On a background of classic pedantry， with only vague and narrow notions of ordinary instruction， lacking exact and substantial information， flow obscenities and enlarged commonplaces enveloped in a mythological gauze， spouting in long tirades as maxims from the revolutionary manual. Such is the superficial culture and verbal argumentation from which vulgar and dangerous ingredients the intelligence of the new legislators is formed.[16]
III.
Aspects of their sessions. -- Scenes and display at the club. -- Co-operation of spectators.
From this we can imagine what their sessions were. "More in-coherent and especially more passionate than those of the Constituent Assembly"[17] they present the same but intensified characteristics.
The argument is weaker， the invective more violent， and the dogmatism more intemperate. Inflexibility degenerates into insolence， prejudice into fanaticism， and near-sightedness into blindness. Disorder becomes a tumult and constant din an uproar. Suppose， says an eye-witness，"a classroom with hundreds of pupils quarreling and every instant on the point of seizing each other by the hair. Their dress neglected， their attitudes angry， with sudden transitions from shouting to hooting . . is a sight hard to imagine and to which nothing can be compared."It lacks nothing for making it a club of the lowest species. Here， in advance， we contemplate the ways of the future revolutionary inquisition. They welcome burlesque denunciations； enter into petty police investigations； weigh the tittle-tattle of porters and the gossip of servant-girls； devote an all-night session to the secrets of a drunkard.[18] They enter on their official report and without any disapproval， the petition of M. Huré， "living at Pont-sur-Yonne， who， over his own signature， offers one hundred francs and his arm to become a killer of tyrants." Repeated and multiplied hurrahs and applause with the felicitations of the president is the sanction of scandalous or ridiculous private misconduct seeking to display itself under the cover of public authority. Anacharsis Clootz， "a Mascarille officially stamped，" who proposes a general war and who hawks about maps of Europe cut up in advance into departments beginning with Savoy， Belgium and Holland "and thus onward to the Polar Sea，" is thanked and given a seat on the benches of the Assembly.[19]
Compliments are made to the Vicar of Sainte-Marguerite and his wife is given a seat in the Assembly and who， introducing "his new family，"thunders against clerical celibacy.[20] Crowds of men and women are permitted to traverse the hall letting out political cries. Every sort of indecent， childish and seditious parade is admitted to the bar of the house.[21] To-day it consists of "citoyennes of Paris，" desirous of being drilled in military exercises and of having for their commandants "former French guardsmen；" to-morrow children come and express their patriotism with "touching simplicity，" regretting that "their trembling feet do not permit them to march， no， fly against the tyrants；" next to these come convicts of the Chateau - Vieux escorted by a noisy crowd； at another time the artillerymen of Paris， a thousand in number， with drums beating； delegates from the provinces， the faubourgs and the clubs come constantly， with their furious harangues， and imperious remonstrances， their exactions， their threats and their summonses. -- In the intervals between the louder racket a continuous hubbub is heard in the clatter of the tribunes.[22] At each session "the representatives are chaffed by the spectators； the nation in the gallery is judge of the nation on the floor；" it interferes in the debates， silences the speakers， insults the president and orders the reporter of a bill to quit the tribune. One interruption， or a simple murmur， is not all； there are twenty， thirty， fifty in an hour， clamoring， stamping， yells and personal abuse. After countless useless entreaties， after repeated calls to order， "received with hooting，"after a dozen "regulations that are made， revised， countermanded and posted up" as if better to prove the impotence of the law， of the authorities and of the Assembly itself， the usurpations of these intruders keep on increasing. They have shouted for ten months "Down with the civil list！ Down with the ministerials！ Down with those curs！
Silence， slaves！' On the 26th of July， Brissot himself is to appear lukewarm and be struck on the face with two plums. "Three or four hundred individuals without either property， title， or means of subsistence . . . have become the auxiliaries， petitioners and umpires of the legislature，" their paid violence completely destroying whatever is still left of the Assembly's reason.[23]
IV.