in persuading us of his
error. After so many judicial debates, chronicles, and appeals to legal
murder, Ravachol remains the propagandist of the grand idea of the
ancient religions which extolled the quest of individual death for the
good of the world, the abnegation of self, of one's life, and of one's
fame for the exaltation of the poor and the humble. He is definitely the
Renewer of the Essential Sacrifice."[5] Museux, in _l'Art social_, said:
"Ravachol has remained what he at first showed himself, a rebel. He has
made the sacrifice of his life for an idea and to cause that idea to
pass from a dream into reality. He has recoiled before nothing, claiming
the responsibility for his acts. He has been logical from one end to the
other. He has given example of a fine character and indomitable energy,
at the same time that he has summed up in himself the vague anger of the
revolutionists."[6]

Hardly had the people of Paris gotten over their terror of the deeds of
Ravachol when August Vaillant endeavored to blow up with dynamite the
French Chamber of Deputies. He was a socialist, almost unknown among the
anarchists. He said afterward that political-financial scandals were
arousing popular anger and that it was necessary to thrust the sword
into the heart of public powers, since they could not be conquered
peaceably. In order to carry out his plan, he went to _Palais-Bourbon_,
and, when the session opened, Vaillant arose in the gallery to throw his
bomb. A woman, perceiving the intentions of the thrower, grasped his
arm, causing the bomb to strike a chandelier, with the result that only
Abbe Lemire and some spectators were injured. In the midst of commotion,
with men stupefied with terror, the president of the Chamber, M. Charles
Dupuy, called out the memorable words, "The session continues."

Arraigned before the court, Vaillant was condemned to death. He said in
explanation of his act, "I carried this bomb to those who are primarily
responsible for social misery."[7] "Gentlemen, in a few minutes you are
to deal your blow, but in receiving your verdict I shall have at least
the satisfaction of having wounded the existing society, that cursed
society in which one may see a single man spending, uselessly, enough to
feed thousands of families; an infamous society which permits a few
individuals to monopolize all the social wealth, while there are
hundreds of thousands of unfortunates who have not even the bread that
is not