The daily comet. [volume] (Baton Rouge, La.) 1850-1856, 1855-11-03
Religion of Revolutionary Men.
BY LA M A u T ! N L.


BY MART1NE.
know-I sigh when think of it-that
hitherto the French people have been the
least religious Of all the nations Of Europe.
Is it because the idea of God, which arises
from all the evidences of Nature, and from
the depths of reflection, being the profoun-
dest and weightest idea OF which human
intelligence is capable, and the French
mind being the most rapid, but the most
superficial, the lightest, and most reflective
of all European races, this mind has not
the force and severity necessary to carry
far and long the greatest conception Of the
human understanding
Is ii because our Governments have al
ways taken uponst themselves to: .hink for Us,
to believe for US, and to pray for US! Is
it because we are and nave been military
people, soldier-n nation, led by kings, he
roes ambitious men, from battle field to
battle field. making conquests, and never
keeping them-ravaging dazzling, charm
ing and corrupting Europe, and bringing
home her manners, vices, bravery, Eghtness
and impiety Of the camp to the iireside of
the people?
know. not, but certain it is, that the
nation has an immense progress to make
in serious thought if she wishes to remain
| free. If we look at the characters, COM
pared as regards religious sentiment, of the
nations of Europe, America, even Asia, the
advantage is not for us. The great men
of other countries live and die looking
| at the spectator, or at most, at posterity.
Open the history OF America, the history
of France read the great lives, the great
deaths, the great martyrdoms, the great
words as the ruling thought reveals itself
in the last words of the dying-anG COM
pare.
Washington and Franklin fought, suffer-
ed, and assembled and descended in their
political life, always in the name OF God,
for WHOM they acted and the liberator of
America died, confiding TO God the liberty
of the people and his own soul.
Sidney, the young martyr of patriotism
guilty of nothing but impotence, and who
died to expiate his country's dream of Ii
berty. said to his Tailor, g rejoice that
die innocent toward the kirg, but victim,
resigned to the King on high, to whom all
my life is due"
sought the way of God, even in the blood
of battles. Their politics were their faith
their rein prayer-their death psalm
One hears, sees, feels, that God was in all
the movements of these great people.
But cross the sea, traverse La Mancha,
come to our times, open our annals, and
listen to the last words of the great politi
cal actors of the drama Of our liberty. One
would think that God was elipsed from the
soul, that his name was unknown in the
language. History will have the air of an
atheist, when she recounts to posterlty
these annhiations, rather than deaths, of
celebrated men in the greatest year Of
France. The victims only have God !;
| the t1ibunes and victors have none.
Look at Mirabeau on the bed of death !?
Crown me with flowers" said he, " in
toxicate me with perfumes. Let me die
at the sound of delicious music!" Not a
word of God, or of his soul Sensual
last voluptrousness in his agony.
| Contemplate Ma lame Roland, the strong
hearted woman OF the revolution, OH the
cart that conveyed her to death. She looked
contemptuously on the bespotted people
who killed their prophets and sybils. Not
a glance toward heaven. Only one word
for the earth she was quitting" Oh
Liberty"
Approach the dungeon doors of the
Girondins. Their last night is banquet,
the only hymn, the Marseillaise
Follow Camille Desmonlines to his exc
cuton. A cool and indecent pleasantly at
the trial, and long imprecation on the
road to the guillotine, were the two last
thoughts of this dying man on his way to
the last tribunal.
| Hear Danton on the platform of the scat
fold. at the distance of line from God
and eternity. 81 have had'a good time of
it; let me go to sleep" Then to the ex-
ecutioner-"You will show my head to
the people; it is worth the trouble ~
His faith humiliation his last sigh, vani-
| ty. Behold the Frenchman of this latter
age.
What must one think of the religious
sentiment of a free people, whose great
figures seem to march in procession to an
initiation, and to whom the terrible min
ister-death-itself recalls neither the
theatenings or promises Of God
The republic of these men without God
has quickly been stranded. The liberty
won with so much heroism and so much
genius, has..not found in,France conscience
to shelter it, a God to avenge it, people to
defend it against that atheism which has
been called glory. All ended in soldier
and some apostate republicans, travestied
into courtiers. An atheistic repubicanism
cannot be heroic. When you terrify it, il
bends; when you would buy it, it sells
itself. Who would take any heed? the
people ungrateful and God non-existent
| 60 finch atheist ravo1utionsl