the origins of contemporary france-1-第130章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



institutions　appear　to　work　together　to　breed　and　or　tolerate　the

troublemakers；　preparing；　outside　the　social　defenses；　the　men　of

action　who　will　carry　it　by　storm。



But　the　total　effect　of　all　this　is　yet　more　damaging；　for；　out　of

the　vast　numbers　of　workers　it　ruins　it　forms　beggars　unwilling　to

work；　dangerous　sluggards　going　about　begging　and　extorting　bread　from

peasants　who　have　not　too　much　for　themselves。　　〃The　vagabonds　about

the　country；〃　says　Letrosne；＇31＇　〃are　a　terrible　pest；　they　are　like

an　enemy's　force　which；　distributed　over　the　territory；　obtains　a

living　as　it　pleases；　levying　veritable　contributions。　　。　　。　　。　　They　are

constantly　roving　around　the　country；　examining　the　approaches　to

houses；　and　informing　themselves　about　their　inmates　and　of　their

habits。…　Woe　to　those　supposed　to　have　money！　。　　。　　。　　What　numbers　of

highway　robberies　and　what　burglaries！　What　numbers　of　travelers

assassinated；　and　houses　and　doors　broken　into！　What　assassinations　of

curates；　farmers　and　widows；　tormented　to　discover　money　and

afterwards　killed！　Twenty…five　years　anterior　（page　384/284）　to　the

Revolution　it　was　not　infrequent　to　see　fifteen　or　twenty　of　these

〃invade　a　farm…house　to　sleep　there；　intimidating　the　farmers　and

exacting　whatever　they　pleased。〃　In　1764；　the　government　takes

measures　against　them　which　indicate　the　magnitude　of　the　evil＇32＇。



〃Are　held　to　be　vagabonds　and　vagrants；　and　condemned　as　such；

those　who；　for　a　preceding　term　of　six　months；　shall　have　exercised　no

trade　or　profession；　and　who；　having　no　occupation　or　means　of

subsistence；　can　procure　no　persons　worthy　of　confidence　to　attest　and

verify　their　habits　and　mode　of　life。　　。　　。　　。　　The　intent　of　His　Majesty

is　not　merely　to　arrest　vagabonds　traversing　the　country　but；　again；

all　mendicants　whatsoever　who；　without　occupations；　may　be　regarded　as

suspected　of　vagabondage。〃



The　penalty　for　able…bodied　men　is　three　years　in　the　galleys；　in

case　of　a　second　conviction；　nine　years；　and　for　a　third；　imprisonment

for　life。　　Under　the　age　of　sixteen；　they　are　put　in　an　institution。　　〃A

mendicant　who　has　made　himself　liable　to　arrest　by　the　police；〃　says

the　circular；　〃is　not　to　be　released　except　under　the　most　positive

assurance　that　he　will　no　longer　beg；　this　course　will　be　followed

only　in　case　of　persons　worthy　of　confidence　and　solvent　guaranteeing

the　mendicant；　and　engaging　to　provide　him　with　employment　or　to

support　him；　and　they　shall　indicate　the　means　by　which　they　are　to

prevent　him　from　begging。〃　This　being　furnished；　the　special

authorization　of　the　intendant　must　be　obtained　in　addition。　　By　virtue

of　this　law；　50；000　beggars　are　said　to　have　been　arrested　at　once；

and；　as　the　ordinary　hospitals　and　prisons　were　not　large　enough　to

contain　them；　jails　had　to　be　constructed。　　Up　to　the　end　of　the

ancient　régime　this　measure　is　carried　out　with　occasional

intermissions：　in　Languedoc；　in　1768；　arrests　were　still　made　of　433

in　six　months；　and；　in　1785；　205　in　four　months＇33＇。　　A　little　before

this　time　300　were　confined　in　the　depot　of　Besan？on；　500　in　that　of

Rennes　and　650　in　that　of　Saint　Denis。　　It　cost　the　king　a　million　a

year　to　support　them；　and　God　knows　how　they　were　bedded　and　fed！

Water；　straw；　bread；　and　two　ounces　of　salted　grease；　the　whole　at　an

expense　of　five　sous　a　day；　and；　as　the　price　of　provisions　for　twenty

years　back　had　increased　more　than　a　third；　the　keeper　who　had　them　in

charge　was　obliged　to　make　them　fast　or　ruin　himself。　　　…　　With

respect　to　the　mode　of　filling　the　depots；　the　police　are　Turks　in

their　treatment　of　the　lower　class；　they　strike　into　the　heap；　their

broom　bruising　as　many　as　they　sweep　out。　　According　to　the　ordinance

of　1778；　writes　an　intendant；＇34＇



〃the　police　must　arrest　not　only　beggars　and　vagabonds　whom　they

encounter　but；　again；　those　denounced　as　such　or　as　suspected　persons。

The　citizen；　the　most　irreproachable　in　his　conduct　and　the　least　open

to　suspicion　of　vagabondage；　is　not　sure　of　not　being　shut　up　in　the

depot；　as　his　freedom　depends　on　a　policeman　who　is　constantly　liable

to　be　deceived　by　a　false　denunciation　or　corrupted　by　a　bribe。　　I　have

seen　in　the　depot　at　Rennes　several　husbands　arrested　solely　through

the　denunciation　of　their　wives；　and　as　many　women　through　that　of

their　husbands；　several　children　by　the　first　wife　at　the　solicitation

of　their　step…mothers；　many　female　domestics　pregnant　by　the　masters

they　served；　shut　up　at　their　instigation；　and　girls　in　the　same

situation　at　the　instance　of　their　seducers；　children　denounced　by

their　fathers；　and　fathers　denounced　by　their　children；　all　without

the　slightest　evidence　of　vagabondage　or　mendicity。　　。　　。　　。　　No　decision

of　the　provost's　court　exists　restoring　the　incarcerated　to　their

liberty；　notwithstanding　the　infinite　number　arrested　unjustly。〃



Suppose　that　a　human　intendant；　like　this　one；　sets　them　at

liberty：　there　they　are　in　the　streets；　without　a　penny；　beggars

through　the　action　of　a　law　which　proscribes　mendicity　and　which　adds

to　the　wretched　it　prosecutes　the　wretched　it　creates；　still　more

embittered　and　corrupt　in　body　and　in　soul。



〃It　nearly　always　happens；〃　says　the　same　intendant；　〃that　the

prisoners；　arrested　twenty…five　or　thirty　leagues　from　the　depot；　are

not　confined　there　until　three　or　four　months　after　their　arrest；　and

sometimes　longer。　　Meanwhile；　they　are　transferred　from　brigade　to

brigade；　in　the　prisons　found　along　the　road；　where　they　remain　until

the　number　increases　sufficiently　to　form　a　convoy。　　Men　and　women　are

confined　in　the　same　prison；　the　result　of　which　is；　the　females　not

pregnant　on　entering　it　are　always　so　on　their　arrival　at　the　depot。

The　prisons　are　generally　unhealthy；　frequently；　the　majority　of　the

prisoners　are　sick　on　leaving　it；〃



and　many　become　rascals　on　coming　in　contact　with　rascals。…Moral

contagion　and　physical　contagion；　the　ulcer　thus　increasing　through

the　remedy；　centers　of　repression　becoming　centers　of　corruption。



And　yet　with　all　its　rigors　the　law　does　not　attain　its　ends。



〃Our　towns；〃　says　the　parliament　of　Brittany；＇35＇　〃are　so　filled

with　beggars　it　seems　as　if　the　measures　taken　to　suppress　mendicity

only　increase　it。〃　　　…　　　〃The　principal　highways；〃　writes　the

intendant；　〃are　infested　with　dangerous　vagabonds　and　vagrants；　actual

beggars；　which　the　police　do　not　arrest；　either　through　negligence　or

because　their　interference　is　not　provoked　by　special　solicitations。〃



What　would　be　done　with　them　if　they　were　arrested？　They　are　too

many；　and　there　is　no　place　to　put　them。　　And；　moreover；　how　prevent

people　who　live　on　alms　from　demanding　alms？　The　effect；　undoubtedly；

is　lamentable　but　inevitable。　　Poverty；　to　a　certain　extent；　is　a　slow

gangrene　in　which　the　morbid　parts　consume　the　healthy　parts；　the　man

scarcely　able　to　subsist　being　eaten　up　alive　by　the　man　who　has

nothing　to　live　on。



〃The　peasant　is　ruined；　perishing；　the　victim　of　oppression　by　the

multitude　of　the　poor　that　lay　waste　the　country　and　take　refuge　in

the　towns。　　Hence　the　mobs　so　prejudicial　to　public　safety；　that　crowd

of　smugglers　and　vagrants；　that　large　body　of　men　who　have　become

robbers　and　assassins；　solely　because　they　lack　bread。　　This　gives　but

a　faint　idea　of　the　disorders　I　have　seen　with　my　own　eyes＇36＇。　　The

poverty　of　the　rural　districts；　excessive　in　itself；　becomes　yet　more

so　through　the　disturbances　it　engenders；　we　have　not　to　seek

elsewhere　for　frightful　sources　of　mendicity　and　for　all　the

vices。〃＇37＇



Of　what　avail　are　palliatives　or　violent　proceedings　against　an

evil　which　is　in　the　blood；　and　which　belongs　to　the　very　constitution

of　the　social　organism？　What　police　force　could　effect　anything　in　a

parish　in　which　one…quarter　or　one…third　of　its　inhabitants　have

nothing　to　eat　but　that　which　they　beg　from　door　to　door？　At

Argentré；＇38＇　in　B