178 
THE CENTENARY OF THE ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE. 
of General Lamarque (6th June, 1832), where its behaviour attracted 
the notice of Louis Philippe, who caused their ranks to be disbanded. 
In 1832, for the first time the journal of the school made its appearance, 
entitled, Le Becreatifj it treated of politics, literature, music, &c., and 
contained anecdotes. It only lasted five months. At the same period 
was inaugurated the “ Bal des fruits secs ,” a burlesque fancy-ball, 
where the most eccentric of costumes were exhibited. This festival 
disappeared in 1848, but was resuscitated, or rather replaced, in 1861 
by the (c Fete du point Gamma ,” a tremendous masquerading function, 
which was held at the vernal equinox. In 1833 a certain incident 
brought the school before the Court of Assizes. Four of the students 
were found, during a raid of police, in the cellars of a house suspected 
of secretly manufacturing explosives and ammunition. Proceedings 
were instituted against these young men and their accomplices, amongst 
whom was Raspail. Defended by the great orator, Michel de Bourges, 
the four cadets were acquitted; but in order to manifest their dis¬ 
pleasure against the King, by whose orders they had been thus attacked, 
the Polytechnicians erased the word “Royal” from the inscription 
placed above the entrance gate of the school. 
It was about this time that the scholars had a somewhat comical 
quarrel with Theophile Gautier, who had styled them “ Embryons 
d’immortalite” (as naval cadets used to be called “sucking Nelsons”). 
The senior class sent two of their number to the author of Capitaine 
Fracasse, who received them in his dressing gown and slippers, with a 
night-cap on his head, in his study. The two envoys returned, saying 
to their comrades, “ There is nothing to be done with this Pantaloon!” 
For several days it was asserted that Gautier did not dare show his 
nose in the street for fear of them. Twenty-five years previously, 
Malte-Brun having written an article against Biot, member of the 
Institute, an old cadet of the Polytechnic, forty-five of the students had 
sallied out to pay him a visit at his house, and then and there, whilst 
some mounted guard to prevent interruption, inflicted a severe drub¬ 
bing on that well-known geographer. Such parallel instances of what 
our neighbours term “solidarity ” are not often placed on record. 
The Second Republic of 1848. 
On the 24th February, 1848, the “rappel” beat loudly in the streets, 
and Paris was speedily covered with barricades; the cadets were in a 
state of excitement, which increased on hearing the sound of the drum. 
On the proposition of one of them, young de Freycinet, they decided 
to march out en masse, and to throw themselves between the opposing 
combatants in order to stay the effusion of blood. They spread through 
Paris, applauded everywhere by the people, who had learnt during 
former revolutions to admire these young fellows and, moreover, to 
trust in their sagacity and coolness. The provisional government 
selected twenty of their number as aides-de-camp, amongst whom was 
de Freycinet (the future President of the Council of Ministers under 
the Third Republic), who had escorted Dupont de TEure up to the Hotel- 
de-Ville, where he remained under the orders of the Provisional 
Government.. It was he who was the “ Polytechnicien froid , pareil 
