Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-08-03

10 thc Edttor OF the EUeniuD Public Ledger.
Sir-1 have noted your extremely in.
teresting editorial in todays issue
entitled. ~ Lenine Parallel" ANY
student of present events should study
carefully the French Revolution. II is
true that there Is wonderful parallel
between Lenine and Robespierre, but the
rather unfavorable inference that IL
usually Intended by this parallel Is open
to question. 1t Is true that Robespierre
went to extremes and was sacrifice to
the cause. II Is probable thot Lenine
VIII follow his fate: but 1t does not fol-
low that either their cause or their life
Is an error
is that between the causes. Robesperre
entered public life as a conservative.
His earliest oration as n school boy was
In praise of Louis NVI. He was II
student and at the beginning Of the
revolution was ignored and insulted by
other members of the assembly. The
constituent assembly met to remedy the
conditions In France, chiefly due 10 the
excesses and eXtravagances Of the
nobility. The third estate was composed
Of men of high principles and nothing
approaching revolution, was in their
mind.
Events forced them 10 conclusions. At
first the nobility refused to confer with
them: then the king surrounded their
meeting place with troops at Versailles
When the assembly moved TO Paris. he
shut up their meeting place: This
forced them to meet In the tennis court
and was marked by the memorable
oath of the Tennis Court" The king
demanded the assembly to dispcrse and
was met by Mirabeau's celebrated reply:
Tell your master we are here by the
will of the people and nothing but the.
force of bayonets shall drive us hence"
Then. angered by the kings attitude, the
people stormed the Bastillc on July I,
1889. Then the king was caught cor
responding with the enemies of France in
Austria and Prussia
Then follows his fight to Varennes
on June 81. 1891. Even after that the
nation remains loyal to the king. Then
the invasion Of France starts. The
manifesto Of the Duke of Brunswick
threatens Paris. France is on the de-
fenslve against the world and knows
that her monarch is conspirng with her
Marselles. Brest and other cities and
demand of the assembly the dethrone-
ment of the king. The assembly hesi-
tates and does not dethrono him. Paris
and the Federes give the assembly until
the 9th of August, 1892, TO dethrone the
king. This Is not done. On the 10th
of August. 1892. the Federes with the
sections of Paris take the Tuieres, the
Swiss guard fires upon the citizens and
IN turn are annihilatcd. Louis XVI
and seeks the protection of the assem-
bly,. Shortly thereafter he Is made pris-
oner and his trial and death follow:
After the 10th of August. 17o2. the
examination of the secret papers of the
king shows that he vas In continuous
correspondence with enemies of France
and that he had been Corrupting mem-
bers Of the assembly. This infuriated
France. for the French Revolution to
August 10, 1892, had been carried on
with practically o-Niolence. Neither the
position of the king nor kingship Itself
had been seriously threatened until very
shortly before this date, and the French
people then Weakened up to the fact that
the government so far as II was rep
resented by the king had been a traitor
to France, that his promises had never
been sincere, that he was continuously
looking for assistance from the enemies
OF France and had been simply a
traitor. Nothing but strong central
power could say" France.
Under those circumstances this power
became centered in the committee OF
public safety. Robespierre, as n mem
forces of France and repel the world.
and what we call the Terror was the
inevitable result OF the rascality of the
king and his government. The present
condition Y RgsSta truly parallels that
weak king and a revolution led by
men of ideals.
An interesting parallel that escapes
the observer Of today is that, notwith-
standing the fact that the constituent
assembly. followed by the legislative
assembly had practically assumed the
government of France before August 10.
1892, and the actions of the government
were very largely those Of republic,
yet the word republic was practically
never mentioned until after that date.
Danton, Mirabeau. RObespierre and
their colleagues had not urged a re.
public and even disayowed 1t. Refer
ring to the American ideals OF O re-
public. one orator of the time stated
that he hoped that they would not be
inoCulated by America"
II may be we'll to consider today how
many men who, though conservatives.
are indorstng and wishing for the sue
cess Of many of the ideas which pub
licly are being denounced as radical.
We shun the name but we are wei
coming the reality. Those who enjoy
the wealth and power of today may
well compare Robespierre and Leninr,
but they would be wise II they compared
the causes OF which they are exponents.
and to remember that while Lenine may
be destroyed AS waS Robespierre, the
principles for which they stand 80 far
No more thrilling summary of tho
French Revolution can be found than In
Victor Hugo's Ninety three" IRON,
which quote a few, lines,
ITO be a member of that convention
WAS TO be bat ~ wave OF the ocean, and
this was true Of even the greatest.