Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1888-02-25
THE PEOPLE WE'RE STARVED.
PROF. WHITES FOURTH LECTURE
ON THE CAUSES OF THE FRENCH
REVOLUTION.

tIuCt tiaoS " tAC PostS's
suited in a complete separation be-
tween them. This did much to root
out not only national feeling, but
also all common feeling, aud from
this sprung many of those terrible
scenes of that period. The classes
pnvipd and hated each other, and
OH account of this there arose three
classes, of aobles, clergy, and peas
autry. They were so divided that
NATIONAL feeling was completely lost.
The lower class for centuries had
come to he regarded with contempt
by the mobiles and clergy. The
great mass had been poorly educa-
teal, and in general they had become
greatly dissatisfied. The more en-
terprising, aud the more thoughtful
part OF the people had been driven
out OF the country BY the revocation
of the edict Of Nantes, in 1885. The
revocation of this edict cost France
over a half million of her best pe0-
pie, aud added greatly to the force of
Germany. Men who afterwards
stood up Tor the church against its
spoliation were the exlled Huguen
OTIS. II this class had never been
driven out of France the bloody
sway of Robespierre and Marat
would have been impossible. The
condition of the peasantry was IN.
utterahly sad, and their condition
at the beginning of the eighteenth
century had become intolerable. The
upper class had pressed down upon
them heavily from age to age, and
the lowest classes had begun to real
ize their position. Tithes and taxes
had become enormous, but the worst
OF all was the royal covee, by which
the peasantry was called from their
houses, at any time, to work upon
the roads or at the court for days
without any remuneration whatever.
When the peasantry bought or sold
they were taxed. When
one of them married off his daughter
there was tax upon her to protect
her home. When they sharpened
their plows there was even tax.
They had to bake all their bread in
their masters oven or pay a fine.
They must carry their masters pro
duce to market or suffer fine,
and in going to and from market
large tolls were exacted from them.
There were numerous edicts prohibit
thug them from hoeing or blowing
their fields lest the young cartridges
would be destroyed. The nobility
lived at Paris in luxury, while the
lower class starved.
Robert Miriam said: The low
ert classes have always been an an.
vii upon which the upper classes
have always been beating In the
carictures of that time the tillers of
the soil were represented as carrying
the nobility and clergy OIL their
backs, almost bent to the ground by
their oppression. But in a few
years this changed, and the peasants
were represented as riding the
backs of the mobiles and clergy.
Laughter.l know OF nothing
more touching than their own de-
of their grievances and op.
preston. Author Young, an En
glishman, travelling in France at that
time, says: The wealth OF a nation
lies in its production and consump-
tion.' But France was lacking in
both oil these. Her misery reminds
one of the misery of Ireland. The
OF waste land is the most
feature te be seen, and
the most of this belongs to the mob
les, who will not rent it for any
price. If / we're the legislature
Of France for day would make
the great lords skip. LanGhter.l /
searched for farmers, to run my
head against monks and prisons.
The children were so poorly clad
that they would have been better off
il they had been naked. Obi what
have kiags and MOBILES to answer fort
The women work harder than
the men. We have to attribute
these evils to the government. The
power of the press is everything ia
"a country, but there were very few
papers to be bad. TIE people talk.
ed of news that was two weeks old
without knowing what they were
about. Even at the capital
there were no newspapers 10 let yon
know whether Lafayette, Louis or
was upon the throne.
Who knows but that some Crom.
well now lies IN her bosom. The
Young Napoleon was just then leay.
ing school. Twothirds of the work
ing class did not have one pound of
meat month. The peasant paid
about one fifth of his income for
5ithes. Only one-twelfth remains for