Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1891-05-08

thirty-one years of
age. His birthplace and home was Arras,
capital of Pas-de-Calais, 100 miles north
east from Paris. Here the boy Maximilien,
who had Il strain of Irish blood in his
veins, received his primary education. At
school he had for his fellows Camille Des-
mouths and Stanislas Freron-names not
unknown to the Revolution.
MaXimilien, who was the eldest of the
children, was devoted by his father to the
profession of aw. So he was sent to Paris,
where he pursued his studies in the Col
lege of Louis lie Grand. Before graduation,
however, his younger brother Augustin
had become of college age, and the strictly
conscientious Maximilien gave up his schol.
arship at the university in order that Au
gustin might come in his place; for Maxi
milien was Il youth both good and gener
Gus!
Back to his home at Arras went the
young man R~obespierre, and began the
practice of law. Meanwhile a philosophy
cal American, not unknown in human an.
nails, named Benjamin Franklin, had, in the
language of the French academy, "snatched
the lightning from heaven and the scep-
ter from tyrants"-which is a figura-
tive way of saying that he had invented
the lightning rod-had thrust up his sharp
metallic point at the clouds and brought
down their charge harmless to the earth.
But the great invention was received with
as much distrust as ,Jenner'S vaccination
or kOch's lymph. In France, they who
would sell Franklin's rods were arrested.
1t was so at Arras, where a cause came on
about the setting up of a lightning rod,
and Robespierre made his first great plea
we are not sure but his first plea of any
kind lin favor of the Franklin thunder,
rod
THUS he gained some reputation, aud the
Bishop of Arras made him Judge of the
diocese. Not an unlearned young Judge
he was certainly not unjust--until Il man
under trial for his life was brought into
court. Hereupon, Judge Maximilien, con
scientiously opposed to capital punishment.
resigned his place rather thar risk the con
tlngencv of condemning Il human being to
the gallows Aye, more than this, the leg
end runs that Judge Robespierre had such
horror of the sight of blood that he would
not permit the cook to beheAd IL chicken in
his presence.
Here we may note the beginning IF one
OF the greatest of human paradoNes-the
conversion OF Il tender hearted, timid
young advocate, pervaded as he was with
ia d " luClpleS, IHJO IL rHDlu
killer of men. 1t is IL transformation
which we cannot understand until we re
member that personal cowarIice and an
lnhamed conscience are the natural ante
cedents of the greatest crimes
Meanwhile, after descending from The
bench, Maximilien becomes IL Der of
the Arras Academy of Science He writes
many prize essays, but does not gain the
prizes Then he writes others, all of them
, streaked more or less with the gospel &C
cordlng to st. Jean jacques Rousseau; for
Rousseau has now become The one intel.
lectual fountain in whose hunlanities and
pertectlons R~obespierre, to the day of his
death, continued to find his elements Of
truth u motives of action The doc
trlnes OF the Contrat Socia! entered into
the very fiber of the future revolutionist,
from these principles he never swerved
from first to last. They became IL sort of
formula into which the whole future life
OF Robespierre Was cast, and by which he
was directed even in the Revolutionary
tribunal
The year 1873 finds ttopesplerre d dele.
gate elect TO the states general at Yer.
sailles He is IL democrat, last of a list of
five members from his department So in
the great procession we see him-a small
man, slight of form, with his obscure eyes
under spectacles; timid in manner, with
an upturncd face; generally smiling, as
though he would smell something's: very
neat IN his person, painfully %virtuous III
morals, having, as Nine. de StaGl de-
clares, a sallow complexion, Il mean look
and green vcins. History must needs take
note OF Il man with greer, ,-insl for ' 1e
healthy color is blue.
M N,,n ,,l;- x- 49, 1890 -,
tiles from the gallery of the states general,
or afterward from the upper seats of the
national assembly. would have chosen
Robespierre as a coming leader. 1t is con-
coded that he was u man of no personal
courage He did not even believe in him
self. He was suspicious. umid and easily
excited Some qualities. however, he pos
sessed which might make him Il maj of
note He Was an orator OF cogent reason
ing powers and Il voice full Of sympathy.
Besides this he had Il formula, all ufamed
conscience and the gospel according to
Rousseau
In the national assembly kObespierre
went to the extreme Left, and took his seat
with the profoundest radicals of the age
with those audacious democrats who al
ready scented the destruction of the mon
archy and the rise of the people. OF these
delegates there were only thirty, and they
were held in contempt. Mirabeau was
wont to refer to them as thirty Uoiccs, as if
they were sound and nothing more-mere
human noise. not to be regarded. But
Mirabean had not failed to discover in
Robespierre Il possibility which none other
had yet perceived. He said of him one
day, THAT young man believes what he
says; therefore he will go far" Perhaps
he would not have "gone far" if Mirabeau
had lived; but with the death of the giant
strange shapes arose from the earth and
began to reign-among the rest this Maxi
milien Robespierre.
1t was in the club of the Jacobins that
the future King of the Terror first gained
an ~ascendancy, During the year 1891 he
often put up his head, but as often drew
back, being afraid. The student of his.
tory will remember that as the monarchy
began to reel an alliance was attempted
between it and the Girondips-an alliance
which proved fatal to both. In the mean
time Robespierre's residence had been
finally transferred to Paris, Here he be-.