The Washington herald., 1915-05-02

throne and turbulent Paris. Gathering
more than 50.0oo workmen and some sos
| horses at Versailles. he erected there a
| palace Charter of a mile long. be-
meath whose vast roof 10000 persons
might dwell. and he converted the sur
rounding wild wood into a park Of UNI
riyaled splendor, with its avenues and
terraces and fountains.
The ,ffoIding of the Revelation.
Yet in all his tireless building the King
was only putting up the scafoldtng for
the revolution, and Versailles became
the tomb of the Bourbon dynasty. In all.
no less than s1G0Ooc. 600 was drained into
that hollow from the pockets of the toll
I ing and impoverished masses of the
Kingdom. For they alone paid the taxes.
Among those who doubt democracy
it is favorite idea that only the tax
payers should have a vote. The Bour-
hons applied that very rule reversed.
All who had any share in the govern
ment were exempt from taxation. Only
ted to come near the throne. The va
rious privileged classes. with their wealth
and their great domains. went untaNed.
The whole burden of supporting the State
was thrust upon the poor and upon the
trade of the country.
The Sun King literally. if not directly.
snatched the bread from the mouths of
hungering peasants to rear that gigantic
folly of the Bourbons at Versailles and
to fight all Europe that an idiot grand
son might sit OF the Spanish throne. He
was deaf to the appeals of his holder
and more conscientious advisers who
frankly reported to him. Your people
are dying of hunger" that in this or
that province his subjects were living
like cattle on the, grass in the fields
chestnuts. turnips. acorns. roots or ferns.
And If they killed a rabbit they could
be hanged for the crime. because the
game was part of the exclusive privilege
of the aristocracy.
Nevertheless. in his insane vanity. the
King went on dining in state where a
mob of courtiers could stand and watch
him feed. went on with his palace build
ing and his endless warfare; went on
with the construction of great boule-
wards on the lines Of the old fortifica-
tions of Paris: with his arches of tri-
umph and with the general adornment
Of the city. though he would not live
In it.
All his policies only conspired to hasten
the day Of reckoning. His public works
In Paris drew the people from the towns
by the thousands and threw them to-
gether in a populous city, where In due
time they would swell the mobs in the
streets At the same time he was draw
ing about himself an equally dangerous
For while the peasants were being
starved. the aristocrats were impover-
ished by Louis reign. His extravaganza
having invited ana CnallenSeO tnem 10
emulate him. they forsook their estates
to ingratiate themselves with him by
erecting palaces Of their own at Yer
saillss and Paris. But in maintaining
those establishments they quickly ran
into debt And I'm the end they became
a clamorous mob about the throne.
The Prologue Of the Tragedy.
The obscene and inglorious reign Of
Louis XIV. which followed that Of his
great-srandfather, filled the atmosphere
with despair. The New World was lost
to France on the heights of Quebec and
the treasury sank deeper and deeper
into debt, while Rousseau. Voltaire and
a great brood OF writers were. running
their quilts through the monarchy ana
the whole body polite.
Then came the amiable but helpless
Louis XVI. with the frivolous but head
strong Marie Antoinette to be caught