The herald., 1894-04-17
CLASSICAL REvoLuTloMs1s.
Tho Love of Elegant Precedent In the
French Revolutionary Leaders.

Tho Love of Elegant Precedent In the
French Revolutionary Leaders.
Mr.. John g. Alger says in his
"Climpscs Of the French Revolution"
that very noticeable feature Of the rev
olutionary leaders was their admiration
for the classical writer's and their imita-
ton of the Roman people Tho speeches
and writings Of the times were full OF
allusions to and similes drawn from the
poets and philosophers of antiquity.
Says Mr.. Algor on this point:
Some Of tho rovoluticnists not merely
quoted tho Romans but initiated them
Clnviere killed himself on tho oSs Of
his trial, Valaze stabbed himself in tho
dock, Condorcet, Buzot, Bnrbaroux and
Roland also committed suicide. Verg-
MAUD had intended to do likewise, but
at the last moment changed his purpose
Chabot attempted suicide. Mmo. Ro-
land, who at IL years Of age regretted
not being a Spartan or Roman, had to
be dissuaded from poisoning herself be-
fore trial, one reason, it is but fair to
add, being that her property would thus
have been saved for her daughter from
confiscation. Charlotte Corday in stab
bing Marat was nlanifcstly acting under
classical recollections She took her IA
vorite Plutarch with her on her journey
to Aaris, and she hoped to stab Marat in
the convention and be torn to pieces,
but possibly to be applauded, by his fell
low deputies She counted ON meeting
Brutus and other ancients in the Ely.
sian fields
''One regrets tho theatrical tone which
some may attribute TO her collateral de-
scent FROM Corneille. When arrested,
ehe applied to the committee Of public
safety for leave to have her portrait
taken as a bequest to her native depart
ment. AT her trial, noticing that an art
ist, Hauer, was slletching her, she turn
ed her head toward him that he might
have better view, and she obtained
permission to give him two hours sit
ting in her cell while waiting for the
tumbril She suggested corrections in
his sketch and begged him TO send rep
lica to her father She presented him
also with lock of her hair. The revo-
lutionists, indeed, were too self con-
scious.
Another way in which the Friends
of Liberty" showed their admiration for
the writers Of antiquity was by chang
ing their names for those of their favor
lite Roman heroes or hcroines. This
copying Of the names and even the GUS
toms of ancient Greece and Rome must
have often led to some very strange in
congruities.
Even the rooms in tho Paris prisons
were inscribed Cincinnatus, Brutus,
Socrates, ETC., sometimes also Marat,
which was peculiarly appropriate, until
in Juno, 1874, Pagan urged on the mu-
nicipality that the shades Of these great
men would be indignant at seeing the
cells of conspirators called by their
names. Thereupon the inscriptions were
effaced Civic dinners in imitation Of
Sparta also became common in Paris a
few weeks before Robespierres fall.
People had tables spread outside their
houses in the street and had their serv-
ants sit down to partake with them. A
man would be heard haughtily ordering
his servant on the staircase and coming
ont 10 -<isaaa..., ez.l ss---s..t
sit beside him and would drink his
health. A fashionable lady would say:
Look how | love equalityl ! dine pub
licly with, my servants This. innova-
tion, denounced by some as an intrigue
of the Hebertists, by others as an aris-
tocratio device for lulling patriotic sus-
picions, was, however, very short lived +"