The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-12-19
AND THE FRENCH
REVOLUTION
Fifth Lecture by Or. lord.

Fitch Lecture by Dr. Lord
The fifth lecture in the historical course
by DIR. John Lord was attended by large
audience. The subject was, as he stated / \
commencing, the French revolution, taking
Mirabeau as an exponent of that time The
lecture as whole was not as generally
liked as those which lave preceded it, as
1t gave but very little new light upon the
revolution, the men who were famous in it,
the causes which led to it or the results
which followed.
Mirabeau was considered in the opening
as representing the principles of the revo-
luton, not its excesscs There were, how
ever, too many sides TO the outbreak for
one to represent the whole. The speaker
then proceeded TO dwell at some length
| upon the causes which led to the rev.
olution. Rosseau was considered to have
done more TO stir up the excitement of the
people than any other man. He was a
scntimentaist, mixture of good and evil
a man of marvellous eloquencc and capti
waiting style, but who was at heart an in
iide and an exponent of cruelty in some of
its worst phases The disgracoful errors
of the nation stared it in the face and at
last created necessity for meeting Of
the State journal This was composed of
the nobility. the church and the people,
summoned by the government, and met at
Versailles May 9th, 17S0-twelve hundred
men of the people, an illuetrious assembly
but inexperienced and impracticable yet
enthusiastic and rcsolutc. The most
marked man among them was NIrabeau,
Goliah Of intellect but conflicting pas.
sions, true representative of the radical
ideas Of his age. He it was who applied
the torch to the confagration, and had he
lived he would have been guilolncd by
the universal clamor for vengeance which
succeeded the reyolut'el.
The principal question which divided
the assembly was whether it should DELHI
crate in separate houses or together. The
debate became strong and finally the king
ordered the assembly to disperse. Miraheau
replied that they were there by command
of the people and would not dispense ex-
cept at the point of the bayonet. An
issue was thus made with the king and the
revolution was inauguratcd The logical
sequences of the assembly were that it
swept away all the old customs Of law and
authority, all privileges Of the church, all
rights of noblemen, and all in one night.
1t voted an abolition Of scrldom, redemp-
ton of ties, the equality of taxes, the law
of plimogeniture, the couliscation of the
church and its four hundred millions dol
lars Of property Such reform was worse
than that of the spoilaton by Henry the
Eighth, and was opposed even by NIirabeau
himself. Thus far the work of the assem-
bly, was merely one of destruction.
But another drama now opened in the
disagreements of the assembly itself. A
| reaction took place which threatened in
vasion and filled the people with fear.
They knew not whom to trust. The COM
mune finally ruled the assembly, and ex-
| ceeded even the Jesuits in fanaticism
| Then ensued "A worse slaughter than that
of st. Bartholomew, and France became a
| Pandemonium of bloodshed and strife.
| Mrabeau, worn out by excuses, passed
away in 1891.
The awakening Of the good sense of the
nation was briefly dwelt upon, and few
arguments in connection with the causes
and results of the revolution were given by
the speaker in closing. The revolution
brought about many good results, but they,
it was thought, could have been achieved
by other and better means. 1t was regarded
by enlightened historians as step in the
nations advancement. Yet its work is not
yet completed, and there YVES reason to fear
that France was not fitted for peace There
must be virtue as well as intellect among q
people, and in the causes of the revolution
its immediate acts far overbalanced the
good. 1t was very hard to commend the
movement and the only good in it was in
the evil that was oyerruled.