character-第48章

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officers　are　very　inattentive　men；　they　will　not　allow　others　to

impose　more　duty　on　you　than　they　should。〃



This　devotion　to　duty　is　said　to　be　peculiar　to　the　English

nation；　and　it　has　certainly　more　or　less　characterised　our

greatest　public　men。　　Probably　no　commander　of　any　other　nation

ever　went　into　action　with　such　a　signal　flying　as　Nelson　at

Trafalgarnot　〃Glory；〃　or　〃Victory；〃　or　〃Honour；〃　or　〃Country〃

but　simply　〃Duty！〃　How　few　are　the　nations　willing　to　rally　to

such　a　battle…cry！



Shortly　after　the　wreck　of　the　BIRKENHEAD　off　the　coast　of　Africa；

in　which　the　officers　and　men　went　down　firing　a　FEU…DE…JOIE　after

seeing　the　women　and　children　safely　embarked　in　the　boats；

Robertson　of　Brighton；　referring　to　the　circumstance　in　one　of　his

letters；　said：　〃Yes！　　Goodness；　Duty；　Sacrifice；these　are　the

qualities　that　England　honours。　　She　gapes　and　wonders　every　now

and　then；　like　an　awkward　peasant；　at　some　other　thingsrailway

kings；　electro…biology；　and　other　trumperies；　but　nothing　stirs

her　grand　old　heart　down　to　its　central　deeps　universally　and

long；　except　the　Right。　　She　puts　on　her　shawl　very　badly；　and　she

is　awkward　enough　in　a　concert…room；　scarce　knowing　a　Swedish

nightingale　from　a　jackdaw；　butblessings　large　and　long　upon

her！she　knows　how　to　teach　her　sons　to　sink　like　men　amidst

sharks　and　billows；　without　parade；　without　display；　as　if　Duty

were　the　most　natural　thing　in　the　world；　and　she　never　mistakes

long　an　actor　for　a　hero；　or　a　hero　for　an　actor。〃　（6）



It　is　a　grand　thing；　after　all；　this　pervading　spirit　of　Duty　in　a

nation；　and　so　long　as　it　survives；　no　one　need　despair　of　its

future。　　But　when　it　has　departed；　or　become　deadened；　and　been

supplanted　by　thirst　for　pleasure；　or　selfish　aggrandisement；

or　〃glory〃then　woe　to　that　nation；　for　its　dissolution

is　near　at　hand！



If　there　be　one　point　on　which　intelligent　observers　are　agreed

more　than　another　as　to　the　cause　of　the　late　deplorable　collapse

of　France　as　a　nation；　it　was　the　utter　absence　of　this　feeling　of

duty；　as　well　as　of　truthfulness；　from　the　mind；　not　only　of　the

men；　but　of　the　leaders　of　the　French　people。　　The　unprejudiced

testimony　of　Baron　Stoffel；　French　military　attache　at　Berlin；

before　the　war；　is　conclusive　on　this　point。　　In　his　private

report　to　the　Emperor；　found　at　the　Tuileries；　which　was　written

in　August；　1869；　about　a　year　before　the　outbreak　of　the　war；

Baron　Stoffel　pointed　out　that　the　highly…educated　and　disciplined

German　people　were　pervaded　by　an　ardent　sense　of　duty；　and　did

not　think　it　beneath　them　to　reverence　sincerely　what　was　noble

and　lofty；　whereas；　in　all　respects；　France　presented　a　melancholy

contrast。　There　the　people；　having　sneered　at　everything；　had

lost　the　faculty　of　respecting　anything；　and　virtue；　family

life；　patriotism；　honour；　and　religion；　were　represented　to

a　frivolous　generation　as　only　fitting　subjects　for　ridicule。　（7）

Alas！　how　terribly　has　France　been　punished　for　her　sins

against　truth　and　duty！



Yet　the　time　was；　when　France　possessed　many　great　men　inspired　by

duty；　but　they　were　all　men　of　a　comparatively　remote　past。　The

race　of　Bayard；　Duguesclin；　Coligny；　Duquesne；　Turenne；　Colbert；

and　Sully；　seems　to　have　died　out　and　left　no　lineage。　　There　has

been　an　occasional　great　Frenchman　of　modern　times　who　has　raised

the　cry　of　Duty；　but　his　voice　has　been　as　that　of　one　crying　in

the　wilderness。　　De　Tocqueville　was　one　of　such；　but；　like　all　men

of　his　stamp；　he　was　proscribed；　imprisoned；　and　driven　from

public　life。　　Writing　on　one　occasion　to　his　friend　Kergorlay；

he　said：　〃Like　you；　I　become　more　and　more　alive　to　the

happiness　which　consists　in　the　fulfilment　of　Duty。　　I　believe

there　is　no　other　so　deep　and　so　real。　　There　is　only　one　great

object　in　the　world　which　deserves　our　efforts；　and　that　is

the　good　of　mankind。〃　（8）



Although　France　has　been　the　unquiet　spirit　among　the　nations　of

Europe　since　the　reign　of　Louis　XIV。；　there　have　from　time　to　time

been　honest　and　faithful　men　who　have　lifted　up　their　voices

against　the　turbulent　warlike　tendencies　of　the　people；　and　not

only　preached；　but　endeavoured　to　carry　into　practice；　a　gospel　of

peace。　　Of　these；　the　Abbe　de　St。…Pierre　was　one　of　the　most

courageous。　　He　had　even　the　boldness　to　denounce　the　wars　of

Louis　XIV。；　and　to　deny　that　monarch's　right　to　the　epithet　of

'Great；'　for　which　he　was　punished　by　expulsion　from　the　Academy。

The　Abbe　was　as　enthusiastic　an　agitator　for　a　system　of

international　peace　as　any　member　of　the　modern　Society　of

Friends。　　As　Joseph　Sturge　went　to　St。　Petersburg　to　convert　the

Emperor　of　Russia　to　his　views；　so　the　Abbe　went　to　Utrecht　to

convert　the　Conference　sitting　there；　to　his　project　for　a　Diet；

to　secure　perpetual　peace。　　Of　course　he　was　regarded　as　an

enthusiast；　Cardinal　Dubois　characterising　his　scheme　as　〃the

dream　of　an　honest　man。〃　　Yet　the　Abbe　had　found　his　dream　in　the

Gospel；　and　in　what　better　way　could　he　exemplify　the　spirit　of

the　Master　he　served　than　by　endeavouring　to　abate　the　horrors　and

abominations　of　war？　The　Conference　was　an　assemblage　of　men

representing　Christian　States：　and　the　Abbe　merely　called　upon

them　to　put　in　practice　the　doctrines　they　professed　to　believe。

It　was　of　no　use：　the　potentates　and　their　representatives　turned

to　him　a　deaf　ear。



The　Abbe　de　St。…Pierre　lived　several　hundred　years　too　soon。　　But

he　determined　that　his　idea　should　not　be　lost；　and　in　1713　he

published　his　'Project　of　Perpetual　Peace。'　　He　there　proposed　the

formation　of　a　European　Diet；　or　Senate；　to　be　composed　of

representatives　of　all　nations；　before　which　princes　should　be

bound；　before　resorting　to　arms；　to　state　their　grievances　and

require　redress。　　Writing　about　eighty　years　after　the　publication

of　this　project；　Volney　asked：　〃What　is　a　people？an　individual

of　the　society　at　large。　　What　a　war？a　duel　between　two

individual　people。　　In　what　manner　ought　a　society　to　act　when　two

of　its　members　fight？Interfere；　and　reconcile　or　repress　them。

In　the　days　of　the　Abbe　de　St。…Pierre；　this　was　treated　as　a

dream；　but；　happily　for　the　human　race；　it　begins　to　be　realised。〃

Alas　for　the　prediction　of　Volney！　　The　twenty…five　years　that

followed　the　date　at　which　this　passage　was　written；　were

distinguished　by　more　devastating　and　furious　wars　on　the　part　of

France　than　had　ever　been　known　in　the　world　before。



The　Abbe　was　not；　however；　a　mere　dreamer。　　He　was　an　active

practical　philanthropist　and　anticipated　many　social　improvements

which　have　since　become　generally　adopted。　　He　was　the　original

founder　of　industrial　schools　for　poor　children；　where　they　not

only　received　a　good　education；　but　learned　some　useful　trade；　by

which　they　might　earn　an　honest　living　when　they　grew　up　to

manhood。　　He　advocated　the　revision　and　simplification　of　the

whole　code　of　lawsan　idea　afterwards　carried　out　by　the　First

Napoleon。　　He　wrote　against　duelling；　against　luxury；　against

gambling；　against　monasticism；　quoting　the　remark　of　Segrais；　that

〃the　mania　for　a　monastic　life　is　the　smallpox　of　the　mind。〃　　He

spent　his　whole　income　in　acts　of　charitynot　in　almsgiving；　but

in　helping　poor　children；　and　poor　men　and　women；　to　help

themselves。　　His　object　always　was　to　benefit　permanently　those

whom　he　assisted。　　He　continued　his　love　of　truth　and　his　freedom

of　speech　to　the　last。　At　the　age　of　eighty　he　said：　〃If　life　is　a

lottery　for　happiness；　my　lot　has　been　one　of　the　best。〃　　When　on

his　deathbed；　Voltaire　asked　him　how　he　felt；　to　which　he

answered；　〃As　about　to　make　a　journey　into　the　country。〃　　And　in

this　peaceful　frame　of　mind　he　died。　　But　so　outspoken　had　St。…

Pierre　been　against　corruption　in　high　places；　that　Maupertius；

his　Successor　at　the　Academy；　was　not　permitted　to　pronounce　his

ELOGE；　nor　was　it　until　thirty…two　years　after　his　death　that　this

honour