OCR Text |
Show Charlotte Corday and John Brown. Carlyle's description of Charlotte Gorday, the murder she committed, the events of her trial, her bearing when she went to execution, reminds one instinctively of the closing days and death of John Brown, though one was a fair woman, the other a grizzled old man. But they were alike. Each had a resolve and had determined to carry it out and brooding over it they took on a sort of ecstacy in contemplating the result which culminated In an absolute consecration of self to one end. After that there was no more trembling or fear. They had passed into a sphere of their own, and the world no longer was a concernment to them. The wild mob of Paris was awed and thrilled by the bearing of the doomed woman; the intensely wrought-up Southerners, the bailiff, the judge on the bench, the educated edu-cated men who watched the trial to try to fathom the nature of the prisoner, sat half-dumbfounded half-dumbfounded in his presence. They never dreamed that such an exhibition could be possible. possi-ble. Old, poor, friendless, surrounded by men who believed him to be a monster, and still he turned only kindly eyes upon them all, spoke only in gentle tones, and yet it was plain that he knew nothing like fear though under the very shadow of death. The Christ in Pilate's juag ment hall was not calmer, not more gentle. It was the same with Charlotte Corday. When the sharp attorneys began to weave a web of proof around her she stopped them with the words: "All this is unnecessary. I killed Marat." With perfect calmness she mounted the fatal cart in the red robe of a murderess. She showed no emotion until they removed the kerchief bare- ing her neck, at which she blushed, and that liil ' IH blush still lingered on her cheek when the heads- . f f" flH man's blow was struck. Ili! Is the excitement and ecstacy of battle sol- jfjjj . , Hj diers forget all fear, there have been millions of fir'? : 19 instances of that. Some in such a crisis make cal- 'Mill fl dilations. Captain Briton, Who was here with the J? j' i jH Sixth infantry, was speaking of the field on which jt ; 1 he was left for dead. He said: "A friend had l2j. , mm given mo a fine pipe the evening before the bat- ' 91 tie. As the rage of battle increased against our '$;' ii( line, I said to myself: At this rate, I shall not ij live more than three minutes more,' then I jH - : 'Ji 'v 1 I thought of my pipe, took it from my pocket, filled ! ' w ! it and struck a match to light it, and then I know ! 'Ji U! 7 i nothing more until two days later I awoko in i , ,i B !''' 1$ the hospital tent." ! ' ' 1 m $r i But tliat was nmId tl10 clamors of battle, while" II ''' Jot I'flf l tno French girl had many hours in which to' cos- j; .j 9 r'.'-T template approaching death. .John Brown had ' ' ' 'i j'l I several days, but neither wag moved. What hold ' "i m 'f I Hioni up? It was some clarvoyanco of the mind '; j i'Fi 1 (,lt martyr's eostacy. m 1 - Who can tell what the human mind is. Who ' Mt Jj$ can tel1 wllRn ifc ceases t ue normal and passes II !1 ai beyond where any care for the poor body that w "Wm contains it disturbs it? |