The southern press., 1851-08-26

J pfudene4 ndfrmness; aad th&re wfsre Afi "A
forms N which. private vengeance and publ
panic aNH fanatcisin yctimzed real ara suE
posed tyaitors. Immense injustice and ontsag
followed but they were insepafabls from tn
times. A philosopher may forgive it all, espt
cialy when it il compared with the lsgi0ns O
martyrs cut off by despots, except one thing
The objectionable sin cf the French revolution
was the hypocrisy Of the legal forms by whic
so many suffered These victims had no pro
tectfon ut all from the revolutionary tribunals
They We're predestinated to the scatfold, and th
mock trial was but "A mean subtertugs OF bat
men, and intended to screen their guilt nsteat
OF manifesting that OF the prisoner.
But after ALL that revolution was the act O
barbnrians just emancipated from the load O
slavery, which had depraved their minds while i
bent their necks. II is therefore to large ex-
tent the fault Of their relentless masters.
We do not apologize for these horrors; but
we wish all TO consider the circumstances in
mitigation, and TO be guarded against the bias
and dishonesty of the historians who have mar
rated then,, and who repeat the tale in all its ex-
aggeration At least the democracy may CON-
pare their conduct with that Of kings, and they
can claim that phrenzy and the necessity of self
preservation take away much of the color of the
crime.
But now the French, like o.her nations, are a
different people. They have since l848, by re-
volt, and the higher conquests OF reason and
philosophy, advanced to the lead OF modern 90
ciety They have driven off king and the
courtiers, and made their own constitution and
laws They have toiled and suffered, and they
have been triumphant, although often and wan
tonly betrayed. They seem even ut this mo-
ment to be in the hands of those who hate
democracy and seek its destruction. But who
soever bears in mind the perils encountered by
the government and people Of the United States
in the older Adams administration, and from the
Hamilton school also, will have no fears Of the
result nor have any confidence in Britt h predic-
tions about it.
The first thing done by the Provis' onal gov
ernment, was the overthrow Of the pain of death
for political offences The first thing monarch
would have done in the same circumstances
would have been to have enacted it, and set up
the scafold. There could not be a more bril-
liant testimonial to the humane character of the
French people, than this act of their govern
ment.
Upon looking through the whole structure of
society, and the daily life Of the French people,
you will find the same marked characteristic.
The intercourse of the people is full of charity
and good will. There are, comparatively, no
beggars, and very few criminals in France, rob-
ably of the latter less than One-fourth in CON-
parison with England. 1t is hardly an exag-
geration to say that more thefts are committed
per diem on one street in London, than in all
Paris. With respect to the sick aud destitute,
France is model of humanity. There is no
language which can do justice to the vast extent
and completeness Of the hospitals and asylums.
u a.. ~ fo fha pofr
for skill and science and industry with French
physicians, who in private and public do so much
for Gods sake in healing the poor. They are
always accessible; their regular hours on GER
tain days for ordinary calls at home their daily
attendance at the hospitals; thei- universal kind
ness to pa tents of every degree, and their i'm
mense exertions in teaching, and lecturing and
writing, have made the medical profession in
France an index to the national character. There
is an amount of gratultous advice and instruc-
ton given by the profession in France, which is
equal to that Of all the world beside The
clergy Of France, especially its venerable Gu
rates in charge OF the country districts, are en-
deared beyond expression by their piety, charity
and good works to the afflicted, who abound in
good works and good conduct to them and their
fellows in return.
We are not left to infer from these provisions
for the sick and suffering classes alone the hu-
manity of the French people They are sym
pathisng people in the sense of Terence, aud
their conduct shows it. Nothing that affects
the happiness of their friends and neighbors is
Indifferent to them. When crimes are commit
ted the public sentiment is deeply interested
For three weeks after the murder of the
Duchess de Praslin by her husband, there was
dense crowd assembled every day in the Fan
bonrg 81 Hoaore, opposite the house, which
nothing could disperse. When an accident
happens in the street, there is the liveliest ex
preston of sympathy for the sufferer. A dozen
persons will assist him at once. The police
will be advised instantly, physicians called If
necessary. the patient carried TO the apothe-
cary's and the coachman, or other aggressor ar
rested. The whole street will be full of anx-
ious faces, and the discussion of the affair be
comes immediately animated and universal 1t
takes long time for the excitement to subside
But the French are remarkable cheerful
people. They enjoy life at all ages, and under
all circumstances, and it cannot happen that
such a people should be other than humane II
is the highest humanity, by poiteness and
good humor to put everybody else in good
spirits.
We proceed now TO give two recent cases Of
capital punishment in France which establishes
to any impartial mind the proposition of this pa
per. They fully support and will greatly assist
The general reasoning and assertions which have
preceded. They will much more deeply arrest
the attention of the reader. They cannot be
The first case is the behavior of the people at
The execution of Montcharmont near Dion, in
the month of June. The public here has taken
m interest in this case in consequence of its !
having been the occasion of an article in the |
Evenement, daily evening Paris paper by
Charles Hugo, the young son of Victor Hugo, |
n which be denounced capital punishment, and
For which he was prosecuted and condemned to
all, and to the payment of damages His father
made for him at the trial an eloquent defence,
which developed the argument against the death
penalty. The speech hes been extensively read
and circulated in the United States but it is not
probable that the argument is thought con-
elusive. Most persons in reading the whole
,nse are concerned with the discussion of M.
iugo, and with the anomaly of the process.
The latter is certainly an emphatic impeachment
IF the government, even if the former should