tribune reserved for his special use, he was greeted with the wildest acclaim and enthusiasm by the people; never before had he been the recipient of so great a demonstration. "Frenchmen! republicans!" he said, at last has arrived the day which the French people have consecrated to the Supreme Being. Never did the world offer to its Author a spectacle more worthy of His regard. He has seen reigning over the earth, tyranny, crime, imposture. He sees at this moment an entire nation, contending against all the oppressors of the human race, suspending their heroic efforts to raise their thoughts and views toward the Great Being who gave them the wisdom to undertake and the force to execute them. "He did not create kings to devour the human race, nor priests to harness us like beasts to the car of kings. He created the universe to make known His power. He created men to aid and love each other and to attain happiness by walking in the path of virtue. "It is He that stings with remorse the triumphant oppressor and places in the heart of the oppressed calmness and disdain. He it is that makes the souls of mothers throb with tenderness. The hatred of hypocrisy and tyranny burns in our hearts with the love of justice and of country. Our blood flows for the cause of humanity. This is our prayer, our sacrifice — this the worship we offer unto Thee!" After delivering this speech, Robespierre descended from the tribune and, with a torch, set fire to a pile of combustible material which represented Atheism, vice, and crimes. While the flames were reducing this mass to ashes, while the sins of the world were passing away in smoke, trained vocalists sang the hymn the opening lines of which were: "Ton temple est sur les monts, dans les airs, sur les ondes; Tu n'as point de passé, Tu n'as point d'avenir, Et sans les occuper, Tu remplis, tous les mondes, Qui ne peuvent Te contenir." 1 At the conclusion of the ceremonies in the amphitheatre, the members of the Convention marched in procession to the Champ de Mars. White oxen, with gilded horns and decorated with tricolored ribbons, drew carts containing the fruits and products of the earth. Numerous emblems represented Agriculture, Commerce, Manufactures, Industry, Liberty, Equality, Fraternity, and Peace. Robespierre marched far in advance of his colleagues, who every minute were growing more envious of his self-exaltation, and were beginning to mutter their disapproval of his vanity, conceit, and egoism. In the centre of the Field was a large platform. Couthon, St. Just, and Lebas, the intimate friends and chief supporters of Robespierre, were in conspicuous positions, while the other 1 Thy temple is on the mountains, in the air, on the waves; Thou hast nothing of the past, thou hast nothing of the future, And without occupying it, thou fillest all the world, Which still cannot contain thee. deputies occupied seats at the foot of the stage. These men, feeling their humiliation, filled the air with murmurs both loud and deep. Deaf to their complaints, blind to everything but his own exaltation, Robespierre still centred upon himself the attention of the people and amidst salvos of artillery proclaimed the Deity. "He On the way back from the Champ de Mars the deputies were sullen. "He invented God," said one, "that he might be His high priest." teaches us to adore God," said another, "that we may in time know how to obey a dictator." "Not satisfied in being a politician, he must also assume the rôle of pontiff." "It is but a step from the Capitol to the Tarpeian Rock." "Let him who would overthrow the Republic beware." "The spirit of Brutus yet survives." Such remarks, accompanied with scowls and frowns, would at any other time have aroused the indignation and induced the denunciation of Robespierre, but he was too happy over his successful inauguration of the worship of God to allow such trifles on this day to ruffle the serenity of his mind. An act of the legislature did not change Atheists into Deists, and many of the members of the Convention looked upon the ceremony as a farce, a travesty, a silly, meaningless performance more for the elevation of Robespierre than for the adoration of God. He had made a mistake in doing all the talking among so many orators, a score of whom, no doubt, thought themselves far better fitted for the task than he was. Further than this he erred in monopolizing too much of the day's honor; he had not made a fair distribution of its dignities and consequently had aroused a spirit of envy and an antagonism that was to last. His conduct gave an opportunity to his enemies to create a suspicion as to his purpose and ambition. Although Robespierre's influence was never stronger in the Convention than at this point, it was his assumption and the confidence he had in himself to accomplish anything that caused his overthrow and destruction. CHAPTER XXVI LAW OF THE 22ND PRAIRIAL ROBESPIERRE'S FRIENDS URGE HIM TO SEIZE DICTATORSHIP. Two days after the Festival, Couthon, at the instance of Robespierre, proposed what is known "the Law of the 22nd Prairial." A viler piece of Draconian legislation was never enacted. It provided for the reorganization of the Revolutionary Tribunal, increased its authority, enlarged the scope of its jurisdiction, deprived the accused of the right to be represented by counsel, and gave a partisan jury the power to condemn, even without testimony or proof, whenever their minds were satisfied by any evidence legal or moral. Every rule of law was ignored, every principle of justice was outraged. Those who were only suspected of disloyalty to the Revolution or of treason against the Republic were subject to arrest and condemnation; even the members of the Convention were not exempt or excepted from the provisions of the act, in fact, the law was passed to terrify and deter those deputies who were the enemies of Robespierre. It required whip and spur to drive such a measure through the Convention, and in the course of the debate at the time of its consideration Ruamps declared: "If we allow this bill to pass, with |