Lewiston teller. [volume] (Lewiston, North Idaho) 1878-1900, 1896-05-28

lates the story of the origin of the
great French war song, the Mar
seillaise." Everybody knows that q
French captain Of engineers, Claude
Joseph ROuget de IIsle dashed off both
words and music in a moment of in.
SEPARATION. at Strasburg On the evenins
of April "a, 1892, and that the hymn
was first sung on the following evening
at the house of Mayor Dietrich.
You will find these alleged facts re-
corded under the heading, 1.-The Mar
seillaise." in every book of reference
purporting to give information on the
subject. The tradition has been I'M
Questionably accepted by hundreds of
writer's and artists, French and other.
who have found 1t source of inspira-
ton. And yet. unless that very inter-
esting book of personal memoirs, AN
Englishman in Paris" is to be regarded
as merely clever fiction instead of the
record of facts it purports to be, there
is scarcely a word Of truth in the ira
ition.
Rouget de pIsle did not compose a
single note of the music of the Mar
seillaise." He did not write the whole
OF the words. Those of them that he
wrote were written slowly and deliber-
ately, as poems are usually written.
The words were not written at Stras-
burg in 1892. They were written in
1871 at Marseilles. in the fortress of
st. Jean, where Rouget de lIsle was
then imprisoned for his refusal to take
an oath to support the constitution.
Rouget de lIsle never had the honesty
to openly acknowledge his indebted
ness to those who helped to make his
name immortal, though he acknowl-
edged it privately when he couldn't
help himself
The two stories which seem to estab-
lish these points in regard to the au-
thorship of the "Marseillaise" are
worth retelling. The first was told to
the author of AN Englishman in
Paris by his tutor, who had witnessed
the scene he described. Here it is in
substance:
We were all more or less aware
that Rouget de lIsle was not the au-
thor of the whole of the words of the
'Marseillaise.' but none of us in Lyons,
where was born, knew vino had writ
ten the last strophe, commonly called
the 'strophe of the children and l
doubt whether they were any wiser in
Paris. Some of my fellow students
Tor l was IS at the time-credited
Andre Chenier with the authorship of
the last strophe; others ascrbed it to
Louis Francois Dubois, the poet. All
this was. however, so much guess
work. when, one day, during the reign
OF terror, the report spread that a
priest. who had been caught solemniz-
ing religious marriage, was to be
brought before the revolutionary tri-
bunal that same afternoon.
The place was crammed to suffoca-
tlon when we arrived at the Hotel de
Vile. 1t was large room, at the up- |
per end OF which stood an oblone ia
BILE covered with a long cloth. Seated
around 1t were seven self-constituted
judges. There was very little speech
ltylng. La mort sans phrase which
mad become the fashion since Louis
AVIS execution. was strictly adhered
10. After having listened to the charge
and evidence. the judges either extend
ed their hands on the table or nut them
to their foreheads The first movement
meant acquittal and liberation, the Sec
ond, death. The priest was brought in.
VINO art thou? asked the president.
Inc prisoner drew himself up to his
iuil height. I am the Able Pesson-
eaux, former tutor at the college of
Nlenne and the author of the last
s'rcphe of the "Marseillaise. he said
quietly. l cannot convey to you the
impression produced by those simple
words. Slowly and deliberately the
Judges stretched forth their hands and
then deafening cheer rang through
.ne room. The Able Pessoneaux owed
MS lie to his strophe His story
'hough not questioned at the time. was
aiterward Investigated and found tn
oe true IN every particular. On their
way 10 Paris to be present at the TAX
lug OF the Tuilleries on Aug. 10. the
had stopped at Vienne to
eeeorate the fete of the federation.
on the eve Of their arrival the Abbe
had composed the strophe
ana out for his arrest the authorship
would have always remained a matter
u conjecture. for Rouget de rIsle
"ould never have had the honesty to
acknowledge it."
me other story was told to a French ,
journalist by the man who really COM
the music Of the "Marseillaise, ,
niexandre Boucher, a celebrated vio- ,
.n.st He improvised the air, in 1890,
- the drawing-room of Nine. de Mon
Aisne. IN Paris, at the request of COL q
'nei whom the musician had never met 6
. &c and whom he never saw again.
lug. ne soldier was starting next morning | !
'n MS regiment for Marseilles, and
Boucher to write him a march ,
- ana then. One may imagine /
surprise when he heard his !
udrch aun0 ovo~ru,