Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1855-10-18
Religion Of Revolutionary Men.
EY LAMARTINE

IKNow-I sigh when | think Of it hat
hitherto the French people have been the
east religious of all the nations OF Europe.
Is it because the idea of God-wh ich arises
from all The evidences O. Nature, and from
the DEPTHS OF reflection, being The proioun1es.
and weightiest idea of which human intelll-
gence is capabIe-and the French mind be.
ing the most rapid, but the most superficial.
the lghtest, auG most reflective of all Euro
pean races--this mind has not the force and
severity necessary to carry Ear and long the
greatest conception of the human under
slnnding? .a. ...
, Is it because our governments have always
taken upon themselves to think for US, to
believe for us, aud to pray for US! Is 1t be.
cause we are anG have been a military pcO-
pie, a soldier-nation, led by kings, heroes,
ambitious men, from battlefield to battlefield,
making ccnqu5sts, and never keeping them,
ravaging, dazzling, charming, and corrupting
Europe; and bringing home her manners,
vices, bravery, lightness, and inpicty OF the
camp to the tifeside Of the people!
know not, but certai2 It is, tha: the ma
ton has an immense progress 10 make ia
serious thought if she wishes TO remain free.
II we look at the characters, compared as
regards religious sentiment, of the great nl-
,ions o! Europe, America, even Asia, the
advantage is not for us The great men Of
other countries live and de looking at tae
spectator, or, at most, at posterily.
Open the history Of America, the history
Of France; read the great lives, the great
deaths, the great martyrGoms, the great words
at the hour when the ruling thought OF life
reveals itself in the last wO'ds OF the dying
and compare.
, Washington and Franklin fought, suffered,
and ascended and descended ia their poll
teal life, always in the name OF God, for
whom they acted and the iiberator Of A
meiea died, condling to God the liberty ol
the people and his own soul.
Sidney, the young martyr Of patriotism
guilty of nothing but impotence, and who
die 10 eXpitte his country's dream of Iiber
ty, said to his jai or-"I rejoice that die in
nocent toward the king, but victim
) resigned to the King ON High, to whom al
, my lie is due"
. The republicans OF Cromwell only sough
the way Ol bOu, eFcH III WV ul"pu ~ ""o'''"
, Their policies were their taIth--theIr relsi
n prayer-thair death psalm. One hears
| sees, feels, that God was in all the move
ments of these great people.
But cross the sea, traverse La Mancha
come to our times, open our annals, ana iistel
, to the last words o! the great political actor
of the drama of our liberty. One woui
r think that God was eclipsed from the soul
that his name was unknown in the language
t History will have the air OF ah atheist
5 when she recounts to pOstcrity these ami
hilations, rather than deaths, of celebrate
men in the greatest year of France! IN
Z victims only have u God; the triSune5 an
t victors have none.
! Look at MirabeGu on the bed OF DEATH
I "Crown me with flowers" said he; "intoxI
. cate me with perfumes. Let me die at tn
3 sound of delicious muslc'-not word O
d God or of his soul. Sensual philosopher, h
!. desired only supreme sensuaIIsm last VoI
0 uptuousness in his agony
{ Contemplate Madam Roland the strong
n hearted woman of the revolution, on the cal
: that conveyed her to DEATH She looked cor
d ,enrtuousIy on the besotted people VIII
killed their prophets and sybls' Not & lane
toward heaven Only one word for the cart
a she was quttng-"Oh, Liberty"
& Apuroach the dungeon door of the GIron'
ID ius, Their last nigh, is banquet; the on
g hymn, the MarseillaIse!
S- Follow Camille Desmoulins to his exec
y, ,iop. A cool and indecent. pleasantly at Il
trial, and long im2recltion on the road