The Washington herald., 1915-05-02
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manned without representation. But the
hoarse Voice of Paris was rumbling in
angry waves down the valley of the
Seine and breaking over the heights OF
Marty !" Roi. The streets of the capital
were thronged with wandering crowds
of unemployed. many almost naked.
Taine says. with appalling faces; be-
ings one does not remember to have
seen by daylight The revolution was
touching bottom.
The Third Estate. representing the
middle classes. having proclaimed itself
the National Assembly in the tennis
disinherited of the Paris cutters. on
July Il. stormed and overthrow the Bas-
tile as tho hateful symbol of despotism.
And discarding the lilies of the Bour-
hons. they Wove out of the COlors of
their city n banner of red. white and
blue.
While the Assembly at Versailles abol-
ished the nobility and privilege and is
Man. the raucous cry of the people OF
Paris was for Bread Bread" In
October they found the road to Versail-
les and streamcd through the palace
which Louis XIV had thought to erect
beyond their reach. When they returned
to the city. the King and Queen went
with them. virtually as their prisoners;
The glory of Versailles was at an end
The tourists. who pour through the great
museum, which the palace has become
still glance curiously at the door in Marie
Antoin"tte's apartments from which she
fed. half dressed. before the invading
mob. nor do they fail to mark the bal
cony where later she showed herself to
the people in an effort to appease the
new arbiters of her destiny.
Those marching men and women had
re-eStab ished Paris as the seat OF gov
eminent. They had captured not only
Revolution. More. they had captured
the nation. and thenceforth Paris was
France.
The city. however, did not at once as
sert its domination. With commendable
forbearance 1t preserved wonderful
tranquility for two years while the
King dwelt undisturbed in the royal pal
ace of the Tuileries and while the As
sembly debated and enacted its great
measures for the regeneration Of the
country. It was not until the Assembly
archs had insolently demanded the res
toration Of the old order. that Paris
rose again to defend the Revolution. For
years thereafter the history of a single
city Is the history of a nation. almost
of Europe and Of mankind.
A Red Machine.
The wonderful vigor and the appalling
excuses OF the Revolution were alike
due to the Capitalization of its guiding
power in Paris. The King got in its way
and lost his head. whereupon the re-
pubic was declared. Inc more cOnserVa-
tive country districts repeatedly attempt
ed to check the Revolution. but their re-
volts were ruthlessly put down. The
nations of Europe banded together to
overthrow it, but were repealed from
every frontier. Danton. Marat, and
Robespierre rose like the war leaders
OF an American city to be in turn the
bosses of the city machine that ran the
Revolution, and their faction quarrels
gave rise to the Reign Of Terror.
When that red reign was over most
Of the leaders OF the country were dead
or prescribed and public opinion lay
paralyzed. The real tasks OF the Kevo-
luton really had been done. SO far as
they were to be done. and the great
movement had become the instrument Of
ambitious politicians The middle class
had overthrow the aristocracy and the
peasantry had received the lands Of the
mobiles and the church.