the origins of contemporary france-5-第74节

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employments。　…　His　staff　of　officials　recruited　from　all　classes　and

parties。



Now　that　the　State　has　just　made　a　new　allotment　of　the　burdens　and

duties　which　it　imposes　it　must　make　a　new　assignment　of　the　rights

and　benefits　it　confers。　Distributive　justice；　on　both　sides；　and　long

before　1789；　was　defective；　and；　under　the　monarchy；　exclusions　had

become　as　obnoxious　as　exemptions；　all　the　more　because；　through　a

double　iniquity；　the　ancient　Régime　in　each　group　distinguished　two

other　groups；　one　to　which　it　granted　every　exemption；　and　the　other

which　it　made　subject　to　every　exclusion。　The　reason　is　that；　from　the

first；　the　king；　in　the　formation　and　government　of　the　kingdom；　in

order　to　secure　the　services；　money；　collaboration　or　connivance　which

he　needed；　was　obliged　to　negotiate　always　with　corporations；　orders；

provinces；　seignories；　the　clergy；　churches；　monasteries；

universities；　parliaments；　professional　bodies　or　industrial　guilds

and　families；　that　is　to　say　with　constituted　powers；　more　or　less

difficult　to　bring　under　subjection　and　which；　to　be　kept　in

subjection；　stipulated　conditions。　Hence；　in　France；　so　many　different

conditions：　each　distinct　body　had　yielded　through　one　or　several

distinct　capitulations　and　possessed　its　own　separate　statute。　Hence；

again；　such　diversely　unequal　conditions：　the　bodies；　the　best　able　to

protect　themselves；　had；　of　course；　defended　themselves　the　best。

Their　statutes；　written　or　unwritten；　guaranteed　to　them　precious

privileges　which　the　other　bodies；　much　weaker；　could　neither　acquire

nor　preserve。　These　were　not　merely　immunities　but　likewise

prerogatives；　not　alone　alleviations　of　taxation　and　militia

dispensations；　but　likewise　political　and　administrative　liberties；

remnants　of　their　primitive　sovereignty；　with　many　other　positive

advantages。　The　very　least　being　precedence；　preferences；　social

priority；　with　an　incontestable　right　to　rank；　honors；　offices；　and

favors。　Such；　notably；　were　the　regions…states　possessing　their　own

government　（pays　d'états）；　compared　with　those　which　elected　the

magistrates　who　apportioned　taxation　（pays　d'élection）；＇1＇　the　two

highest　orders；　the　clergy　and　the　nobles；　compared　with　the　third…

estate；　and　the　bourgeoisie；　and　the　town　corporations　compared　with

the　rest　of　the　inhabitants。　On　the　other　hand；　opposed　to　these

historical　favorites　were　the　historical　disinherited；　the　latter　much

more　numerous　and　counting　by　millions　…　the　taxable　commons；　all

subjects　without　rank　or　quality；　in　short；　the　ordinary　run　of　men；

especially　the　common　herd　of　the　towns　and　particularly　of　the

country；　all　the　more　ground　down　on　account　of　their　lower　status；

along　with　the　Jews　lower　yet；　a　sort　of　foreign　class　scarcely

tolerated；　with　the　Calvinists；　not　only　deprived　of　the　humblest

rights　but；　again；　persecuted　by　the　State　for　the　past　one　hundred

years。



All　these　people；　who　have　been　transported　far　outside　of　civic

relationships　by　historic　right；　are　brought　back；　in　1789；　by

philosophic　right。　After　the　declarations　of　the　Constituent　Assembly；

there　are　no　longer　in　France　either　Bretons；　Proven？als；　Burgundians

or　Alsatians；　Catholics；　Protestants　or　Israelites；　nobles　or

plebeians；　bourgeois　or　rurals；　but　simply　Frenchmen；



*　all　with　the　one　title　of　citizens；

*　all　endowed　with　the　same　civil；　religious　and　political　rights；

*　all　equal　before　the　State；

*　all　introduced　by　law　into　every　career；　collectively；　on　an　equal

footing　and　without　fear　or　favor　from　anybody；

*　all　free　to　follow　this　out　to　the　end　without　distinction　of　rank；

birth；　faith　or　fortune；

*　all；　if　they　are　good　runners；　to　receive　the　highest　prizes　at　the

end　of　the　race；　any　office　or　rank；　especially　the　leading　honors　and

positions　which；　thus　far　reserved　to　a　class　or　coterie；　had　not　been

allowed　previously　to　the　great　multitude。



Henceforth；　all　Frenchmen；　in　theory；　enjoy　rights　in　common；

unfortunately；　this　is　only　the　theory。　In　reality；　in　all　state

relationships　（dans　la　cité）；　the　new…comers　appropriate　to　themselves

the　offices；　the　pretensions；　and　more　than　the　privileges　of　their

predecessors；　the　latter；　consisting　of　large　and　small　land…owners；

gentlemen；　parliamentarians；　officials；　ecclesiastics；　notables　of

every　kind　and　degree；　are　immediately　deprived　of　the　rights　of　man。

Surrendered　to　rural　jacqueries　and　to　town　mobs；　they　undergo；　first；

the　neglect　and；　next；　the　hostility　of　the　State：　the　public　gendarme

has　ceased　to　protect　them　and　refuses　his　services；　afterwards；　on

becoming　a　Jacobin；　he　declares　himself　their　enemy；　treats　them　as

enemies；　plunders　them；　imprisons　them；　murders　them；　expels　or

transports　them；　inflicts　on　them　civil　death；　and　shoots　them　if　they

dare　return；　he　deprives　their　friends　or　kindred　who　remain　in　France

of　their　civil　rights；　he　deprives　the　nobles　or　the　ennobled　of　their

quality　as　Frenchmen；　and　compels　them　to　naturalize　themselves　afresh

according　to　prescribed　formalities　；　he　renews　against　the　Catholics

the　interdictions；　persecutions　and　brutalities　which　the　old

government　had　practiced　against　the　Calvinist　minority。　…　Thus；　in

1799　as　in　1789；　there　are　two　classes　of　Frenchmen；　two　different

varieties　of　men；　the　first　one　superior；　installed　in　the　civic　fold；

and　the　second；　inferior　and　excluded　from　it；　only；　in　1799；　the

greatest　inequality　consigned　the　inferior　and　excluded　class　to　a

still　lower；　more　remote；　and　much　worse　condition。



The　principle　（of　equalite）　；　nevertheless；　subsists。　Since　1789　it　is

inscribed　at　the　top　of　every　constitution；　it　is　still　proclaimed　in

the　new　constitution。　It　has　remained　popular；　although　perverted　and

disfigured　by　the　Jacobins；　their　false　and　gross　interpretation　of　it

could　not　bring　it　into　discredit；　athwart　the　hideous　grotesque

caricature；　all　minds　and　sentiments　ever　recur　to　the　ideal　form　of

the　cité　to　the　veritable　social　contract；　to　the　impartial；　active；

and　permanent　reign　of　distributive　justice。　Their　entire　education；

all　the　literature；　philosophy　and　culture　of　the　eighteenth　century；

leads　them　onward　to　this　conception　of　society　and　of　rights；　more

profoundly　still；　they　are　predisposed　to　it　by　the　inner　structure　of

their　intelligence；　by　the　original　cast　of　their　sensibility7　by　the

hereditary　defects　and　qualities　of　their　nature　and　of　their　race。…

The　Frenchman　easily　and　quickly　grasps　some　general　trait　of　objects

and　persons；　some　characteristic　in　common；　here；　this　characteristic

is　the　inherent　quality　of　man　which　he　dexterously　makes　prominent；

clearly　isolates；　and　then；　stepping　along　briskly　and　confidently；

rushes　ahead　on　the　high…road　to　consequences。＇2＇　　He　has　forgotten

that　his　summary　notion　merely　corresponds　to　an　extract；　and　a　very

brief　one；　of　man　in　his　completeness；　his　decisive；　precipitate

process　hinders　him　from　seeing　the　largest　portion　of　the　real

individual；　he　has　overlooked　numerous　traits；　the　most　important　and

most　efficacious；　those　which　geography；　history；　habit；　condition；

manual　labor；　or　a　liberal　education；　stamp　on　intellect；　soul　and

body　and　which；　through　their　differences；　constitute　different　local

or　social　groups。　Not　only　does　he　overlook　all　these　characteristics；

but　he　sets　them　aside；　they　are　too　numerous　and　too　complex；　they

would　interfere　with　and　disturb　his　thoughts；　however　fitted　for

clear　and　comprehensive　logic　he　is　so　much　the　less　fitted　for

complex　and　comprehensive　ideas；　consequently；　he　avoids　them　and；

through　an　innate　operation　of　which　he　is　unconscious；　he

involuntarily　condenses；　simplifies　and　curtails　henceforth；　his　idea；

partial　and　superficial　as　it　is；　seems　to　him　adequate　and　complete；

in　his　eyes　the　abstract　quality　of　man　takes　precedence　of　and

absorbs　all　others；　not　only　has　this　a　value；　but　the　sole　value。　One

man；　therefore；　is　as　good　as　another　and　the　law　should　treat　all

alike。　…　Here；　amour…propre　（self…esteem；　pride　or　arrogance）；　so　keen

in　France；　and　so　readily　excited；　comes　in　to　interpret　and　apply　the

formula：＇3＇



　〃Since　all　men　equal　each　other；　I　am　as　good　as　any　man；　if　the　law

confers　a　right　on　people　of　this　or　that　condition；　fortune　or　birth；

it　must　confer　the　same　right　on　me。　Every　door　that　is　open　to　them

must　be　open　to　me；　every　door　that　is　closed　to　me　must　be　closed　to

them。　Otherwise；　I　am　treated　as　an　inferior　and　wounded　in　my　deepest

feelings。　When　the　legislator　places　a　ballot　in　their　hands　he　is

bound　to　place　another　just　like　it　in　my　hands；　even　if　they　know　how

to　use　it　and　I　do　not；　even　if　a　limited　suffrage　is　of　use　to　the

community　and　universal　suffrage　is　not。　So　much　the　worse　if　I　am

sovereign　only　in　name；　and　through　the　imagination；　I　consent　to　my

sovereignty　being　illusory；　but　with　the　understanding　that　the