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the origins of contemporary france-4-第106章

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profession or even of any handicraft。  At Strasbourg; a little later;

〃considering that the thirst for gold has always controlled the

brewers of the commune;〃 they are condemned to 250;000 livres fine; to

be paid in three days under penalty of being declared rebels; with the

confiscation of their possessions;〃 then; upon another similar

consideration; the bakers and flour dealers are taxed three hundred

thousand livres。'129' In addition to this; writes Representative

Milhaud; at Guyardin;'130' 〃We have ordered the arrest of all bankers;

stock…brokers and notaries。  。  。  。  All their wealth is confiscated;

we estimate the sums under seal at 2 or 3 millions in coin; and 15 or

16 in assignats。〃 There is the same haul of the net at Paris。  By

order of Lhuillier; procureur of the department; 〃seals are placed in

the offices of all the bankers; stock…brokers; silversmiths; etc。;〃

and they themselves are shut up in the Madelonettes; a few days after;

that they may pay their drafts; they are let out as a favor; but on

condition that they remain under arrest in their homes; at their own

expense; under guard of two good sans…culottes。'131'  In like manner;

at Nantes;'132' Lyons; Marseilles and Bordeaux; the prisons are filled

and the guillotine works according to the categories。  At one time

they are 〃all of the Grand Théatre;〃 or the principal merchants; 〃to

the number of more than 200;〃 are incarcerated at Bordeaux in one

night。'133' At another time; Paris provides a haul of farmer…generals

or parliamentarians。  Carts leave Toulouse conveying its

parliamentarians to Paris to undergo capital punishment。  At Aix;

writes an agent;'134'



〃the guillotine is going to work on former lawyers a few hundred heads

legally taken off will do the greatest good。〃



And; as new crimes require new terms to designate them; they add to

〃incivisme〃 and 〃moderantisme;〃 the term 〃negociantisme;〃 all of which

are easily stated and widespread crimes。



〃The rich and the merchants;〃 writes an observer;'135' 〃are here; as

elsewhere; born enemies of equality and lovers of hideous federalism;

the only aristocracy that remains to be crushed out。〃



Barras; with still greater precision; declares in the tribune that;

〃commerce is usurious; monarchical and anti…revolutionary。〃'136'

Considered in itself; it may be defined as an appeal to bad instincts;

it seems a corrupting; incivique; anti…fraternal institution; many

Jacobins having proposed either to interdict it to private persons and

attribute it wholly to the State; or suppress it along with the arts

and manufactures which nourish it; in order that only a population of

agriculturists and soldiers may be left in France。'137'



The second advantage and the second crime of the notables is

superiority of education。  〃In all respectable assemblages;〃 writes a

Dutch traveler in 1795;'138' 〃you may be sure that one…half of those

present have been in prison。   Add the absent; the guillotined; the

exiled; emigrés; the deported; and note this; that; in the other

favored half; those who did not quaff the prison cup had had a

foretaste of it for; each expected daily to receive his warrant of

arrest; 〃the worst thing under Robespierre; as several old gentlemen

have told me; was that one never knew in the morning whether one would

sleep in one's own bed at night。〃 There was not a well…bred man who

did not live in dread of this; examine the lists of 〃suspects;〃 of the

arrested; of exiles; of those executed; in any town; district or

department;'139' and you will see immediately; through their quality

and occupations; first; that three…quarters of the cultivated are

inscribed on it; and next; that intellectual culture in itself is

suspect。  〃They were equally criminal;〃'140' write the Strasbourg

administrators; 〃whether rich or cultivated 。  。  。  。  The (Jacobin)

municipality declared the University federalist; it proscribed public

instruction and; consequently; the professors; regents; and heads of

schools; with all instructors; public as well as private; even those

provided with certificates of civism; were arrested; 。  。  。  。  every

Protestant minister and teacher in the Lower…Rhine department was

incarcerated; with a threat of being transferred to the citadel at

Besan?on。〃 … Fourcroy; in the Jacobin Club at Paris; excusing himself

for being a savant; for giving lectures on chemistry; for not devoting

his time to the rantings of the Convention and of the clubs; is

obliged to declare that he is poor; that he lives by his work; that he

supports 〃his father; a sans…culotte; and his sans…culotte sisters;〃

although a good republican; he barely escapes; and the same with

others like him。   All educated men were persecuted;〃 he states a

month after Thermidor 9;'141' 〃to have acquaintances; to be literary;

sufficed for arrest; as an aristocrat。  。  。  。  Robespierre 。  。  。

with devilish ingenuity; abused; calumniated and overwhelmed with gall

and bitterness all who were devoted to serious studies; all who

professed extensive knowledge; 。  。  。  he felt that cultivated men

would never bend the knee to him '142'。  。  。  。  。  Instruction was

paralyzed; they wanted to burn the libraries 。  。  。  。  。  Must I

tell you that at the very door of your assembly errors in orthography

are seen? Nobody learns how to read or write。〃 … At Nantes; Carrier

boasts of having 〃dispersed the literary chambers;〃 while in his

enumeration of the evil…minded he adds 〃to the rich and merchants;〃

〃all gens d'esprit。〃'143' Sometimes on the turnkey's register we read

that such an one was confined 〃for being clever and able to do

mischief;〃 another for saying 〃good…day; gentlemen; to the municipal

councillors。〃'144'



Politeness has; like other signs of a good education; become a stigma;

good manners are considered; not only as a remnant of the ancient

régime; but as a revolt against the new institutions; now; as the

governing principle of these is; theoretically; abstract equality and;

practically; the ascendancy of the low class; one rebels against the

established order of things when one repudiates coarse companions;

familiar oaths; and the indecent expressions of the common workman and

the soldier。  In sum; Jacobinism; through its doctrines and deeds; its

dungeons and executioners; proclaims to the nation over which it holds

the rod:'145'



 〃Be rude; that you may become republican; return to barbarism that

you may show the superiority of your genius; abandon the customs of

civilized people that you may adopt those of galley slaves; mar your

language with a view to improve it; use that of the populace under

penalty of death。  Spanish beggars treat each other in a dignified

way; they show respect for humanity although in tatters。  We; on the

contrary; order you to assume our rags; our patois; our terms of

intimacy。  Don the carmagnole and tremble; become rustics and dolts;

and prove your civism by the absence of all education。〃



This is true to the letter。



〃Education;'146' 〃 says another contemporary; 〃amiable qualities;

gentle ways; a mild physiognomy; bodily graces; a cultivated mind; all

natural endowments are henceforth the inevitable causes of

proscription。〃



One is self…condemned if one has not converted oneself into a sans…

culotte and proletarian; in accordance with affected modes; air;

language and dress。  Hence;



〃through a hypocritical contest hitherto unknown men who were not

vicious deemed it necessary to appear so。〃



And worse still;



 〃one was even afraid to be oneself; one changed one's name; one went

in disguise; wearing a vulgar and tasteless attire; everybody shrunk

from being what he was。〃



For; according to the Jacobin program; all Frenchmen must be

recast'147' in one uniform mold; they must be taken when small; all

must be subject to the same enforced education; that of a mechanic;

rustic and soldier's boy。  Be warned; ye adults; by the guillotine;

reform yourselves beforehand according to the prescribed pattern! No

more costly; elegant or delicate crystal or gold vases! All are

shattered or are still being shattered。  Henceforth; only common ware

is to be tolerated or ordered to be made; all alike in substance;

shape and color; manufactured by thousands at wholesale and in public

factories; for the common and plain uses of rural and military life;

all original and superior forms are to be rejected。



 〃The masters of the day;〃 writes Daunou;'148' 〃deliberately aimed

their sword thrusts at superior talent; at energetic characters; they

mowed down as well as they could in so short a time; the flower and

hope of the nation。〃



In this respect they were consistent; equality…socialism'149' allows

none but automatic citizens; mere tools in the hands of the State; all

alike; of a rudimentary fashion and easily managed; without personal

conscience; spontaneity; curiosity or integrity; whoever has

cult
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