第27章

there is not a café in which a new paper can be found； there is but one at Dijon； at Moulins， the 7th of August， "in the best café in the town， where I found near twenty tables set for company， but as for a newspaper I might as well have demanded an elephant." Between Strasbourg and Besan？on there is not a gazette. At Besan？on there is "nothing but the Gazette de France， for which， this period， a man of common sense would not give one sol， . . . and the Courier de l'Europe a fortnight old； and well-dressed people are now talking of the news of two or three weeks past， and plainly by their discourse know nothing of what is passing. At Clermont "I dined， or supped， five times at the table d'h？te with from twenty to thirty merchants， trade men， officers， etc.， and it is not easy for me to express the insignificance， - the inanity of their conversation. Scarcely any politics are mentioned at a moment when every bosom ought to beat with none but political sensations. The ignorance or the stupidity of these people must be absolutely incredible； not a week passes without their country abounding with events[38] that are analyzed an debated by the carpenters and blacksmiths of England." The cause of this inertia is manifest； interrogated on their opinions， all reply： "We are of the provinces and we must wait to know what is going on in Paris." Never having acted， they do no know how to act. But， thanks to this inertia， they let themselves be driven. The provinces form an immense stagnant pond， which， by a terrible inundation， may be emptied exclusively on one side， and suddenly； the fault lies with the engineers who failed to provide it with either dikes or outlets.

Such is the languor or， rather， the prostration， into which local life falls when the local chiefs deprive it of their presence， action or sympathy. I find only three or four grand seigniors taking a part in it， practical philanthropists following the example of English noblemen； the Duc d'Harcourt， who settles the lawsuits of his peasants； the Duc de Larochefoucauld-Liancourt who establishes a model farm on his domain， and a school of industrial pursuits for the children of poor soldiers； and the Comte de Brienne， whose thirty villages are to demand liberty of the Convention.[39] The rest， for the most part liberals， content themselves with discussions on public affairs and on political economy. In fact， the difference in manners， the separation of interests， the remoteness of ideas are so great that contact between those most exempt from haughtiness and their immediate tenantry is rare， and at long intervals. Arthur Young， needing some information at the house of the Duc de Larochefoucauld himself， the steward is sent for. "At an English nobleman's， there would have been three or four farmers asked to meet me， who would have dined with the family amongst the ladies of the first rank. I do not exaggerate when I say that I have had this at least an hundred times in the first houses of our islands. It is， however， a thing that in the present style of manners in France would not be met with from Calais to Bayonne except， by chance， in the house of some great lord that had been much in England， and then not unless it was asked for. The nobility in France have no more idea of practicing agriculture， and making it a subject of conversation， except on the mere theory， as they would speak of a loom or a bowsprit， than of any other object the most remote from their habits and pursuits." Through tradition， fashion and deliberation， they are， and wish only to be， people of society； their sole concern is to talk and to hunt. Never have the leaders of men so unlearned the art of leading men； the art which consists of marching along the same pathway with them， but at the head， and directing their labor by sharing in it. - Our Englishman， an eye-witness and competent， again writes： "Thus it is whenever you stumble on a grand seignior， even one that was worth millions， you are sure to find his property desert. Those of the Duc de Bouillon and of the Prince de Soubise are two of the greatest properties in France；and all the signs I have yet seen of their greatness are heaths， moors， deserts， and brackens. Go to their residence， wherever it may be， and you would probably find them in the midst of a forest very well peopled with deer， wild boars and wolves." "The great proprietors，" says another contemporary，[40] "attracted to and kept in our cities by luxurious enjoyments know nothing of their estates，"save "of their agents whom they harass for the support of a ruinous ostentation. How can ameliorations be looked for from those who even refuse to keep things up and make indispensable repairs？" A sure proof that their absence is the cause of the evil is found in the visible difference between the domain worked under absent abbé-commendatory and a domain superintended by monks living on the spot "The intelligent traveler recognizes it" at first sight by the state of cultivation. "If he finds fields well enclosed by ditches， carefully planted， and covered with rich crops， these fields， he says to himself； belong to the monks. Almost always， alongside of these fertile plains， is an area of ground badly tilled and almost barren， presenting a painful contrast； and yet the soil is the same， being two portions of the same domain； he sees that the latter is the portion of the abbé-commendatory." "The abbatial manse." said Lefranc de Pompignan， "frequently looks like the property of a spendthrift； the monastic manse is like a patrimony whereon nothing is neglected for its amelioration，" to such an extent that " the two-thirds " which the abbé enjoys bring him less than the third reserved by his monks. - The ruin or impoverishment of agriculture is， again， one of the effects of absenteeism. There was， perhaps， one-third of the soil in France， which， deserted as in Ireland， was as badly tilled， as little productive as in Ireland in the hands of the rich absentees， the English bishops， deans and nobles.