the origins of contemporary france-4-第165部分

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compelled　to　seek　nourishment　in　the　piles　of　garbage　on　the　corners。〃



*　Messidor　1；＇143＇　〃the　said　Picard　fell　through　weakness　at　ten

o'clock　in　the　morning　in　the　rue　de　la　Loi；　and　was　only　brought　to

at　seven　o'clock　in　the　evening；　he　was　carried　to　the　hospital　on　a

hand…barrow。〃



*　Messidor　11；　〃There　is　a　report　that　the　number　of　people　trying　to

drown　themselves　is　so　great　that　the　nets　at　St。　　Cloud　scarcely

suffice　to　drag　them　out　of　the　water。〃



*　Messidor　19；　〃A　man　was　found　on　the　corner　of　a　street　just　dead

with　hunger。〃



*　Messidor　27；　〃At　four　o'clock　in　the　afternoon；　Place　Maubert；　a　man

named　Marcelin；　employed　in　the　Jardin　des　Plantes；　fell　down　through

starvation　and　died　while　assistance　was　being　given　to　him。〃　On　the

previous　evening；　the　anniversary　of　the　taking　of　the　Bastille；　a

laborer　on　the　Pont…au…Change；　says　〃　I　have　eaten　nothing　all　day。

''Another　replies　：　〃　I　have　not　been　home　because　I　have　nothing　to

give　to　my　wife　and　children；　dying　with　hunger。〃　About　the　same　date；

a　friend　of　Mallet…Dupan　writes　to　him　〃that　he　is　daily　witness　to

people　amongst　the　lower　classes　dying　of　inanition　in　the　streets；

others；　and　principally　women；　have　nothing　but　garbage　to　live　on；

scraps　of　refuse　vegetables　and　the　blood　running　out　of　the　slaughter

houses。　　Laborers；　generally；　work　on　short　time　on　account　of　their

lack　of　strength　and　of　their　exhaustion　for　want　of　food。〃＇144＇　…



Thus　ends　the　rule　of　the　Convention。　　Well　has　it　looked　out　for　the

interests　of　the　poor！　According　to　the　reports　of　its　own　inspectors；

〃famished　stomachs　on　all　sides　cry　vengeance；　beat　to　arms　and　sound

the　tocsin　of　alarm＇145＇　。　　。　　。　　。　　Those　who　have　to　dwell　daily　on

the　sacrifices　they　make　to　keep　themselves　alive　declare　that　there

is　no　hope　except　in　death。〃　Are　they　going　to　be　relieved　by　the　new

government　which　the　Convention　imposes　on　them　with　thunders　of

artillery　and　in　which　it　perpetuates　itself？＇146＇　…



*　Brumaire　28；　〃　Most　of　the　workmen　in　the　'Temple'　and　'Gravilliers'

sections　have　done　no　work　for　want　of　bread。〃



*　Brumaire　24；　〃Citizens　of　all　classes　refuse　to　mount　guard　because

they　have　nothing　to　eat。〃



*　Brumaire　25；　〃In　the　'Gravilliers'　section　the　women　say　that　they

have　sold　all　that　they　possessed；　while　others；　in　the　'Faubourg…

Antoine'　section；　declare　that　it　would　be　better　to　be　shot　down。〃



*　Brumaire　30；　〃A　woman　beside　herself　came　and　asked　a　baker　to　kill

her　children　as　she　had　nothing　to　give　them　to　eat。〃



*　Frimaire　1；　2；　3；　and　4；　〃In　many　of　the　sections　bread　is　given　out

only　in　the　evening；　in　others　at　one　o'clock　in　the　morning；　and　of

very　poor　quality。。。。　　Several　sections　yesterday　had　no　bread。〃



*　Frimaire　7；　the　inspectors　declare　that　〃the　hospitals　soon　will　not

be　vast　enough　to　hold　the　sick　and　the　wretched。〃



*　Frimaire　14；　At　the　central　market　a　woman　nursing　her　child　sunk

down　with　inanition。〃　A　few　days　before　this；　〃a　man　fell　down　from

weakness；　on　his　way　to　Bourg　l'Abbé。〃



　〃　All　our　reports；〃　say　the　district　administrators；　〃resound　with

shrieks　of　despair。〃　People　are　infatuated；　〃it　seems　to　us　that　a

crazy　spirit　prevails　universally；　we　often　encounter　people　in　the

street　who；　although　alone；　gesticulate　and　talk　to　themselves　aloud。〃

〃How　many　times；〃　writes　a　Swiss　traveller；＇147＇　who　lived　in　Paris

during　the　latter　half　of　1795；　〃how　often　have　I　chanced　to　encounter

men　sinking　through　starvation；　scarcely　able　to　stand　up　against　a

post；　or　else　down　on　the　ground　and　unable　to　get　up　for　want　of

strength　！〃　A　journalist　states　that　he　saw　〃within　ten　minutes；　along

the　street；　seven　poor　creatures　fall　on　account　of　hunger；　a　child

die　on　its　mother's　breast　which　was　dry　of　milk；　and　a　woman

struggling　with　a　dog　near　a　sewer　to　get　a　bone　away　from　him。〃＇148＇

Meissner　never　leaves　his　hotel　without　filling　his　pockets　with

pieces　of　the　national　bread。　　〃This　bread；〃　he　says；　〃which　the　poor

would　formerly　have　despised；　I　found　accepted　with　the　liveliest

gratitude；　and　by　well　educated　persons；〃　the　lady　who　contended　with

the　dog　for　the　bone　was　a　former　nun；　without　either　parents　or

friends　and　everywhere　repulsed。〃　〃I　still　hear　with　a　shudder；〃　says

Meissner；　〃the　weak；　melancholy　voice　of　a　well…dressed　woman　who

stopped　me　in　the　rue　du　Bac；　to　tell　me　in　accents　indicative　both　of

shame　and　despair：　'Ah；　Sir；　do　help　me！　I　am　not　an　outcast。　　I　have

some　talent　…　you　may　have　seen　some　of　my　works　in　the　salon。　　I　have

had　nothing　to　eat　for　two　days　and　I　am　crazy　for　want　of　food。'〃

Again；　in　June；　1796；　the　inspectors　state　that　despair　and

despondency　have　reached　the　highest　point；　only　one　cry　being　heard…

misery　！。。　　。　　。　　Our　reports　all　teem　with　groans　and　complaints。　　。

。　　。　　Pallor　and　suffering　are　stamped　on　all　faces。　　。　　。　　。　　Each

day　presents　a　sadder　and　more　melancholy　aspect。〃　And

repeatedly；＇149＇　they　sum　up　their　scattered　observations　in　a　general

statement：



*　〃A　mournful　silence；　the　deepest　distress　on　every　countenance；

*　the　most　intense　hatred　of　the　government　in　general　developed　in

all　conversations；

*　contempt　for　all　existing　authority；

*　an　insolent　luxuriousness；　insulting　to　the　wretchedness　of　the　poor

rentiers　who　expire　with　hunger　in　their　garrets；　no　longer　possessing

the　courage　to　crawl　to　the　Treasury　and　get　the　wherewithal　to

prolong　their　misery　for　a　few　days；

*　the　worthy　father　of　a　family　daily　deciding　what　article　of

furniture　he　will　sell　to　make　up　for　what　is　lacking　in　his　wages

that　he　may　buy　a　half…pound　of　bread；

*　every　sort　of　provision　increasing　in　price　sixty　times　an　hour；

*　the　smallest　business　dependent　on　the　fall　of　assignats；

*　intriguers　of　all　parties　overthrowing　each　other　only　to　get

offices；

*　the　intoxicated　soldier　boasting　of　the　services　he　has　rendered　and

is　to　render；　and　abandoning　himself　shamelessly　to　every　sort　of

debauchery；

*　commercial　houses　transformed　into　dens　of　thieves；

*　rascals　become　traders　and　traders　become　rascals；　the　most　sordid

cupidity　and　a　mortal　egoism…



such　is　the　picture　presented　by　Paris。〃＇150＇



One　group　is　wanting　in　this　picture；　that　of　the　governors　who

preside　over　this　wretchedness；　which　group　remains　in　the　background；

one　might　say　that　it　was　so　designed　and　composed　by　some　great

artist；　a　lover　of　contrasts；　an　inexorable　logician；　whose　invisible

hand　traces　human　character　unvaryingly；　and　whose　mournful　irony

unfailingly　depicts　side　by　side；　in　strong　relief；　the　grotesqueness

of　folly　and　the　seriousness　of　death。　　How　many　perished　on　account

of　this　misery？　Probably　more　than　a　million　persons。＇151＇　…



　Try　to　take　in　at　a　glance　the　extraordinary　spectacle　presented　on

twenty…six　thousand　square　leagues　of　territory：



*　The　immense　multitude　of　the　starving　in　town　and　country；