The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1855-11-20
Religion Of revolutionary Men.
By LASARTINE.

/ | know sigh when think of it--that
hitherto the French people have been the lea st
religious of all the nations of Europe. Is it
because the idea of God-which arises fro m
the evidences OF nature, and from the depths
OF reflection, being the profoundest and
welghtiest idea Of which human intelligent .e
is capable-and the French mind being the
most rapid, but the most superficial, the light
! est, and most unrehective Of all European
| races--ths mind has not the force and Sc
verify necessary TO carry far and long the
great conception of the human understand
! ing?
! 1t is because our governments have ALWAYS
taken themselves TO think for us, to believe
for us, and to pray for us? Is it because we
are, and have been military people, a sol
dier nation, led by kings, heroes, ambitious
men, from battlefield to battlefield, making
| conquests, and never keeping them, ravaging,
dazzling, charming, and corrupting Europe;
and bringing home the manners, vices, bray
cry, hghtness, and impety Of the camp to
the fresides Of the people?
know not, but certain il is. that the ma
ton has an immense progress TO make in Sc
rious thought if she wishes to remain free.
Ii we look at the characters compared as re-
CARDS religious sentiment, of the great ma
tons 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, posterity.
open the history OF America, the history
OF France; read the great lives, the great
deaths, the great martyrdoms, the great words
at the hour when the ruling thought of life
reveals itself in the last words of the diving
/ and contrast.
/ Washington and Franklin fought, spoke.
suffered, and assembled and descended in their
political life, always In the name Of God, for
whom they acted; and the liberator of Amer
lea died, conhdng to God the liberty of the
/ people and his own soul.
/ Sidney, the young martyr of a patriotism,
guilty OF nothing but Impotence, and who
died to expiate his country's dream of liber-
", SAID to his ]ailor-'sl rejoice that | die
innocent toward the king, but Il victim. re-
signed to the King on High, to whom all life
is due.o
4 The Republicans of Cromwell sought the
way OF God even III the blood Of battles
Their policies were their faith-their reign
prayer-their death psalm. One here.
sees, feels, that God was in all the move
mcnts OF these great people.
But cross the sea, traverse La Manches.
come TO our times, open our annals, and lis
ten TO the last words of the great political
actors of the drama Of our liberty. One
would think God was eclipsed from the soul.
that his name was unknown in the language
History will have the Air of an atheist, when
she recounts to posterity these annihlations.
+ rather than deaths, of celebrated men in the
greatest year Of France, The victims only
have Cod the tribunes and lictors have
none.
/ Look at Mirabeau on The bed of death
Grown me with Towers" said he, s'intoxi-
cate me With perfumes. Let me die to the
sound of delicious music''-not word Of
God or his soul. Sensual philosopher, he
desired only supreme sensuallsm, a last yo-
righteousness in his agony.
Contemplate Madame Roland, the strong
hearted woman of the revolution, on the cart
that conveyed her to death. She looked con-
temptnously on the besotted people who kill<
ed their prophets and SYPHILIS. Not glance
towards heaven. Only one word for the
earth she was quitting Oh, Liberty"
Approach the dungeon door Of the Giron-
dins. Their last night is banquet; the only
hymn the Marseillaisel
Follow Camille Desmoulins to his execu-
ton. cool and indecent pleasantly at his
trial, and "A long imprecation on the road to
the gulllotne, 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 q line from God and
eternity. 81 have had good time of it
let me 90 to Sleep Then to the execution
er-"You will show my head to the people
It is worth the troubled His faith, annihi-
lation; his last thought vanity. Behold the
Frenchmen Of the latter age!