第1129章

Since the young do not attend the lycée because they like it， they must come through necessity； to this end， other issues are rendered difficult and several are entirely barred； and better still， all those that are tolerated are made to converge to one sole central outlet， a university establishment， in such a way that the director of each private school， changed from a rival into a purveyor， serves the university instead of injuring it and gives it pupils instead of taking them away. In the first place， his high standard of instruction is limited；[17] even in the country and in the towns that have neither lycée nor college， he must teach nothing above a fixed degree； if he is the principal of an institution， this degree must not go beyond the class of the humanities； he must leave to the faculties of the State their domain intact， differential calculus， astronomy， geology， natural history and superior literature. If he is the master of a boarding-school， this degree must not extend beyond grammar classes， nor the first elements of geometry and arithmetic； he must leave to State lycées and colleges their domain intact， the humanities properly so called， superior lectures and means of secondary instruction. - In the second place， in the towns possessing a lycée or college， he must teach at home only what the University leaves untaught；[18] he is not deprived， indeed， of the younger boys； he may still instruct and keep them； but he must conduct all his pupils over ten years of age to the college or lycée， where they will regularly follow the classes as day-scholars. Consequently， daily and twice a day， he marches them to and fro between his house and the university establishment； before going， in the intermission， and after the class is dismissed he examines them in the lesson they have received out of his house； apart from that， he lodges and feeds them， his office being reduced to this. He is nothing beyond a watched and serviceable auxiliary， a subaltern， a University tutor and "coach，" a sort of unpaid， or rather paying， schoolmaster and innkeeper in its employ.

All this does not yet suffice. Not only does the State recruit its day-scholars in his establishment but it takes from him his boarding-scholars. "On and after the first of November 1812，[19] the heads of institutions and the masters of boarding-schools shall receive no resident pupils in their houses above the age of nine years， until the lycée or college， established in the same town or place where there is a lycée， shall have as many boarders as it can take." This complement shall be 300 boarders per lycée； there are to be "80 lycées in full operation "during the year 1812， and 100 in the course of the year 1813， so that， at this last date， the total of the complement demanded， without counting that of the colleges， amounts to 30，000boarding-scholars. Such is the enormous levy of the State on the crop of boarding-school pupils. It evidently seizes the entire crop in advance； private establishments， after it， can only glean， and through tolerance. In reality， the decree forbids them to receive boarding-scholars； henceforth， the University will have the monopoly of them.

The proceedings against the small seminaries， more energetic competitors， are still more vigorous. "There shall be but one secondary ecclesiastical school in each department； the Grand-Master will designate those that are to be maintained； the others are to be closed. None of them shall be in the country. All those not situated in a town provided with a lycée or with a college shall be closed.

All the buildings and furniture belonging to the ecclesiastic schools not retained shall be seized and confiscated for the benefit of the University. "In all places where ecclesiastical schools exist， the pupils of these schools shall be taken to the lycée or college and join its classes." Finally， "all these schools shall be under the control of the University； they must be organized only by her； their prospectus and their regulations must be drawn up by the council of the University at the suggestion of the Grand Master. The teaching must be done only by members of the University at the disposition of the Grand Master." In like manner， in the lay schools， at Sainte-Barbe for example，[20] every professor， private tutor， or even common superintendent， must be provided with a special authorization by the University. Staff and discipline， the spirit and matter of the teaching， every detail of study and recreation，[21] all are imposed， conducted and restrained in these so-called free establishments；whatever they may be， ecclesiastic or secular， not only does the University surround and hamper them， but again it absorbs and assimilates them； it does not even leave them any external distinctive appearance. It is true that， in the small seminaries， the exercises begin at the ringing of a bell， and the pupils wear an ecclesiastic dress； but the priest's gown， adopted by the State that adopts the Church， is still a State uniform. In the other private establishments， the uniform is that which it imposes， the lay uniform， belonging to colleges and lycées "under penalty of being closed "；while， in addition， there is the drum， the demeanor， the habits， ways and regularity of the barracks. All initiative， all invention， all diversity， every professional or local adaptation is abolished.[22]