The Iola register., 1891-08-07

self confronted at almost every turn
here in Paris with buildings or monu-
ments or places that are associated
with some of the most stirring events
| in the annals of the human race. A
single week has by no means snfficed
to hunt up all these, and it would be
tiresome to set them all down here if
it had. And still / have seen some
places that would by 10 means have
missed seeing. Within a stones throw
OF where I am writing is the old church
of st. r .ch ON the steps of which Ma
poleon stood to direct his artillery
against The Royalist mob advancing
to disperse the Assembly. Readers of
Carlyle's "French Revolution" will
never forget the magnificent picture
he draws of this scene, the "bronze ar
tillery officer" calmly, with folded
arms, watching the bowling mob until
it is almost at his feet, and then,
"Fire," say the bronze lips,-and the
mob has found its master and Napol-
con has begun his career.
And just around the corner, in the
middle of the Place de Ia Concorde,
stands an Egyptian obelisk marking
the spot where stood the Guillotine of
the Revolution. How long one might
pause there trying to picture to his
mind the terrible scenes enacted on
that little plat of ground! Here came
Louis NVI, to lose his head because it
happened to be wearing crown when
the people had got tired of Kings.
Here few months later came Marie
Antoignette to pay frightful penalty
for having been happy and rich and
beautiful and the wife of o King.
Here came poor little Charlotte Cor
day because she thought France could
be saved by killing one man. And
here came hundreds of others, Giron-
dists sent by Jacobins, and Jacobins
sent by Girondists, Robespierre, Dan
ton, Desmontines, Hebert, as the pen
dulum swung first to one side and then
to the other, the great knife falling,
falling, until the people no longer had
enough to inquire the latest
victim, the best blood of France ming
ling with the basest. Here too, near
ly a hundred years later, the Commun-
lists had one of their strongest barri-
cades and there were hours and days
of the fiercest fighting. But now, near
the place where the guillotine stood
spouting blood, stands splendid col
umn spouting crystal streams that
rush and foam and shine and sparkle
in the sunshine, and little children are
playing where again and again was a
vast sea of surging, raging ferocious
And they call it now the
Place of Concord!
The Place de Ia Bastile is another
spot where one may stand and think,
for it is the place where the old prison
stood, the storming and destruction
Of which was the first real success of
the great Revolution, the place here
the Revolutionists of 1S4S had one of
their strongest barricades, and the
place which was one ofthe last strong
holds of the communists of II. A
splendid monument stands there now
dedicated "To the glory of the French
citizens who armed themselves and
ought in defense of public liberty dur
ng the memorable days of the -, 2S
md % July, 1880"
In the cemetery of Pere LaChaise
here was also hard fighting during
he days of the Commune. But it is
'hiefy interesting, to the loves of ro-
nance, at least, because it contains
he remains of Abelard and Heloise,
,rought together in one tomb and sur
by a notable monument. The
cemetery is also the burial place of
he greatest figures in French history,
philosophers, painters, poets and SOL
ers. Marshal Massena lies here, and
n an unmarked grave lie the remains t
f Marshal Ney, the "bravest of the
rave"
Not far from the Pere LaChaise is ,
he Pantheon, a noble structure, dedi- il
ated as "a Temple Of Fame" and
sed as the burial place ofthose whom }
he whole nation hOnors. The tomb
ought out with the greatest interest J
'as that of Victor Hugo,-and I
hould have thought better of his
lends if 1 had not seen it. The cof- :,
II in which the remains rest seem to
e of the cheapest sort, a mere wooden
OK covered with some sort of cloth
nd trimmed with tinsel braid care N
sssly tackled about the edges. Above r
and about it are lot of painted
ire wreaths and shields and artifici- N
flowers, with his initials here and
lere cut of gilt paper. The whole h,
hing seemed to me tawdry and cheap
nd utterly unworthy. bl
1 went from the Pantheon to the
lvalides, and greater contrast in RI
lings at all related could not be con-
lived than that between the cheap ri
I'd artificial finery of Hugo's tomb,
Id the simple dignity and majesty of "
Ie last resting place of the Great Ma da
,leon. In an open, circular crypt, n'
Tenty feet in depth and thirty-six IN
ct in diameter, directly beneath the 90