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30;000; of which only 1;200 are in civil careers。 At the présent time;
December 1; 1888 (documents furnished by the records of the Légion
d'honneur); there are 52。915 decorated persons; of which 31;757 are
soldiers and 21;158 civilians。 Under the empire there was in all 1
cross to every 750 Frenchmen; at that time; out of 50 crosses there
were 2 for civil services; while in our day there are nearly 20。 (QUID
informs us that on 30…11…1994 the strength amounted to 207;390
persons。 SR。)
'49' Edmond Blanc; ibid。; 276…299; 325 and 326。 (List of titles of
prince and duke conferred by the emperor; and of gifts of 100;000
francs rental or of above that sum。)
'50' Mathieu Dumas; 〃Mémoires;〃 III。; 363。
'51' Napoleon; 〃Mémoires。〃
'52' Compare with the Brothers Grimm's fairytale: 〃The Fisherman and
his Wife。〃
'53' Thiers; 〃Histoire du Consulat et de l'Empire;〃 V。 III。; p。 210。
'54' Thiers; ibid。; p。195 (October 1806)。 Napoleon; in one of his
bulletins; had mentioned Murat's cavalry alone; omitting to mention
the infantry of Lannes; which behaved as well。 Lannes; disappointed;
did not dare read this bulletin to his men; and spoke to the emperor
about it。 'What reward can they look for if they don't find their
names published by the hundred…tongued voice of Fame which is under
your control!〃 Napoleon replies: 〃You and your men are children …
glory enough for all! 。 。 。 One of these days your turn will come in
the bulletins of the grand army。〃 Lannes reads this to his troops on
the great square of Stettin and it is received with outbursts of
enthusiasm。
'55' Madame de Rémusat。 III。; 129。
'56' The Revolution;〃 pp。 356…358。 (Laff。 I。 pp。 825…826。) … Marmont;
〃Mémoires;〃 I。 122。 (Letter to his mother; January 12; 1795。) 〃Behold
your son zealously fulfilling his duties; deserving of his country and
serving the republic。 。 。 。 We should not be worthy of liberty if we
did nothing to obtain it。〃
'57' Compare the 〃Journal du sergent Fricasse;〃 and 〃les Cahiers du
capitaine Coignet。〃 Fricasse is a volunteer who enlists in the defence
of the country; Coignet is a conscript ambitious of distinguishing
himself; and he says to his masters: 〃I promise to come back with the
fusil d'honneur or I shall be dead。〃
'58' Marmont; I。; 186; 282; 296。 (In Italy; 1796。) 〃At this epoch; our
ambition was quite secondary; we were solely concerned about our
duties and amusements。 The frankest and most cordial union existed
amongst us all。 。 。 。 No sentiment of envy; no low passion found room
in our breasts。 (Then) what excitement; what grandeur; what hopes and
what gayety! 。 。 。 Each had a presentiment of an illimitable future
and yet entertained no idea of personal ambition or calculation。〃 …
George Sand; 〃Histoire de ma vie。〃 (Correspondence of her father;
Commander Dupin。) … Stendhal; 〃Vie de Napoléon。〃 〃At this epoch
(1796); nobody in the army had any ambition。 I have known officers to
refuse promotion so as not to quit their regiment or their mistress。
'59' Roederer; III。; 556。 (Burgos; April 9; 1809; conversation with
General Lasalle written down the same evening。) 〃 You pass through
Paris?〃 〃Yes; it's the shortest way。 I shall get there at five in the
morning; I shall order a pair of boots; get my wife with child and
then leave for Germany。〃 … Roederer remarks to him that one risks
one's life and fights for the sake of promotion and to profit by
rising in the world。 〃No; not at all。 One takes pleasure in it。 One
enjoys fighting; it is pleasure enough in itself to fight! You are in
the midst of the uproar; of the action; of the smoke。 And then; on
acquiring reputation you have had the fun of making it。 When you have
got your fortune you know that your wife and children won't suffer。
That is enough。 As for myself; I could die to…morrow。〃 (The details of
this conversation are admirable; no document gives a better idea of
the officer of the epoch。)
'60' Compare with the idea of an ideal Chaver (kibbutznik)。: Melford
E。 Spiro; wrote 〃Kibbutz。 Venture in Utopia。〃 60 and described how
the Israeli kibbutzim as early as 1917 wanted the ideal kibbutzim to
be:
Loyal to his people
A brother to his fellows
A man of truth
A helpful and dependable brother
A lover of nature
Obedient to the orders of his leaders
Joyful and gay
Economical and generous
A man of courage
Pure in thoughts; words; and deeds (opposition to drinking; smoking
and sexual relationships)。
'61' Balzac has closely studied and admirably portrayed this type in a
〃Ménage de Gar?on。〃 … See other similar characters in Mérimée (〃Les
Mécontens;〃 and 〃les Espagnols en Danemark〃); in Stendhal (〃le
Chasseur vert〃)。 I knew five or six of them in my youth。
'62' Words of Marshal Marmont: 〃So long as he declared 'Everything for
France;' I served him enthusiastically; when he said; 'France and
myself' I served him zealously; when he said; 'myself and France;' I
served him with devotion。 It is only when he said; 'Myself without
France;' that I left him。〃
'63' An expression found by Joseph de Maistre。
'64' An expression heard by Mickiewicz in his childhood。
'65' These sums are given; the former by Mérimée and the latter by
Sainte… Beuve。
'66' M。 de Champagny 〃Souvenirs;〃 III。; 183。 Napoleon; passing his
marshals in review; said to him (1811): 〃None of them can take my
place in the command of my armies; some are without the talent; and
others would carry on war for their own benefit。 Didn't that burly
Soult want to be king of Portugal?〃 〃Well; sire; war need not be
carried on any longer。〃 〃Yes; but how maintain my army? And I must
have an army。〃
'67' 〃Souvenirs〃; by PASQUIER (Etienne…Dennis; duc); chancelier de
France。 in VI volumes; Librarie Plon; Paris 1893。 IV。; 112。
(According to the papers of Savary; many of Napoleon's letters and
statements by M。 de Saint…Aignan。)
'68' 〃Mémorial;〃 Aug。26; 1816。
'69' The driving motor of unlimited capitalism as well; a driving
force only to be tempered by the law and by a desire for social
admiration of different kinds。 (SR。)
'70' 〃Travels in France during the years 1814 and 1815。〃 (Edinburgh;
1816; 2 vols。) … The author; a very good observer; thus sums up the
principle of the system: 〃To give active employment to all men of
talent and enterprise。〃 There is no other condition: 〃Birth;
education; moral character were completely set aside。〃 … Hence the
general defect of the system。 〃The French have literally no idea of
any duties which they must voluntarily; without the prospect of
reward; undertake for their country。 It never enters their heads that
a man may be responsible for the neglect of those public duties for
the performance of which he receives no regular salary。〃
BOOK FOURTH。 Defect and Effects of the System。
CHAPTER I。 Local Society。
I。 Human Incentives。
The two Stimuli of human action。 … The egoistic instinct and the
social instinct。 … Motives for not weakening the social instinct。 …
Influence on society of the law it prescribes。 … The clauses of a
statute depend on the legislator who adopts or imposes them。 …
Conditions of a good statute。 … It favors the social instinct。 …
Different for different societies。 … Determined by the peculiar and
permanent traits of the society it governs。 … Capital defect of the
statute under the new régime。
So long as a man takes an interest only in himself; in his own
fortune; in his own advancement; in his own success; his interests are
trivial: all that is; like himself; of little importance and of short
duration。 Alongside of the small boat which he steers so carefully
there are thousands and millions of others of like it; none of them
are worth much; and his own is not worth more。 However well he may
have provisioned and sailed it; it will always remain what it is;
slight and fragile; in vain will he hoist his flags; decorate it; and
shove ahead to get the first place; in three steps he has reached its
length。 However well he handles and maintains it; in a few years it
leaks; sooner or later it crumbles and sinks; and with it goes all his
effort。 Is it reasonable to work so hard for this; and is so slight an
object worth so great an effort?
Fortunately; man has; for a better placement of his effort; other
aims; more vast and more substantial: a family; a commune; a church; a
country; all the associations of which he is or becomes a member; all
the collective undertakings in behalf of science; education; and
charity; of local or general utility; most of them provided with legal
statutes and organized as corporations or even as a legal entity。 They
are as well defined and protected as he is; but more precious and more
viable: for they are of service to a large number of men and last for
ever。 Some; even; have a secular history; and their age predicts their
longevity。 In th