El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1912-07-20
EDITORIAL
WHERE THE ROBESPIERRE STYLE
IN NECKWEAR AND GARMENT
COLLARS THAT WILL BE
so MUCH IN VOGUE
THIS FALL, DE-
RIVED ITS

OOLLA1O 4hA1 WILL De
so MUCH IN VOGUE
THIS FALL. DE-
RIVED ITS
NAME.
Paris says, "Robes2ierre Neekwear
and RObespierre Collars on garments for
Fall and Winter 1922 Just why the
collar, stock and friIl in vogue IN the
period of 1789-1793 and now revived for
the coming season have been called after
the ''incoTuptible patriot has not vet
been made clear to us on this side of the
water
The Popular" does not feel itself
presumptious in herewith presenting a
few lines about Robespierre, in case some
of the readers of this advertisement nav
have forgotten what they had learned
of him in their school days.
As a fashion feature the name of Rob
espierre as influencing dress is certain
to be on the lips of factors in the gar
ment trades, not only during this sum
mer, but also throughout the fall and
early winter.
Like most fanatics, Maxmiien Marie
Isidore Robespierre did much in his life
that was contradictory One can hardly
reconcile the Robespierre of the Red
Terror with the young criminal judge
in the diocese of ArTas, who resigned
rather than pronouce a sentence of
death. He demonstrated with Danton,
the practical statesman, against the
frightfuI massaeres of 1892 and two
years later allowed Danton and Camille
Desmoulins, his former friends and
political chronies, to be guillotined. He
Professed to be entirely for the people
and ended by trying to become a dicta-
tor and tyrant.
Early in life Robespierre became
thoroughly imbued with the theories of
Rousseau. After completing his law
studies, his first important case was a
defense of Franklin's lightning rods
against the charge of impiety. He was
a prime mover In a number of other
cases in which he showed judicial mind
far in advance of his time. He advocated
the abolition of capital punishment; he
espoused the cause of the people in op-
position to the clergy and nobility; in
the constituent assembly he strenously
opposed giving the king a suspensive
veto power; he resisted the decree of
martial law; he claimed for the blacks
in the colonies participation in political
rights; he pleaded for the remission of
sundry disabilities against the Jews and
he advocated the abolition of a com
pulsory celibacy of priests. After the
adoption of the declaration of the rights
of man, he was continually recalling the
assembly to the principles of that form
MIA.
On the conTOcatiOn of the states gen
eral in 1879, he was elected deputy of
the third estate. In the following year
he was elected secretary of the assem-
bly,. 1t was not until after Mirabeau's
death, in 1871, that he arose to a com
handing position. He was a constant at
tendant at the Jacobin club and in the
assembly. He was made one of the new
municipality following the Instruction
of August 10, 1892. He became a mem
Der of the national convention, being
elected to represent Paris. He led the
Jaeobins in the condemnation of the
king and in demanding his death. After
this event, January l, 1898, he proposed
a decree establishing a committee of
public safety clothed with executive
pOhclS dDONE the CO1NEuLlOH. ne was
elected a member of the committee of
general security, an auxiliary of the
committee of public safety, and although
he has been regarded as instituting the
Reign of Terror, its two great engines,
the revolutionary tribunal and the alb
solute power in the provinces of the rep
resentatives on mission, were IN exis-
ence before he Joined the com
mittee of general security and the laws
of the maximum and the suspects were
BY no means of his creation. But Rob
espierre was the most conspicuous and
popular factor in the convention and 50
has been given credit for being the
creator Of the Red Terror"
Unable at last to control the com
mittees, he withdrew from them and
sought to overthrow them. This move
ment ended in his own overthrow. He
had the temerity to reappear in the con
ventiOn; was arrested, rescued, tried and
guillotined with Couthon, Saint-Just
and nineteen others of his adherents on
the Place de la Revolution, on July %,
1894.
Lamartine describes Robespierre as
slight of figure; limbs feeble and an
gular, voice shriI and monotonous, fore
head small and projecting over the
temples, eyes blue and deeply set, nose
straight and small, and very wide at the
nOstrils, mouth large and lips thin, chin
small and pointed, complexion yellow
and ivid. There was a prodigious and
continual tension of all the muscles of
his face.
Such Robespierre was supposed to be.