the origins of contemporary france-5-第100部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



through　contagion。　According　to　revolutionary　and　French　usage；　the

legislator　was　bound　to　institute　uniformity　and　to　make　things

symmetrical；　having　placed　universal　suffrage　in　political　society；　he

was　likewise　determined　to　place　it　in　local　society。　He　had　been

ordered　to　apply　an　abstract　principle；　that　is　to　say；　to　legislate

according　to　a　summary；　superficial；　and　verbal　notion　which；

purposely　curtailed　and　simplified　to　excess；　did　not　correspond　with

its　aim。　He　obeyed　and　did　nothing　more；　he　made　no　effort　outside　of

his　instructions。　He　did　not　propose　to　himself　to　restore　local

society　to　its　members；　to　revive　it；　to　make　it　a　living　body；

capable　of　spontaneous；　co…ordinate；　voluntary　action；　and；　to　this

end；　provided　with　indispensable　organs。　He　did　not　even　take　the

trouble　to　imagine；　how　it　really　is；　I　mean　by　this；　complex　and

diverse　and　inversely　to　legislators　before　1789；　and　adversely　to

legislators　before　and　after　1789　outside　of　France；　against　all　the

teachings　of　experience；　against　the　evidence　of　nature；　he　refused　to

recognize　the　fact　that；　in　France；　mankind　are　of　two　species；　the

people　of　the　towns　and　the　people　of　the　country；　and　that；

therefore；　there　are　two　types　of　local　society；　the　urban　commune　and

the　rural　commune。　He　was　not　disposed　to　take　this　capital　difference

into　consideration；　he　issued　decrees　for　the　Frenchman　in　general；

for　the　citizen　in　himself；　for　fictive　men；　so　reduced　that　the

statute　which　suits　them　can　nowhere　suit　the　actual　and　complete　man。

At　one　stroke；　the　legislative　shears　cut　out　of　the　same　stuff；

according　to　the　same　pattern；　thirty…six　thousand　examples　of　the

same　coat；　one　coat　indifferently　for　every　commune；　whatever　its

shape；　a　coat　too　small　for　the　city　and　too　large　for　the　village；

disproportionate　in　both　cases；　and　useless　beforehand；　because　it

could　not　fit　very　large　bodies；　nor　very　small　ones。　Nevertheless；

once　dispatched　from　Paris；　people　had　to　put　the　coat　on　and　wear　it；

it　must　answer　for　good　or　for　ill；　each　donning　his　own　for　lack　of

another　better　adjusted；　hence　the　strangest　attitudes　for　each；　and；

in　the　long　run；　a　combination　of　consequences　which　neither　governors

nor　the　governed　had　foreseen。



V。　Rural　or　urban　communes。



No　distinction　between　the　rural　and　the　urban　commune。　…　Effects　of

the　law　on　the　rural　commune。　…　Disproportion　between　the　intelligence

of　its　elected　representatives　and　the　work　imposed　upon　them。　…　The

mayor　and　the　municipal　council。　…　Lack　of　qualified　members。　…　The

secretary　of　the　mayoralty。　…　The　chief　or　under　chief　of　the

prefectorial　bureau。



Let　us　consider　these　results　in　turn　in　the　small　and　in　the　great

communes；　clear　enough　and　distinct　at　the　two　extremities　of　the

scale；　they　blend　into　each　other　at　intermediate　degrees；　because

here　they　combine　together；　but　in　different　proportions；　according　as

the　commune；　higher　or　lower　in　the　scale；　comes　nearer　to　the　village

or　to　the　city。　…　On　this　territory；　too；　subdivided　since　1789；　and；

so　to　say；　crumbled　to　pieces　by　the　Constituent　Assembly；　the　small

communes　are　enormous　in　number；　among　the　36；000；　more　than　27；000

have　less　than　1000　inhabitants；　and　of　these；　more　than　16；000　have

less　than　500　inhabitants。＇24＇　Whoever　has　traveled　over　France；　or

lived　in　this　country；　sees　at　once　what　sort　of　men　compose　such

purely　rural　groups；　he　has　only　to　recall　physiognomies　and　attitudes

to　know　to　what　extent　in　these　rude　brains；　rendered　torpid　by　the

routine　of　manual　labor　and　oppressed　by　the　cares　of　daily　life；　how

narrow　and　obstructed　are　the　inlets　to　the　mind；　how　limited　is　their

information　in　the　way　of　facts；　how；　in　the　way　of　ideas；　the

acquisition　of　them　is　slow；　what　hereditary　distrust　separates　the

illiterate　mass　from　the　lettered　class；　what　an　almost　insurmountable

wall　the　difference　of　education；　of　habits；　and　of　manners　interposes

in　France　between　the　blouse　and　the　dress…coat；　why；　if　each　commune

contains　a　few　cultivated　individuals　and　a　few　notable　proprietors；

universal　suffrage　sets　them　aside；　or　at　least　does　not　seek　them　out

for　the　municipal　council　or　the　mayoralty。　…　Before　1830；　when　the

prefect　appointed　the　municipal　councilors　and　the　mayor；　these　were

always　on　hand；　under　the　monarchy　of　July　and　a　limited　suffrage；

they　were　still　on　hand；　at　least　for　the　most　part；　under　the　second

Empire；　whatever　the　elected　municipal　council　might　be；　the　mayor；

who　was　appointed　by　the　prefect；　and　even　outside　of　this　council；

might　be　one　of　the　least　ignorant　and　least　stupid　even　in　the

commune。　At　the　present　day　（1889）；　it　is　only　accidentally　and　by

chance　that　a　noble　or　bourgeois；　in　a　few　provinces　and　in　certain

communes；　may　become　mayor　or　municipal　councilor；　it　is；　however；

essential　that　he　should　be　born　on　the　soil；　long　established　there；

resident　and　popular。　Everywhere　else　the　numerical　majority；　being

sovereign；　tends　to　select　its　candidates　from　among　the　average

people：　in　the　village；　he　is　a　man　of　average　rural　intelligence；

and；　mostly；　in　the　village　a　municipal　council　which；　as　narrow…

minded　as　its　electors；　elects　a　mayor　equally　as　narrow…minded　as

itself　Such　are；　from　now　on；　the　representatives　and　directors　of

communal　interests；　except　when　they　themselves　are　affected　by

personal　interests　to　which　they　are　sensitive；　their　inertia　is　only

equaled　by　their　incapacity＇25＇



Four　times　a　year　a　bundle　of　elaborately　drawn　papers；　prepared　by

the　prefecture；　are　submitted　to　these　innately　blind　paralytics；

large　sheets　divided　into　columns　from　top　to　bottom；　with　tabular

headings　from　right　to　left；　and　covered　with　printed　texts　and

figures　in　writing　…　details　of　receipts　and　expenses；　general

centimes；　special　centimes；　obligatory　centimes；　optional　centimes；

ordinary　centimes；　extra　centimes；　with　their　sources　and　employment；

preliminary　budget；　final　budget；　corrected　budget；　along　with　legal

references；　regulations；　and　decisions　bearing　on　each　article。　In

short；　a　methodical　table　as　specific　as　possible　and　highly

instructive　to　a　jurist　or　accountant；　but　perfect　jargon　to　peasants；

most　of　whom　can　scarcely　write　their　name　and　who；　on　Sundays；　are

seen　standing　before　the　advertisement　board＇26＇　trying　to　spell　out

the　Journal　Officiel；　whose　abstract　phrases；　beyond　their　reach；　pass

over　their　heads　in　aerial　and　transient　flight；　like　some　confused

rustling　of　vague　and　unknown　forms。　To　guide　them　in　political　life；

much　more　difficult　than　in　private　life；　they　require　a　similar　guide

to　the　one　they　take　in　the　difficult　matters　of　their　individual

life；　a　legal　or　business　adviser；　one　that　is　qualified　and

competent；　able　to　understand　the　prefecture　documents；　sitting

alongside　of　them　to　explain　their　budget；　rights　and　limits　of　their

rights；　the　financial　resources；　legal　expedients；　and　consequences　of

a　law；　one　who　can　arrange　their　debates；　make　up　their　accounts；

watch　daily　files　of　bills；　attend　to　their　business　at　the　county

town；　throughout　the　entire　series　of　legal　formalities　and　attendance

on　the　bureaus；　…　in　short；　some　trusty　person；　familiar　with

technicalities；　who　they　might　choose　to　select。　…　Such　a　person　was

found　in　Savoy；　before　the　annexation　to　France；　a　notary　or　lawyer

who；　practicing　in　the　neighborhood　or　at　the　principal　town；　and　with

five　or　six　communes　for　clients；　visited　them　in　turn；　helped　them

with　his　knowledge　and　intelligence；　attended　their　meetings　and；

besides；　served　them　as　scribe；　like　the　present　secretary　of　the

mayoralty；　for　about　the　same　pay；　amounting　in　all　to　about　the　same

total　of　fees　or　salaries。＇27＇　…　At　the　present　time；　there　is　nobody

in　the　municipal　council　to　advise　and　give　information　to　its

members；　the　schoolmaster　is　their　secretary；　and　he　cannot　be；　and

should　not　be；　other　than　a　scribe。　He　reads　in　a　monotonous　tone　of

voice　the　long　financial　enigma　which　French　public　book…keeping；　too

perfect；　offers　to　their　divination；　and　which　nobody；　save　one　who　is

educated　to　it；　can　clearly　comprehend　until　after　weeks　of　study。

They　listen　all　agog。　Some；　adjusting　their　spectacles；　try　to　pick

out　among　so　many　articles　the　one　they　want；　the　amount　of　taxes　they

have　to　pay。　The　sum　is　too　large；　the　assessments　are　excessive；　it

is　important　that　the　number　of　additional　centimes　should　be　reduced；

and　therefore　that　less　money　should　be　expended。　Hence；　if　there　is

any　special　item　of　expense　which　can　be　got　rid　of　by　a　refusal；　they

set　it　aside　by　voting　No；　until　some　new　law　or　decree　from　above

obliges　them　to　say　Yes。　But；　as　things　go；　nearly　all　the　expenses

designated　on　the　paper　are　obligatory；　willingly　or　not；　these　must

be　met；　and　there　is　no　way　to　pay　them　outside　of　the　additional

centimes；　however　numerou