the origins of contemporary france-5-第69节

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does　a　creditor　let　his　claims　rest　and　the　State　always　finds　reasons

or　pretexts　to　enforce　its　claims。　Under　the　threats　or　trials　of

invasion　the　people；　at　first；　had　consented　to　pay　this　one；　they

regarded　it　as　accidental　and　temporary。　After　victory　and　when　peace

came；　its　government　continues　to　enforce　the　claim；　it　becomes

settled　and　permanent。　After　the　treaties　of　Luneville　and　Amiens；

Napoleon　maintains　it　in　France；　after　the　treaties　of　Paris　and

Vienna；　the　Prussian　government　is　to　maintain　it　in　Prussia。　One　war

after　another　and　the　institution　becomes　worse　and　worse；　like　a

contagion；　it　has　spread　from　State　to　State。　At　the　present　time；　it

has　overspread　the　whole　of　continental　Europe　and　here　it　reigns

along　with　its　natural　companion　which　always　precedes　or　follows　it；

its　twin…brother；　universal　suffrage。　Each　more　or　less　conspicuously

〃trotted　out〃　and　dragging　the　other　along；　more　or　less　incomplete

and　disguised；　both　being　the　blind　and　formidable　leaders　or

regulators　of　future　history；　one　thrusting　a　ballot　into　the　hands　of

every　adult；　and　the　other　putting　a　soldier's　knapsack　on　every

adult's　back：



*　with　what　promises　of　massacre　and　bankruptcy　for　the　twentieth

century；

*　with　what　exasperation　of　international　rancor　and　distrust；

*　with　what　waste　of　human　labor；

*　through　what　perversion　of　productive　discoveries；

*　through　what　perfection　of　destructive　appliances；

*　　through　what　a　recoil　to　the　lower　and　most　unwholesome　forms　of

old　militant　societies；

*　through　what　retrograde　steps　towards　brutal　and　selfish　instincts；

*　towards　the　sentiments；　habits　and　morality　of　the　antique　city　and

of　the　barbarous　tribe



is　only　too　well　known。＇62＇　　It　is　sufficient　for　us　to　place　the　two

military　systems　face　to　face；　that　of　former　times　and　that　of　to…

day：　formerly；　in　Europe；　a　few　soldiers；　some　hundreds　of　thousands　；

to…day；　in　Europe；　18　millions　of　actual　or　eventual　soldiers；　all　the

adults；　even　the　married；　even　fathers　of　families　summoned　or　subject

to　call　for　twenty…five　years　of　their　life；　that　is　to　say；　as　long

as　they　continue　able…bodied　men；　formerly；　for　the　heaviest　part　of

the　service　in　France；　no　lives　are　confiscated　by　decree；　only　those

bought　by　contract；　and　lives　suited　to　this　business　and　elsewhere

idle　or　mischievous；　about　one　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　lives　of

inferior　quality；　of　mediocre　value；　which　the　State　could　expend　with

less　regret　than　others；　and　the　sacrifice　of　which　is　not　a　serious

injury　to　society　or　to　civilization。　To…day；　for　the　same　service　in

France；　4　millions　of　lives　are　taken　by　authority；　and；　if　they

attempt　to　escape；　taken　by　force；　all　of　them；　from　the　twentieth

year　onward；　employed　in　the　same　manual　and　murderous　pursuit；

including　the　least　suited　to　the　purpose　and　the　best　adapted　to

other　purposes；　including　the　most　inventive　and　the　most　fecund；　the

most　delicate　and　the　most　cultivated；　those　remarkable　for　superior

talent　（Page　232/526）who　are　of　almost　infinite　social　value；　and

whose　forced　collapse；　or　precocious　end；　is　a　calamity　for　the　human

species。



Such　is　the　terminal　fruit　of　the　new　Régime；　military　duty　is　here

the　counterpart；　and　as　it　were；　the　ransom　of　political　right；　the

modern　citizen　may　balance　one　with　the　other　like　two　weights　in　the

scale。　On　the　one　side；　he　may　place　his　prerogative　as　sovereign；

that　is　to　say；　in　point　of　fact；　the　faculty　every　four　years　of

giving　one　vote　among　ten　thousand　for　the　election　or　non…election　of

one　deputy　among　six　hundred　and　fifty；　on　the　other　side；　he　may

place　his　positive；　active　service；　three；　four　or　five　years　of

barrack　life　and　of　passive　obedience；　and　then　twenty…eight　days

more；　then　a　thirteen…days'　summons　in　honor　of　the　flag；　and；　for

twenty　years；　at　each　rumor　of　war；　anxiously　waiting　for　the　word　of

command　which　obliges　him　to　shoulder　his　gun　and　slay　with　his　own

hand；　or　be　slain。　He　will　probably　end　by　discovering　that　the　two

sides　of　the　scales　do　not　balance　and　that　a　right　so　hollow　is　poor

compensation　for　so　heavy　a　burden。



Of　course；　in　1789；　he　foresaw　nothing　like　that；　he　was　optimistic；

pacific；　liberal；　humanitarian；　he　knew　nothing　of　Europe　nor　of

history；　nothing　of　the　past　nor　of　the　present。　When　the　Constituent

Assembly　constituted　him　a　sovereign；　he　let　things　go　on；　he　did　not

know　what　he　engaged　to　do；　he　had　no　idea　of　having　allowed　such　a

heavy　claim　against　him。　But；　in　signing　the　social　contract；　he　made

himself　responsible；　in　1793；　the　note　came　due　and　the　Convention

collected　it。＇63＇　　Then　comes　Napoleon　who　put　things　in　order。

Henceforth；　every　male；　able…bodied　adult　must　pay　the　debt　of　blood；

no　more　exemptions　in　the　way　of　military　service：＇64＇　all　young　men

who　had　reached　the　required　age　drew　lots　in　the　conscription　and　set

out　in　turn　according　to　the　order　fixed　by　their　drafted　number。＇65＇

But　Napoleon　is　an　intelligent　creditor；　he　knows　that　this　debt　is

〃most　frightful　and　most　detestable　for　families；〃　that　his　debtors

are　real；　living　men　and　therefore　different　in　kind；　that　the　head　of

the　State　should　keep　these　differences　in　mind；　that　is　to　say　their

condition；　their　education；　their　sensibility　and　their　vocation；

that；　not　only　in　their　private　interest；　but　again　in　the　interest　of

the　public；　not　merely　through　prudence　but　also　through　equity；　all

should　not　be　indistinguishably　restricted　to　the　same　mechanical

pursuit；　to　the　same　manual　labor；　to　the　same　prolonged　and

indefinite　servitude　of　soul　and　body。　Already；　under　the　Directory；

the　law　had　exempted　young　married　men　and　widowers　or　divorced

persons　who　were　fathers。＇66＇　Napoleon　also　exempts　the　conscript　who

has　a　brother　in　the　active　army；　the　only　son　of　a　widow；　the　eldest

of　three　orphans；　the　son　of　a　father　seventy…one　years　old　dependent

on　his　labor；　all　of　whom　are　family　supports。　He　joins　with　these　all

young　men　who　enlist　in　one　of　his　civil　militias；　in　his

ecclesiastical　militia　or　in　his　university　militia；　pupils　of　the

école　Normale；　ignorantin　brothers；　seminarians　for　the　priesthood；　on

condition　that　they　shall　engage　to　do　service　in　their　vocation　and

do　it　effectively；　some　for　ten　years；　others　for　life；　subject　to　a

discipline　more　rigid；　or　nearly　as　rigid；　as　military　discipline。＇67＇

Finally；　he　sanctions　or　institutes　volunteer　substitutes；　through

private　agreement　between　a　conscript　and　the　able…bodied；　certified

volunteer　substitute　for　whom　the　conscript　is　responsible。＇68＇　If

such　a　bargain　is　made　between　them　it　is　done　freely；　knowing　what

they　are　about；　and　because　each　man　finds　the　exchange　to　his

advantage；　the　State　has　no　right　to　deprive　either　of　them　uselessly

of　this　advantage；　and　oppose　an　exchange　by　which　it　does　not　suffer。

So　far　from　suffering　it　often　gains　by　it。　For；　what　it　needs　is　not

this　or　that　man；　Peter　or　Paul；　but　a　man　as　capable　as　Peter　or　Paul

of　firing　a　gun；　of　marching　long　distances；　of　resisting

inclemencies；　and　such　are　the　substitutes　it　accepts。　They　must　all

be＇69＇　〃of　sound　health　and　robust　constitution；〃　and　sufficiently

tall；　as　a　matter　of　fact；　being　poorer　than　those　replaced；　they　are

more　accustomed　to　privation　and　fatigue；　most　of　them；　having　reached

maturity；　are　worth　more　for　the　service　than　youths　who　have　been

recruited　by　anticipation　and　too　young；　some　are　old　soldiers：　and　in

this　case　the　substitute　is　worth　twice　as　much　as　the　new　conscript

who　has　never　donned　the　knapsack　or　bivouacked　in　the　open　air。

Consequently；　those　who　are　allowed　to　obtain　substitutes　are　〃the

drafted　and　conscripts　of　all　classes；　。　。　。　unable　to　endure　the

fatigues　of　war；　and　those　who　shall　be　recognized　of　greater　use　to

the　State　by　continuing　their　labors　and　studies　than　in　forming　a

part　of　the　army。　。　。　。〃＇70＇



Napoleon　had　too　much　sense　to　be　led　by　the　blind　existences　of

democratic　formulae；　his　eyes；　which　penetrated　beyond　mere　words；　at

once　perceived　that　the　life　of　a　simple　soldier；　for　a　young　man　well

brought　up　and　a　peasant　or　for　day…laborer；　is　unequal。　A　tolerable

bed；　sufficient　clothing；　good　shoes；　certainty　of　daily　bread；　a

piece　of　meat　regularly；　are　novelties　for　the　latter　but　not　for　the

former；　and；　consequently；　enjoyments；　that　the　promiscuity　and　odor

of　the　barrack　chamber；　the　corporal's　cursing　and　swearing　and　rude

orders；　the　mess…dish　and　camp…bread；　physical　hardships　all　day　and

every　other　day；　are　for　the　former；　but　not　for　the　latter；　novelties

and；　consequently；　sufferings。　From　which　it　follows　that；　if　literal

equality　is　applied；　positive　inequality　is　established；　and　that　by

virtue　even　of　the　new　creed；　it　is　necessary；　in　the　name　of　true

equality　as　in　the　name　of　true　liberty；　to　allow　the　former；　who

would　suffer　most；