WhenthechroniclersoftheMiddleAges,whoallbelongedtothearistocracybybirthoreducation,relatethetragicalendofanoble,theirgriefflowsapace;whereastheytellyouatabreath,andwithoutwincing,ofmassacresandtorturesinflictedonthecommonsortofpeople。Notthatthesewritersfelthabitualhatredorsystematicdisdainforthepeople;warbetweentheseveralclassesofthecommunitywasnotyetdeclared。Theywereimpelledbyaninstinctratherthanbyapassion;astheyhadformednoclearnotionofapoorman’ssufferings,theycaredbutlittleforhisfate。Thesamefeelingsanimatedthelowerorderswheneverthefeudaltiewasbroken。Thesameageswhichwitnessedsomanyheroicactsofself—devotiononthepartofvassalsfortheirlords,werestainedwithatrociousbarbarities,exercisedfromtimetotimebythelowerclassesonthehigher。
Itmustnotbesupposedthatthismutualinsensibilityarosesolelyfromtheabsenceofpublicorderandeducation;fortracesofitaretobefoundinthefollowingcenturies,whichbecametranquilandenlightenedwhilsttheyremainedaristocratic。In1675thelowerclassesinBrittanyrevoltedattheimpositionofanewtax。Thesedisturbanceswereputdownwithunexampledatrocity。ObservethelanguageinwhichMadamedeSevigne,awitnessofthesehorrors,relatesthemtoherdaughter:—
"AuxRochers,30Octobre,1675。
"MonDieu,mafille,quevotrelettred’Aixestplaisante!
Aumoinsrelisezvoslettresavantquedelesenvoyer;
laissez—voussurpendrealeuragrement,etconsolez—vousparceplaisirdelapeinequevousavezd’entantecrire。VousavezdoncbaisetoutelaProvence?iln’yauraitpassatisfactionabaisertoutelaBretagne,amoinsqu’onn’aimatasentirlevin……Voulez—voussavoirdesnouvellesdeRennes?Onafaitunetaxedecentmilleecussurlebourgeois;etsionnetrouvepointcettesommedansvingt—quatreheures,elleseradoubleeetexigibleparlessoldats。Onachasseetbannitouteunegrandrue,etdefendudelesrecueillirsouspeinedelavie;desortequ’onvoyaittouscesmiserables,veillards,femmesaccouchees,enfans,errerenpleursausortirdecettevillesanssavoiroualler。Onrouaavant—hierunviolon,quiavaitcommenceladanseetlapilleriedupapiertimbre;ilaeteecarteleapressamort,etsesquatrequartiersexposesauxquatrecoinsdelaville。Onaprissoixantebourgeois,etoncommencedemainlespunitions。
Cetteprovinceestunbelexemplepourlesautres,etsurtoutderespecterlesgouverneursetlesgouvernantes,etdenepointjeterdepierresdansleurjardin。*a[Footnotea:TofeelthepointofthisjokethereadershouldrecollectthatMadamedeGrignanwasGouvernantedeProvence。]
"MadamedeTarenteetaithierdanscesboisparuntempsenchante:iln’estquestionnidechambrenidecollation;elleentreparlabarriereets’enretournedememe……"
Inanotherlettersheadds:—
"Vousmeparlezbienplaisammentdenosmiseres;nousnesommesplussiroues;unenhuitjours,pourentretenirlajustice。Ilestvraiquelapenderiemeparaitmaintenantunrefraichissement。J’aiunetoutautreideedelajustice,depuisquejesuisencepays。Vosgaleriensmeparaissentunesocieted’honnetesgensquisesontretiresdumondepourmeneruneviedouce。"
ItwouldbeamistaketosupposethatMadamedeSevigne,whowrotetheselines,wasaselfishorcruelperson;shewaspassionatelyattachedtoherchildren,andveryreadytosympathizeinthesorrowsofherfriends;nay,herlettersshowthatshetreatedhervassalsandservantswithkindnessandindulgence。ButMadamedeSevignehadnoclearnotionofsufferinginanyonewhowasnotapersonofquality。
InourtimetheharshestmanwritingtothemostinsensiblepersonofhisacquaintancewouldnotventurewantonlytoindulgeinthecrueljocularitywhichIhavequoted;andevenifhisownmannersallowedhimtodoso,themannersofsocietyatlargewouldforbidit。Whencedoesthisarise?Havewemoresensibilitythanourforefathers?Iknownotthatwehave;butI
amsurethatourinsensibilityisextendedtoafargreaterrangeofobjects。Whenalltheranksofacommunityarenearlyequal,asallmenthinkandfeelinnearlythesamemanner,eachofthemmayjudgeinamomentofthesensationsofalltheothers;hecastsarapidglanceuponhimself,andthatisenough。Thereisnowretchednessintowhichhecannotreadilyenter,andasecretinstinctrevealstohimitsextent。Itsignifiesnotthatstrangersorfoesbethesufferers;imaginationputshimintheirplace;somethinglikeapersonalfeelingismingledwithhispity,andmakeshimselfsufferwhilstthebodyofhisfellow—creatureisintorture。Indemocraticagesmenrarelysacrificethemselvesforoneanother;buttheydisplaygeneralcompassionforthemembersofthehumanrace。Theyinflictnouselessills;andtheyarehappytorelievethegriefsofothers,whentheycandosowithoutmuchhurtingthemselves;theyarenotdisinterested,buttheyarehumane。
AlthoughtheAmericanshave,inamanner,reducedegotismtoasocialandphilosophicaltheory,theyareneverthelessextremelyopentocompassion。InnocountryiscriminaljusticeadministeredwithmoremildnessthanintheUnitedStates。
WhilsttheEnglishseemdisposedcarefullytoretainthebloodytracesofthedarkagesintheirpenallegislation,theAmericanshavealmostexpungedcapitalpunishmentfromtheircodes。NorthAmericais,Ithink,theonlyonecountryuponearthinwhichthelifeofnoonecitizenhasbeentakenforapoliticaloffenceinthecourseofthelastfiftyyears。ThecircumstancewhichconclusivelyshowsthatthissingularmildnessoftheAmericansariseschieflyfromtheirsocialcondition,isthemannerinwhichtheytreattheirslaves。Perhapsthereisnot,uponthewhole,asingleEuropeancolonyintheNewWorldinwhichthephysicalconditionoftheblacksislessseverethanintheUnitedStates;yettheslavesstillendurehorridsufferingsthere,andareconstantlyexposedtobarbarouspunishments。Itiseasytoperceivethatthelotoftheseunhappybeingsinspirestheirmasterswithbutlittlecompassion,andthattheylookuponslavery,notonlyasaninstitutionwhichisprofitabletothem,butasanevilwhichdoesnotaffectthem。Thusthesamemanwhoisfullofhumanitytowardshisfellow—creatureswhentheyareatthesametimehisequals,becomesinsensibletotheirafflictionsassoonasthatequalityceases。Hismildnessshouldthereforebeattributedtotheequalityofconditions,ratherthantocivilizationandeducation。
WhatIhavehereremarkedofindividualsis,toacertainextent,applicabletonations。Wheneachnationhasitsdistinctopinions,belief,laws,andcustoms,itlooksuponitselfasthewholeofmankind,andismovedbynosorrowsbutitsown。Shouldwarbreakoutbetweentwonationsanimatedbythisfeeling,itissuretobewagedwithgreatcruelty。Atthetimeoftheirhighestculture,theRomansslaughteredthegeneralsoftheirenemies,afterhavingdraggedthemintriumphbehindacar;andtheyflungtheirprisonerstothebeastsoftheCircusfortheamusementofthepeople。Cicero,whodeclaimedsovehementlyatthenotionofcrucifyingaRomancitizen,hadnotawordtosayagainstthesehorribleabusesofvictory。ItisevidentthatinhiseyesabarbariandidnotbelongtothesamehumanraceasaRoman。Onthecontrary,inproportionasnationsbecomemorelikeeachother,theybecomereciprocallymorecompassionate,andthelawofnationsismitigated。
ChapterII:ThatDemocracyRendersTheHabitualIntercourseOfTheAmericansSimpleAndEasyDemocracydoesnotattachmenstronglytoeachother;butitplacestheirhabitualintercourseuponaneasierfooting。IftwoEnglishmenchancetomeetattheAntipodes,wheretheyaresurroundedbystrangerswhoselanguageandmannersarealmostunknowntothem,theywillfirststareateachotherwithmuchcuriosityandakindofsecretuneasiness;theywillthenturnaway,or,ifoneaccoststheother,theywilltakecareonlytoconversewithaconstrainedandabsentairuponveryunimportantsubjects。Yetthereisnoenmitybetweenthesemen;theyhaveneverseeneachotherbefore,andeachbelievestheothertobearespectableperson。Whythenshouldtheystandsocautiouslyapart?WemustgobacktoEnglandtolearnthereason。
Whenitisbirthalone,independentofwealth,whichclassesmeninsociety,everyoneknowsexactlywhathisownpositionisuponthesocialscale;hedoesnotseektorise,hedoesnotfeartosink。Inacommunitythusorganized,menofdifferentcastescommunicateverylittlewitheachother;butifaccidentbringsthemtogether,theyarereadytoconversewithouthopingorfearingtolosetheirownposition。Theirintercourseisnotuponafootingofequality,butitisnotconstrained。Whenmoneyedaristocracysucceedstoaristocracyofbirth,thecaseisaltered。Theprivilegesofsomearestillextremelygreat,butthepossibilityofacquiringthoseprivilegesisopentoall:
whenceitfollowsthatthosewhopossessthemareconstantlyhauntedbytheapprehensionoflosingthem,orofothermen’ssharingthem;thosewhodonotyetenjoythemlongtopossessthematanycost,or,iftheyfailtoappearatleasttopossessthem—whichisnotimpossible。Asthesocialimportanceofmenisnolongerostensiblyandpermanentlyfixedbyblood,andisinfinitelyvariedbywealth,ranksstillexist,butitisnoteasyclearlytodistinguishataglancethosewhorespectivelybelongtothem。Secrethostilitiesthenariseinthecommunity;
onesetofmenendeavorbyinnumerableartificestopenetrate,ortoappeartopenetrate,amongstthosewhoareabovethem;anothersetareconstantlyinarmsagainsttheseusurpersoftheirrights;orratherthesameindividualdoesbothatonce,andwhilstheseekstoraisehimselfintoahighercircle,heisalwaysonthedefensiveagainsttheintrusionofthosebelowhim。
SuchistheconditionofEnglandatthepresenttime;andI
amofopinionthatthepeculiaritybeforeadvertedtoisprincipallytobeattributedtothiscause。AsaristocraticprideisstillextremelygreatamongsttheEnglish,andasthelimitsofaristocracyareill—defined,everybodylivesinconstantdreadlestadvantageshouldbetakenofhisfamiliarity。
Unabletojudgeatonceofthesocialpositionofthosehemeets,anEnglishmanprudentlyavoidsallcontactwiththem。Menareafraidlestsomeslightservicerenderedshoulddrawthemintoanunsuitableacquaintance;theydreadcivilities,andtheyavoidtheobtrusivegratitudeofastrangerquiteasmuchashishatred。Manypeopleattributethesesingularanti—socialpropensities,andthereservedandtaciturnbearingoftheEnglish,topurelyphysicalcauses。Imayadmitthatthereissomethingofitintheirrace...完整阅读请扫描二维码下载丁香书院APP免费看:
第47章