New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1842-08-02


battle-cry by Robespierre: " La Repubique bne
ct Indivisible .
Much must be excused in tie Girondins. Ii
| much to be blsmed, for much also they are to be
admired, for much pitied but their fall was ne
ccssaJy to the nation. Giroadism would have
rotted the Natrca itself away.
With them passed the dynasty of the Middle
| Class, and rose that of the Mob-the true Reign
of Terror. The tone of manners became still
more gross and revolving. The words Frater-
nifty CT Death, written upon ali the prisons gave
the exact idle of the ferocious philanthropy which
| then denounc J as an aristocrat any one whs used
| the pronoun qou instead of Moa. hen Atheism,
the rankest and rost intoeratle, grew at once the
! safest and the most fashionable creed Whatever
was most igrsrant mos. absurd, most brutal IN
hurra;! fell assembled into despotism :-Naturai-
| lY;--for ii was the most ignorant and the most
pas iona;e class, in 4 moment OF general frenzy,
that ruled all France. But force and passion are
| never erthroned utterly in vain. Amidst all the
crimes .f the period, one virtue of immense inn
portapcc when acting upon large communities was
acknowledgements The principle OF
nationality endangered by the Iirondins bazed UP
with increased FIRE and indonlitabe vigor he
foreign enemy was an the frontiers; and the same
spirit that rendered life intoerabs to the peaceful
4
new leaders os til. state that is, the chiefs OF the
Mountain, who had snpplanpl the Glrondins,
| carried into full action not only the wees, but
equally this one vir,ue of the mob. 1t is literally
startling TO see the sudden and brilliant contrast
which their energetic policy presented to the va,
cillation OF their predecessors. These butchers,
| 50 atrocious in the city, were magnificent as
statesmen and heroes, the moment their minds
| flew tc The borders of invaded France. There
the iron will of Robespierre, the savage genius OF
| st. Just tie reckless daring Danton, changed al
| once from vices into virtues.
We hear it often said that the French republic
] would not have been so disastrous failure in the
experiments of liberty, had it not been for the
frcnz produced by the invasion OF the allies On
the contrary, 10 that invasion alone, France owed
its re-entrance into civilization. Left 10 waste
all the strength of the new passions upon inter-
nal contests to prescriptions would have succeeded
civil war; and the wild democracy of old Corcyra
world have been heaven to the Pandemonium
of d society to the evil spirit of which there would
have been no vent. The superior sagacity of Mr..
PHI was nevc more displayed than in his reluc-
lance to enter into the forced on him al last;
u reluctance for which the Royalists never torgaVe
him. From wrong into right-from the hell OF
Paris into the daylight cf truth and ibery-broke
thu Houth of france in the just and holy cause OF
Independence md Self-Defence. From the bosom
Of the Mountain Fourteen Armies poured the
spirit that never fails to conquer against the luke
warm hirelings of invading seve1eigns. From the
fires of the Mountain flashed the enthusiastic hero
ism of Jourdan, Heche, Pichegru, and Mcreau.
Liberty common to all--promotion the right OF
each-eyery soldier hero:-no matter the
rawness OF the recruits, the inexperiencc OF the
generals,-it was as the strife OF the young man
against the old, of vigor against decrepitude,
when whole population, drunk with liberty,
marched against TIE tme-worn sovereignties OF
the sober world. Well may NJ Duval oxclaim
ooh, If the convention could be considered only
in the light O. defenders from the foreigner how
noble its part in history
Meanwhile at Paris three great factions were
struggling for power. The impracticable enthu-
siasts Of brotherhood and atheism under Clootz,
Chaumette and Hebcrt the Cordeliers, under
Danton and Desmoulins the Jacobns, under
Robes pierre. The time for the first gone by.
No sooner had the vigorous measures OF the Noun
tain arrayed the ardor of France against the whole
Of Europe, than poor Baron Clootz's dccamations
Upon Universal Love, upon the superiority of Phi
lanthropy to Patriotism, were not only lmperti-
neHt but reasonable. These men (the Atheist
Phanthroosts) had nothing in their minds or
their policy that could command more than mo-
mentary success; they appear for the most part TO
have been honest in their belief in the wckedness
and absurdi;y that made zap their creed, but their
very fanaticism was the proof of their inability TO
govern. They were TO the more practical and
robust demaseguy, whether of Robespiere or
Danton what the Socialists of our day are To the
Chartists. Most of them desired the entire abo
ition of private property, La richesse aut a la
sante ct conduit raren,ent q la uertn.' The
tribunes might applaud these sentiments, but how
were they to be praciised ? Such doctrines pre-
luded the Procession (under the management of
possible that faction, declaring the sole Deity of
the Universe abstract Word, represented
by an immoeest Harlot, could exist long in any
| community however besotted The most striking
feature in that farce was the ordained TO COP
vert it into great and awful tragedy,-Maxi-
milien Robespierre. He, the formal, the moral,
the precise he the educated, thoughtful, cynic
with what hate and scorn must he have re-
garded such spectacle of human folly! N. Du-
| val describes him graphically.
"Among the numerous deputies resting in dis.
aain on their curule chairs, will cite RobeSpierre.
| He took OF, replaced his spectaces, wiping the
glasses beat a tattoo with his feet, shrugged his
shoulders yawned. took notes. and from time time
whispered TO St. Jus, seated by his SIDE have not
seen the notes that passed between them bu: am
free 20 think that they Furnished the exerdum of the
famous report on the faction of Atheists which St.
Jus, recited four months later at the tribune and
which served as footstool for Chaumeite 10 ascend
! the scaffold."
To be continued
~ ID rIyAJrENGES ..:.: