the magic skin-第13章

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evil；　rather　than　dispute　about　good。　Moreover；　I　would　give　all　the

speeches　made　for　forty　years　past　at　the　Tribune　for　a　trout；　for　one

of　Perrault's　tales　or　Charlet's　sketches。〃



〃Quite　right！　。　。　。　Hand　me　the　asparagus。　Because；　after　all；　liberty

begets　anarchy；　anarchy　leads　to　despotism；　and　despotism　back　again

to　liberty。　Millions　have　died　without　securing　a　triumph　for　any　one

system。　Is　not　that　the　vicious　circle　in　which　the　whole　moral　world

revolves？　Man　believes　that　he　has　reached　perfection；　when　in　fact　he

has　but　rearranged　matters。〃



〃Oh！　oh！〃　cried　Cursy；　the　vaudevilliste；　〃in　that　case；　gentlemen；

here's　to　Charles　X。；　the　father　of　liberty。〃



〃Why　not？〃　asked　Emile。　〃When　law　becomes　despotic；　morals　are

relaxed；　and　vice　versa。



〃Let　us　drink　to　the　imbecility　of　authority；　which　gives　us　such　an

authority　over　imbeciles！〃　said　the　good　banker。



〃Napoleon　left　us　glory；　at　any　rate；　my　good　friend！〃　exclaimed　a

naval　officer　who　had　never　left　Brest。



〃Glory　is　a　poor　bargain；　you　buy　it　dear；　and　it　will　not　keep。　Does

not　the　egotism　of　the　great　take　the　form　of　glory；　just　as　for

nobodies　it　is　their　own　well…being？〃



〃You　are　very　fortunate；　sir〃



〃The　first　inventor　of　ditches　must　have　been　a　weakling；　for　society

is　only　useful　to　the　puny。　The　savage　and　the　philosopher；　at　either

extreme　of　the　moral　scale；　hold　property　in　equal　horror。〃



〃All　very　fine！〃　said　Cardot；　〃but　if　there　were　no　property；　there

would　be　no　documents　to　draw　up。〃



〃These　green　peas　are　excessively　delicious！〃



〃And　the　cure　was　found　dead　in　his　bed　in　the　morning。　。　。　。〃



〃Who　is　talking　about　death？　Pray　don't　trifle；　I　have　an　uncle。〃



〃Could　you　bear　his　loss　with　resignation？〃



〃No　question。〃



〃Gentlemen；　listen　to　me！　HOW　TO　KILL　AN　UNCLE。　Silence！　（Cries　of

〃Hush！　hush！〃）　In　the　first　place；　take　an　uncle；　large　and　stout；

seventy　years　old　at　least；　they　are　the　best　uncles。　（Sensation。）　Get

him　to　eat　a　pate　de　foie　gras；　any　pretext　will　do。〃



〃Ah；　but　my　uncle　is　a　thin；　tall　man；　and　very　niggardly　and

abstemious。〃



〃That　sort　of　uncle　is　a　monster；　he　misappropriates　existence。〃



〃Then；〃　the　speaker　on　uncles　went　on；　〃tell　him；　while　he　is

digesting　it；　that　his　banker　has　failed。〃



〃How　if　he　bears　up？〃



〃Let　loose　a　pretty　girl　on　him。〃



〃And　if？〃　asked　the　other；　with　a　shake　of　the　head。



〃Then　he　wouldn't　be　an　unclean　uncle　is　a　gay　dog　by　nature。〃



〃Malibran　has　lost　two　notes　in　her　voice。〃



〃No；　sir；　she　has　not。〃



〃Yes；　sir；　she　has。〃



〃Oh；　ho！　No　and　yes；　is　not　that　the　sum…up　of　all　religious；

political；　or　literary　dissertations？　Man　is　a　clown　dancing　on　the

edge　of　an　abyss。〃



〃You　would　make　out　that　I　am　a　fool。〃



〃On　the　contrary；　you　cannot　make　me　out。〃



〃Education；　there's　a　pretty　piece　of　tomfoolery。　M。　Heineffettermach

estimates　the　number　of　printed　volumes　at　more　than　a　thousand

millions；　and　a　man　cannot　read　more　than　a　hundred　and　fifty　thousand

in　his　lifetime。　So；　just　tell　me　what　that　word　education　means。　For

some　it　consists　in　knowing　the　name　of　Alexander's　horse；　of　the　dog

Berecillo；　of　the　Seigneur　d'Accords；　and　in　ignorance　of　the　man　to

whom　we　owe　the　discovery　of　rafting　and　the　manufacture　of　porcelain。

For　others　it　is　the　knowledge　how　to　burn　a　will　and　live　respected；

be　looked　up　to　and　popular；　instead　of　stealing　a　watch　with　half…a…

dozen　aggravating　circumstances；　after　a　previous　conviction；　and　so

perishing；　hated　and　dishonored；　in　the　Place　de　Greve。〃



〃Will　Nathan's　work　live？〃



〃He　has　very　clever　collaborators；　sir。〃



〃Or　Canalis？〃



〃He　is　a　great　man；　let　us　say　no　more　about　him。〃



〃You　are　all　drunk！〃



〃The　consequence　of　a　Constitution　is　the　immediate　stultification　of

intellects。　Art；　science；　public　works；　everything；　is　consumed　by　a

horribly　egoistic　feeling；　the　leprosy　of　the　time。　Three　hundred　of

your　bourgeoisie；　set　down　on　benches；　will　only　think　of　planting

poplars。　Tyranny　does　great　things　lawlessly；　while　Liberty　will

scarcely　trouble　herself　to　do　petty　ones　lawfully。〃



〃Your　reciprocal　instruction　will　turn　out　counters　in　human　flesh；〃

broke　in　an　Absolutist。　〃All　individuality　will　disappear　in　a　people

brought　to　a　dead　level　by　education。〃



〃For　all　that；　is　not　the　aim　of　society　to　secure　happiness　to　each

member　of　it？〃　asked　the　Saint…Simonian。



〃If　you　had　an　income　of　fifty　thousand　livres；　you　would　not　think

much　about　the　people。　If　you　are　smitten　with　a　tender　passion　for

the　race；　go　to　Madagascar；　there　you　will　find　a　nice　little　nation

all　ready　to　Saint…Simonize；　classify；　and　cork　up　in　your　phials；　but

here　every　one　fits　into　his　niche　like　a　peg　in　a　hole。　A　porter　is　a

porter；　and　a　blockhead　is　a　fool；　without　a　college　of　fathers　to

promote　them　to　those　positions。〃



〃You　are　a　Carlist。〃



〃And　why　not？　Despotism　pleases　me；　it　implies　a　certain　contempt　for

the　human　race。　I　have　no　animosity　against　kings；　they　are　so

amusing。　Is　it　nothing　to　sit　enthroned　in　a　room；　at　a　distance　of

thirty　million　leagues　from　the　sun？〃



〃Let　us　once　more　take　a　broad　view　of　civilization；〃　said　the　man　of

learning　who；　for　the　benefit　of　the　inattentive　sculptor；　had　opened

a　discussion　on　primitive　society　and　autochthonous　races。　〃The　vigor

of　a　nation　in　its　origin　was　in　a　way　physical；　unitary；　and　crude；

then　as　aggregations　increased；　government　advanced　by　a　decomposition

of　the　primitive　rule；　more　or　less　skilfully　managed。　For　example；　in

remote　ages　national　strength　lay　in　theocracy；　the　priest　held　both

sword　and　censer；　a　little　later　there　were　two　priests；　the　pontiff

and　the　king。　To…day　our　society；　the　latest　word　of　civilization；　has

distributed　power　according　to　the　number　of　combinations；　and　we　come

to　the　forces　called　business；　thought；　money；　and　eloquence。

Authority　thus　divided　is　steadily　approaching　a　social　dissolution；

with　interest　as　its　one　opposing　barrier。　We　depend　no　longer　on

either　religion　or　physical　force；　but　upon　intellect。　Can　a　book

replace　the　sword？　Can　discussion　be　a　substitute　for　action？　That　is

the　question。〃



〃Intellect　has　made　an　end　of　everything；〃　cried　the　Carlist。　〃Come

now！　Absolute　freedom　has　brought　about　national　suicides；　their

triumph　left　them　as　listless　as　an　English　millionaire。〃



〃Won't　you　tell　us　something　new？　You　have　made　fun　of　authority　of

all　sorts　to…day；　which　is　every　bit　as　vulgar　as　denying　the

existence　of　God。　So　you　have　no　belief　left；　and　the　century　is　like

an　old　Sultan　worn　out　by　debauchery！　Your　Byron；　in　short；　sings　of

crime　and　its　emotions　in　a　final　despair　of　poetry。〃



〃Don't　you　know；〃　replied　Bianchon；　quite　drunk　by　this　time；　〃that　a

dose　of　phosphorus　more　or　less　makes　the　man　of　genius　or　the

scoundrel；　a　clever　man　or　an　idiot；　a　virtuous　person　or　a　criminal？〃



〃Can　any　one　treat　of　virtue　thus？〃　cried　Cursy。　〃Virtue；　the　subject

of　every　drama　at　the　theatre；　the　denoument　of　every　play；　the

foundation　of　every　court　of　law。　。　。　。〃



〃Be　quiet；　you　ass。　You　are　an　Achilles　for　virtue；　without　his　heel；〃

said　Bixiou。



〃Some　drink！〃



〃What　will　you　bet　that　I　will　drink　a　bottle　of　champagne　like　a

flash；　at　one　pull？〃



〃What　a　flash　of　wit！〃



〃Drunk　as　lords；〃　muttered　a　young　man　gravely；　trying　to　give　some

wine　to　his　waistcoat。



〃Yes；　sir；　real　government　is　the　art　of　ruling　by　public　opinion。〃



〃Opinion？　That　is　the　most　vicious　jade　of　all。　According　to　you

moralists　and　politicians；　the　laws　you　set　up　are　always　to　go　before

those　of　nature；　and　opinion　before　conscience。　You　are　right　and

wrong　both。　Suppose　society　bestows　down　pillows　on　us；　that　benefit

is　made　up　for　by　the　gout；　and　justice　is　likewise　tempered　by　red…

tape；　a