Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-07-13
VICTOR HUGO.
The Cincinnati Rioters Apotheosiz ed
by the Great Frenchman.

The Cincinnati Rioters Ap0theosiz ed
by the Great Frenchman.
''Three rays are emanating from the
ideal: the true, the great, and the beauti-
full. Jerusalem gave to the world truth !,
Athens beauty, and Rome greatness.
These cities have vanished from the earth,
but they continue to live in Paris. Paris
is the sum Of those three-the logarithm
of three civilizations expressed in one
formula" The above words / uttered a
decade ago, and / repeat them to-day
New municipal growths have sprung up
in the old world, but they can claim only
a temporary significance in the cosmic
panorama. Berlin is a geographical ac-
cident without a national basis; Vienna,
the illegitimate offspring of an Unmatched
chronological union; London is the
monstrous embodiment of a brutal utili-
tarianism; but Paris-is a historical ne
cessity.
While the old world wasted its energy
in burying cadavers of a petrified past,
the new world arose, Venus Anadyomene-
like, from the crystal waves of the west
ern ocean. Asia is the chrysalis under
the roots of a tree dreaming in the semi
y
lethargy; Europe, the caterpillar near
sightedly crawling about the bark in the
habitual grooves of a fettered existence !;
America is the unclaimed insect soaring
about the crown of the tree in full liberty
and living the true life of an uncOnditiOn-
al development.
A new world with the boldest historical
possibilities needed new centre Of civil
liZation. Karl Ritter, in one of the few
banDu rOOu1aDfS n which tho frnrO1a1l
mind intuitively grasped high scientific
truth, said that all cradles of culture are
inland cities. Hence, New York, Boston
and Philadelphia could not aspire to the
honor: neither the calcareous receptacle
of humanity on the banks of the Missis-
sippi, nor the municipal fungus growth
on the Lake Michigan. The high vocation
was reserved for Losantiville, the city Of
the Cincinnati. Here the fair daughters
of The Mnemosyne have formed noble
home; here earth ceased to be a puritan
vale OF tears. The goddess of Joy
touched the lips of the mortals with the
myrtle branch, and Attic hllarity began
to purify the heavy atmosphere of social
life. The genius Of art is wOrshiped in
glorious temples, and Cincinnati might
proudly assume the name of "Paris
of America But her indisputable
claims to that distinction rest upon the
events of March 20, 1884.
The new world is concentrated to liber-
ty, but a gigantic monster holds the yir-
gin Columbia with the iron grasp of a
hundred arms-the monopoly Of the money
aristocracy, the monopoly of a subsery-
lent press. the monopoly of legal piracy.
The Paris of the old world annihilated
the bastile; the Paris of the new world
destroyed the court house. The 14th Of
July, 1899, directed the Infatuated masses
against the bulWark of hereditary des-
p0tism; the Both of March, 1884. dashed
the waves OF public Indignation against
the stronghold of legal corruption. The
noble citizens of that day, who rated JUS
tice higher than law, wrote in letters of
lurid flames the Meme, Teckel, Upharsin
upon the walls of the desecrated temple
of Justice. The rioters of Cincinn Att in
augurated the era of a glorious revolu-
ton. They were champions of justice;
they were more than champions, they
were heroes; they were more than heroes,
they were men. The world says so.
France says so, say so.
VICTOR HUGO.
Paris. ADriI 9. 1884.