etings of the electors of Paris, so often
quoted by the historians of the revolution.

Bailly also took an active part in drawing up the records of his
district, and the records of the body of electors. The part he acted in
these two capacities could not be doubtful, if we judge of it by the
three following short quotations extracted from his memoirs: "The nation
must remember that she is sovereign and mistress to order every
thing.... It is not when reason awakes, that we should allege ancient
privileges and absurd prejudices.... I shall praise the electors of
Paris who were the first to conceive the idea of prefacing the French
Constitution with a declaration of the Rights of Man."

Bailly had always been so extremely reserved in his conduct and in his
writings, that it was difficult to surmise under what point of view he
would consider the national agitation of '89. Hence, at the very
beginning, the Abbe Maury, of the French Academy, proposed to unite
himself to Bailly, and that they should reside at Versailles, and have
an apartment in common between them. It is difficult to avoid a smile
when one compares the conduct of the eloquent and impetuous Abbe with
the categorical declarations, so distinct and so progressive, of the
learned astronomer.

On Tuesday, the 12th of May, the general assembly of the electors
proceeded to ballot for the nomination of the first deputy of Paris.
Bailly was chosen.

This nomination is often quoted as a proof of the high intelligence, and
of the wisdom of our fathers, two qualities which, since that epoch,
must have been constantly on the decline, if we are to believe the blind
Pessimists. Such an accusation imposed on me the duty of carrying the
appreciation of this wisdom, of this intelligence that is held up
against us, even to numerical correctness. The following is the result:
the majority of the votes was 159; Bailly obtained 173; this was
fourteen more than he required. If fourteen votes had changed sides the
result would have been different. Was this an incident, I ask, to
exclaim so much against?

Bailly showed himself deeply affected by this mark of the confidence
with which he was regarded. His sensibility, his gratitude, did not
prevent him, however, from recording in his memoirs the following
_naive_ observation: "I observed in the Assembly of the Electors a great
dislike for literary men, and for the academicians."

I recommend this remark to all studious men who,