Emile Zola From Pretoria
A number of members of the Zola family are buried at his bust-topped tomb, but Emile Francois Zola is not among them He was reinterred in the Pantheon in 1908. Zola was a pioneer in the literary movement called naturalism, which used Charles Darvin’s theory of evolution that suggests social conditions, family values and environment shape a person’s character. Naturalism often focuses on the darker aspects of life including racism, violence, corruption, prostitution and death. Zola is probably best known for his support of Captain Alfred Dreyfus, who was wrongly convicted of treason in what became known as the Dreyfus Affair. Zola’s long article, J’accuse (I accuse), which covered the front page of the January 13, 1898 L ‘Aurore newspaper, ultimately resulted in Zola having to flee the country for England after being convicted of criminal libel. However, Zola’s article was a pivotal step, which led to the fall of the government and showed the power of writers and other intellectuals in shaping public opinion. Even though Zola and Dreyfus eventually prevailed (but not until after Zola’s death), political and social tensions remained. On September 29, 1902 Emile Francois Zola was found dead in his apartment of carbon monoxide poisoning under mysterious circumstances (his chimney had been stopped up). Although no conspiracy or malice could be proved, reportedly decades later a cityian roofer in a deathbed confession said he had stopped up Zola’s chimney for political reasons.
When city’ new cemeteries were assigned to the cardinal points at the beginning of the nineteenth century, Montparnasse became the Cemetery of the South. Montparnasse was intended to replace Vaugirard Cemetery and St. Catherine Cemetery as the primary burial ground for the area. Originally, much of the land it now occupies belonged to the Hotel Dieu, a religious charity that owned a mill and also used some of the land as a burial ground. Montparnasse officially opened in 1824 and was enlarged in 1847. In 1878 the cemetery was bisected by rue Emile Richard, which took away some of the land. Thus, the area southeast of rue Emile Richard is known as the petit cemetery and the area northwest of rue Emile Richard is known as the grand cemetery. Note that divisions 17, 19, 25, 26 and 27 have portions in the petite and the grande sections of the cemetery. Montparnasse is presently composed of 47 acres, making it the second-largest cemetery within city’ 20 arrondissements. There are multiple entrances to Montparnasse but restrooms are located next to the conservation office at the 3 boulevard Edgar-Quinet entrance and the entrance at the corner of rue Froidevaux and rue Emile Richard. There are free maps in the conservation office and usually at the guardhouses at the other entrances.
The proprietors insisted on religious tolerance, but the Goose Creek men fought to establish the Anglican Church. Pretoria Metro Map The proprietors wanted orderly, townbased settlement, but white South Carolinians spread out along the coastal rivers in an effort to secure as much fertile plantation land as possible. The proprietors insisted on treating Native Countrys fairly in trade and land negotiations, but white South Carolinians treated the native peoples horribly, inciting wars between tribes, enslaving the losers, and driving the winners into increasing debt and dependence. In addition, the proprietors had hoped to recoup their investment by a monopoly over the trade in deerskins, but the Goose Creek men kept the profits, which were substantial, for themselves. In what has been described as the Revolution of 1719, the lords proprietors relinquished their weak grip on South Carolina. By the end of the 1720s, the Crown had bought out the proprietors, and the transition to royal government was complete. A Mature Colonial Society and Independence The Yamasee War and the Revolution of 1719 allowed the Goose Creek men and like-minded white Carolinians to rid themselves of two forces they perceived as holding them back: Native Countrys and the proprietors. Colonial society in South Carolina was developing along lines that favored owners of large plantations, worked by large numbers of black men and women.
