the origins of contemporary france-4-第32章

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chosen　and　impregnated　this　condition　involves　the　massacre　of　useless

male　and　female　rivals　（Darwin）。　　In　China；　it　consists　of　paternal

authority；　literary　education　and　ritual　observances。　　In　the　antique

city；　it　consisted　of　the　omnipotence　of　the　State；　gymnastic

education；　and　slavery。　　In　each　century；　and　in　each　country；　these

vital　conditions　are　expressed　by　more　or　less　hereditary　passwords

which　set　forth　or　interdict　this　or　that　class　of　actions。　　When　the

individual　feels　the　inward　challenge　he　is　conscious　of　obligation；

the　moral　conflict　consists　in　the　struggle　within　himself　between　the

universal　password　and　personal　desire。　　In　our　European　society　the

vital　condition；　and　thus　the　general　countersign；　is　self…respect

coupled　with　respect　for　others　（including　women　and　children）。　　This

countersign；　new　in　history；　has　a　singular　advantage　over　all

preceding　ones：　each　individual　being　respected；　each　can　develop

himself　according　to　his　nature；　he　can　accordingly　invent　in　every

sense；　bring　forth　every　sort　of　production　and　be　useful　to　himself

and　others　in　every　way；　thus　enabling　society　to　develop

indefinitely。



＇14＇　Taine　is　probably　speaking　of　the　colonial　wars　in　China　and　the

conquest　of　Madagascar。　　（SR）。



＇15＇　Here　Taine　is　seeing　mankind　as　being　male；　strong　and　hardy；

however　I　feel　that　liberty　is　more　desirable　for　the　strong　and

confident　while　the　child；　the　lost；　the　sick；　the　ignorant　or　feeble

person　is　looking　for　protection；　reassurance　and　guidance。　　When

society　consisted　of　strong　independent　farmers；　hunters；　warriors；

nomads　or　artisans　backed　by　family　and　clan；　liberty　was　an　important

idea。　　Today　few　if　any　can　rise　above　the　horde　and　gain　the

insights；　the　wisdom　and　the　competence　which　once　was　such　a　common

thing。　　Today　the　strong　seek　promotion　inside　the　hierarchy　of　the

welfare　state　rest…house。　　（S。R。）



＇16＇　This　is　just　what　Lenin　could　not　believe　when　he　read　this

around　1906。　　Even　Taine　did　not　see　how　much　a　French　government

organization　depended　upon　staff　recruited　from　a　hardworking；　modest

and　honest　French　population。　　We　have　now　lived　to　see　how　the

nationalization　of　private　property　in　Egypt；　Argentina；　Algeria　not

to　speak　of　Ethiopia　and　India　proved　disastrous　and　how　40　years　of

government　ownership　should　degrade　and　corrupt　the　populations　of

Russia；　China；　Yugoslavia；　Albania　etc。　　（SR）。



＇17＇　When　the　function　to　be　performed　is　of　an　uncertain　or　mixed

character　the　following　rule　may　be　applied　in　deciding　whether　the

State　or　individuals　shall　be　entrusted　with　it；　also　in　determining；

in　the　case　of　cooperation；　what　portion　of　it　shall　be　assigned　to

individuals　and　what　portion　to　the　State。　　As　a　general　rule；　when

individuals；　either　singly　or　associated　together；　have　a　direct

interest　in；　or　are　drawn　toward；　a　special　function；　and　the

community　has　no　direct　interest　therein；　the　matter　belongs　to

individuals　and　not　to　the　State。　　On　the　other　hand；　if　the　interest

of　the　community　in　any　function　is　direct；　and　indirect　for

individuals　singly　or　associated　together；　it　is　proper　for　the　State

and　not　for　individuals　to　take　hold　of　it。　　…　According　to　this　rule

the　limits　of　the　public　and　private　domain　can　be　defined；　which

limits；　as　they　change　backward　and　forward；　may　be　verified　according

to　the　changes　which　take　place　in　interests　and　preferences；　direct

or　indirect。



＇18＇　Carlyle：　〃Cromwell's　Speeches　and　Letters；〃　III。；　418。

（Cromwell's　address　to　the　Parliament；　September　17；　1656。）



＇19＇　Seeley；　〃Life　and　Times　of　Stein；〃　II。；　143。　　…　Macaulay；

〃Biographical　essays；〃　Frederick　the　Great。　　33；　35；　87；　92。



＇20＇　Eugene　Schuyler；　〃Peter　the　Great；〃　vol。　　2。



＇21＇　Cf。　　〃The　Revolution〃　vol。　　II。；　pp。　　46　and　323；　vol。　　III。；　ch

I。　　Archives　des　Affaires　Etrangèrés。　　Vol。　　332。　　（Letter　by

Thiberge；　Marseilles；　Brumaire　14；　year　II。）　〃I　have　been　to

Marteygne；　a　small　town　ten　leagues　from　Marseilles；　along　with　my

colleague　Fournet；　I　found　（je　trouvée）　seventeen　patriots　in　a　town

of　give　thousand　population。〃　…　Ibid。；　（Letter　by　Regulus　Leclerc；

Bergues；　Brumaire　15；　year　II。）　At　Bergues；　he　says；　〃the　municipality

is　composed　of　traders　with　empty　stores　and　brewers　without　beer

since　the　law　of　the　maximum。〃　Consequently　there　is　universal

lukewarmness；　〃only　forty　persons　being　found　to　form　a　popular　club；

holding　sessions　as　a　favor　every　five　days。　　。　　。　　。　　Public　spirit

at　Bergues　is　dead；　fanaticism　rules。〃　…　Archives　Nationales；　F7；　7164

（Department　of　Var；　reports　of　year　V。　　〃General　idea。〃）　…　〃At

Draguignan；　out　of　seven　thousand　souls；　forty　patriots；　exclusifs；

despised　or　dishonest；　at　Vidauban；　nine　or　ten　exclusifs；　favored　by

the　municipality　and　who　live　freely　without　their　means　being　known；

at　Brignolles；　frequent　robberies　on　the　road　by　robbers　said　to　have

been　very　patriotic　in　the　beginning　of　the　Revolution：　people　are

afraid　of　them　and　dare　not　name　them；　at　Fréjus；　nine　leading

exclusifs　who　pass　all　their　time　in　the　cafe。〃　…　Berryat…Saint…Prix；

〃La　Justice　Révolutionnaire；〃　p。　　146。　　…　Brutus　Thierry；　grocer；

member　of　the　Rev。　　Com。　　Of　Angers；　said　that　〃in　angers；　there　were

not　sixty　revolutionaries。〃



＇22＇　Macaulay。　　〃History　of　England；〃　I。；　152。　　〃The　Royalists

themselves　confessed　that；　in　every　department　of　honest　industry；　the

discarded　warriors　prospered　beyond　other　men；　that　none　was　charged

with　any　theft　or　robbery；　that　none　was　heard　to　ask　an　alms；　and

that；　if　a　baker；　a　mason；　or　a　waggoner　attracted　notice　by　his

diligence　and　sobriety；　he　was　in　all　probability　one　of　Oliver's　old

soldiers。〃





BOOK　THIRD。　　THE　MEN　IN　POWER。



CHAPTER　I。　　PSYCHOLOGY　OF　THE　JACOBIN　LEADERS。



I。



Marat。　　…　Disparity　between　his　faculties　and　pretensions。　　…　The

Maniac。　　…　The　Ambitious　delirium。　　…　Rage　for　persecution。　　…　The

permanent　nightmare。　　…　Homicidal　frenzy。



Three　men　among　the　Jacobins；　Marat；　Danton　and　Robespierre；　had

deserved　preeminence　and　held　authority：　…　that　is　because　they；　due

to　a　deformity　or　warping　of　their　minds　and　their　hearts；　met　the

required　conditions。　　…



Of　the　three；　Marat　is　the　most　monstrous；　he　is　nearly　a　madman；　of

which　he　displays　the　chief　characteristics　…　furious　exaltation；

constant　over…excitement；　feverish　restlessness；　an　inexhaustible

propensity　for　scribbling；　that　mental　automatism　and　single…

mindedness　of　purpose　constrained　and　ruled　by　a　fixed　idea。　　In

addition　to　this；　he　displays　the　usual　physical　symptoms；　such　as

insomnia；　a　pallid　complexion；　hot…headed；　foulness　of　dress　and

person；＇1＇　with；　during　the　last　five　months　of　his　life；　rashes　and

itching　all　over　his　body。＇2＇　　Issuing　from　ill…matched　stock；　born　of

a　mixed　blood　and　tainted　with　serious　moral　agitation；＇3＇　he　carries

within　him　a　peculiar　germ：　physically；　he　is　a　freak；　morally　a

pretender；　and　one　who　covet　all　places　of　distinction。　　His　father；

who　was　a　physician；　intended；　from　his　early　childhood；　that　he

should　be　a　scholar；　his　mother；　an　idealist；　had　prepared　him　to

become　a　philanthropist；　while　he　himself　always　steered　his　course

towards　both　summits。



　〃At　five　years　of　age；〃　he　says；　〃it　would　have　pleased　me　to　be　a

school…master；　at　fifteen　a　professor；　at　eighteen　an　author；　and　a

creative　genius　at　twenty；〃＇4＇and；　afterwards；　up　to　the　last；　an

apostle　and　martyr　to　humanity。　　　〃From　my　earliest　infancy　I　had　an

intense　love　of　fame　which　changed　its　object　at　various　stages　of　my

life；　but　which　never　left　me　for　a　moment。〃　He　rambled　over　Europe　or

vegetated　in　Paris　for　thirty　years；　living　a　nomadic　life　in

subordinate　positions；　hissed　as　an　author；　distrusted　as　a　man　of

science　and　ignored　as　a　philosopher；　a　third　rate　political　writer；

aspiring　to　every　sort　of　celebrity　and　to　every　honor；　constantly

presenting　himself　as　a　candidate　and　as　constantly　rejected；　…　too

great　a　disproportion　between　his　faculties　and　ambition！　Without

talents；＇5＇　possessing　no　critical　acumen　and　of　mediocre

intelligence；　he　was　fitted　only　to　teach　some　branch　of　the　sciences；

or　to　practice　some　one　of　the　arts；　either　as　professor　or　doctor

more　or　less　bold　and　lucky；　or　to　follow；　with　occasional　slips　on

one　side　or　the　other；　some　path　clearly　marked　out　for　him。　　〃But；〃

he　says；　〃I　constantly　refused　any　subject　which　did　not　hold　out　a

promise。　　。　　。　　。　　of　showing　off　my　originality　and　providing　great

results；　for　I　cannot　make　up　my　mind　to　treat　a　subject　already　well

done　by　others。〃　…　Consequently；　when　he　tries　to　originate　he　merely

imitates；　or　commits　mistakes。　　His　treatise　on　〃　Man〃　is　a　jumble　of

physiological　and　moral　common…places；　made　up　of　ill…digested　reading

and　words　strung　together　haphazard；＇6＇　of　gratuitous　and　incoherent

suppositions　in　which　the　doctrines　of　the　seventeenth　and　eighteenth

centuries；　coupled　together；　end　in　empty　phraseology。　　〃Soul　and　Body

are　distinct　substances　with　no　essential　relationship；　being

connected　together　solely　through　the　nervous　fluid；〃　this　fluid　is

not　gelatinous　for　the　spirits　by　which　it　is　renewed　contains　no

gelatin；　the　soul；　excited　by　this；　excites　that；　hence　the　place

assigned　to　it　〃in　the　brain。〃　…　His　〃　Optics〃＇7＇　is　the　reverse　of

the　great　truth　already　discovered　by　Newton　more　than　a　century

before；　and　since　confirmed　by　more　than　another　century　of　experiment

and　calculation。　　On〃　Heat　〃　and　〃Electricity〃　he　merely　puts　forth

feeble　hypotheses　and　literary　generalizations；　one　day；　driven　to　the

wall；　he　inserts　a　needle　in　a　resin　to　make　this　a　conductor；　in

which　piece　of　scientific　trickery　he　is　caught　by　the　physicist

Charles。＇8＇　He　is　not　even　qualified　to　comprehend　the　great

discoverers　of　his　age；　Laplace；　Monge；　Lavoisier；　or　Fourcroy；　on　the

contrary；　he　libels　them　in　the　style　of　a　low　rebellious　subordinate；

who；　without　the　shadow　of　a　claim；　aims　to　take　the　place　of

legitimate　authorities。　　In　Politics；　he　adopts　every　absurd　idea　in

vogue　growing　out　of　the　〃Contrat…Social〃　based　on　natural　right；　and

which　he　renders　still　more　absurd　by　repeating　as　his　own　the

arguments　advanced　by　those　bungling　socialists；　who；　physiologists

astray　in　the　moral　world；　derive　all　rights　from　physical

necessities。



　〃All　human　rights　issue　from　physical　wants＇9＇。。。　　　If　a　man　has

nothing；　he　has　a　right　to　any　surplus　with　which　another　gorges

himself。　　What　do　I　say？　He　has　a　right　to　seize　the　indispensable；

and；　rather　than　die　of　hunger；　he　may　cut　another's　throat　and　eat

his　throbbing　flesh。　　。　　。　　。　　Man　has　a　right　to　self…preservation；

to　the　property；　the　liberty　and　even　the　lives　of　his　fellow

creatures。　　To　escape　oppression　he　has　a　right　to　repress；　to　bind

and　to　massacre。　　He　is　free