Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1888-02-18
CURIOUS GRIMES in FRANCE.
PROFESSOR A. D. WHITES THRU
LECTURE ON THE PRACTICES OF
THE FRENCH REVOLUTION.

THE FRENCH REVOLUTIONs
"There was no chance for the
criminal to know the charge which
was brought against him. The
modes of punishment were barbar-
Gus. One man, for simply breaking
IA crucitix in a drunken caronsal
was sentenced to be burned to death
One mode Of punishment was to la,
the condemned man upon a log and
break his legs with bar ofiron, and
then let him lie for hours in the liuI
sun, until "A stroke from the execu
toner took him out of his misery.
Another mode was the galleys. The
men were chained to the sides aud
treated like BEASTS. When the gal
ley went into battle gag was put
into the mouth of the condemned,
SD that their cries could not be heard
when they were wounded ; and if
any one was beard to make a
cry, he was tossed overheard. Bee
caria, ThomaSius and Voltaire made
great efforts against these evils, but
without success. The torture of the
criminal lasted longer in Franre
than in any other country. The
administration of finance was miser
able. The great evil of finance was
its lack Instability and equality. The
clergy and mobiles escaped with
small gifts. while the poor had to
pay nearly all the burden. The tax
es were heaviest upon those least
able TO bear them. The amount OF
taxes was enormously great. Every
family in the provinces was obliged
to take a crrtain amount OF salt,
which could not be used for any
other purpose than for which it was
bought To use table salt for salt.
ing meat was high crime. A peas
ant could not take sea.water to his
house and make salt from it. The
average number of arrests for viola
ting this law we've over ten thuus-
and per year, and great number of
these were children. The people
were utterly ignorant of the b of
political economy. In descending the
river Loire duties were levied at
thirty different places. The home
commodities at every place were
protected by a duty from seventy
five to thirty per cent. There was
no system for educating the masses.
In some of the regions nineteen men
out of every hundred could not
write their own names. The pri.
mary institutions educating women
were worse than those for men. In
one Of the best educated parts in
France twenty nine women out of a
hundred coul,i n"6 write their names.
The pupils OF the universities were
kept under control like the women of
q harem.
"There were only twenty-one uni.
yersities in France at the end of the
eighteenth century. No science was
allow Q to be taught in them. The
ideas of Copprnicus and Calico were
strictly prohibited. The taking OF
interest for money was forbidden by
the church. The incubation for dis
ease was prohibited. Comets
were regarded as fire balls thrown
across the heavens by the hands of
an angry god t" frighten the people.
Only one Protestant university was
allowed to exist iii France. The
great glory OF the universities was
their keenness in hunting out heresy.
Some OF them had special control
over book sellers and printers, sup
pressing whatever books they chose.
There we're very few newspapers at
tins time, and these of narrow circu.
lation. Author Young complained
at that time, no matter how stirring
affairs were, it WAS almost impoSsi-
bic to lind Il newspaper in the I'M
purtant cities. The French people
had for centuries been educated to
cruelty"