bureaucracy-第3章

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commit　it　was　too　late；the　groove　had　been　cut；　he　suffered　and　was

silent。　Like　other　men　in　whom　sentiments　and　ideas　are　of　equal

strength；　whose　souls　are　noble　and　their　brains　well　balanced；　he　was

the　defender　of　his　wife　before　the　tribunal　of　his　own　judgment；　he

told　himself　that　nature　doomed　her　to　a　disappointed　life　through　his

fault；　HIS；　she　was　like　a　thoroughbred　English　horse；　a　racer

harnessed　to　a　cart　full　of　stones；　she　it　was　who　suffered；　and　he

blamed　himself。　His　wife；　by　dint　of　constant　repetition；　had

inoculated　him　with　her　own　belief　in　herself。　Ideas　are　contagious　in

a　household；　the　ninth　thermidor；　like　so　many　other　portentous

events；　was　the　result　of　female　influence。　Thus；　goaded　by

Celestine's　ambition；　Rabourdin　had　long　considered　the　means　of

satisfying　it；　though　he　hid　his　hopes；　so　as　to　spare　her　the

tortures　of　uncertainty。　The　man　was　firmly　resolved　to　make　his　way

in　the　administration　by　bringing　a　strong　light　to　bear　upon　it。　He

intended　to　bring　about　one　of　those　revolutions　which　send　a　man　to

the　head　of　either　one　party　or　another　in　society；　but　being

incapable　of　so　doing　in　his　own　interests；　he　merely　pondered　useful

thoughts　and　dreamed　of　triumphs　won　for　his　country　by　noble　means。

His　ideas　were　both　generous　and　ambitious；　few　officials　have　not

conceived　the　like；　but　among　officials　as　among　artists　there　are

more　miscarriages　than　births；　which　is　tantamount　to　Buffon's　saying

that　〃Genius　is　patience。〃



Placed　in　a　position　where　he　could　study　French　administration　and

observe　its　mechanism；　Rabourdin　worked　in　the　circle　where　his

thought　revolved；　which；　we　may　remark　parenthetically；　is　the　secret

of　much　human　accomplishment；　and　his　labor　culminated　finally　in　the

invention　of　a　new　system　for　the　Civil　Service　of　government。　Knowing

the　people　with　whom　he　had　to　do；　he　maintained　the　machine　as　it

then　worked；　so　it　still　works　and　will　continue　to　work；　for

everybody　fears　to　remodel　it；　though　no　one；　according　to　Rabourdin；

ought　to　be　unwilling　to　simplify　it。　In　his　opinion；　the　problem　to

be　resolved　lay　in　a　better　use　of　the　same　forces。　His　plan；　in　its

simplest　form；　was　to　revise　taxation　and　lower　it　in　a　way　that

should　not　diminish　the　revenues　of　the　State；　and　to　obtain；　from　a

budget　equal　to　the　budgets　which　now　excite　such　rabid　discussion；

results　that　should　be　two…fold　greater　than　the　present　results。　Long

practical　experience　had　taught　Rabourdin　that　perfection　is　brought

about　in　all　things　by　changes　in　the　direction　of　simplicity。　To

economize　is　to　simplify。　To　simplify　means　to　suppress　unnecessary

machinery；　removals　naturally　follow。　His　system；　therefore；　depended

on　the　weeding　out　of　officials　and　the　establishment　of　a　new　order

of　administrative　offices。　No　doubt　the　hatred　which　all　reformers

incur　takes　its　rise　here。　Removals　required　by　this　perfecting

process；　always　ill…understood；　threaten　the　well…being　of　those　on

whom　a　change　in　their　condition　is　thus　forced。　What　rendered

Rabourdin　really　great　was　that　he　was　able　to　restrain　the　enthusiasm

that　possesses　all　reformers；　and　to　patiently　seek　out　a　slow

evolving　medium　for　all　changes　so　as　to　avoid　shocks；　leaving　time

and　experience　to　prove　the　excellence　of　each　reform。　The　grandeur　of

the　result　anticipated　might　make　us　doubt　its　possibility　if　we　lose

sight　of　this　essential　point　in　our　rapid　analysis　of　his　system。　It

is；　therefore；　not　unimportant　to　show　through　his　self…communings；

however　incomplete　they　might　be；　the　point　of　view　from　which　he

looked　at　the　administrative　horizon。　This　tale；　which　is　evolved　from

the　very　heart　of　the　Civil　Service；　may　also　serve　to　show　some　of

the　evils　of　our　present　social　customs。



Xavier　Rabourdin；　deeply　impressed　by　the　trials　and　poverty　which　he

witnessed　in　the　lives　of　the　government　clerks；　endeavored　to

ascertain　the　cause　of　their　growing　deterioration。　He　found　it　in

those　petty　partial　revolutions；　the　eddies；　as　it　were；　of　the　storm

of　1789；　which　the　historians　of　great　social　movements　neglect　to

inquire　into；　although　as　a　matter　of　fact　it　is　they　which　have　made

our　manners　and　customs　what　they　are　now。



Formerly；　under　the　monarchy；　the　bureaucratic　armies　did　not　exist。

The　clerks；　few　in　number；　were　under　the　orders　of　a　prime　minister

who　communicated　with　the　sovereign；　thus　they　directly　served　the

king。　The　superiors　of　these　zealous　servants　were　simply　called　head…

clerks。　In　those　branches　of　administration　which　the　king　did　not

himself　direct；　such　for　instance　as　the　〃fermes〃　（the　public　domains

throughout　the　country　on　which　a　revenue　was　levied）；　the　clerks　were

to　their　superior　what　the　clerks　of　a　business…house　are　to　their

employer；　they　learned　a　science　which　would　one　day　advance　them　to

prosperity。　Thus；　all　points　of　the　circumference　were　fastened　to　the

centre　and　derived　their　life　from　it。　The　result　was　devotion　and

confidence。　Since　1789　the　State；　call　it　the　Nation　if　you　like；　has

replaced　the　sovereign。　Instead　of　looking　directly　to　the　chief

magistrate　of　this　nation；　the　clerks　have　become；　in　spite　of　our

fine　patriotic　ideas；　the　subsidiaries　of　the　government；　their

superiors　are　blown　about　by　the　winds　of　a　power　called　〃the

administration；〃　and　do　not　know　from　day　to　day　where　they　may　be　on

the　morrow。　As　the　routine　of　public　business　must　go　on；　a　certain

number　of　indispensable　clerks　are　kept　in　their　places；　though　they

hold　these　places　on　sufferance；　anxious　as　they　are　to　retain　them。

Bureaucracy；　a　gigantic　power　set　in　motion　by　dwarfs；　was　generated

in　this　way。　Though　Napoleon；　by　subordinating　all　things　and　all　men

to　his　will；　retarded　for　a　time　the　influence　of　bureaucracy　（that

ponderous　curtain　hung　between　the　service　to　be　done　and　the　man　who

orders　it）；　it　was　permanently　organized　under　the　constitutional

government；　which　was；　inevitably；　the　friend　of　all　mediocrities；　the

lover　of　authentic　documents　and　accounts；　and　as　meddlesome　as　an　old

tradeswoman。　Delighted　to　see　the　various　ministers　constantly

struggling　against　the　four　hundred　petty　minds　of　the　Elected　of　the

Chamber；　with　their　ten　or　a　dozen　ambitious　and　dishonest　leaders；

the　Civil　Service　officials　hastened　to　make　themselves　essential　to

the　warfare　by　adding　their　quota　of　assistance　under　the　form　of

written　action；　they　created　a　power　of　inertia　and　named　it　〃Report。〃

Let　us　explain　the　Report。



When　the　kings　of　France　took　to　themselves　ministers；　which　first

happened　under　Louis　XV。；　they　made　them　render　reports　on　all

important　questions；　instead　of　holding；　as　formerly；　grand　councils

of　state　with　the　nobles。　Under　the　constitutional　government；　the

ministers　of　the　various　departments　were　insensibly　led　by　their

bureaus　to　imitate　this　practice　of　kings。　Their　time　being　taken　up

in　defending　themselves　before　the　two　Chambers　and　the　court；　they

let　themselves　be　guided　by　the　leading…strings　of　the　Report。　Nothing

important　was　ever　brought　before　the　government　that　a　minister　did

not　say；　even　when　the　case　was　urgent；　〃I　have　called　for　a　report。〃

The　Report　thus　became；　both　as　to　the　matter　concerned　and　for　the

minister　himself；　the　same　as　a　report　to　the　Chamber　of　Deputies　on　a

question　of　laws；namely；　a　disquisition　in　which　the　reasons　for　and

against　are　stated　with　more　or　less　partiality。　No　real　result　is

attained；　the　minister；　like　the　Chamber；　is　fully　as　well　prepared

before　as　after　the　report　is　rendered。　A　determination；　in　whatever

matter；　is　reached　in　an　instant。　Do　what　we　will；　the　moment　comes

when　the　decision　must　be　made。　The　greater　the　array　of　reasons　for

and　against；　the　less　sound　will　be　the　judgment。　The　finest　things　of

which　France　can　boast　have　been　accomplished　without　reports　and

where　decisions　were　prompt　and　spontaneo