France and the Republic

Provincial France supplies William Henry Hurlbert with both a travel record and a case against republican government. Writing about things seen and learned in 1889, he moves through Calais, Amiens and other local settings, connecting elections, schools and public spending with the country's political arrangements. The contents also turn to farms, land ownership and the glassworks at St.-Gobain. His account gives the details of provincial life a place within a wider argument about authority and religion.

Hurlbert openly favours constitutional monarchy, and that position shapes his treatment of the Republic. In Laon, he records complaints about money allotted for ministerial entertainments during the exposition and an informant's allegations about Freemason influence over newspapers and elections. These are reported claims within a partisan discussion. Readers interested in French political history can examine how local conversations, industrial observations and comparisons with other countries serve his criticism of republican rule.