Part 62 (1/2)
”LUCILE.[16]
”Touching farewell!” continued Charlotte. ”I also, shall know how to die.”
”You frighten me!” exclaimed Madam Desmarais, trembling. ”But no; you are a mother, and women in your condition escape the scaffold.”
”The child protects the mother. So I address this writing to my child, to whom, perchance, I may owe my life. Camille Desmoulins, Danton, those ill.u.s.trious men, those lofty patriots, were all sacrificed yesterday. My husband has equalled them in civic virtue, he may be judged and guillotined to-morrow. Sad outlook!”
”Ah, blood, always blood!” murmured Madam Desmarais, her heart sinking within her. ”Good G.o.d, have pity on us.”
”Good mother, let me read you a few lines from the memoirs I have written for my child on the events of our times:
”'You are born, dear child, in times without their like in the world.
And when your reason is sufficiently grown, you will read these pages written by me under the eyes of a loving mother, while your father was gone to fight for the independence of our country, and for the safety of the Revolution and the Republic.
”'Perhaps some day you will hear curses and calumnies leveled at this heroic epoch in which you were born. Perhaps for a day, but for a day only, you will see walk again the phantoms of the Church of Rome and of royalty.
”'Christ, the proletarian of Nazareth said, _The chains of the slaves will be broken; all men shall be united in one fraternal equality; the poor, the widows and the orphans shall be succored_.
”'And now the time has arrived.
”'Those who called themselves the ministers of G.o.d continued, for eighteen centuries, to possess slaves, serfs and va.s.sals. In one day the Revolution has realized the prophecy of Christ, misconstrued by the priests.'”
”True, true, my daughter,” a.s.sented Madam Desmarais, ”the Republic did in one day what the Church had for centuries refused to do. It was the place of the Church at least to set the example in freeing the slaves, the serfs and the va.s.sals who belonged to it before the Revolution. May it be accursed for its failure to do so.”
”You recognize, then, dear mother, that in these troublous times the good still outdistances the bad;” and Charlotte resumed her reading:
”'Church and royalty purposely kept the people in profound ignorance, in order to render them more docile to exploitation. On the other hand, behold what the Republic decreed, on the 8th Nivose, year II (December 28, 1793):
”'The National Convention decrees:
”'Instruction is unrestricted and shall be gratuitous and compulsory. The Convention charges its Committee on Instruction to draw up for it elementary text books for the education of the citizens. The first of these books shall have in them the Declaration of the Rights of Man, the Const.i.tution, the Table of Virtuous or Heroic Deeds, and the Principles of Eternal Morality.
”'This it followed up by two other decrees, the first under date of the 28th Nivose, year II (January 17, 1794):
”'The National Convention decrees:
”'A compet.i.tion shall be opened for works treating of;
”'Instruction on preserving the health of children, from the moment of conception till their birth, and on their physical and moral training until their entrance into the national schools.
”'The National Convention decrees:
”'There shall be established in each district within the territory of the Republic a national public library'!”
”These are, as you say, my daughter, great and useful things.”
Charlotte continued reading:
”'The National Convention, upon a report of the Committee of Public Safety, adopted also this resolution:
”'The National Convention decrees: