The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1857-12-30
Trreligion of the Great Men OF
- Franco

know net when, but certain it is that
the nation has ar immense progress to
make in serious drought, if she wishes to
remain free. Ii We look at the characters
compared, as regards religious sentiment,
of the great nations of Europe aud Amer
ica, and even Asia, the advantage is not
for us. The great men ofother countries
live and die on the scene of history, look
Jog up to heaven; our great men appesr
to, live and die, forgetting completely the
only idea for which it is worth living and
.dJiug-they live and die looking at the
spectator, or at most, at posterity.
Open the history of America, the his
tory of England, and 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 re-
But cross the Atlantic. traverse theichan.
mel, come to our times. open our annals
aud listen to the last words of the great
political at tors of the drama of or liberty
One would think God was eclipsed from
the south, that his name was unknown in
the language. History will have the air
Of an atheist, when it reeounts to posteri
ty these annihilations, rather than deaths,
of celebrated men in the greatest ye1r of
France. Se4t q
Look at Mirabeau on the bed of death.
" Grown me with flowers" said he; Sin
toxicate me with perfumes Let me die
to the sound of delicious music" -'s
Not word of God CT his snul. Sensu-
al philosopher he desired only supreme
sensualism, last voluptuousness in his
agony. Contemplate Madame Roland,
the strong hearted woman of the Reyolu-
tion, on the car that conveyed her to
DEATH She looked contemp;uously on
the besotted people who killed their pro-
phets and sibyls. Not glance towards
heaven. Only one word for the earth
She was quitting" Oh, liberty u
Approach the dungeon door of the Cir
rol ns Their last night in the banqret;
the only hymn, Marseillaisel Follow
Camille DesmouiiDs to his execution. A
cool aud indecent pleasantly at the trial,
and long imprecation or the road to the
guillotine were the two last dying thoughts
of this dying man on his way to his last
tribunal. ,as susiI
Hear Danton on the platform of the
scaffold, at the distance Of a line frnm G cd
and eternity. 81 have had good time
of it.; let me go.,to Sleep" then, to the
exccutioner-" Y You will show. my head
to the people; it is worthyithe trouble ~
His faith, annihilation his last sign,
vanity. Behold the Frenchman ofat this
latter age Les y 41 olSosq eds o. 5ssasss1o
What must one think of the religious
sentiment of aFfree people whose great f.
CURES seem TINS to march in procession to
annihilation, and to whom that terrible
minister, death itself, recalls neither the
threatenings nor promises of God ls sa'
The Republic of these men without a
God has quickly been stranded. The
liberty, won by so much sheroism, and by
so much genius, has not in France con-
science to shelter it. God to ayenge it, a
people to defend it, against that atheism
which has been called glory. All ended
in a soldier, and some apostate republicans
cannot be heroic When you terrify it,
it bends; when you would buy it, it sells
itself. ItEould be very foolish to immo-
late itself Who would take any heed
the ungrateful, and God non- existent
So finished atheist revolutions.-La Lamar
i tane. +