the origins of contemporary france-3-第4部分

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renders　the　fool　and　the　ignoramus　unconscious　of　their

insignificance。　They　have　deemed　themselves　capable　of　anything；

because　the　law　granted　public　functions　merely　to　capacity。　There　has

appeared　in　front　of　one　and　all　an　ambitious　perspective；　the　soldier

thinks　only　of　displacing　his　captain；　the　captain　of　becoming

general；　the　clerk　of　supplanting　the　chief　of　his　department；　the

new…fledged　attorney　of　being　admitted　to　the　high　court；　the　curé　of

being　ordained　a　bishop；　the　shallow　scribbler　of　seating　himself　on

the　legislative　bench。　Offices　and　professions　vacated　by　the

appointment　of　so　many　upstarts　afford　in　their　turn　a　vast　field　for

the　ambition　of　the　lower　classes。〃　　Thus；　step　by　step；　owing　to

the　reversal　of　social　positions；　is　brought　about　a　general

intellectual　fever。



　〃France　is　transformed　into　a　gaming…table；　where；　alongside　of　the

discontented　citizen　offering　his　stakes；　sits；　bold；　blustering；　and

with　fermenting　brain；　the　pretentious　subaltern　rattling　his　dice…

box。　。　。　　At　the　sight　of　a　public　official　rising　from　nowhere；　　even

the　soul　of　a　bootblack　will　　bound　with　emulation。〃　　　　He　has

merely　to　push　himself　ahead　and　elbow　his　way　to　secure　a　ticket　　〃in

this　immense　lottery　of　popular　luck；　of　preferment　without　merit；　of

success　without　talent；　of　apotheoses　without　virtues；　of　an　infinity

of　places　distributed　by　the　people　wholesale；　and　enjoyed　by　the

people　in　detail。〃　　　　Political　charlatans　flock　thither　from　every

quarters；　those　taking　the　lead　who；　being　most　in　earnest；　believe　in

the　virtue　of　their　nostrum；　and　need　power　to　impose　its　recipe　on

the　community；　all　being　saviors；　all　places　belong　to　them；　and

especially　the　highest。　They　lay　siege　to　these　conscientiously　and

philanthropically　；　if　necessary；　they　will　take　them　by　assault；　hold

them　through　force；　and；　forcibly　or　otherwise；　administer　their　cure…

all　to　the　human　species。







III。



Psychology　of　the　Jacobin。　　His　intellectual　method。　　Tyranny　of

formulae　and　suppression　of　facts。　　Mental　balance　disturbed。　

Signs　of　this　in　the　revolutionary　language。　　Scope　and　expression

of　the　Jacobin　intellect。　　In　what　respect　his　method　is

mischievous。　　How　it　is　successful。　　Illusions　produced　by　it。



Such　are　our　Jacobins；　born　out　of　social　decomposition　like　mushrooms

out　of　compost。　Let　us　consider　their　inner　organization；　for　they

have　one　as　formerly　the　Puritans；　we　have　only　to　follow　their　dogma

down　to　its　depths；　as　with　a　sounding…line；　to　reach　the

psychological　stratum　in　which　the　normal　balance　of　faculty　and

sentiment　is　overthrown。



When　a　statesman；　who　is　not　wholly　unworthy　of　that　great　name；　finds

an　abstract　principle　in　his　way；　as；　for　instance；　that　of　popular

sovereignty；　he　accepts　it；　if　he　accepts　it　at　all；　according　to　his

conception　of　its　practical　bearings。　He　begins；　accordingly；　by

imagining　it　applied　and　in　operation。　From　personal　recollections　and

such　information　as　he　can　obtain；　he　forms　an　idea　of　some　village　or

town；　some　community　of　moderate　size　in　the　north；　in　the　south；　or

in　the　center　of　the　country；　for　which　he　has　to　make　laws。　He　then

imagines　its　inhabitants　acting　according　to　his　principle；　that　is　to

say；　voting；　mounting　guard；　levying　taxes；　and　administering　their

own　affairs。　Familiar　with　ten　or　a　dozen　groups　of　this　sort；　which

he　regards　as　examples；　he　concludes　by　analogy　as　to　others　and　the

rest　on　the　territory。　Evidently　it　is　a　difficult　and　uncertain

process；　to　be　exact；　or　nearly　so；　requires　rare　powers　of

observation　and；　at　each　step；　a　great　deal　of　tact；　for　a　nice

calculation　has　to　be　made　on　given　quantities　imperfectly　ascertained

and　imperfectly　noted！＇15＇　　Any　political　leader　who　does　this

successfully；　does　it　through　the　ripest　experience　associated　with

genius。　And　even　then　he　keeps　his　hand　on　the　check…rein　in　pushing

his　innovation　or　reform；　he　is　almost　always　tentative；　he　applies

his　law　only　in　part；　gradually　and　provisionally；　he　wishes　to

ascertain　its　effect；　he　is　always　ready　to　stay　its　operation；　amend

it；　or　modify　it；　according　to　the　good　or　ill　results　of　experiment；

the　state　of　the　human　material　he　has　to　deal　with　is　never　clear　to

his　mind；　even　when　superior；　until　after　many　and　repeated　gropings。

　Now　the　Jacobin　pursues　just　the　opposite　course。　His　principle　is

an　axiom　of　political　geometry；　which　always　carries　its　own　proof

along　with　it；　for；　like　the　axioms　of　common　geometry；　it　is　formed

out　of　the　combination　of　a　few　simple　ideas；　and　its　evidence　imposes

itself　at　once　on　all　minds　capable　of　embracing　in　one　conception　the

two　terms　of　which　it　is　the　aggregate　expression。　Man　in　general；　the

rights　of　Man；　the　social　contract；　liberty；　equality；　reason；　nature；

the　people；　tyrants；　are　examples　of　these　basic　concepts：　whether

precise　or　not；　they　fill　the　brain　of　the　new　sectarian。　Often　these

terms　are　merely　vague　and　grandiose　words；　but　that　makes　no

difference；　as　soon　as　they　meet　in　his　brain　an　axiom　springs　out　of

them　that　can　be　instantly　and　absolutely　applied　on　every　occasion

and　to　excess。　　Mankind　as　it　is　does　not　concern　him。　He　does　not

observe　them；　he　does　not　require　to　observe　them；　with　closed　eyes　he

imposes　a　pattern　of　his　own　on　the　human　substance　manipulated　by

him；　the　idea　never　enters　his　head　of　forming　any　previous　conception

of　this　complex；　multiform；　swaying　material　…　contemporary　peasants；

artisans；　townspeople；　curés　and　nobles；　behind　their　plows；　in　their

homes；　in　their　shops；　in　their　parsonages；　in　their　mansions；　with

their　inveterate　beliefs；　persistent　inclinations；　and　powerful　wills。

Nothing　of　this　enters　into　or　lodges　in　his　mind；　all　its　avenues　are

stopped　by　the　abstract　principle　which　flourishes　there　and　fills　it

completely。　Should　actual　experience　through　the　eye　or　ear　plant　some

unwelcome　truth　forcibly　in　his　mind；　it　cannot　subsist　there；　however

noisy　and　relentless　it　may　be；　the　abstract　principle　drives　it

out；＇16＇　if　need　be　it　will　distort　and　strangle　it；　considering　it　a

slanderer　since　it　refutes　a　principle　which　is　true　and　undeniable　in

itself。　Obviously；　a　mind　of　this　kind　is　not　sound；　of　the　two

faculties　which　should　pull　together　harmoniously；　one　is　degenerated

and　the　other　overgrown；　facts　cannot　turn　the　scale　against　the

theory。　Charged　on　one　side　and　empty　on　the　other；　the　Jacobin　mind

turns　violently　over　on　that　side　to　which　it　leans；　and　such　is　its

incurable　infirmity。



Consider；　indeed；　the　authentic　monuments　of　Jacobin　thought；　the

〃Journal　des　Amis　de　la　Constitution；〃　the　gazettes　of　Loustalot；

Desmoulins；　Brissot；　Condorcet；　Fréron　and　Marat；　Robespierre's；　and

St。　Just's　pamphlets　and　speeches；　the　debates　in　the　Legislative

Assembly　and　in　the　Convention；　the　harangues；　addresses　and　reports

of　the　Girondins　and　Montagnards；　in　brief；　the　forty　volumes　of

extracts　compiled　by　Buchez　and　Roux。　Never　has　so　much　been　said　to

so　little　purpose；　all　the　truth　that　is　uttered　is　drowned　in　the

monotony　and　　inflation　of　empty　verbiage　and　vociferous　bombast。　One

experience　in　this　direction　is　sufficient。＇17＇　　The　historian　who

resorts　this　mass　of　rubbish　for　accurate　information　finds　none　of

any　account；　in　vain　will　he　read　kilometers　of　it：　hardly　will　he

there　meet　one　fact；　one　instructive　detail；　one　document　which　brings

before　his　eyes　a　distinct　personality；　which　shows　him　the　real

sentiments　of　a　villager　or　of　a　gentleman；　which　vividly　portrays　the

interior　of　a　h？tel…de…ville；　of　a　soldier's　barracks；　of　a　municipal

chamber；　or　the　character　of　an　insurrection。　To　define　fifteen　or

twenty　types　and　situations　which　sum　up　the　history　of　the　period；　we

have　been　and　shall　be　obliged　to　seek　them　elsewhere　…　in　the

correspondence　of　local　administrators；　in　affidavits　on　criminal

records；　in　confidential　reports　of　the　police；＇18＇　and　in　the

narratives　of　foreigners；＇19＇　who；　prepared　for　it　by　a　different

education；　look　behind　words　for　things；　and　see　France　beyond　the

〃Contrat　Social。〃　This　teeming　France；　this　grand　tragedy　which

twenty…six　millions　of　players　are　performing　on　a　stage　of　26　000

square　leagues；　is　lost　to　the　Jacobin。　His　literature；　as　well　as　his

brain；　contain　only　insubstantial　generalizations　like　those　above

cited；　rolling　out　in　a　mere　play　of　ideas；　sometimes　in　concise　terms

when　the　writer　happens　to　be　a　professional　reasoner　like　Condorcet；

but　most　frequently　in　a　tangled；　knotty　style　full　of　loose　and

disconnected　meshes　when　the　spokesman　happens　to　be　an　improvised

politician　or　a　philosophic　tyro　like　the　ordinary　deputies　of　the

Assembly　and　the　speakers　of　the　clubs。　It　is　a　pedantic　scholasticism

set　forth　with　fanatical　rant。　Its　entire　vocabulary　consists　of　about

a　hundred　words；　while　all　ideas　are　reduced　to　one；　that　of　man　in

himself：　human　units；　all　alike　equal　and　independent；　contracting

together　for　the　first　time。　This　is　their　concept　of　society。　None

could　be　briefer；　for；　to　arrive　at　it；　man　had　to　be　reduced　to　a

minimum。　Never　were　political　brains　so　willfully　dried　up。　For　it　is

the　attempt　to　systematize　and　to　simplify　which　causes　their

impoverishment。　In　that　respect　they　go　by　the　methods　of　their　time

and　in　the　track　of　Jean…Jacques　Rousseau：　their　outlook　on　life　is

the　classic　view；　　which；　already　narrow　in　the　late　philosophers；　has

now　become　even　more　narrow　and　hardened。　The　best　representatives　of

the　type　are　Condorcet；＇20＇　among　the　Girondins；　and　Robespierre；

among　the　Montagnards；　both　mere　dogmatists　and　pure　logicians；　the

latter　the　most　remarkable　and　with　a　perfection　of　intellectual

sterility　never　surpassed。　　Unquestionably；　as　far　as　the

formulation　of　durable　laws　is　concerned；　i。e。　adapting　the　social

machinery