Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-21
MADE LAFAYETTE A REPUBLICAN.
The Burning Of One of voltaire's Works by
the Public Executioner.
James Parton in the New York Ledger.

James farton IN the New York Ledger.
TNHE NEW MONUMENT TO LAFAYETTE
l. in Washington recalls to mind the always
| interesting story Of his stealing away from the
arms Of his Young wife and the seductions of a
luxurious court to serve liberty in the colonies
Of America. But there is a story behind that
which is less generally known. What made this
young marquis a republican? If, we trace the
inclination to its origin. We shall find that i:
began with the attempt Of the French govern
ment to suppress popular book.
The suppression of popular books by the
strong hand of the law has been often attempted
in Europe and recently the government of the
United States tried its Impractical hand at the
business. but the attempt, believe. has never
once succeeded. nor has il often failed to give
the obnoxious work an intense and widespread
popularity. In old France both church and
state frequently joined in the anathema. the
church condemnlng the book and the state
burning it by the hand of the public execu-
TONER. In some instances representatives of
both attended the burning and took part in
the elaborate ceremonial that preceded 1t. The
public burning of the book that made Lafay-
cite republican occurred June 10, 1874,
twenty-three years before he was born, and it
was done in the manner following:
THE cKnEMoNIoUs BURNING.
In one of the squares Of Paris a temporary
platform was erected, and in front Of it at a
safe distance a stake was driven into the
ground. as though the author himself were
about to be consumed. When the appointed
hour arrived the grand inquisitor, in his robes.
and several dignitaries of the church in theirs.
ascended this platform. To the priest highest
in rank the clerk of the court which had con-
demned the book presented the copy of it with
| small iron chains twisted about it. The
priest handed the book to the chief inouisi-
tor. who gave il back to the clerk. He handed
it to another officer, and it passed through sew
eral he uds until it at last reached those of the
executioner. attired in his official costume.
That functionary lifted the volume above his
head. and while thus holding il he turned
slowly round to the four points Of the compass.
after which he took the chains off the book,
| tore out the leaves one at time. dipping each
in burning pitch and placed them about the
stake. Finally, he set fire to the heap and the
book was brilliantly consumed.
Such was the process frequently employed at
Paris In burning book and several OF the
most popular works of the eighteenth century
were advertised in that way. fnevery instance
the ceremony proved to be the most effective
mode of advertising which had then been in
vented.
THE BOOK THAT WAS BURNED.
What dreadful book was it upon which church
and state thus set the seal of Reproduction? 1t
was very little volume. containing twenty
four letters written by Voltaire from England
where he had lived for two or three wears and
made a diligent study of its language literature.
science and politics. No little book could well
be more innocent and harmless than this one,
in which the author chatted sgreeably with his
correspondent upon the points in which Eng
land most differed from France. He dwelt
much upon the freedom that prevailed
there and the honors paid to men Of genius
IN Iaor prpn
Englishman might differ in opinion from
his countrymen or his king he was free TO
utter his conviction if he did so with rea-
sonable regard for the rights Of others. All
sects were tolerated and there we're thirty of
them in all. At the London exchange men
Of all faiths and of no faiths transacted their
business peaceably together and then went
their several ways. to the synagogue. to the
club, to the tavern. This liberation. the
author showed, SO far from promoting dis
peace and general good will, while the
honors paid to men Of science and genius
abated the excessive importance attached
in other countries to rank. The letter on
this subject concluded with q passage that
impressed the young Marquis de Lafayette
SO deeply that the impression was never
effaced.
REPUBLICAN SENTIMENTS
SIN France" yoltaire wrote. every one is a
to Paris from the extremity of province with
money to spend and name ending in ac' or
lille can say, "A man like myself "A man of
my quality, and look down with sovereign con-
tempt upon merchant. The merchant hears
himself spoken Of so often with disdain for his
profession that he Is foolish enough to blush
for it. know not. however. which is the more
useful to u state-a well-powdered lord who
knows precisely at what hour the king gets up.
at what hour he goes to bed, and who gives
himself grand airs while playing the part of
slave in a minister's ante-chamber. or a mer-
chant who enriches his country, sends or lers
from his counting room to Surat or Cairo and
contributes to the happiness of mankind"
The little book contained many passages Of
similar tendency, expressed with the same in
sinuating tact and adroitness. There we're pas
sages also upon the new philosophy of Newton,
upon incubation, upon Shakespeare. Pope. Ad-
olson, the great charter extorted from King
John and the Quakers of Fox and William
Penn. In short, it was just such little book
as a man Of liberal and patriotic mind would
naturally write upon England for such coun-
try as France when George il was king of
England and Louis XIV was king of France. 1t
was like holding up an enchanting picture of
freedom to prisoners In chains. So it was
burned by the hangman, which fact gave il
universal currency in the reading circles of
France, and that fact caused it to fall into the
hands Of Lafayette when he was a precocious
=
books in Latin.
1T made me a republican at nine" he once
wrote.
This was not so remarkable because many
school boys by merely reading the Roman
authors have been powerfully drawn to repub-
ican ideas. The popularity Of Lafayette's
case WAS that. having imbibed the republican
spirit at nine years. he remained faithful to it
as long as he lived
In placing the new monument in the CITY of
Washington Congress has done a wise and be-
coming action. From the frs. hour of I.afay-
cites abode in the United States to the last
his old age he loved this land and its people.
In the first letter that he wrote to his wife after
landing in South Carolina he said:
LAfAYErrE's LOVE FOR AMERICA
81 am going now, my dear heart, to speak to
you of the country and its inhabitants. They
are as amiable as my enthusiasm had pictured
them. Simplicity of manners a desire to oblige,
the love of country and of liberty, a pleasing
equality prevail here among the whole people,
The richest man and the poorest are on a
level and although there are immense fortunes
in this country defy any one to discover the
least difference in their behavior TO one another
on that account The American women
are very pretty, very simple and of q charming
cleanliness. The latter quality reigns here
everywhere with the greatest thoroughness,
more even than in England. What enchants
me here is that all the citizens are brothers
All the citizens have a comfortable property
erful proprietor Of the country. The taverns
are very different from those OF Europe: the
landlord and landlady sit at the table with
YOU preside over the repast and when you