第786章

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 Itell 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.