The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-06-12

GAS if he were a god,' Mirabeau an
swered. Yes, it is true and it is right
Has he not, like Jove, hurled tn,
lightning of Heaven in his right hand
Is he not an unpublished Prometheus
Is he not breaking the scepter of {
tyraEt?'
"Going back to his home where il
the kindness of his heart he bad asked
me to live, he e~ndeavored, modestly
to explain the evidences of high regard
which were being showered upoD him
"It happens that my understanding
and small control Of a mysterious and
violent force of nature has appealed
to the imaginations of these people,
he said. I am the only man who has
used thunderbolts for his playthings.
Then, too, / am speaking for a new
world to an old n Just at present
| am the voice of Human Liberty.
represent the hunger of the spirit of
man. 1t is very strong here. You have
not travelled so far in France without
seeing thousands of beggars. They are
everywhere. But you do not know that
when a child comes in a poor family,
the father and mother go to prison
pour mOis de nourrice. 1t is q pity
that the poor cannot keep their chill
dren at hosIe. This old kingdom is a
muttering Vesuvius, growing hotter
year by year, with discomfort. You
will presently hear its voices"
There was a dinner that evening at
Franklin's house, at which the Marquis
de Mirabeau, M. Turgot, the Madame
de Brillon, the Able Raynal and the
Compile and Comptesse d. Haudetot,
Colonel Irons and three other Ameri-
can gentlemen were present. The
Madame de Brillon was first to ar
rive. She entered with a careless,
jaunty air and ran to meet Franklin
and caught his hand and gave him a
double kiss on each cheek and one on
his forehead and called him papa"
"At table she sat between me and
Doctor Franklin" Jack writes. "She
locked her hand in the doc
tors and smiled sweetly as she looked
into his eyes. I wonder what the poor,
Woodworking Deborah Frank
lin would have thought of these ia
Yet here, l am told, no
one thinks Ill of that kind of thing.
The best women of France seem to
treat their favorites with like tokens
Of regard. Now and then she spread
her arms across the backs of our
as If she would have us feel
that her affection was wide enough
for both.
"She assured me that all the women
Of France were in love with lie grand
Franklin, hearing the compliment,
remarked: 1t is because they pity
ny age and inirmities. First we pity,
hen embrace, as the great Mr.. Pope
las written
1--WE think it a compliment that
he greatest intellect in the world is
to allow itself to be, in a way,
captured by the charms Of women
Madame Brillon declared.
"As the dinner proceeded the Able
Raynal asked the doctor if it was true
hat there were signs Of degeneracy
n the average male American.
"Let the facts before us be my an
;wer,' said Franklin. There are at
his table four Frenchmen and four
Americans. Let these gentlemen stand
ip.'
1.-THE Frenchmen were understood,
he Able himself being a mere shrimp
# a man. The Americans, Carmichael,
.armer, HUMPHREYS and myself, were
zig men, the shortest being six feet
all. The contrast raised a laugh
imong the ladies. Then said Franklin
his kindnest tones:
"My dear Able, I am aware that
manhood is not a matter Of feet and
inches. I only assure you that these
re average Americans and that they
ire pretty we'll filed with brain and
pirit.'
''The Able spoke of a certain print
d story on which he had based his
Judgment.
Franklin laughed and answered
| know that is a fable, because I
it myself one day, long ago,
When we were short of news"
The guests having departed, Frank
in asked the young man to sit down
or a talk by the ireside. The doctor
poke of the women of France, saying:
"'You will not understand them Or
ne unless you remind yourself that we
re in Europe and that 1t is the
Eighteenth century. Here the clocks
re tagging. Time moves slowly. With
he poor it stands still. They know ,
ot the thing we call progress :
"'Those who have money seem to be !,
cry busy having fun 1 said. ,
There is no morning to their day, ,
e went on. Their dawn is noontime. ,
)ur kind of people have had longer :
avs and have used them wisely. So ;
re have pushed on ahead Of this Eu- +,
Opean caravan. Our fathers in New =
made a great discovery :