The Bronze Statue, or, The Virgin's Kiss — page 262: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

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Riad 5 aka e% oN ~ *e a a b- Pe tS NLP I - — a a r as - ~ ts eid tt ore =a _ , > — =~’ st Fey A ® ie on ee oe a* tom + tse: < es % a - ° a ere oe » 260 THE BRONZE STATUE. was swathed in the stern cold iron which alone seemed fit to defend that stalwart breast. ‘I'he only ornament which he wore was a handsome ring, and that was a gift from one whose chivalrous character and splendid ex- ploits he so highly admired, for it was the ring which he had received from Sir Ernest de Colmar, that the Captain- General of the Taborites thus displayed upon his finger. It would be impossible to describe the enthusiasm with which Zitzka was received by his army. At first, the moment he entered the square, the loud and simultaneous explosion of twenty thousand voices gave forth an acclaim so tremendous in its welcome _and so deafening in its fervid cordiality that it appeared to roll like thunder through the vault of heaven; and the iabuses and abrogate wrongs. The mil- | lions have experienced miseries accu- 'mulating upon miseries—oppressions ‘heaped upon oppressions,—tyrannieg multiplying upon tyrannies, until they are crushed beneath the colossal edifice which superstition, king-craft, aristo- cracy, and monopoly have thus built up. The sword can alone undo all the evil which violence and misrule have done. Patience has become a crime—endur- a —~ /ance is a proof of grovelling cowardice. |The great ones of the earth have crush- ed, scourged, persecuted, and plunder- would deserve the curse and the stigma which belong to all willing slaves, were ye to accept as a boon those terms which ye may dictate as a right. For the laws of God, the instincts of Na- ture, and the common sense of Man, all ed you to their hear#’s content; and ye } - ~ ~ bed echoes were aroused to prompt response | revolt against the system which kings, even to the uttermost parts of the Bo-| priests, and aristocrats have established. pause,—a dead silence, resembling that which follows the real thunder of the spheres; but in a few moments the en- thusiasm of the ‘l‘aborites burst forth again in cries of welcome, shouts of joy, and cheers that vibrated with the heartfelt fervor which inspired them. Company after company—division after division—corps after corps—took up the succession of thrilling acclaims, which thus sounded upon the ear like repeated volleys of artillery following closely upon each other. At length the voices of the troops at the farther extremity of the square died away; and a profouud stillness fell upon the scene. But in a few moments this solemn si- Jence was broken by the loud, sonorous, commanding voice of John Zitzka, who, having reined in his steed in the centre of the square, now addressed his arma- ment in these terms: ‘Beloved children of Mount Tabor, —you have filled my heart with the most grateful enthusiasm! ‘Those pro- longed shouts wherewith you have wel- coined me, bear testimony to the feel- ing which animates your souls! ‘That feeling touches a chord vibrating re-| sponsively in my own heart ; and I know | thereby that your thoughts and mine. are identical. Ye are the instruments chosen by heaven to work out grand ob- jects and accomplish striking changes! ‘The iniquities of crowned rulers, usurp- ing aristocrats, and selfish priests have so disordered the social system, that nothing but the sword can exterminate Va * . . . hemian capital. Then there was aj By this system the many are made the slaves of the few; and these few are in general the vilest oppressors, the most degraded debauchees, or the greatest criminals that ever disgraced the human species. ‘They have monopolised all power and all privileges. ‘They have seized upon the land and not only di- vided it amongst themselves during their life-time, but have decreed that it shall Aaedal to their children and their children’s children, from generation to generation ; and thus have they carried their presumption and their injustice to such a pitch as to dispose of the fu- ture for the benefit of their posterity, and foredoom to beggary the millions that are as yet unborn. Children of Mount Tabor! heaven’s curse is upon the authors of this monstrous iniquity ; and as the hereditary usurpers have raised up, maintained, and propagated their system by the sword, then by the sword Jet them be punished! ‘Tis for you, my children, to destroy the vile ‘despotism which has existed for ages, but whici no measure of antiquity can justify. For if your ancestors have been willing slaves, ’tis no reason that you should consent to wear the chains which they have hugged; nor can one generation bind that which is to follow. The earth belongs to all who are alive upon it; and every individual has a ‘right to receive a subsistence from the soil. The land must be made to pro- ‘duce enough bread to feed all, betore any of it is used to grow grapes to make wine for a few. Pauperism must be extirputed, before any individual can be ’ } "4 comicbooks.com