FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   236   237   238   239   240   241   242   243   244   245   246   247   248   249   250   251   252   253   254   255   256   257   258   259   260  
261   262   263   264   265   266   267   268   269   270   271   272   273   274   275   276   277   278   279   280   281   282   283   >>  
on of Lacenaire and his co-mate in murder, Avril. But as we came to the ground (a gloomy round space, within the barrier--three roads lead to it; and, outside, you see the wine-shops and restaurateurs' of the barrier looking gay and inviting,)--as we came to the ground, we only found, in the midst of it, a little pool of ice, just partially tinged with red. Two or three idle street-boys were dancing and stamping about this pool; and when I asked one of them whether the execution had taken place, he began dancing more madly than ever, and shrieked out with a loud fantastical, theatrical voice, "Venez tous Messieurs et Dames, voyez ici le sang du monstre Lacenaire, et de son compagnon he traitre Avril," or words to that effect; and straightway all the other gamins screamed out the words in chorus, and took hands and danced round the little puddle. O august Justice, your meal was followed by a pretty appropriate grace! Was any man, who saw the show, deterred, or frightened, or moralized in any way? He had gratified his appetite for blood, and this was all. There is something singularly pleasing, both in the amusement of execution-seeing, and in the results. You are not only delightfully excited at the time, but most pleasingly relaxed afterwards; the mind, which has been wound up painfully until now, becomes quite complacent and easy. There is something agreeable in the misfortunes of others, as the philosopher has told us. Remark what a good breakfast you eat after an execution; how pleasant it is to cut jokes after it, and upon it. This merry, pleasant mood is brought on by the blood tonic. But, for God's sake, if we are to enjoy this, let us do so in moderation; and let us, at least, be sure of a man's guilt before we murder him. To kill him, even with the full assurance that he is guilty is hazardous enough. Who gave you the right to do so?--you, who cry out against suicides, as impious and contrary to Christian law? What use is there in killing him? You deter no one else from committing the crime by so doing: you give us, to be sure, half an hour's pleasant entertainment; but it is a great question whether we derive much moral profit from the sight. If you want to keep a murderer from farther inroads upon society, are there not plenty of hulks and prisons, God wot; treadmills, galleys, and houses of correction? Above all, as in the case of Sebastian Peytel and his family, there have been two deaths already; was a t
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   236   237   238   239   240   241   242   243   244   245   246   247   248   249   250   251   252   253   254   255   256   257   258   259   260  
261   262   263   264   265   266   267   268   269   270   271   272   273   274   275   276   277   278   279   280   281   282   283   >>  



Top keywords:
pleasant
 

execution

 

murder

 

Lacenaire

 

barrier

 

ground

 

dancing

 
misfortunes
 

hazardous

 
guilty

agreeable

 

assurance

 

moderation

 

Remark

 

breakfast

 
brought
 

gloomy

 
philosopher
 

plenty

 

prisons


treadmills

 
society
 

inroads

 

murderer

 

farther

 

galleys

 

houses

 
deaths
 

family

 

Peytel


correction
 

Sebastian

 
profit
 

killing

 

Christian

 

complacent

 

suicides

 

impious

 

contrary

 

committing


question

 

derive

 

entertainment

 
compagnon
 
traitre
 

tinged

 
monstre
 

partially

 

effect

 

danced