biere, de mucus
corrosif et d'oedeme flatulent a pu pousser cette courge sonore et
poilue, ce ventre esthetique, incarnation du moi imbecile et
impuissant?" (Quoted in Fiaux's history of the Commune, pp. 582-83.)

CHAPTER IV

THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE MARECHAL DE MAC-MAHON

May, 1873, to January, 1879

[Illustration: EDME-PATRICE-MAURICE DE MAC-MAHON]

"L'ordre moral," such was the political catchword of the new
administration. Just what it meant was not very clear. In general,
however, it was obviously intended to imply resistance to radicalism
(republicanism) and the maintenance of a strictly conservative policy,
strongly tinged with clericalism.[5] The victors over M. Thiers had
revived their desire of a monarchical restoration and many of them hoped
that the marechal de Mac-Mahon would shortly make way for the comte de
Chambord. But though an anti-republican he was never willing to lend
himself to any really illegal or dishonest manoeuvres, and his sense
of honor was of great help to him in his want of political competence.
So he did not prove the pliant tool of his creators, and his term of
office saw the definite establishment of the Republic.

The first Cabinet was led by the duc de Broglie who took the portfolio
of Foreign Affairs. The new Government was viewed askance by the
conquerors at Berlin, who disliked such an orderly transmission of
powers as an indication of national recovery and stability. Bismarck
even exacted new credentials from the French Ambassador. Meanwhile, the
Minister of the Interior, Beule, proceeded to consolidate the authority
of the new Cabinet by numerous changes in the prefects of the
departments, turning out the "rascals" of Thiers's administration to
make room for appointees more amenable to new orders.

The time now seemed ripe for another effort to establish the monarchy
under the comte de Chambord. It culminated in the "monarchical campaign"
of October, 1873. The monarchical sympathizers were hand-in-glove with
the Clericals and for the most part coincided with them. The Royalists
were inevitably clerical if for no other reason than that monarchy and
religion both seemed to involve continuity, and the legitimacy of the
monarchy had always been blessed by the C