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THE HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 1930.
VOLTAIRE FORMS THEME OF TALK,
LITERATEUR & CRUSADER AGAINST SUPERSTITION.
MR. R. G. BIRCH'S LECTURE AT UNIVERSITY,
www.
A stimulating paper was read by Mr. R. S. Birch at the Union Assembly Room of the University at 8.30 last night, the subject selected being the intriguing one
of Voltaire..
Francois Marie Arouet, known to the world later by his pet-name of Voltaire, was born on November 21, 104, in Paris, He was a sickly child, and the doctors said he would not live; actually he lived to be 64. But though his constitution must have been strong, he always either was, or fancied himseit, sick, was always thin, cadaverous, al ways drugging and dieting, a prey to ill-health and doctors, nervous, excitable, always expecting to die. yet always buoyantly bobbing up again; and at all times, in good health er bad, enormously and in- credibly industrious.
CLEARING UP THE SLUMS.
INTERESTING DISCUSSION AT SANITARY BOARD.
MR. LO ON. PRINCIPLES.
ed at yesterday's Sanitary Board Among the various items discuss
meeting was a minute of the Presi dent of the Board relative to the use of the ground and first floors of No. 1 and 2, Pak Tase Lane, for habitation.
The house is so situated that there is very little light in the Erst and ground floor, and the ques tion of human habitation had ap parently been before a sub-commit; tee of the Board. When the mat
Mr. Lo said that, if idiscussion was ter was meationed at the meeting,
invited, he would any something about this matter
Mr. Lo said that he would always support any proposal calculated to Board had to be rather careful that promote public health, but the
such an object was not achieved at any time, at the expense of a particular individual.
Voltaire was educated by the Jesuits, showed an early partiality for poetry and history and for ask-
So far as he understood, the pro- ing awkward "questions co religion.perty had been purebased many Drawn by his tutor, the Abbe de years ago from the Official Re- Chateauneuf, into a witty, epicu ceiver in bankruptcy proceedings. rean and free-thinking society (that It was bought, at the time, as a of the famous Temple ") he early domestic building and residential imbibed the sceptical and free place. It was true that the two thinking habits which later so houses involved were not in a line strongly influenced his writings. with the rest of the houses in the. same hane, as they protruded two or three feet farther than the others. He understood, however, that the owner was willing to set back the houses two or three feet, but that the Medical Officer of Health was of the opinion that because these two houses were at the end of a cul-deme, even if they were set back, they would be too dark for human habitation. Mr. Lo said he had seen darker touses than these two. He pointed out that if the Board stucic to their attitude, there would be nothing for the owner to do but to pull down the houses. He thought the fairest thing to do.
to resume the premises, of else that the Board should be satisfed if the houses were set back three. feet, as, after all, the Government had previously sanctioned the plans of the houses.
To natch the young man from the too-seductive charms of Pari- alan life, the elder Arouct got his son attached to a diplomatic mis- sion to the Hague and packed him of to Holland, Arrived in Hol land, the young, man promptly fell in love. The Ambassador, in alarni, confined him to the Embassy.¦ whereupon the resourceful young lady in question disguised herself, and so obtained adräission to her lover in his confinement. "Voltaire was sent back to Paris in, disgrace.
Prisoner in the Bastille. The old King", Louis XIV, died
in 1715. Voltaire and bis free-would be either for the Government thinking friends rejoiced at the end of the reign of bigotry, and according to the fashion of the time employed their talents in writ. ing rude satires upon the new Gov- ernment and Regency. But these were dangerous ages for men of After some discussion, Mr. Braga letters with leanings towards satire. suggested that the owner should be Two amusing and caustic satires called upon to execute such altera- ran the round of Paris, and Valtions as necessary to comply with taire, was accused of writing them; the requirements of the Sanitary he denied it, but the lie was not Board in order to abate the nai- believed, and he found himself isance. Failing to comply would. prisoner in the Bastille, where he mean that the decision of the sub- remained for 11 months. He spent committee in regard to whether the his time in reading Homer and ground and first foors are habit- Virgil and in composing an epieable, will be upheld.
noem.
Voltaire aspired to fame as tragic poet. produced tragedies with varying success, and in "Oedi- pus made his first attack upon despotism and the clergy.
""
Voltaire Goes to England, He spent three years in England and employed his time in a serious study of English letters, customs and philosophy, Voltaire boasted of being the first Frenchman to is troduce Shakespeare and Milton to his countrymen.
While in England Voltaire com- pleted and published his epic poem, La Henriade, which at once raised him to the first of living French poets and the equal (in contemporary estimation), of Homer and Virgil.
nere
"Ecrasey L'Infame."
At about the age of forty Vol taire ceased to be content with literary fame and formed larger ambitions. From a poet and, man of lettere he becarne a reform er. As a practical philosopher, he wanted to beneât mankind, especi- aily French mankind, and to in- crease the sum of human happiness, and the chief enemies to that hap piness he saw to be religious in- tolerance and political oppression, superstition and despotism. The two evils occame for him "L'In- fame "the infamous oceand so) sprang into being his famous watch- word, "Ecrasey infame-crush the infamous one the slogan of Voltaire's war on despotism and intolerance.
It was inevitable that Voltaire should be regarded by his enemies the priests, and by many good and religious persons since, se on im pious acoffer, a mocker at all that was holy, an enemy of God and man: Man (he said) does not need priests, clergy, liturgies, dogmane, an inquisition, promises of heaven or hell. Away, then, with faontics and Inquisitors, Jesuits, and Jan senista, Calvinists and Catholics let us be sensible, kind and good, mind our own büziness' and enlti-. vate our own garden.
A. Rationalist...
Voltaire, in short, was a ration alist and a deist. He believed that goodness came from the heart, not from dogmas, and that a good not was better than any professiour of faith,
Voltaire revisited. Paris, which he had not seen for 27 years, and at the age of 84 set out, preceded by (Tontinued on nezi Column.)
Another interesting point men- tioned was that a sub-committee had been formed to find a space for foundries and smithies in the Colony, so that those following these occupations could have a place to themselves.
his niece and servants. The jour ney occupied five days and was a triumphant procession. Everywhere he was received with unbounded enthusiasm.
.
From a special meeting of the French Academy, at which he was elected President, and which had paid him the unprecedented honour of rising in a body and coming for ward to him, Voltaire drove through the cheering crowd to the theatre. Amid tremendous excite- tragedy "Irene" began, but the. ment the performanec of his applause drowned the lines.
Crusader Against Tyranny. To understand this enthusiasm, we must realize that Voltaire was much more than a mere polisbed man of letters. His retura itself, after an absence of 27 years, was sufficient to arouse curiosity. To the educated classes be was the greatest author and greatest intel ligence in Europe to the party of reform, he was the crusader against old tyranny and superstition; to the "common people he
was the saviour of Calas...
Two months after his return to Paris, Voltaire died, at the age of 84. The Archbishop of Paris for bade anyone to give the body a Christian burial. His family acted. quickly and buried the body secret ly in an obscure chapel; otherwise the body of one of France's great- est man of letters would have been cast out like that of a dog.
"I Die Adoring God.” confession of faith. It rans: "I Before he died, Voltaire left his die adoring God, helping my friends, not hating my enemies, and detesting superstition."
Thirteen years later, during the Revolution, his body was exhumed and brought in State to the Pan- theon, where it was laid in honour with the following inscription over
NOS
it
He avenged Calais, La Barre,
Sirven and Monbailly.
Poet, philosopher, historian, he gave new scope to human kind He prepared us
to become free,"
THE WATER SUPPLY.
NEARLY 30,000,000 GALLONS FROM
SHING MUN.
The total storage in the island reservoirs on the morning of Mon- day, April 14, amounted to 700,37 million gallons, showing a decrease of 25.34 million gallons during the past week: the amount collected from streams being 4.45 million glas
ed to 56.57 million gallons, which The week's consumption amount- includes 18.78 million gallons from the Shing Mun Supply..
Kowloon Water Supply.
The total storage in the mair- Monday, April 14, amounted to Iand reservoirs on the morning of i 410.74 million gallons, shewing a decrease of 19.0 million gallons during the past week.
The week's consumption, not in- cluding Hong Kong, supplies and 2.19 million gallons delivered to water boats at Lai Chi Kok, amounted to 28.89 million gallons.
The yield from the Shing Mun River and streams during the week was 20.64 million gallons.
་་་་་
TWO FIRES AT KOWLOON:
JOSS-PAPER SHOP INVOLVED
Two calls were received within an yesterday. hour by the Kowloon Fire Brigade Fortunately the fres were not of a serious nature.
The first outbreak was at No. 8, Yenchau Street, Shamshuipo, a josa- paper shop, which broke out at the rear of the premises, and was koon extinguished.
The second fire was in a small matshed, owned by contractors, on the hillside above Prince Edward Road. The Brigade could do little in this case, and the shed was wholly burnt out.
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