the origins of contemporary france-4-第128节

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the　same　rates。　　…　After　the　abolition　of　the　〃maximum　〃　the　evil

springs　not　from　a　lack　of　provisions；　but　from　their　dearness：　the

shops　are　well　supplied。　　Whoever　comes　with　a　full　purse　gets　what　he

wants＇140＇：　The　former　rich；　the　property　owners　and　large

capitalists；　may　eat　on　the　condition　that　they　hand　their　bundles　of

assignats　over；　that　they　withdrawing　their　last　louis　from　its

hiding…place；　that　they　sell　their　jewelry；　clocks；　furniture　and

clothes。　　And　the　nouveaux　rich；　the　speculators；　the　suppliers；　the

happy　and　extravagant　robbers；　spend　four　hundred；　one　thousand；　three

thousand；　then　five　thousand　francs　for　their　dinner；　and　revel　in　the

great　eating　establishments　on　fine　wines　and　exquisite　cheer：　the

burden　of　the　scarcity　is　transferred　to　other　shoulders。　　…　At

present；　the　class　which　suffers；　and　which　suffers　beyond　all　bounds

of　patience　is；　together　with　employees　and　people　with　small

incomes；＇141＇　the　crowd　of　workmen；　the　City　plebeians；　the　low

Parisian　populace



*　which　lives　from　day　to　day；

*　which　is　Jacobin　at　heart；

*　which　made　the　Revolution　in　order　to　better　itself；

*　which　finds　itself　worse　off；

*　which　gets　up　one　insurrection　more　on　the　1st　of　Prairial；

*　which　forcibly　enters　the　Tuileries　yelling　〃Bread　and　the

Constitution　of　'93；〃

*　which　installs　itself　as　sovereign　in　the　Convention；

*　which　murders　the　Representative　Féraud；

*　which　decrees　a　return　to　Terror；

but　which；　put　down　by　the　National　Guard；　disarmed　and　forced　back

into　lasting　obedience；　has　only　to　submit　to　the　consequences　of　its

own　outrages；　the　socialism　it　has　itself　instituted　and　the

economical　system　it　itself　has　organized。



Because　the　workers　of　Paris　have　been　usurpers　and　tyrants　they　are

now　beggars。　　Owing　to　the　ruin　brought　on　proprietors　and　capitalists

by　them；　individuals　can　no　longer　employ　them。　　Owing　to　the　ruin

they　have　brought　on　the　Treasury；　the　State　can　provide　them　with

only　the　semblance　of　charity；　and　hence；　while　all　are　compelled　to

go　hungry；　a　great　many　die；　and　many　commit　suicide。



*　On　Germinal　6th；　〃Section　of　the　Observatory；〃＇142＇　at　the

distribution；　〃forty…one　persons　had　been　without　bread；　several

pregnant　women　desired　immediate　confinement　so　as　to　destroy　their

infants；　others　asked　for　knives　to　stab　themselves。〃



*　On　Germinal　8th；〃　a　large　number　of　persons　who　had　passed　the　night

at　the　doors　of　the　bakeries　were　obliged　to　leave　without　getting　any

bread。〃



*　On　Germinal　24th；　〃the　police　commissioner　of　the　Arsenal　section

states　that　many　become　ill　for　lack　of　food；　and　that　he　buries　quite

a　number。。。。　　The　same　day；　he　has　heard　of　five　or　six　citizens；　who；

finding　themselves　without　bread；　and　unable　to　get　other　food；　throw

themselves　into　the　Seine。〃



*　Germinal　27；　〃the　women　say　that　they　feel　so　furious　and　are　in

such　despair　on　account　of　hunger　and　want　that　they　must　inevitably

commit　some　act　of　violence。　　。　　。　　。　　In　the　section　of　'Les　Amis　de

la　Patrie；'　one　half　have　no　bread。　　。　　。　　。　　Three　persons　tumbled

down　through　weakness　on　the　Boulevard　du　Temple。〃



*　Floréal　2；　〃most　of　the　workmen　in　the　'République'　section　are

leaving　Paris　on　account　of　the　scarcity　of　bread。〃



*　Floréal　5；　〃eighteen　out　of　twenty…four　inspectors　state　that

patience　is　exhausted　and　that　things　are　coming　to　an　end。〃



*　Floréal　14；　〃the　distribution　is　always　unsatisfactory　on　account　of

the　four…ounce　ration；　two　thirds　of　the　citizens　do　without　it。　　One

woman；　on　seeing　the　excitement　of　her　husband　and　her　four　children

who　had　been　without　bread　for　two　days；　trailed　through　the　gutter

tearing　her　hair　and　striking　her　head；　she　then　got　up　in　a　state　of

fury　and　attempted　to　drown　herself。〃



*　Floréal　20；　〃all　exclaim　that　they　cannot　live　on　three　ounces　of

bread；　and；　again；　of　such　bad　quality。　　Mothers　and　pregnant　women

fall　down　with　weakness。〃



*　Floréal　21；　〃the　inspectors　state　that　they　encounter　many　persons

in　the　streets　who　have　fallen　through　feebleness　and　inanition。〃



*　Floréal　23；　〃a　citoyenne　who　had　no　bread　for　her　child　tied　it　to

her　side　and　jumped　into　the　river。　　Yesterday；　an　individual　named

Mottez；　in　despair　through　want；　cut　his　throat。〃



*　Floréal　25；　〃several　persons；　deprived　of　any　means　of　existence；

gave　up　in　complete　discouragement；　and　fell　down　with　weakness　and

exhaustion。　　。　　。　　。　　In　the　'Gravilliers'　section；　two　men　were　found

dead　with　inanition。　　。　　。　　。　　The　peace　officers　report　the　decease

of　several　citizens；　one　cut　his　throat；　while　another　was　found　dead

in　his　bed。〃　Floréal　28；　〃numbers　of　people　sink　down　for　lack　of

something　to　eat；　yesterday；　a　man　was　found　dead　and　others　exhausted

through　want。〃



*　Prairial　24；　〃Inspector　Laignier　states　that　the　indigent　are

compelled　to　seek　nourishment　in　the　piles　of　garbage　on　the　corners。〃



*　Messidor　1；＇143＇　〃the　said　Picard　fell　through　weakness　at　ten

o'clock　in　the　morning　in　the　rue　de　la　Loi；　and　was　only　brought　to

at　seven　o'clock　in　the　evening；　he　was　carried　to　the　hospital　on　a

hand…barrow。〃



*　Messidor　11；　〃There　is　a　report　that　the　number　of　people　trying　to

drown　themselves　is　so　great　that　the　nets　at　St。　　Cloud　scarcely

suffice　to　drag　them　out　of　the　water。〃



*　Messidor　19；　〃A　man　was　found　on　the　corner　of　a　street　just　dead

with　hunger。〃



*　Messidor　27；　〃At　four　o'clock　in　the　afternoon；　Place　Maubert；　a　man

named　Marcelin；　employed　in　the　Jardin　des　Plantes；　fell　down　through

starvation　and　died　while　assistance　was　being　given　to　him。〃　On　the

previous　evening；　the　anniversary　of　the　taking　of　the　Bastille；　a

laborer　on　the　Pont…au…Change；　says　〃　I　have　eaten　nothing　all　day。

''Another　replies　：　〃　I　have　not　been　home　because　I　have　nothing　to

give　to　my　wife　and　children；　dying　with　hunger。〃　About　the　same　date；

a　friend　of　Mallet…Dupan　writes　to　him　〃that　he　is　daily　witness　to

people　amongst　the　lower　classes　dying　of　inanition　in　the　streets；

others；　and　principally　women；　have　nothing　but　garbage　to　live　on；

scraps　of　refuse　vegetables　and　the　blood　running　out　of　the　slaughter

houses。　　Laborers；　generally；　work　on　short　time　on　account　of　their

lack　of　strength　and　of　their　exhaustion　for　want　of　food。〃＇144＇　…



Thus　ends　the　rule　of　the　Convention。　　Well　has　it　looked　out　for　the

interests　of　the　poor！　According　to　the　reports　of　its　own　inspectors；

〃famished　stomachs　on　all　sides　cry　vengeance；　beat　to　arms　and　sound

the　tocsin　of　alarm＇145＇　。　　。　　。　　。　　Those　who　have　to　dwell　daily　on

the　sacrifices　they　make　to　keep　themselves　alive　declare　that　there

is　no　hope　except　in　death。〃　Are　they　going　to　be　relieved　by　the　new

government　which　the　Convention　imposes　on　them　with　thunders　of

artillery　and　in　which　it　perpetuates　itself？＇146＇　…



*　Brumaire　28；　〃　Most　of　the　workmen　in　the　'Temple'　and　'Gravilliers'

sections　have　done　no　work　for　want　of　bread。〃



*　Brumaire　24；　〃Citizens　of　all　classes　refuse　to　mount　guard　because

they　have　nothing　to　eat。〃



*　Brumaire　25；　〃In　the　'Gravilliers'　section　the　women　say　that　they

have　sold　all　that　they　possessed；　while　others；　in　the　'Faubourg…

Antoine'　section；　declare　that　it　would　be　better　to　be　shot　down。〃



*　Brumaire　30；　〃A　woman　beside　herself　came　and　asked　a　baker　to　kill

her　children　as　she　had　nothing　to　give　them　to　eat。〃



*　Frimaire　1；　2；　3；　and　4；　〃In　many　of　the　sections　bread　is　given　out

only　in　the　evening；　in　others　at　one　o'clock　in　the　morning；　and　of

very　poor　quality。。。。　　Several　sections　yesterday　had　no　bread。〃



*　Frimaire　7；　the　inspectors　declare　that　〃the　hospitals　soon　will　not

be　vast　enough　to　hold　the　sick　and　the　wretched。〃



*　Frimaire　14；　At　the　central　market　a　woman　nursing　her　child　sunk

down　with　inanition。〃　A　few　days　before　this；　〃a　man　fell　down　from

weakness；　on　his　way　to　Bourg　l'Abbé。〃



　〃　All　our　reports；〃　say　the　district　administrators；　〃resound　with

shrieks　of　despair。〃　People　are　infatuated；　〃it　seems　to　us　that　a

crazy　spirit　prevails　universally；　we　often　encounter　people　in　the

street　who；　although　alone；　gesticulate　and　talk　to　themselves　aloud。〃

〃How　many　times；〃　writes　a　Swiss　traveller；＇147＇　who　lived　in　Paris

during　the　latter　half　of　1795；　〃how　often　have　I　chanced　to　encounter

men　sinking　through　starvation；　scarcely　able　to　stand　up　against　a

post；　or　else　down　on　the　ground　and　unable　to　get　up　for　want　of

strength　！〃　A　journalist　states　that　he　saw　〃within　ten　minutes；　along

the　street；　seven　poor　creatures　fall　on　account　of　hunger；　a　child

die　on　its　mother's　breast　which　was　dry　of　milk；　and　a　woman

struggling　with　a　dog　near　a　sewer　to　get　a　bone　away　from　him。〃＇148＇

Meissner　never　leaves　his　hotel　without　filling　his　pockets　with

pieces　of　the　national　bread。　　〃This　bread；〃　he　says；　〃which　the　poor