Marat was turned to, that choice spirit of the height of the era; though in his tomb, he was called upon in this strange language, despite his bringing in the Terror:
¶ "O, heart of Jesus, O heart of Marat, you have an equal right to our homage!"
¶ A New Era was now decreed, taken in the main from the paganism of early France. The four seasons were symbolized by the hunt of the man for his mate: he is afield in Autumn, on horseback; in Winter, he first finds his new mate; in the Spring, the maid watches her sheep feeding on the hills; and in Summertime, the man is seen leading his mate to a couch, his arms already around her waist.
¶ One of the leading symbols was Reason, presented as a lady petting a lion; saints' days were replaced by days for animals, one for the cat, the dog, the sheep, and what you will; but no longer St. John's, St. James, St. Louis.
Certain other days, dedicated to the "Spirit of the Revolution," were termed "Sans culotte," or without trousers, to wit, the French version of that great idol of the American yellow editor, who cries for justice in behalf of the man with the seat out of his trousers.
¶ On a certain day, the Cathedral of Notre Dame was used as a background for the great French political drama; a mountain was erected, a figure known as Truth was present. The Goddess Reason was also carried to the Tuileries; and later as a report written at the time says, "The President of the Convention gave the Goddess a fraternal kiss, whereupon his secretaries asked and obtained a similar privilege."
¶ At Rochefort the orator of the hour began, "Citizens, there is no future life!"
¶ The images of saints were replaced by men of the stripe of Marat, Brutus and other tyrants.
¶Also, an ass was dressed in pontifical robes at a sort of National fete, and a few days later at a public masquerade, the President replying to praises of the New Era explained himself as follows: "In one single instant you make vanish into nothingness the errors of eighteen centuries"; by which he meant to honor the paganism of the new French political Millennium.
¶ Now comes that dangerous man, king of political charlatans, Robespierre, who offers a private religion of his own.
¶ The queer thing about this Robespierre, the new dictator, is his belief that he and he alone is the fountain of all political virtues. One must be willing to sacrifice brothers, mother, sister, father to the guillotine--for the good of one's country.