Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1917-07-14
This Day In History

July Fourteenth Is 10 the ffench AaIlon 40 pr"
foundry significant Jul Fourth IL to Americans
Today in France, French and Americans are 10
refher celebrating the yFourteenth-the day thai
marked the end Of the Bastile and the beginning Oh
the French Revolution
A HonoluIan who reads history as well az chr
rent news and who thinks for himself, remarked
10 the editor of the Star-Buetn this week:
AThe, Fourteenth of July should be Aonered sec
ond only to our own Independence. Day; means
Tar more to me and, should to every American thaI
the kaiser's birthday the birthday. Of the king o.
England, etc"
That is the feeling in the heart OF many an Amer
lean who has read the stirring story of the Frenet
revolution 1t is often said that modern cifllzatloI
began with our war for independence and ths
French battle for democracy. We threw ,of tn
yoke OF tyraat so did the. French. Our val
English domination; theirs was governmental OPP
preston and aptocracy
IT is probably true that the French revolution
was more farFeaching in its immediate effects thar
the American war for independence. 10 ikFope
the American struggle was but the revolt Of dis
tant colony, at a time when many ,colonial tie
were loosened and the European eoantrieslEeEe be
ing shorn of overseas power. The French revolu
ton, on the other hand rocked Europe to its foun
Nations; shook every throne and every sautpcracy,
planted the seed Of democracy which has fOurishee
ID England; which has grown hugely in Russia
which has even borne some fruit in Germany.
Four centuries the Bastile stood in Paris,
gloomy prison full of horrible secrets. 1t was the
embodiment of political persecution. It sgmhaizee
The thralldom of the soul, and when it was pulled
down by the reyolutionists, the people danced and
eang in the streets if in Joy at the death Of set
hateful monster.
The Bastile citadel as we'll as state prison, was
built to protect the palace of Charles against fht
'1cursons Of the Burgundians, started in 1869 and
npieted in 1883. It soon became the bulwaEk q
1bsolutism and before many years had passed wat
put to the use Of political persecution Offender
1rainet the king, against ministers, against gen
erals Of the army or admirals OF the navy agains
nny one with government influence were here shHt
1uay. sometimes for generation. Often men and
.omen languished without trial for decades. Thf
most trivial offenses were used pretexts for sen
|ence to the Bastile. Many prisoner owed bis &c
|uestration to the fact that be had dispeased the
mistress of some man in power. s
The very atmosphere of the great, gloomy pile
vas saturated with plots, intrigues, crueldes and
.'deous sufferings. The Bastile became famous IL
.one and story BY the time the people mastered
|11icient power and desperation to revolt, it was
he material evidence of all the wrongs they had
0Iered at the hands of the overlords.
On July IA, 1850, a mob surrounded the Bastile
md led by bold spirits proved able to take it, Thf
.6rernor, DeIaunay, hated figure, did not negoH
e to their satisfaction and the mob reinforced By
he Royal Guard with artillery, captured the prison
1ftfRes Delaunag was put to death. Next day
BE Bastile was torn down, stone from stone, while
lowing crowds danced the. Carmagnele iH glee
'nRing the unforgettable songs Of the revelation
bronze column now marks the site-a monument
tie death Of that tyranny of the soul which ne
lived its mortal blow at the hands of French
|.alists
The Bastile has figured in the historical romapces
ncarly every great French Szitaf OF the nine
zenith and twentieth centuries. Dumas and Victor
hugo have given us splendid and striking pictures
81 nothing more stirring 70 the bleed Of freedom
has been written in fiction than is recorded in ths
historical facts.
The fall Of the Rsstile i akin in history to the
Iecent act Of the Russian mob in capturing the
.reat central police building in Petr0gFa2, taking
but the tens of thoHsands Of records held there
tainst political offenders, and burning these rec
.tds as proof that henesforth there is freedom Of
.olitical thought in the slay commonwealth. i
Each was an act symbolizing the interfering OF
nations soul
General Pershing yesterday ordered the American
loops to honor the French anniversary. It is 4
Iougbt that might well be extended to America
~fose own war for Independence was 90 spleHdidly
.ided by the dauntless, liberty loving French.
News comes from Hilo that Circuit Judge Quinn
|oid that Editor Bridgewater Of the Hawaii Post
not in contempt Of court for recently published
.1iforial declaring that the man as we'll as the
roman should be punished for common wrong
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