Telegram-herald. ([Grand Rapids, Mich.) 18??-1892, 1889-07-15

SfVG1iN8 The bAS1ifE.
There is not now any Serious difse
OF opinion about the French Revolution !;
We are - far removed from the wildly
enthusiastic eulogies of Danton as from
the frantic denunciations OF Edmund
Burke. Tho theologus who tries To show
that the Reign Of Terror was caused
entirely by ''infidel writer's like Eoltaire
and Tom Paine is ridiculed % rnerci-
lessly as tho wild eyed agnostic who
says with ungrammatical emphasis that
''pricstcraft done it al" Al common
sense men now realize that there was
something far back Of priestcraft and
infidelity. something that touched the
French people more painfully than the
atheism of Hebert or the folly of Marie
Antoinette, which made that revolution
SO terrible.
IL the reader would know why the fall
of the Bastile is such an epoch to French
men, and why when they rose against
the ruling classes they were SO merciless
IN their wrath, he must look ut their
previous history and note how complete
ly the old condition Of things had brutal
lied the people. IL you think tho hor-
rors OF tho Revolution were due TO n
''want Of religion" consider that France
had enjoyed close union of church and
state for 1000 years; il you accept any
of the other Bourbon theories, consider
that France had then the strongest and
most paternai government in Europe.
For the real trouble let US briefly review
her history.
As is known TO all readers, tho north
ern nations which overran the Roman
empire brought with them well defined
ideas of personal liberty and free par
iaments. "All the warriors met in
arms, says Dion Cassius. "The men of
influence endeavored to persuade them;
they expressed their assent by clashing
their shields and their dissent By muir
murs; nor was there any need of q nice
scrutiny Of votes where opinion inclined
one way or the other with such force"
The result was that in England, France,
Italy, indeed, in oil the kingdoms which
grew upon tho ruins of the Roman em-
pire, there were intermediate bodies be-
tween the high and tho low, there were
parliaments or other legislative and mod
Grating bodies which preserved the prin-
ciples Of liberty. la England alone did
this embodiment OF freedom survive.
In all the other kingdoms il was either
abolished outright by tho despotism OF
the rulers or SO perverted that it became
an additional engine OF oppression.
In Spain the cortes. in Italy the coun-
ellis, in France and the Netherlands the
states general and local "parlements"
finally sunk into mere registering bodies
they did what the king asked or or
dered, and "a far "a can now be deter
mined their functions became merely
formal. Indeed. no writer il now able
to state with any precision what were
the original powers Of the Parliament
of Paris" the Estates of Brittany" the
"Cortes Of CASTLE" or the Council of
ArragOn." The summary Of the whole
matter was this: There was time when
the king could not change local laws
without the assent of the local "parle
ment" or raise money without the vote
Of a general parliament; there came a
time when except in England he could
do as he willed unless his people re-
bellcd. If they rebelied, the peasants
were footmen. the cavaliers. mounted
aud cased in armor; one thousand of the
hitter could overawe fifty thousand OF
the former.
The invention Of gunPowder practi-
cally put an end 70 the old distinctions.
Knights in armor could nc longer gal
Iop over peasants at will: castles could
be bombarded or blown up. But before
the oppressed could realize on that fact
the ruin OF the old parliamentary insti-
t1tious was complete. In France the
farce terminated In 1914. the states gen
eral assembled no more. and IN due time
Louis XIV arrogaatly declared, Il am
the state His long wars reduced the
French peasantry 20 the last extremes
very often in the early spring lahorsrs
were found deal BY the roadside, il
their mouths the grass which they bal
Enawei in the rage - hunger. There
was a slight improvement, but the de-
baucheTies q Louis Ky DESTROYED pCpu-
lar respect for the crown. Louis XVI
hAA1astly desired % improve the people's
coSiition. bus was too feebse. All the
sap aBd nutrfment u the com try had
gone - swell the csncerous Ct WITH ot
court ard hostility.
As length there came a tin0e when ex-
halfsted nzfs3rs could tear 10 more.
Several BAD karvssts rssinosd tie pess-
antry % a cou@ztioD where death was
less an evil ths. hfe. ana tsseY rose IN
various places. burning tae castles slad
numbering the collectors The middle
glasses we're Infatuated b the saccess IN
America and inahusss with ins6el ph5i-
osop3sy. Ths nobility we're hoertiosss,
Arrogant, worthless The eondislon *