the origins of contemporary france-1-第107章

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very　difficult　to　equal　them　in　this　respect。　　Now　that　the　Third…

Estate　has　acquired　its　wealth　a　good　many　commoners　have　become

people　of　society。　　The　successors　of　Samuel　Bernard　are　no　longer　so

many　Turcarets；　but　Paris…Duverneys；　Saint…Jameses；　Labordes；　refined

men；　people　of　culture　and　of　feeling；　possessing　tact；　literary　and

philosophical　attainments；　benevolent；　giving　parties　and　knowing　how

to　entertain＇17＇。　　With　them；　slightly　different；　we　find　the　same

company　as　with　a　grand　lord；　the　same　ideas　and　the　same　tone。　　Their

sons；　messieurs　de　Villemer；　de　Francueil；　d'Epinay；　throw　money　out

of　the　window　with　as　much　elegance　as　the　young　dukes　with　whom　they

sup。　　A　parvenu　with　money　and　intellect　soon　learns　the　ropes；　and

his　son；　if　not　himself；　is　initiated：　a　few　years'　exercises　in　an

academy；　a　dancing…master；　and　one　of　the　four　thousand　public　offices

which　confer　nobility；　supply　him　with　the　deficient　appearances。

Now；　in　these　times；　as　soon　as　one　knows　how　to　conform　to　the　laws

of　good…breeding；　how　to　bow　and　how　to　converse；　one　possesses　a

patent　for　admission　everywhere。　　An　Englishman＇18＇　remarks　that　one

of　the　first　expressions　employed　in　praise　of　a　man　is；　〃he　has　a

very　graceful　address。〃　The　Maréchale　de　Luxembourg；　so　high…spirited；

always　selects　Laharpe　as　her　cavalier；　because　〃he　offers　his　arm　so

well。〃　　　The　commoner　not　only　enters　the　drawing…room；　if　he　is

fitted　for　it；　but　he　stands　foremost　in　it　if　he　has　any　talent。　　The

first　place　in　conversation；　and　even　in　public　consideration；　is　for

Voltaire；　the　son　of　a　notary；　for　Diderot；　the　son　of　a　cutler；　for

Rousseau；　the　son　of　a　watchmaker；　for　d'Alembert；　a　foundling　brought

up　by　a　glazier；　and；　after　the　great　men　have　disappeared；　and　no

writers　of　the　second　grade　are　left；　the　leading　duchesses　are　still

content　to　have　the　seats　at　their　tables　occupied　by　Champfort；

another　foundling；　Beaumarchais；　the　son　of　another　watchmaker；

Laharpe；　supported　and　raised　on　charity；　Marmontel；　the　son　of　a

village　tailor；　and　may　others　of　less　note；　in　short；　every　parvenu

possessing　wit。



　　　The　nobility；　to　perfect　their　own　accomplishments；　borrow　their

pens　and　aspire　to　their　successes。　　〃We　have　recovered　from　those　old

Gothic　and　absurd　prejudices　against　literary　culture；〃　says　the

Prince　de　Hénin；＇19＇　〃as　for　myself　I　would　compose　a　comedy　to…morrow

if　I　had　the　talent；　and　if　I　happened　to　be　made　a　little　angry；　I

would　perform　in　it。〃　And；　in　fact；　〃the　Vicomte　de　Ségur；　son　of　the

minister　of　war；　plays　the　part　of　the　lover　in　'Nina'　on　Mlle。　　de

Guimard's　stage　with　the　actors　of　the　Italian　Comedy。〃＇20＇　　One　of

Mme。　　de　Genlis's　personages；　returning　to　Paris　after　five　years'

absence；　says　that　〃he　left　men　wholly　devoted　to　play；　hunting；　and

their　small　houses；　and　he　finds　them　all　turned　authors。〃＇21＇　　They

hawk　about　their　tragedies；　comedies；　novels；　eclogues；　dissertations

and　treatises　of　all　kinds　from　one　drawing　room　to　another。　　They

strive　to　get　their　pieces　played；　they　previously　submit　them　to　the

judgment　of　actors；　they　solicit　a　word　of　praise　from　the　Mercure；

they　read　fables　at　the　sittings　of　the　Academy。　　They　become　involved

in　the　bickering；　in　the　vainglory；　in　the　pettiness　of　literary　life；

and　still　worse；　of　the　life　of　the　stage；　inasmuch　as　they　are

themselves　performers　and　play　in　company　with　real　actors　in　hundreds

of　private　theaters。　　Add　to　this；　if　you　please；　other　petty　amateur

talents　such　as　sketching　in　water…colors；　writing　songs；　and　playing

the　flute。　　　　　　After　this　amalgamation　of　classes　and　this　transfer

of　parts　what　remains　of　the　superiority　of　the　nobles？　By　what

special　merit；　through　what　recognized　capacity　are　they　to　secure

respect　of　a　member　of　the　Third…Estate？　Outside　of　fashionable

elegance　and　a　few　points　of　breeding；　in　what　respect　they　differ

from　him？　What　superior　education；　what　familiarity　with　affairs；　what

experience　with　government；　what　political　instruction；　what　local

ascendancy；　what　moral　authority　can　be　alleged　to　sanction　their

pretensions　to　the　highest　places？　　　　In　the　way　of　practice；　the

Third…Estate　already　does　the　work；　providing　the　qualified　men；　the

intendants；　the　ministerial　head…clerks；　the　lay　and　ecclesiastical

administrators；　the　competent　laborers　of　all　kinds　and　degrees。　　Call

to　mind　the　Marquis　of　whom　we　have　just　spoken；　a　former　captain　in

the　French　guards；　a　man　of　feeling　and　of　loyalty；　admitting　at　the

elections　of　1789　that　〃the　knowledge　essential　to　a　deputy　would　most

generally　be　found　in　the　Third…Estate　；　the　mind　there　being

accustomed　to　business。〃　　　　　In　the　way　of　theory：　the　commoner　is

as　well…informed　as　the　noble；　and　he　thinks　he　is　still　better

informed；　because；　having　read　the　same　books　and　arrived　at　the　same

principles；　he　does　not；　like　him；　stop　half…way　on　the　road　to　their

consequences；　but　plunges　headlong　to　the　very　depths　of　the　doctrine；

convinced　that　his　logic　is　clairvoyance　and　that　he　is　more

enlightened　because　he　is　the　least　prejudiced。　　　　　　Consider　the

young　men　who；　about　twenty　years　of　age　in　1780；　born　in　industrious

families；　accustomed　to　effort　and　able　to　work　twelve　hours　a　day；　a

Barnave；　a　Carnot；　a　Roederer；　a　Merlin　de　Thionville；　a　Robespierre；

an　energetic　stock；　feeling　their　strength；　criticizing　their　rivals；

aware　of　their　weakness；　comparing　their　own　application　and　education

to　their　levity　and　incompetence；　and；　at　the　moment　when　youthful

ambition　stirs　within　them；　seeing　themselves　excluded　in　advance　from

any　superior　position；　consigned　for　life　to　subaltern　employment；　and

subjected　in　every　career　to　the　precedence　of　superiors　who　they

hardly　recognize　as　their　equals。　　At　the　artillery　examinations　where

Chérin；　the　genealogist；　refuses　commoners；　and　where　the　Abbé　Bosen；

a　mathematician；　rejects　the　ignorant；　it　is　discovered　that　capacity

is　wanting　among　the　noble　pupils　and　nobility　among　the　capable

pupils；＇22＇　the　two　qualities　of　gentility　and　intelligence　seeming　to

exclude　each　other；　as　there　are　but　four　or　five　out　of　a　hundred

pupils　who　combine　the　two　conditions。　　Now；　as　society　at　this　time

is　mixed；　such　tests　are　frequent　and　easy。　　Whether　lawyer；

physician；　or　man　of　letters；　a　member　of　the　Third…Estate　with　whom　a

duke　converses　familiarly；　who　sits　in　a　diligence　alongside　of　a

count…colonel　of　hussars；＇23＇　can　appreciate　his　companion　or　his

interlocutor；　weigh　his　ideas；　test　his　merit　and　esteem　him　at　his

correct　value；　and　I　am　sure　that　he　does　not　overrate　him。　　　　

Now　that　the　nobles　have　lost　their　special　capacities　and　the　Third…

Estate　have　acquired　general　competence；　and　as　they　are　on　the　same

level　in　education　and　competence；　the　inequality　which　separates　them

has　become　offensive　because　it　has　become　useless。　　　Nobility　being

instituted　by　custom　is　no　longer　sanctified　by　conscience；　the　Third…

Estate　being　justly　excited　against　privileges　that　have　no

justification；　whether　in　the　capacity　of　the　noble　or　in　the

incapacity　of　the　bourgeois。





　　　IV。　　　ROUSSEAU'S　PHILOSOPHY　SPREADS　AND　TAKES　HOLD。



　　　Philosophy　in　the　minds　thus　fitted　for　it。　　…　That　of　Rousseau

prominent。　　…　This　philosophy　in　harmony　with　new　necessities。　　…　It

is　adopted　by　the　Third…Estate　。



　　　　　Distrust　and　anger　against　a　government　putting　all　fortunes

at　risk；　rancor　and　hostility　against　a　nobility　barring　all　roads　to

popular　advancement；　are；　then；　the　sentiments　developing　themselves

among　the　middle　class　solely　due　to　their　advance　in　wealth　and

culture。　　　　　　We　can　imagine　the　effect　of　the　new　philosophy　upon

people　with　such　attitudes。　　At　first；　confined　to　the　aristocratic

reservoir；　the　doctrine　filters　out　through　numerous　cracks　like　so

many　trickling　streams；　to　scatter　imperceptibly　among　the　lower

class。　　Alre