The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1894-04-17
CLASSICAL RcvorurloN,sr5.
Tho Love of Elegant Precedent In tho
Ercnch Ecvolutio mary Lenders.

rho Love of Elegant Precedent In tho
French Revolutionary Leaders.
MIR. John G. Algor says in his
"Glimpses of the Fronch Revolution"
that very noticeable feature of the rev.
olutionary leaders was their admiration
for the classical writers and their imita-
ton of the Roman people The speeches
and writings of tho times were full of
illusions to and SMILES drawn from the
poets and philosophers of antiquity
Says Mr.. Alger on this point:
Some of the rcvolutionists not merely
quoted the Romans, but initiated them.
Clavicre killed himself on the eve of
his trial, Valaze stabbed himself i'll the
dock, Condorcot BuZot, BarbarouX and
Roland also committed suicide. Forg-
MAUD had intended to do likewise, but
at tho last moment changed his purpose.
Chabot attempted suicide. Mime. Ro-
land who at 12 years of age regretted
not being Il Spartan or Roman, had to
be dissuaded from poisoning herself be-
fore trial, ono reason, it is but fair to
add, being that her property would thus
have been saved for her daughter from
contiscation. Charlotte Corday i'll stab
bing Marat was manifeStly acting under
classical recoilections She took her IA
vorite PlutaYch with her on her journey
to Paris, and she hoped to stab Marat i'll
the convention and be torn to pieces,
but possibly to be applauded by his fell
low deputies She counted OH meeting
Brutus and other ancients in the Ely
sian fields.
Zone regrets the theatrical tone which
some may attribute to her collateral de-
scent from Corneille. When arrested,
she applied to the committee of public
safety for leave to have her portrait
taken as Il bequest to her native depart
mont. AT her trial. noticing that All art
list, Hauer, was sllctching her, she turn
ed her head toward him that he might
have Il 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 arcp
hca to her father. She presented him
also with lock of her hair The revo-
lutionists, indeed, were too self con-
sciOuS -
Another way i'll 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 hcroincs 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 i'll the Paris prisons
were Inscribed Cincinnatus Brutus,
Socrates, etc, sometimes also AIarat
which was peculiarly appropriate, until
i'll June, 1904 Pagan urged on the mu-
n.cipality that TIC shades Of these great
men would be indignant 1T seeing the
cells Of conspi.atorS called by their
names. Ihereupon the Inscriptions were
eifacod. Civic dinners i'll imitation of
Sparta also became common in Paris Il
few weeks before Robcspicire's fall
People had tables spread outside their
houses i'll the street and had their scrv-
ants sit down to partakc with them a
man would be heard haughtily 4vdcring
his servant on the staircase and coming
out To dinner would have that servant
sit beside him and would drink his
health. y fashionable lady would say:
Look how love equality l dine pub-
licly With my servants. This innova-
ton. denounced by some as an intrigue
OF the Hebortists, by others rs I'll aris-
tocratic device for lulling patriotic sus-
plclons, was, however, very short lived "