what is property-第49节

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this　chaste　ignorance　is　the　very　best　evidence　of　the　purity　of　his　heart。　　Religion　never　has　encouraged　early　marriages；　and　the　kind　of　PRUDENCE　which　it　condemns　is　that　described　in　this　Latin　sentence　from　Sanchez；_An　licet　ob　metum　liberorum　semen　extra　vas　ejicere_？

Destutt　de　Tracy　seems　to　dislike　prudence　in　either　form。　　He　says：　　〃I　confess　that　I　no　more　share　the　desire　of　the　moralists　to　diminish　and　restrain　our　pleasures；　than　that　of　the　politicians　to　increase　our　procreative　powers；　and　accelerate　reproduction。〃　　He　believes；　then；　that　we　should　love　and　marry　when　and　as　we　please。　　Widespread　misery　results　from　love　and　marriage；　but　this　our　philosopher　does　not　heed。　　True　to　the　dogma　of　the　necessity　of　evil；　to　evil　he　looks　for　the　solution　of　all　problems。　　He　adds：　　〃The　multiplication　of　men　continuing　in　all　classes　of　society；　the　surplus　members　of　the　upper　classes　are　supported　by　the　lower　classes；　and　those　of　the　latter　are　destroyed　by　poverty。〃　　This　philosophy　has　few　avowed　partisans；　but　it　has　over　every　other　the　indisputable　advantage　of　demonstration　in　practice。　　Not　long　since　France　heard　it　advocated　in　the　Chamber　of　Deputies；　in　the　course　of　the　discussion　on　the　electoral　reform；POVERTY　WILL　ALWAYS　EXIST。　　That　is　the　political　aphorism　with　which　the　minister　of　state　ground　to　powder　the　arguments　of　M。　Arago。　　POVERTY　WILL　ALWAYS　EXIST！　　Yes；　so　long　as　property　does。

The　FourieristsINVENTORS　of　so　many　marvellous　contrivances　could　not；　in　this　field；　belie　their　character。　　They　invented　four　methods　of　checking　increase　of　population　at　will。

1。　THE　VIGOR　OF　WOMEN。　　On　this　point　they　are　contradicted　by　experience；　for；　although　vigorous　women　may　be　less　likely　to　conceive；　nevertheless　they　give　birth　to　the　healthiest　children；　so　that　the　advantage　of　maternity　is　on　their　side。

2。　INTEGRAL　EXERCISE；　or　the　equal　development　of　all　the　physical　powers。　　If　this　development　is　equal；　how　is　the　power　of　reproduction　lessened？

3。　THE　GASTRONOMIC　REGIME；　or；　in　plain　English；　the　philosophy　of　the　belly。　　The　Fourierists　say；　that　abundance　of　rich　food　renders　women　sterile；　just　as　too　much　sapwhile　enhancing　the　beauty　of　flowersdestroys　their　reproductive　capacity。　　But　the　analogy　is　a　false　one。　　Flowers　become　sterile　when　the　stamensor　male　organsare　changed　into　petals；　as　may　be　seen　by　inspecting　a　rose；　and　when　through　excessive　dampness　the　pollen　loses　its　fertilizing　power。　　Then；in　order　that　the　gastronomic　regime　may　produce　the　results　claimed　for　it；not　only　must　the　females　be　fattened；　but　the　males　must　be　rendered　impotent。

4。　PHANEROGAMIC　MORALITY；　or　public　concubinage。　　I　know　not　why　the　phalansterians　use　Greek　words　to　convey　ideas　which　can　be　expressed　so　clearly　in　French。　　This　methodlike　the　preceding　oneis　copied　from　civilized　customs。　　Fourier；　himself；　cites　the　example　of　prostitutes　as　a　proof。　　Now　we　have　no　certain　knowledge　yet　of　the　facts　which　he　quotes。　　So　states　Parent　Duchatelet　in　his　work　on　〃Prostitution。〃

From　all　the　information　which　I　have　been　able　to　gather；　I　find　that　all　the　remedies　for　pauperism　and　fecundity　sanctioned　by　universal　practice；　philosophy；　political　economy；　and　the　latest　reformersmay　be　summed　up　in　the　following　list：　masturbation；　onanism；＇1＇　sodomy；　tribadie；　polyandry；＇2＇　prostitution；　castration；　continence；　abortion；　and　infanticide。＇3＇

＇1＇　_Hoc　inter　se　differunt　onanismus　et　manuspratio；　nempe　quod　haec　a　solitario　exercetur；　ille　autem　a　duobus　reciprocatur；　masculo　scilicet　　et　faemina。　　Porro　foedam　hanc　onanismi　venerem　ludentes　uxoria　mariti　habent　nunc　omnigm　suavissimam_

＇2＇　Polyandry；plurality　of　husbands。

＇3＇　Infanticide　has　just　been　publicly　advocated　in　England；　in　a　pamphlet　written　by　a　disciple　of　Malthus。　　He　proposes　an　ANNUAL　MASSACRE　OF　THE　INNOCENTS　in　all　families　containing　more　children　than　the　law　allows；　and　he　asks　that　a　magnificent　cemetery；　adorned　with　statues；　groves；　fountains；　and　flowers；　be　set　apart　as　a　special　burying…place　for　the　superfluous　children。　　Mothers　would　resort　to　this　delightful　spot　to　dream　of　the　happiness　of　these　little　angels；　and　would　return；　quite　comforted；　to　give　birth　to　others；　to　be　buried　in　their　turn。




All　these　methods　being　proved　inadequate；　there　remains　proscription。

Unfortunately；　proscription；　while　decreasing　the　number　of　the　poor；　increases　their　proportion。　　If　the　interest　charged　by　the　proprietor　upon　the　product　is　equal　only　to　one…twentieth　of　the　product　（by　law　it　is　equal　to　one…twentieth　of　the　capital）；　it　follows　that　twenty　laborers　produce　for　nineteen　only；　because　there　is　one　among　them；　called　proprietor；　who　eats　the　share　of　two。　　Suppose　that　the　twentieth　laborerthe　poor　oneis　killed：　the　production　of　the　following　year　will　be　diminished　one…twentieth；　consequently　the　nineteenth　will　have　to　yield　his　portion；　and　perish。　　For；　since　it　is　not　one…twentieth　of　the　product　of　nineteen　which　must　be　paid　to　the　proprietor；　but　one…twentieth　of　the　product　of　twenty　（see　third　proposition）；　each　surviving　laborer　must　sacrifice　one…twentieth　PLUS　one　four…hundredth　of　his　product；　in　other　words；　one　man　out　of　nineteen　must　be　killed。　　Therefore；　while　property　exists；　the　more　poor　people　we　kill；　the　more　there　are　born　in　proportion。

Malthus；　who　proved　so　clearly　that　population　increases　in　geometrical　progression；　while　production　increases　only　in　arithmetical　progression；　did　not　notice　this　PAUPERIZING　power　of　property。　　Had　he　observed　this；　he　would　have　understood　that；　before　trying　to　check　reproduction；　the　right　of　increase　should　be　abolished；　because；　wherever　that　right　is　tolerated；　there　are　always　too　many　inhabitants；　whatever　the　extent　or　fertility　of　the　soil。

It　will　be　asked；　perhaps；　how　I　would　maintain　a　balance　between　population　and　production；　for　sooner　or　later　this　problem　must　be　solved。　　The　reader　will　pardon　me；　if　I　do　not　give　my　method　here。　　For；　in　my　opinion；　it　is　useless　to　say　a　thing　unless　we　prove　it。　　Now；　to　explain　my　method　fully　would　require　no　less　than　a　formal　treatise。　　It　is　a　thing　so　simple　and　so　vast；　so　common　and　so　extraordinary；　so　true　and　so　misunderstood；　so　sacred　and　so　profane；　that　to　name　it　without　developing　and　proving　it　would　serve　only　to　excite　contempt　and　incredulity。　　One　thing　at　a　time。　　Let　us　establish　equality；　and　this　remedy　will　soon　appear；　for　truths　follow　each　other；　just　as　crimes　and　errors　do。


SIXTH　PROPOSITION。

Property　is　impossible；　because　it　is　the　Mother　of　Tyranny。


What　is　government？　　Government　is　public　economy；　the　supreme　administrative　power　over　public　works　and　national　possessions。

Now；　the　nation　is　like　a　vast　society　in　which　all　the；　citizens　are　stockholders。　　Each　one　has　a　deliberative　voice　in　the　assembly；　and；　if　the　shares　are　equal；　has　one　vote　at　his　disposal。　　But；　under　the　regime　of　property；　there　is　great　inequality　between　the　shares　of　the　stockholders；　therefore；　one　may　have　several　hundred　votes；　while　another　has　only　one。　　If；　for　example；　I　enjoy　an　income　of　one　million；　that　is；　if　I　am　the　proprietor　of　a　fortune　of　thirty　or　forty　millions　well　invested；　and　if　this　fortune　constitutes　1/30000　of　the　national　capital；it　is　clear　that　the　public　administration　of　my　property　would　form　1/30000　of　the　duties　of　the　government；　and；　if　the　nation　had　a　population　of　thirty…four　millions；　that　I　should　have　as　many　votes　as　one　thousand　one　hundred　and　thirty…　three　simple　stockholders。

Thus；　when　M。　Arago　demands　the　right　of　suffrage　for　all　members　of　the　National　Guard；　he　is　perfectly　right；　since　every　citizen　is　enrolled　for　at　least　one　national　share；　which　entitles　him　to　one　vote。　　But　the　illustrious　orator　ought　at　the　same　time　to　demand　that　each　elector　shall　have　as　many　votes　as　he　has　shares；　as　is　the　case　in　commercial　associations。　　For　to　do　otherwise　is　to　pretend　that　the　nation　has　a　right　to　dispose　of　the　property　of　individuals　without　consulting　them；　which　is　contrary　to　the　right　of　property。　　In　a　country　where　property　exists；　equality　of　electoral　rights　is　a　violation　of　property。

Now；　if　each　citizen's　sovereignty　must　and　ought　to　be　proportional　to　his　property；　it　follows　that　the　small　stock　holders　are　at　the　mercy　of　the　larger　ones；　who　will；　as　soon　as　they　choose；　make　slaves　of　the　former；　marry　them　at　pleasure；　take　from　them　their　wives；　castrate　their　sons；　prostitute　their　daughters；　throw　the　aged　to　the　sharks；and　finally　will　be　forced　to　serve　themselves　in　the　same　way；　unless　they　prefer　to　tax　themselves　for　the　support　of　their　servants。　　In　such　a　condition　is　Great　Britain　to…day。　　John　Bullcaring　little　for　liberty；　equality；　or　dignityprefers　to　serve　and　beg。　　But　you；　bonhomme　Jacques？

Property　is　incompatible　with　political　and　civil　equality；　then　property　is　impossible。

HISTORICAL　COMMENTS。1。　When　the　vote　of　the　third　estate　was　doubled　by　the　States…General　of　1789；　property　was　grossly　violated。　　The　nobility　and　the　clergy　possessed　three…fourths　of　the　soil　of　France；　they　should　have