152 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1794. 



felt this change, and the oilier 

 would soon feel it. The French 

 nation had anticipated the rest of 

 the world by 2000 years, and might 

 be consideredas consistinsiof a new 

 species of men*. He was warm 

 and enthusiastic in the praise of re- 

 publican morality and a democra- 

 tical government, describing every 

 other form of government and spe- 

 cies of morality as deserving of 

 detestation. He justified ihe san- 

 guinary measures which h:!d pro- 

 duced the present system, and that 

 now supported it. After this pre- 

 fatory discourse, he brought for- 

 ward ihe religious and moral plan 

 he had prepared; which, being laid 

 before the Convention, was digested 

 in the following heads, and formed 

 into a solemn decree. 



The French nation thereby ac- 

 knowledged the existence of a Su- 

 preme Being, and the immortality 

 of the soul. It acknowledged that 

 the worship of the Supreme Being 

 consisted in the practice of the du- 

 ties of man to man. It ranked 

 among those duties the detestation 



of treacheiy and tyranny, the pu- 

 nishment of tyrants and traitors, re- 

 lieving the unfortunate, assisting 

 the weak, the defence of the op- 

 prest, the doing to others all possi- 

 ble good, and the avoiding of in- 

 justice towards all men. Festivals 

 were to be instituted, in ordei to 

 recall men to a recollection of the 

 Divinity, audtliedignityof his own 

 existence. These festivals were to 

 be named either after the most sig- 

 nal events of the French revolution, 

 those of the virtues tlie most dear 

 to mankind, orthemostconspicuous 

 benefits of nature. The following 

 days were annually to be celebrated 

 as festivals; the 14th of July, the 

 1 0th of August, the 2 1 stof January, 

 and the 31st of May. Every 

 tenth day of the month was also to 

 be celebrated as a festival. The 

 objects of these festivals were to be 

 the Supreme Being, nature,the hu- 

 man race, the French nation, bene- 

 factors of mankind, martyrs of li- 

 berty, liberty and equality, the 

 French republic, the freedom of 

 the world, patriotism, the punish- 



* The distin»uished excellence and glory of the French, was a very favourite 

 tnd popular topic of declamation. On the 6th of September, 1794, the deputy 

 Geraud, in a longharaneue in the Convention, insisted on the glory of educating a 

 ■whole nation, so as to render them worthy of liberty. France, he observed, was 

 elevated to the very pinnacle of earthlyspkndoi ; the eves of mankind were fixed 

 upon her doctrines, and fourteen centuries of ignorance, degradation, and slavery, 

 were now effaced. The slants of despotism had been struck with a mortal terror ; 

 a protecting Divinity had elevated her empire on the smoaking ruins of a throne, and 

 en the bloody remnants of c^piring factions. " Niandatoricsot a great nation," said 

 he, " let us consecrate a durable monument to the lising generation; the Arco]!agu3 

 of Eurepc ought now to consolidate the majestic edifice of our immortal revolution 

 «n the immovable basis of public instruction. Before we abandon the helm of 

 public affairs, let us announce lo our constiiuent> with a true republican boldness, to 

 France, and to ail Europe, that we contemplate with enthusiasm one inviolable 

 maxim, — without ,3ublic c>iucation, the empire of morals must be deitroycd. And 

 if the fury of new Vandals sliall aim at the destruction of the republic ; it the dread 

 of this horrible calamity difi^uses consternation among the passionate friends of liber- 

 ty — but I here pause, and consign my rcHectioii< to virtue, to the principles of the 

 French senate, to the cogitations of the learned, and to the meditaii&ns of 'philo- 

 sophy*'* 



naent 



