ursula-第14部分

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making；　as　he　called　it；　terms　with　God。



〃But；〃　the　abbe　would　say　to　him；　〃if　all　men　would　be　so；　you　must

admit　that　society　would　be　regenerated；　there　would　be　no　more

misery。　To　be　benevolent　after　your　fashion　one　must　needs　be　a　great

philosopher；　you　rise　to　your　principles　through　reason；　you　are　a

social　exception；　whereas　it　suffices　to　be　a　Christian　to　make　us

benevolent　in　ours。　With　you；　it　is　an　effort；　with　us；　it　comes

naturally。〃



〃In　other　words；　abbe；　I　think；　and　you　feel；that's　the　whole　of

it。〃



However；　at　twelve　years　of　age；　Ursula；　whose　quickness　and　natural

feminine　perceptions　were　trained　by　her　superior　education；　and　whose

intelligence　in　its　dawn　was　enlightened　by　a　religious　spirit　（of　all

spirits　the　most　refined）；　came　to　understand　that　her　godfather　did

not　believe　in　a　future　life；　nor　in　the　immortality　of　the　soul；　nor

in　providence；　nor　in　God。　Pressed　with　questions　by　the　innocent

creature；　the　doctor　was　unable　to　hide　the　fatal　secret。　Ursula's

artless　consternation　made　him　smile；　but　when　he　saw　her　depressed

and　sad　he　felt　how　deep　an　affection　her　sadness　revealed。　Absolute

devotion　has　a　horror　of　every　sort　of　disagreement；　even　in　ideas

which　it　does　not　share。　Sometimes　the　doctor　accepted　his　darling's

reasonings　as　he　would　her　kisses；　said　as　they　were　in　the　sweetest

of　voices　with　the　purest　and　most　fervent　feeling。　Believers　and

unbelievers　speak　different　languages　and　cannot　understand　each

other。　The　young　girl　pleading　God's　cause　was　unreasonable　with　the

old　man；　as　a　spoilt　child　sometimes　maltreats　its　mother。　The　abbe

rebuked　her　gently；　telling　her　that　God　had　power　to　humiliate　proud

spirits。　Ursula　replied　that　David　had　overcome　Goliath。



This　religious　difference；　these　complaints　of　the　child　who　wished　to

drag　her　godfather　to　God；　were　the　only　troubles　of　this　happy　life；

so　peaceful；　yet　so　full；　and　wholly　withdrawn　from　the　inquisitive

eyes　of　the　little　town。　Ursula　grew　and　developed；　and　became　in　time

the　modest　and　religiously　trained　young　woman　whom　Desire　admired　as

she　left　the　church。　The　cultivation　of　flowers　in　the　garden；　her

music；　the　pleasures　of　her　godfather；　and　all　the　little　cares　she

was　able　to　give　him　（for　she　had　eased　La　Bougival's　labors　by　doing

everything　for　him）；these　things　filled　the　hours；　the　days；　the

months　of　her　calm　life。　Nevertheless；　for　about　a　year　the　doctor　had

felt　uneasy　about　his　Ursula；　and　watched　her　health　with　the　utmost

care。　Sagacious　and　profoundly　practical　observer　that　he　was；　he

thought　he　perceived　some　commotion　in　her　moral　being。　He　watched　her

like　a　mother；　but　seeing　no　one　about　her　who　was　worthy　of　inspiring

love；　his　uneasiness　on　the　subject　at　length　passed　away。



At　this　conjuncture；　one　month　before　the　day　when　this　drama　begins；

the　doctor's　intellectual　life　was　invaded　by　one　of　those　events

which　plough　to　the　very　depths　of　a　man's　convictions　and　turn　them

over。　But　this　event　needs　a　succinct　narrative　of　certain

circumstances　in　his　medical　career；　which　will　give；　perhaps；　fresh

interest　to　the　story。







CHAPTER　VI



A　TREATISE　ON　MESMERISM



Towards　the　end　of　the　eighteenth　century　science　was　sundered　as

widely　by　the　apparition　of　Mesmer　as　art　had　been　by　that　of　Gluck。

After　re…discovering　magnetism　Mesmer　came　to　France；　where；　from　time

immemorial；　inventors　have　flocked　to　obtain　recognition　for　their

discoveries。　France；　thanks　to　her　lucid　language；　is　in　some　sense

the　clarion　of　the　world。



〃If　homoeopathy　gets　to　Paris　it　is　saved；〃　said　Hahnemann；　recently。



〃Go　to　France；〃　said　Monsieur　de　Metternich　to　Gall；　〃and　if　they

laugh　at　your　bumps　you　will　be　famous。〃



Mesmer　had　disciples　and　antagonists　as　ardent　for　and　against　his

theories　as　the　Piccinists　and　the　Gluckists　for　theirs。　Scientific

France　was　stirred　to　its　center；　a　solemn　conclave　was　opened。　Before

judgment　was　rendered；　the　medical　faculty　proscribed；　in　a　body；

Mesmer's　so…called　charlatanism；　his　tub；　his　conducting　wires；　and

his　theory。　But　let　us　at　once　admit　that　the　German；　unfortunately；

compromised　his　splendid　discovery　by　enormous　pecuniary　claims。

Mesmer　was　defeated　by　the　doubtfulness　of　facts；　by　universal

ignorance　of　the　part　played　in　nature　by　imponderable　fluids　then

unobserved；　and　by　his　own　inability　to　study　on　all　sides　a　science

possessing　a　triple　front。　Magnetism　has　many　applications；　in

Mesmer's　hands　it　was；　in　its　relation　to　the　future；　merely　what

cause　is　to　effect。　But；　if　the　discoverer　lacked　genius；　it　is　a　sad

thing　both　for　France　and　for　human　reason　to　have　to　say　that　a

science　contemporaneous　with　civilization；　cultivated　by　Egypt　and

Chaldea；　by　Greece　and　India；　met　in　Paris　in　the　eighteenth　century

the　fate　that　Truth　in　the　person　of　Galileo　found　in　the　sixteenth；

and　that　magnetism　was　rejected　and　cast　out　by　the　combined　attacks

of　science　and　religion；　alarmed　for　their　own　positions。　Magnetism；

the　favorite　science　of　Jesus　Christ　and　one　of　the　divine　powers

which　he　gave　to　his　disciples；　was　no　better　apprehended　by　the

Church　than　by　the　disciples　of　Jean…Jacques；　Voltaire；　Locke；　and

Condillac。　The　Encyclopedists　and　the　clergy　were　equally　averse　to

the　old　human　power　which　they　took　to　be　new。　The　miracles　of　the

convulsionaries；　suppressed　by　the　Church　and　smothered　by　the

indifference　of　scientific　men　（in　spite　of　the　precious　writings　of

the　Councilor；　Carre　de　Montgeron）　were　the　first　summons　to　make

experiments　with　those　human　fluids　which　give　power　to　employ　certain

inward　forces　to　neutralize　the　sufferings　caused　by　outward　agents。

But　to　do　this　it　was　necessary　to　admit　the　existence　of　fluids

intangible；　invisible；　imponderable；　three　negative　terms　in　which　the

science　of　that　day　chose　to　see　a　definition　of　the　void。　In　modern

philosophy　there　is　no　void。　Ten　feet　of　void　and　the　world　crumbles

away！　To　materialists　especially　the　world　is　full；　all　things　hang

together；　are　linked；　related；　organized。　〃The　world　as　the　result　of

chance；〃　said　Diderot；　〃is　more　explicable　than　God。　The　multiplicity

of　causes；　the　incalculable　number　of　issues　presupposed　by　chance；

explain　creation。　Take　the　Eneid　and　all　the　letters　composing　it；　if

you　allow　me　time　and　space；　I　can；　by　continuing　to　cast　the　letters；

arrive　at　last　at　the　Eneid　combination。〃



Those　foolish　persons　who　deify　all　rather　than　admit　a　God　recoil

before　the　infinite　divisibility　of　matter　which　is　in　the　nature　of

imponderable　forces。　Locke　and　Condillac　retarded　by　fifty　years　the

immense　progress　which　natural　science　is　now　making　under　the　great

principle　of　unity　due　to　Geoffroy　de　Saint…Hilaire。　Some　intelligent

persons；　without　any　system；　convinced　by　facts　conscientiously

studied；　still　hold　to　Mesmer's　doctrine；　which　recognizes　the

existence　of　a　penetrative　influence　acting　from　man　to　man；　put　in

motion　by　the　will；　curative　by　the　abundance　of　the　fluid；　the

working　of　which　is　in　fact　a　duel　between　two　forces；　between　an　ill

to　be　cured　and　the　will　to　cure　it。



The　phenomena　of　somnambulism；　hardly　perceived　by　Mesmer；　were

revealed　by　du　Puysegur　and　Deleuze；　but　the　Revolution　put　a　stop　to

their　discoveries　and　played　into　the　hands　of　the　scientists　and

scoffers。　Among　the　small　number　of　believers　were　a　few　physicians。

They　were　persecuted　by　their　brethren　as　long　as　they　lived。　The

respectable　body　of　Parisian　doctors　displayed　all　the　bitterness　of

religious　warfare　against　the　Mesmerists；　and　were　as　cruel　in　their

hatred　as　it　was　possible　to　be　in　those　days　of　Voltairean　tolerance。

The　orthodox　physician　refused　to　consult　with　those　who　adopted　the

Mesmerian　heresy。　In　1820　these　heretics　were　still　proscribed。　The

miseries　and　sorrows　of　the　Revolution　had　not　quenched　the　scientific

hatred。　It　is　only　priests；　magistrates；　and　physicians　who　can　hate

in　that　way。　The　official　robe　is　terrible！　But　ideas　are　even　more

implacable　than　things。



Doctor　Bouvard；　one　of　Minoret's　friends；　believed　in　the　new　faith；

and　persevered　to　the　day　of　his　death　in　studying　a　science　to　which

he　sacrificed　the　peace　of　his　life；　for　he　was　one　of　the　chief

〃betes　noires〃　of　the　Parisian　faculty。　Minoret；　a　valiant　supporter

of　the　Encyclopedists；　and　a　formidable　adversary　of　Desion；　Mesmer's

assistant；　whose　pen　had　great　weight　in　the　controversy；　quarreled

with　his　old　friend；　and　not　only　that；　but　he　persecuted　him。　His

conduct　to　Bouvard　must　have　caused　him　the　only　remorse　which

troubled　the　serenity　of　his　declining　years。　Since　his　retirement　to

Nemours　the　science　of　imponderable　fluids　（the　only　name　suitable　for

magnetism；　which；　by　the　nature　of　its　phenomena；　is　closely　allied　to

light　and　electricity）　had　made　immense　progress；　in　spite　of　the

ridicule