the origins of contemporary france-5-第78章

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command　which　obliges　him　to　shoulder　his　gun　and　slay　with　his　own

hand；　or　be　slain。　He　will　probably　end　by　discovering　that　the　two

sides　of　the　scales　do　not　balance　and　that　a　right　so　hollow　is　poor

compensation　for　so　heavy　a　burden。



Of　course；　in　1789；　he　foresaw　nothing　like　that；　he　was　optimistic；

pacific；　liberal；　humanitarian；　he　knew　nothing　of　Europe　nor　of

history；　nothing　of　the　past　nor　of　the　present。　When　the　Constituent

Assembly　constituted　him　a　sovereign；　he　let　things　go　on；　he　did　not

know　what　he　engaged　to　do；　he　had　no　idea　of　having　allowed　such　a

heavy　claim　against　him。　But；　in　signing　the　social　contract；　he　made

himself　responsible；　in　1793；　the　note　came　due　and　the　Convention

collected　it。＇63＇　　Then　comes　Napoleon　who　put　things　in　order。

Henceforth；　every　male；　able…bodied　adult　must　pay　the　debt　of　blood；

no　more　exemptions　in　the　way　of　military　service：＇64＇　all　young　men

who　had　reached　the　required　age　drew　lots　in　the　conscription　and　set

out　in　turn　according　to　the　order　fixed　by　their　drafted　number。＇65＇

But　Napoleon　is　an　intelligent　creditor；　he　knows　that　this　debt　is

〃most　frightful　and　most　detestable　for　families；〃　that　his　debtors

are　real；　living　men　and　therefore　different　in　kind；　that　the　head　of

the　State　should　keep　these　differences　in　mind；　that　is　to　say　their

condition；　their　education；　their　sensibility　and　their　vocation；

that；　not　only　in　their　private　interest；　but　again　in　the　interest　of

the　public；　not　merely　through　prudence　but　also　through　equity；　all

should　not　be　indistinguishably　restricted　to　the　same　mechanical

pursuit；　to　the　same　manual　labor；　to　the　same　prolonged　and

indefinite　servitude　of　soul　and　body。　Already；　under　the　Directory；

the　law　had　exempted　young　married　men　and　widowers　or　divorced

persons　who　were　fathers。＇66＇　Napoleon　also　exempts　the　conscript　who

has　a　brother　in　the　active　army；　the　only　son　of　a　widow；　the　eldest

of　three　orphans；　the　son　of　a　father　seventy…one　years　old　dependent

on　his　labor；　all　of　whom　are　family　supports。　He　joins　with　these　all

young　men　who　enlist　in　one　of　his　civil　militias；　in　his

ecclesiastical　militia　or　in　his　university　militia；　pupils　of　the

école　Normale；　ignorantin　brothers；　seminarians　for　the　priesthood；　on

condition　that　they　shall　engage　to　do　service　in　their　vocation　and

do　it　effectively；　some　for　ten　years；　others　for　life；　subject　to　a

discipline　more　rigid；　or　nearly　as　rigid；　as　military　discipline。＇67＇

Finally；　he　sanctions　or　institutes　volunteer　substitutes；　through

private　agreement　between　a　conscript　and　the　able…bodied；　certified

volunteer　substitute　for　whom　the　conscript　is　responsible。＇68＇　If

such　a　bargain　is　made　between　them　it　is　done　freely；　knowing　what

they　are　about；　and　because　each　man　finds　the　exchange　to　his

advantage；　the　State　has　no　right　to　deprive　either　of　them　uselessly

of　this　advantage；　and　oppose　an　exchange　by　which　it　does　not　suffer。

So　far　from　suffering　it　often　gains　by　it。　For；　what　it　needs　is　not

this　or　that　man；　Peter　or　Paul；　but　a　man　as　capable　as　Peter　or　Paul

of　firing　a　gun；　of　marching　long　distances；　of　resisting

inclemencies；　and　such　are　the　substitutes　it　accepts。　They　must　all

be＇69＇　〃of　sound　health　and　robust　constitution；〃　and　sufficiently

tall；　as　a　matter　of　fact；　being　poorer　than　those　replaced；　they　are

more　accustomed　to　privation　and　fatigue；　most　of　them；　having　reached

maturity；　are　worth　more　for　the　service　than　youths　who　have　been

recruited　by　anticipation　and　too　young；　some　are　old　soldiers：　and　in

this　case　the　substitute　is　worth　twice　as　much　as　the　new　conscript

who　has　never　donned　the　knapsack　or　bivouacked　in　the　open　air。

Consequently；　those　who　are　allowed　to　obtain　substitutes　are　〃the

drafted　and　conscripts　of　all　classes；　。　。　。　unable　to　endure　the

fatigues　of　war；　and　those　who　shall　be　recognized　of　greater　use　to

the　State　by　continuing　their　labors　and　studies　than　in　forming　a

part　of　the　army。　。　。　。〃＇70＇



Napoleon　had　too　much　sense　to　be　led　by　the　blind　existences　of

democratic　formulae；　his　eyes；　which　penetrated　beyond　mere　words；　at

once　perceived　that　the　life　of　a　simple　soldier；　for　a　young　man　well

brought　up　and　a　peasant　or　for　day…laborer；　is　unequal。　A　tolerable

bed；　sufficient　clothing；　good　shoes；　certainty　of　daily　bread；　a

piece　of　meat　regularly；　are　novelties　for　the　latter　but　not　for　the

former；　and；　consequently；　enjoyments；　that　the　promiscuity　and　odor

of　the　barrack　chamber；　the　corporal's　cursing　and　swearing　and　rude

orders；　the　mess…dish　and　camp…bread；　physical　hardships　all　day　and

every　other　day；　are　for　the　former；　but　not　for　the　latter；　novelties

and；　consequently；　sufferings。　From　which　it　follows　that；　if　literal

equality　is　applied；　positive　inequality　is　established；　and　that　by

virtue　even　of　the　new　creed；　it　is　necessary；　in　the　name　of　true

equality　as　in　the　name　of　true　liberty；　to　allow　the　former；　who

would　suffer　most；　to　treat　fairly　and　squarely　with　the　latter；　who

will　suffer　less。　And　all　the　more　because；　by　this　arrangement；　the

civil　staff　preserves　for　itself　its　future　recruits；　it　is　from

nineteen　to　twenty…six　that　the　future　chiefs　and　under…chiefs　of　the

great　work　of　peaceful　and　fruitful　labor；　the　savants；　artists　or

scholars；　the　jurisconsults；　engineers　or　physicians；　the　enterprising

men　of　commerce　or　of　industry；　receive　and　undertake　for　themselves　a

special　and　superior　education；　discover　or　acquire　their　leading

ideas；　and　elaborate　their　originality　or　their　competency。　If　talent

is　to　be　deprived　of　these　productive　years　their　growth　is　arrested

in　full　vegetation；　and　civil　capacities；　not　less　precious　for　the

State　than　military　capacities；　are　rendered　abortive。＇71＇　…　Towards

1804；＇72＇　owing　to　substitution；　one　conscript　out　of　five　in　the

rural　districts；　one　conscript　out　of　seven　in　the　towns；　and；　on　the

average；　one　conscript　out　of　ten　in　France；　escapes　this　forced

abortive　condition；　in　1806；　the　price　of　a　substitute　varies　from

eighteen　hundred　to　four　thousand　francs；＇73＇　and　as　capital　is

scarce；　and　ready　money　still　more　so；　a　sum　like　this　is　sufficiently

large。　Accordingly；　it　is　the　rich　or　well…to…do　class；　in　other　words

the　more　or　less　cultivated　class；　which　buys　off　its　sons：　reliance

may　be　placed　on　their　giving　them　more　or　less　complete　culture。　In

this　way；　it　prevents　the　State　from　mowing　down　all　its　sprouting

wheat　and　preserves　a　nursery　of　subjects　among　which　society　is　to

find　its　future　élite。　…　Thus　attenuated；　the　military　law　is　still

rigid　enough：　nevertheless　it　remains　endurable。　It　is　only　towards

1807＇74＇　that　it　becomes　monstrous　and　grows　worse　and　worse　from　year

to　year　until　it　becomes　the　sepulcher　of　all　French　youth；　even　to

taking　as　canon　fodder　the　adolescent　under　age　and　men　already　exempt

or　free　by　purchase。　But；　as　before　these　excesses；　it　may　still　be

maintained　with　certain　modifications；　it　suffices　almost　to　retouch

it；　to　establish　exemptions　and　the　privilege　of　substitution　as

rights；　which　were　once　simply　favors；＇75＇　reduce　the　annual

contingent；　limit　the　term　of　service；　guarantee　their　lasting　freedom

to　those　liberated；　and　thus　secure　in　1818　a　recruiting　law

satisfactory　and　efficacious　which；　for　more　than　half　a　century；　will

attain　its　ends　without　being　too　detrimental　or　too　odious；　and

which；　among　so　many　laws　of　the　same　sort；　all　mischievous；　is

perhaps　the　least　pernicious。



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Notes：



＇1＇　〃The　Ancient　Régime；〃　book　II。；　ch。　2；　3；　4；　and　book　V。　（Laff。　I。

pp。　95　to　125　and　pp。　245　to　308。）



＇2＇　La　Bruyère　is；　I　believe；　the　first　of　these　precursors。　Cf。　his

chapters　on　〃The　Great；〃　on　〃Personal　Merit；〃　on　〃The　Sovereign　and

the　Republic；〃　and　his　chapter　on　〃Man；〃　his　passages　on　〃The

Peasants；