Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1891-05-29

- s.: ::r' :'' = general :: RI II: E;
[1 bankruptcy for it's
father had the
club for it's moth
err Nearly all of the projects for the re-
form of French society were Matched in
the clubs before they We're announced in
the assembly Those sudden and auda-
ciouS movements of the French people
which seem so incomprehensibe to the
modern reader were organized in secret in
the political clubs before they were launch
ed on the general wave There the storm
ing of the Bastile was planned; there the
attack on the Tuileries was conceived
there the abolition of the monarchy was
debated and there the Terror had its
birth
One of the characteristics of human nat
ure is to swarml Man is not wholly gre
garious like the aocks, not wholly soil
tary, like the bear. Rather, like the bees,
he works with mis- fellows in IL general
association, and NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Car
lyle has noted and defined this disposition
OF our species under the name of Swarm
cry" IA sort of congregating, instructive
impulse that brings men into utilization for
certain ends. which perhaps they Them
selves do not understand
OF this disposition the French furnish
us the highest example. They outowarm
any other race of the human kind, and
their swarms are the most intense, the
most numerous, the hottie t. 1t was so
pre-emnently in the great agitations pre-
ceding and attendant upon the French
Revolution. The gregarious instinct be
came more active than ever before, and
secret societies abounded in all parts of he
kingdom. They nearly all had political
motive at the bottom. They were doubt
less the result of three general causes: l.
The political conditions present at that
time in France. . The cifervescent and
sWarmng dispositions of the French peO-
pie 3 The intellectual reaction which
mad been produced by the French philoso-
piers OF the preceding epoch, notably by
the writings of Jean Jacques Rousseau.
So far as we are able TO discover, the first
important club movement had its origin
in Brittany In that province a secret
political society was formed before the
calling of the states general OF this club
several of the Breton deputies We're mem
bcr,, and 10y them the club organization
was carried to Versailles at the opening of
the states general The society appears to
intent being at the first to see to it that
only friends of liberty and reform should
be chosen a deputies
Such was the origin of the Breton club,
or Breton committee, of which we hear
much in connection with the history of the
states general and national assembly.
When the latter body was transferred to
Paris the club went also as its shadow.
BY this time the organization had Income
! powerful. Its usefulness as means of
originating and promoting legislation had
been discovered. The reform members of
the legislative constituent and national
| assemblies must be always running across
| OF evenings to meet their club, where,
among their friends, they could throw off
all DISCUSSES, all polite side movements, all
little experiences and reveal their bottom
| purposes and plans. What field for ora
tory and debate was here prepared What
a soil for revolution
On reaching Paris the Breton club inn
medately provided itself with place of
assembly. This was found in the Rue St
Honore There stood the old convent of
the Dominican friars, known as the Con.
vent of St JacObus-a medieval structure,
spacious and gloomy enough, no longer of
much use to man, but still of great use to
| history Here the club established itself
with the new name of La Societe DIES Amis
de la Constitution-that is, Society of the
Friends of the Constitution But that
name was too tedious for the lips of pa
triotiSm, and so, AS the club grew and flour
lshed and became powerful, and was spoken
of by all men, they called it the Club OF the
Jacobns, or the .Iacobins, for short Such
was the rise OF that society which was dies
tined to control the French Revolution To
give to it its form and features, and to i'm
press itself upon the history not only of the
current decade but of the Nineteenth cent
ury, even TO the present day.
Great was the popularity of The Jacobins
Democracy was the prevailing spirit but
At first the spirit was restrained. The
| Friends of the Constitution, not yet know
my what they wanted gave their support
to the new libcraliZed and reformed mon
archy which had been devised by the assem-
bly, under the Inspiration of Mirabeau, and
which was still believed to he good for the
| French nation The conditions of mem
bership in the club were easy Any patriot
who was voucEed for and introduced by
tour menht Is in good standing mig t be
admitted Oh terms If equality with the
rest On his initiation he received ticket
which gave him all tie rights privileges
and benefits Of attendance, and participa
ton in the debates and business OF the
club The membership rapidly expand ed
and soon reached the number of 300 in
cluGing many delegates TO the Latioia
assembly The organ cation was perfected
and made regular The society it,