THE CENTENARY OP THE. ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE. 
181 
Ecole Polytechnique ; Colonel de Rochas, Administrator of the School; 
and M. Mercadier, Director of Studies-—all former Polytechnicians. 
This Committee had the choice of several dates on which to fix the 
celebration of their centenary :—(1) the 11th March, 1794 (21 Veiitose, 
An. II.), when, at the instance of Lazare Carnot, the Committee of 
Public Safety first brought before the Convention the proposal to 
create such an institution; (2) the 28th September (7 Vendemiaire), 
when the Convention actually voted the decree authorising the scheme 
of organisation; (3) the 19th December, the date of the opening of 
the school, when the first term of study commenced; (4) the 1st Sep¬ 
tember, 1795 (15 Fructidor, An. III.), when a law was passed decreeing 
the definite organisation of the establishment, and giving its title, 
L’Ecole Polytechnique. The Committee rightly selected the first of 
these dates, and accordingly on Sunday, 11th March, 1894, the above 
Committee, headed by their illustrious chief, at four o’clock in the 
afternoon, proceeded to the ’Elyssee, where they were received by M. 
Carnot, the President of the Republic, who had himself been a scholar 
of the Polytechnic 37 years previously, leaving it in 1857, who was 
supported by two other old Polytechnicians, General Bornis and Colonel 
Pistor. (Colonel Pistor, leaving the Polytechnic in 1869, received the 
Cross of the Legion of Honour on the 20th August, 1870, for his 
distinguished conduct in the field at the battle of Froeschviller; and 
was mentioned in general orders for his gallant defence of Abbevilliers 
on the following 16th January). 
This visit to the Chief of the State by such a representative gather¬ 
ing of the most distinguished of his old comrades, and all old Polytech¬ 
nicians, was looked upon merely as an official demonstration of homage 
paid to the old cadet, who had arrived at the highest position possible 
in France, and a grandson of the great promoter of the original school, 
viz., M. Carnot, now the worthy President of the Republic. A medal 
commemorative of this centennial anniversary, designed by Max Bour¬ 
geois, was presented to the guests, representing, on the obverse, 
Science, surrounded by her discoveries, balloon, light-house, railway, 
bridge, telegraph, cannon, etc., and bearing on the reverse these four 
names —“ Lamblardie, Monge, Carnot, Prieur,” and below this inscrip¬ 
tion :— 
“ Centenaire de V Ecole Toly technique 
(Decret de fondcttion—11 Mars, 1794 ). 
M. Carnot (promotion de 1857 ), 
Etant President de la Republigue.” 
The deputation offered to their senior “ ancien ” who now holds 
the highest post in the country, a j Lime d’or ” in which has been set 
forth the important role which the Polytechnic School has played in 
the past, and the numbers of her children which she has sent forth to 
speed by their knowledge and skill the progress of civilisation during 
the last hundred years. Indeed, 16,000 young men have passed through 
the lists of the school since its initiation ; and of these more than 7,000 
are still living. These will read with pride the history of those who 
have preceded them, and the circumstances in which their school showed 
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