the origins of contemporary france-5-第97章

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refuse　promotion　so　as　not　to　quit　their　regiment　or　their　mistress。



＇59＇　Roederer；　III。；　556。　（Burgos；　April　9；　1809；　conversation　with

General　Lasalle　written　down　the　same　evening。）　〃　You　pass　through

Paris？〃　〃Yes；　it's　the　shortest　way。　I　shall　get　there　at　five　in　the

morning；　I　shall　order　a　pair　of　boots；　get　my　wife　with　child　and

then　leave　for　Germany。〃　…　Roederer　remarks　to　him　that　one　risks

one's　life　and　fights　for　the　sake　of　promotion　and　to　profit　by

rising　in　the　world。　〃No；　not　at　all。　One　takes　pleasure　in　it。　One

enjoys　fighting；　it　is　pleasure　enough　in　itself　to　fight！　You　are　in

the　midst　of　the　uproar；　of　the　action；　of　the　smoke。　And　then；　on

acquiring　reputation　you　have　had　the　fun　of　making　it。　When　you　have

got　your　fortune　you　know　that　your　wife　and　children　won't　suffer。

That　is　enough。　As　for　myself；　I　could　die　to…morrow。〃　（The　details　of

this　conversation　are　admirable；　no　document　gives　a　better　idea　of

the　officer　of　the　epoch。）



＇60＇　Compare　with　the　idea　of　an　ideal　Chaver　（kibbutznik）。：　Melford

E。　Spiro；　　wrote　〃Kibbutz。　Venture　in　Utopia。〃　60　and　described　how

the　Israeli　kibbutzim　as　early　as　1917　wanted　the　ideal　kibbutzim　to

be：



Loyal　to　his　people

A　brother　to　his　fellows

A　man　of　truth

A　helpful　and　dependable　brother

A　lover　of　nature

Obedient　to　the　orders　of　his　leaders

Joyful　and　gay

Economical　and　generous

A　man　of　courage

Pure　in　thoughts；　words；　and　deeds　　（opposition　to　drinking；　smoking

and　sexual　relationships）。



＇61＇　Balzac　has　closely　studied　and　admirably　portrayed　this　type　in　a

〃Ménage　de　Gar？on。〃　…　See　other　similar　characters　in　Mérimée　（〃Les

Mécontens；〃　and　〃les　Espagnols　en　Danemark〃）；　in　Stendhal　（〃le

Chasseur　vert〃）。　I　knew　five　or　six　of　them　in　my　youth。



＇62＇　Words　of　Marshal　Marmont：　〃So　long　as　he　declared　'Everything　for

France；'　I　served　him　enthusiastically；　when　he　said；　'France　and

myself'　I　served　him　zealously；　when　he　said；　'myself　and　France；'　I

served　him　with　devotion。　It　is　only　when　he　said；　'Myself　without

France；'　that　I　left　him。〃



＇63＇　An　expression　found　by　Joseph　de　Maistre。



＇64＇　An　expression　heard　by　Mickiewicz　in　his　childhood。



＇65＇　These　sums　are　given；　the　former　by　Mérimée　and　the　latter　by

Sainte…　Beuve。



＇66＇　M。　de　Champagny　〃Souvenirs；〃　III。；　183。　Napoleon；　passing　his

marshals　in　review；　said　to　him　（1811）：　〃None　of　them　can　take　my

place　in　the　command　of　my　armies；　some　are　without　the　talent；　and

others　would　carry　on　war　for　their　own　benefit。　Didn't　that　burly

Soult　want　to　be　king　of　Portugal？〃　〃Well；　sire；　war　need　not　be

carried　on　any　longer。〃　〃Yes；　but　how　maintain　my　army？　And　I　must

have　an　army。〃



＇67＇　〃Souvenirs〃；　by　PASQUIER　（Etienne…Dennis；　duc）；　chancelier　de

France。　in　VI　volumes；　Librarie　Plon；　　Paris　1893。　IV。；　112。

（According　to　the　papers　of　Savary；　many　of　Napoleon's　letters　and

statements　by　M。　de　Saint…Aignan。）



＇68＇　〃Mémorial；〃　Aug。26；　1816。



＇69＇　　The　driving　motor　of　unlimited　capitalism　as　well；　a　driving

force　only　to　be　tempered　by　the　law　and　by　a　desire　for　social

admiration　of　different　kinds。　（SR。）



＇70＇　〃Travels　in　France　during　the　years　1814　and　1815。〃　（Edinburgh；

1816；　2　vols。）　…　The　author；　a　very　good　observer；　thus　sums　up　the

principle　of　the　system：　〃To　give　active　employment　to　all　men　of

talent　and　enterprise。〃　There　is　no　other　condition：　〃Birth；

education；　moral　character　were　completely　set　aside。〃　…　Hence　the

general　defect　of　the　system。　〃The　French　have　literally　no　idea　of

any　duties　which　they　must　voluntarily；　without　the　prospect　of

reward；　undertake　for　their　country。　It　never　enters　their　heads　that

a　man　may　be　responsible　for　the　neglect　of　those　public　duties　for

the　performance　of　which　he　receives　no　regular　salary。〃







BOOK　FOURTH。　Defect　and　Effects　of　the　System。



CHAPTER　I。　Local　Society。





I。　Human　Incentives。



The　two　Stimuli　of　human　action。　…　The　egoistic　instinct　and　the

social　instinct。　…　Motives　for　not　weakening　the　social　instinct。　…

Influence　on　society　of　the　law　it　prescribes。　…　The　clauses　of　a

statute　depend　on　the　legislator　who　adopts　or　imposes　them。　…

Conditions　of　a　good　statute。　…　It　favors　the　social　instinct。　…

Different　for　different　societies。　…　Determined　by　the　peculiar　and

permanent　traits　of　the　society　it　governs。　…　Capital　defect　of　the

statute　under　the　new　régime。



So　long　as　a　man　takes　an　interest　only　in　himself；　in　his　own

fortune；　in　his　own　advancement；　in　his　own　success；　his　interests　are

trivial：　all　that　is；　like　himself；　of　little　importance　and　of　short

duration。　Alongside　of　the　small　boat　which　he　steers　so　carefully

there　are　thousands　and　millions　of　others　of　like　it；　none　of　them

are　worth　much；　and　his　own　is　not　worth　more。　However　well　he　may

have　provisioned　and　sailed　it；　it　will　always　remain　what　it　is；

slight　and　fragile；　in　vain　will　he　hoist　his　flags；　decorate　it；　and

shove　ahead　to　get　the　first　place；　in　three　steps　he　has　reached　its

length。　However　well　he　handles　and　maintains　it；　in　a　few　years　it

leaks；　sooner　or　later　it　crumbles　and　sinks；　and　with　it　goes　all　his

effort。　Is　it　reasonable　to　work　so　hard　for　this；　and　is　so　slight　an

object　worth　so　great　an　effort？



Fortunately；　man　has；　for　a　better　placement　of　his　effort；　other

aims；　more　vast　and　more　substantial：　a　family；　a　commune；　a　church；　a

country；　all　the　associations　of　which　he　is　or　becomes　a　member；　all

the　collective　undertakings　in　behalf　of　science；　education；　and

charity；　of　local　or　general　utility；　most　of　them　provided　with　legal

statutes　and　organized　as　corporations　or　even　as　a　legal　entity。　They

are　as　well　defined　and　protected　as　he　is；　but　more　precious　and　more

viable：　for　they　are　of　service　to　a　large　number　of　men　and　last　for

ever。　Some；　even；　have　a　secular　history；　and　their　age　predicts　their

longevity。　In　the　countless　fleet　of　boats　which　so　constantly　sink；

and　which　are　so　constantly　replaced　by　others；　they　last　like　top

rated　liners。　The　men　from　the　flotilla　now　and　then　sign　on　these

large　vessels；　and　the　result　of　their　labor　is　not；　as　it　is　at　home；

futile　or　short…lived；　it　will　remain　above　the　surface　after　he　and

his　boat　have　disappeared。　It　has　entered　into　the　common　mass　of　work

which　owes　its　protection　to　its　mass；　undoubtedly　the　portion　he

contributes　may　be　worked　over　again　later　on；　but　its　substance

remains；　and　often　also　its　form：



*　like　a　precept　of　Jesus；

*　like　Archimedes'　theorem



which　rests　a　definite　acquisition；　intact　and　permanently　fixed　for

two　thousand　years；　immortal　from　the　first　day。　…　Consequently；　the

individual　may　take　an　interest；　no　longer　merely　in　his　own　boat；　but

again　in　some　ship；　in　this　or　that　particular　one；　in　this　or　that

association　or　community；　according　to　his　preferences　and　his

aptitudes；　according　to　attractiveness；　proximity；　and　convenience　of

access；　all　of　which　is　a　new　motivation　for　his　activities；　opposing

his　egoism；　which；　powerful　as　it　may　be；　may　still　be　overcome；　since

a　soul　might　be　very　generous　or　qualified　by　long　and　special

discipline。　Out　of　this　issues　every　sacrifice；　the　surrender　of

one's…self　to　one's　work　or　to　a　cause；



*　the　devotion　of　the　sister　of　charity　or　of　the　missionary；

*　the　abnegation　of　the　scientist　who　buries　himself　for　twenty　years

in　the　minutia　of　a　thankless　task；

*　the　heroism　of　the　explorer　who　risks　himself　on　a　desert　or　among

savages；

*　the　courage　of　the　soldier　who　stakes　his　life　in　defense　of　his

flag。



But　these　cases　are　rare；　with　the　mass　of　men；　and　in　most　of　their

actions；　personal　interest　prevails　against　common　interest；　while

against　the　egoistic　instinct　the　social　instinct　is　feeble。　Hence　the

danger　of　weakening　this。　The　temptation　of　the　individual　to　prefer

his　own　boat　to　the　la