the origins of contemporary france-5-第78节

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agent；　councilor　or　companion　of　his　pleasures；　he　might　have　become

prime…minister　to　Tippoo　Sahib；　or　other　potentate；　lived　in　a　palace；

kept　a　harem　and　had　lacs　of　rupees；　undoubtedly；　he　would　have　filled

his　prisons　and　occasionally　emptied　them　by　a　massacre；　as　at　Paris

in　September；　but　it　would　have　been　according　to　local　custom；　and

operating　only　on　the　lives　of　Sheikhs　and　Mahrattas。　Bonaparte；　after

the　fall　of　his　protectors；　the　two　Robespierres；　finding　his　career

arrested；　wanted　to　enter　the　Sultan's　service；　accompanied　by　Junot；

Muiron；　Marmont　and　other　comrades；　he　could　have　carried　to

Constantinople　rarer　commodities；　much　better　compensated　in　the

Orient　than　in　the　Occident；　namely　military　honor　and　administrative

talent；　he　would　have　dealt　in　these　two　products；　as　he　did　in　Egypt；

at　the　right　time　and　in　the　right　place；　at　the　highest　price；

without　our　conscientious　scruples　and　without　our　European

refinements　of　probity　and　humanity。　No　imagination　can　picture　what

he　would　have　become　there：　certainly　some　pasha；　like　Djezzar　in

Syria；　or　a　khedive　like　Mahomet…Ali；　afterwards　at　Cairo；　he　already

saw　himself　in　the　light　of　a　conqueror；　like　Ghengis…Khan；＇18＇　a

founder　like　Alexander　or　Baber；　a　prophet　like　Mahomet；　as　he　himself

declares；　〃one　could　work　only　on　a　grand　scale　in　the　Orient；〃　and

there　he　would　have　worked　on　a　grand　scale；　Europe；　perhaps；　would

have　gained　by　it；　and　especially　France。



III。　Ambition　and　Selection。



The　Revolution　provides　an　internal　outlet　and　an　unlimited　career。　…

Effect　of　this。　…　Exigencies　and　pretensions　of　the　modern　man。　…

Theoretical　rule　of　selection　among　rivals。　…　Popular　suffrage　raised

to　be　lord　and　judge。　…　Consequence　of　its　verdict。　…　Unworthiness　of

its　choice。



But　the　Revolution　arrived　and　the　ambitions　which；　under　the　ancient

Régime；　found　a　field　abroad　or　cooled　down　at　home；　arose　on　the

natal　soil　and　suddenly　expanded　beyond　all　calculation。　After　1789；

France　resembles　a　hive　in　a　state　of　excitement；　in　a　few　hours；　in

the　brief　interval　of　an　August　morning；　each　insect　puts　forth　two

huge　wings；　soars　aloft　and　〃all　whirl　together　pell…mell；〃　many　fall

to　the　ground　half　cut　to　pieces　and　begin　to　crawl　upward　as　before；

others；　with　more　strength　or　with　better　luck；　ascend　and　glitter　on

the　highways　of　the　atmosphere。　…　Every　great　highway　and　every　other

road　is　open　to　everybody　through　the　decrees　of　the　Constituent…

Assembly；　not　only　for　the　future；　but　even　immediately。　The　sudden

dismissal　of　the　entire　ruling　staff；　executive；　or　consultative；

political；　administrative；　provincial；　municipal；　ecclesiastical；

educational；　military；　judicial　and　financial；　summon　to　take　office

all　who　covet　it　and　who　have　a　good　opinion　of　themselves。　All

previously　existing　conditions；　birth；　fortune；　education；　old　family

and　all　apprenticeships；　customs　and　ways　which　retard　and　limit

advancement；　are　abolished：　There　are　no　longer　any　guarantees　or

sponsors；　all　Frenchmen　are　eligible　to　all　employments；　all　grades　of

the　legal　and　social　hierarchy　are　conferred　by　a　more　or　less　direct

election；　a　suffrage　becoming　more　and　more　popular；　by　a　mere

numerical　majority。　Consequently；　in　all　branches　of　the　government

under　central　or　local　authority　and　patronage；　there　is　the

installation　of　a　new　staff　of　officials。　The　transposition　which

everywhere　substitutes　the　old　inferior　to　the　old　superior；　is

universal；＇19＇　〃lawyers　for　judges；　bourgeois　for　statesmen；　former

plebeians　for　former　nobles；　soldiers　for　officers；　officers　for

generals；　curés　for　bishops；　vicars　for　curés；　monks　for　vicars；

stock…jobbers　for　financiers；　self…taught　persons　for　administrators；

journalists　for　publicists；　rhetoricians　for　legislators；　and　the　poor

for　the　rich。〃　A　sudden　jump　from　the　bottom　to　the　top　of　the　social

ladder　by　a　few；　from　the　lowest　to　the　highest　rung；　from　the　rank　of

sergeant　to　that　of　major…general；　from　the　condition　of　a　pettifogger

or　starving　newspaper…hack　to　the　possession　of　supreme　authority；

even　to　the　effective　exercise　of　omnipotence　and　dictatorship　…　such

is　the　capital；　positive；　striking　work　of　the　Revolution。



At　the　same　time；　and　as　an　after…effect；　a　revolution　is　going　on　in

minds　and　the　moral　effect　of　the　show　is　greater　and　more　lasting

than　the　events　themselves。　The　minds　have　been　stirred　to　their　very

depths；　stagnant　passions　and　slumbering　pretensions　are　aroused。　The

multitude　of　offices　presented　and　expected　vacancies　〃has　excited　the

thirst　for　power；　stimulated　self…esteem；　and　fired　the　hopes　of　men

the　most　inept。　An　fierce；　gross　presumption　has　freed　the　ignorant

and　the　foolish　of　any　feeling　of　modesty　or　incompetence；　they　have

deemed　themselves　capable　of　everything　because　the　law　awards　public

office　simply　to　the　able。　Everybody　had　a　perspective　glimpse　of

gratified　ambition；　the　soldier　dreamt　only　of　displacing　the　officer；

the　officer　of　becoming　general；　the　clerk　of　supplanting　the　head

administrator；　the　lawyer　of　yesterday　of　the　supreme　court；　the　curé

of　becoming　bishop；　the　most　frivolous　littérateur　of　seating　himself

on　the　legislative　bench。　Places　and　positions；　vacant　due　to　the

promotion　of　so　many　parvenus；　provided　in　their　turn　a　vast　career　to

the　lower　classes。　Seeing　a　public　functionary　issue　out　of

nothingness；　where　is　the　shoeblack　whose　soul　would　not　stir　with

ambition？〃　…　This　new　sentiment　must　be　taken　into　account：　for；

whether　reasonable　or　not；　it　is　going　to　last；　maintain　its　energy；

stimulate　men　with　extraordinary　force＇20＇　and　become　one　of　the　great

incentives　of　will　and　action。　Henceforth；　government　and

administration　are　to　become　difficult　matters；　the　forms　and　plans　of

the　old　social　architecture　are　no　longer　applicable；　like

construction　is　not　possible　with　materials　of　a　different　kind；

whether　with　stable　or　unstable　materials；　with　men　who　do　not　dream

of　quitting　their　condition　or　with　men　who　think　of　nothing　but　that。



In　effect；　whatever　vacancy　may　occur；　each　aspirant　thinks　himself

fit　for　it；　and　only　one　of　the　aspirants　can　obtain　it。　Accordingly

some　rule　of　preference　must　be　adopted　outside　of　the　opinion　that

each　candidate　entertains　of　himself。　Accordingly；　at　a　very　early

date；　one　was　established；　and　there　could　be　no　better　one；　namely；

that；　among　the　competitors　for　the　place；　the　most　competent　to　fill

it　should　be　chosen。　Unfortunately；　the　judge；　ordinary；　extraordinary

and　supreme；　instituted　to　decide　in　this　case；　was　the　plurality　of

male；　adult　Frenchmen；　counted　by　heads；　that　is　to　say　a　collective

being　in　which　the　small　intelligent；　élite　body　is　drowned　in　the

great　rude　mass；　of　all　juries；　the　most　incompetent；　the　easiest

duped　and　misled；　the　least　able　to　comprehend　the　questions　laid

before　it　and　the　consequences　of　its　answer；　the　worst　informed；　the

most　inattentive；　the　most　blinded　by　preconceived　sympathies　or

antipathies；　the　most　willingly　absent；　a　mere　flock　of　enlisted　sheep

always　robbed　or　cheated　out　of　their　vote；　and　whose　verdict；　forced

or　simulated；　depended　on　politicians　beforehand；　above　and　below；

through　the　clubs　as　well　as　through　the　revolutionary　government；　the

latter；　consequently；　maneuvering　in　such　a　way　as　to　impose　itself

along　with　their　favorites　on　the　choice　of　the　French　people。　Between

1792　and　1799；　the　republican　official　staff　just　described　is　thus

obtained。　…　It　is　only　in　the　army　where　the　daily　and　keen　sense　of　a

common　physical　and　mortal　danger　ends　in　dictating　the　choice　of　the

best；　and　raises　tried　merit　to　the　highest　rank；　and　yet　it　must　be

noted　that　Jacobin　infatuation　bore　down　as　rigorously　on　the　army　as

elsewhere　and　on　two　occasions：　at　the　outset　through　the　election　of

a　superior　officer　conferred　on　subordinates；　which　handed　rank　over

to　the　noisy　disputants　and　intemperate　intriguers　of　the　mess…room；

and　again　during　the　Reign　of　Terror；　and　even　later；＇21＇　in　the

persecution　or　dismissal　of　so　many　patriotic　and　deserving　officers；

which　led　Gouvion…Saint…Cyr　and　his　comrades；　through　disgust；　to

avoid　or　decline　accepting　high　rank；　in　the　scandalous　promotion　of

club　brawlers　and　docile　nullities；　in　the　military　dictatorship　of

the　civil　proconsuls；　in　the　supremacy　conferred　on　Léchelle　and

Rossignol；　in　the　subordination　forced　on　Kléber　and　Marceau；　in　the

absurd　plans　of　a　demagogue　with　huge　epaulettes　like　Cartaux；＇22＇　in

the　grotesque　orders　of　the　day　issued　by　a　swaggering　inebriate　like

Henriot；＇23＇　in　the　disgrace　of　Bonaparte；　and　in　the　detention　of

Hoche。　…　In　the　civil　order　of　things；　it　was　worse。　Not　only　was　the

rule　of　regulating　promotion　by　merit　not　recognized　but　it　was

applied　in　an　inverse　sense。　In　the　central　government　as　in　the　local

government；　and　from　top　to　bo