the origins of contemporary france-2-第47章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



Moreover；　six　weeks　later；　on　the　4th　of　August；　the　privileged；　in

an　outburst　of　generosity；　come　forward　of　their　own　accord　to　cut

off　or　undo　the　whole　of　them。　　This　double　reform　thus　encountered

no　obstacles；　and；　as　Arthur　Young　reported　to　his　friends；　it

merely　required　one　vote　to　have　it　adopted。＇5＇



This　was　enough；　for　all　real　necessities　were　now　satisfied。　　On

the　one　hand；　through　the　abolition　of　privileges　in　the　matter　of

taxation；　the　burden　of　the　peasant　and；　in　general；　on　the　small

tax…payer　was　diminished　one…half；　and　perhaps　two　thirds；　instead

of　paying　fifty…three　francs　on　one　hundred　francs　of　net　income；　he

paid　no　more　than　twenty…five　or　even　sixteen；＇6＇　an　enormous

relief；　and　one　which；　with　the　proposed　revision　of　the　excise　and

salt　duties；　made　a　complete　change　in　his　condition。　　Add　to　this

the　gradual　redemption　of　ecclesiastical　and　feudal　dues：　and　after

twenty　years　the　peasant；　already　proprietor　of　a　fifth　of　the　soil；

would；　without　the　violent　events　of　the　Revolution；　in　any　case

have　attained　the　same　degree　of　independence　and　well…being　which

he　was　to　achieve　by　passing　through　it。　　On　the　other　hand；　through

the　annual　vote　on　the　taxes；　not　only　were　waste　and　arbitrariness

in　the　employment　of　the　public　funds　put　a　stop　to；　but　also　the

foundations　of　the　parliamentary　system　of　government　were　laid：

whoever　holds　the　purse…strings　is；　or　becomes；　master　of　the　rest；

henceforth　in　the　maintenance　or　establishment　of　any　service；　the

assent　of　the　States　was　to　be　necessary。　　Now；　in　the　three

Chambers　which　the　three　orders　were　thenceforward　to　form；　there

were　two　in　which　the　plebeians　predominated。　　Public　opinion；

moreover；　was　on　their　side；　while　the　King；　the　true　constitutional

monarch；　far　from　possessing　the　imperious　inflexibility　of　a

despot；　did　not　now　possess　the　initiative　of　an　ordinary　person。

Thus　the　preponderance　fell　to　the　communes；　and　they　could　legally；

without　any　collision；　execute　multiply；　and　complete；　with　the　aid

of　the　prince　and　through　him；　all　useful　reforms。＇7＇　　　This　was

enough；　for　human　society；　like　a　living　body；　is　seized　with

convulsions　when　it　is　subjected　to　operations　on　too　great　a　scale；

and　these；　although　restricted；　were　probably　all　that　France　in

1789　could　endure。　　To　equitably　reorganize　afresh　the　whole　system

of　direct　and　indirect　taxation；　to　revise；　recast；　and　transfer　to

the　frontiers　the　customs…tariffs；　to　suppress；　through　negotiations

and　with　indemnity；　feudal　and　ecclesiastical　claims；　was　an

operation　of　the　greatest　magnitude；　and　as　complex　as　it　was

delicate。　　Things　could　be　satisfactorily　arranged　only　through

minute　inquiries；　verified　calculations；　prolonged　essays；　and

mutual　concessions。　　In　England；　in　our　day；　a　quarter　of　a　century

has　been　required　to　bring　about　a　lesser　reform；　the　transformation

of　tithes　and　manorial…rights；　and　time　likewise　was　necessary　for

our　Assemblies　to　perfect　their　political　education；＇8＇　to　get　of

their　theories；　to　learn；　by　contact　with　practical　business；　and　in

the　study　of　details；　the　distance　which　separates　speculation　from

practice；　to　discover　that　a　new　system　of　institutions　works　well

only　through　a　new　system　of　habits；　and　that　to　decree　a　new　system

of　habits　is　tantamount　to　attempting　to　build　an　old　house。　　

Such；　however；　is　the　work　they　undertake。　　They　reject　the　King's

proposals；　the　limited　reforms；　the　gradual　transformations。

According　to　them；　it　is　their　right　and　their　duty　to　re…make

society　from　top　to　bottom。　　Such　is　the　command　of　pure　reason；

which　has　discovered　the　Rights　of　Man　and　the　conditions　of　the

Social　Contract。





II



Nature　of　societies；　and　the　principle　of　enduring　constitutions。



Apply　the　Social　Contract；　if　you　like；　but　apply　it　only　to　those

for　whom　it　was　drawn　up。　　These　were　abstract　beings；　belonging

neither　to　a　period　nor　to　a　country；　perfect　creatures　hatched　out

under　the　magic　wand　of　a　metaphysician。　　They　had　as　a　matter　of

fact　come　into　existence　by　removing　all　the　characteristics　which

distinguish　one　man　from　another；＇9＇　a　Frenchman　from　a　Papuan；　a

modern　Englishman　from　a　Briton　in　the　time　of　Caesar；　and　by

retaining　only　the　part　which　is　common　to　all。＇10＇　The　essence　thus

obtained　is　a　prodigiously　meager　one；　an　infinitely　curtailed

extract　of　human　nature；　that　is；　in　the　phraseology　of　the　day；



　　〃A　BEING　WITH　A　DESIRE　TO　BE　HAPPY　AND　THE　FACULTY　OF　REASONING；〃



nothing　more　and　nothing　else。　　After　this　pattern　several　million

individuals；　all　precisely　alike；　have　been　prepared　while；　through

a　second　simplification；　as　extraordinary　as　the　first　one；　they　are

all　supposed　to　be　free　and　all　equal；　without　a　past；　without

kindred；　without　responsibility；　without　traditions；　without

customs；　like　so　many　mathematical　units；　all　separable　and　all

equivalent；　and　then　it　is　imagined　that；　assembled　together　for　the

first　time；　these　proceed　to　make　their　primitive　bargain。　　From　the

nature　they　are　supposed　to　possess　and　the　situation　in　which　they

are　placed；　no　difficulty　is　found　in　deducing　their　interests；

their　wills；　and　the　contract　between　them。　　But　if　this　contract

suits　them；　it　does　not　follow　that　it　suits　others。　　On　the

contrary；　if　follows　that　is　does　not　suit　others；　the　inconvenience

becomes　extreme　on　its　being　imposed　on　a　living　society；　the

measure　of　that　inconvenience　will　be　the　immensity　of　the　distance

which　divides　a　hollow　abstraction；　a　philosophical　phantom；　an

empty　insubstantial　image　from　the　real　and　complete　man。



In　any　event　we　are　not　here　considering　a　specimen；　so　reduced　and

mutilated　as　to　be　only　an　outline　of　a　human　being；　no；　we　are　to

the　contrary　considering　Frenchmen　of　the　year　1789。　　It　is　for　them

alone　that　the　constitution　is　being　made：　it　is　therefore　they

alone　who　should　be　considered；　they　are　manifestly　men　of　a

particular　species；　having　their　peculiar　temperament；　their　special

aptitudes；　their　own　inclinations；　their　religion；　their　history；

all　adding　up　into　a　mental　and　moral　structure；　hereditary　and

deeply　rooted；　bequeathed　to　them　by　the　indigenous　stock；　and　to

which　every　great　event；　each　political　or　literary　phase　for　twenty

centuries；　has　added　a　growth；　a　transformation　or　a　custom。　　It　is

like　some　tree　of　a　unique　species　whose　trunk；　thickened　by　age；

preserves　in　its　annual　rings　and　in　its　knots；　branches；　and

curvatures；　the　deposits　which　its　sap　has　made　and　the　imprint　of

the　innumerable　seasons　through　which　it　has　passed。　　Using　the

philosophic　definition；　so　vague　and　trite；　to　such　an　organism；　is

only　a　puerile　label　teaching　us　nothing。　　　　And　all　the　more

because　extreme　diversities　and　inequalities　show　themselves　on　this

exceedingly　elaborate　and　complicated　background；　　those　of　age；

education；　faith；　class　and　fortune；　and　these　must　be　taken　into

account；　for　these　contribute　to　the　formation　of　interests；

passions；　and　dispositions。　　To　take　only　the　most　important　of

these；　it　is　clear　that；　according　to　the　average　of　human　life；＇11＇

one…half　of　the　population　is　composed　of　children；　and；　besides

this；　one…half　of　the　adults　are　women。　　In　every　twenty　inhabitants

eighteen　are　Catholic；　of　whom　sixteen　are　believers；　at　least

through　habit　and　tradition。　　Twenty…five　out　of　twenty…six　millions

of　Frenchmen　cannot　read；　one　million　at　the　most　being　able　to　do

so；　and　in　political　matters　only　five　or　six　hundred　are　competent。

As　to　the　condition　of　each　class；　its　ideas；　its　sentiments；　its

kind　and　degree　of　culture；　we　should　have　to　devote　a　large　volume

to　a　mere　sketch　of　them。



There　is　still　another　feature　and　the　most　important　of　all。　　These

men　who　are　so　different　from　each　other　are　far　from　being

independent；　or　from　contracting　together　for　the　first　time。　　They

and　thei