The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers, vol. 2

VI. The Climax of Revolutionary Frenzy in 1793

In the latter part of 1793 the revolutionists abolished the old calendar of the week and introduced a new one, dating it from September 21, 1793, with new names for the months, and ten-day periods for weeks—and with each tenth day devoted to the new worship. Pastors who continued to observe the weekly day of the past were to be imprisoned. ¹² PFF2 737.4

Liberty now became the new god. Trees of Liberty were planted in streets and squares, around which rich and poor danced. The tricolor of France, the rights of man, the national holidays, and the Constitution became the new ritual. Now, the, great of the present having been massacred and the illustrious of former ages having been insulted, there remained nothing but heaven itself for them to direct their fury against. Pache, Hebert, and Chaumette, leaders of the municipality, expressed their de termination to “dethrone the King of Heaven, as well as the monarchs of earth,” and prevailed upon Gobel, apostate constitutional bishop of Paris, to abjure the Christian faith (November 7, 1793). ¹³ Shortly after, Hebert and his group appeared at the bar, on November 10, and declared that “God did not exist, and that the worship of Reason was to be substituted in His stead.” ¹⁴ PFF2 738.1

In November, 1793, atheism reached its zenith, with its mockery of the rites of the church. On the tenth of November the commissioners of the Convention dressed up an ass insacerdotal habit, loaded it with the symbols of Christianity, and tied the Old and the New Testament to its tail. It was then led in mock procession through the town by two sansculottes bearing a sacred cup, out of which they gave the animal sacramental wine to drink. ¹⁵ Arriving at their destination, the crowd piled books of devotion into heaps, and burned them to ashes amid blasphemous shouts. A prostitute was enthroned as “Goddess of Reason,” and received adoration by the National Convention and the mobs of Paris, the populace donning red caps to show their loyalty to the new regime. ¹⁶ It is to be remembered, how ever, that this was a revolt against the Roman Catholic departure from the true faith, for the Papacy was the only religion they knew. This revolt was therefore against the caricature rather than against the genuine. PFF2 738.2

After incarnate reason was set up, war against fanaticism was demanded, and worship of the true God punished as a crime. “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity,” were the catchwords with which revolutionaries sought to allure the French nation. PFF2 739.1

“Thus on the 3rd of Frimaire of the Year II (Nov. 24, 1793) upon the application of Chaumette, the Commune of Paris passed the following resolution: PFF2 739.2

“‘Whereas the People of Paris has declared that it will recognise no other religion than that of Truth and Reason, the Council General of the Commune orders: PFF2 739.3

“‘1. That all churches and temples of whatever religion or sect has existed in Paris shall immediately be closed. PFF2 739.4

“‘2. That all priests and ministers of whatever religion shall be held personally and individually responsible for all disturbances of which the cause shall proceed from religious opinions. PFF2 739.5

“‘3. That whosoever shall demand that either church or temple shall be opened shall be arrested as a suspect.’ ” ¹⁷ PFF2 739.6

It was the first time in the annals of mankind that a great nation had thrown off all religious principles and openly defied the power of heaven itself. ¹⁸ In May, 1794, Robespierre induced the Convention to renounce its belief in a Supreme Being, and then at a festival in June he acted as the high priest of Reason and marched at the head of a procession, with the symbols of atheism and vice. Coupled to these, there were wholesale massacres in Paris and throughout France. According to some, more than two million perished-mock trials were held, with the people dispatching the condemned. PFF2 739.7

It was the era of the holy guillotine, with the dreadful instrument of decapitation in daily use. Not only nobles and ecclesiastics, but every class suffered. At last the revolutionary fever exhausted itself, and reaction stayed the effusion of blood. PFF2 739.8

Although war was declared against fanaticism, the revolutionists tried to enforce their ideas with precisely the same fanaticism cism. Perhaps it would be interesting to note a statistical account wherein Alison gives the number of victims who fell to their mad rage. PFF2 739.9

Guillotined by sentence of the revolutionary tribunal—18,603
Women and children killed in La Vendee—37,000
Men slain—900,000
Victims at Nantes—32,000
Victims at Lyons—31,000 ¹⁹ PFF2 740.1