,,the ,,thread ,,of ,,life              
,illustration3 ,infanta ,eulalia of     
,spain2 signature                       
,,the                                   
,,thread ,,of ,,life                    
,,by                                    
,h4,r4,h4 ,,the ,,infanta               
,,eulalia ,,of ,,spain                  
,,with ,a ,,rembrandt ,,photogravure    
,,frontispiece1                ,,four   
,,full-,,page ,,plates1 ,,and ,a ,,note 
,,on ,,the                              
,,author ,,and ,,her ,,book             
,,cassell ,,and ,,company1 ,,ltd4       
,london1 ,new ,york1 ,toronto and       
,melbourne                              
#aiab                                   
,,all ,,rights ,,reserved     ,,preface 
,some preface1 however short1 is needed 
to this book1 the mirror of some of my  
ideas1 and1 first of all1 ,i wish to put
 my readers on their guard against a    
false interpretation of the motives by  
which ,i have been actuated4  ,in       
publishing these opinions of mine1 it   

has not been my wish to accomplish a    
literary work4 ,i have not aimed at any 
display of learning1 and ,i make no     
pretence of forcing on anyone my        
different points of view4  ,as a        
spectator in close enough contact with  
present social problems to understand   
all the points under discussion1 yet at 
the same time sufficiently removed from 
them to analyse them coolly and judge   
them without prejudice1 ,i bring forward
 my evidence unshackled by conventions4 
,it has seemed to me that such fair1    
exact evidence might interest those who 
seek to glean1 amongst all classes of   
society1 the thousand dissimilar and    
contradictory elements whence proceed   
the lessons needed both for the present 
and the future4  ,those who care to     
glance through the short chapters of    
this book will soon see that they have  
been written with the sincere conviction
 with which ,i always express my ideas  
and opinions1 or perform any work       
independently undertaken4  ,i only ask  

my readers to excuse any faults of      
style1 which ,i have tried to make up   
for by straightforwardness of tone4     
,,eulalia                               
,infanta of ,spain     ,,contents       
,,page  ,,general ,,causes ,,of         
,,happiness                             
#c  ,,the ,,education ,,of ,,the ,,will 
#aa  ,,honesty                          
#ai  ,,friendship                       
#be  ,,divorce                          
#cc  ,,the ,,family                     
#de  ,,the ,,complete ,,independence    
,,of ,,woman                            
#ec  ,,the ,,war ,,against ,,feminism   
#fa  ,,the ,,equalising ,,of ,,classes  
,,by ,,education                        
#fi  ,,socialism                        
#gg  ,,the ,,working ,,classes          
#he  ,,domestic ,,service               
#ic  ,,international ,,schools          
#aja  ,,the ,,necessity ,,of ,,religion 
,,and ,,its ,,influence ,,over ,,the    
,,people          #aji  ,,the ,,press   
#aag  ,,morality                        

#abe  ,,public ,,opinion                
#acc  ,,prejudices                      
#aci  ,,judgment                        
#ade  ,,the ,,fear ,,of ,,ridicule      
#aea  ,,moral ,,courage                 
#aei  ,,traditions                      
#afg  ,,criticism                       
#age  ,,the ,,danger ,,of ,,excessive   
,,analysis                              
#aha  ,,the ,,law ,,of ,,compensation   
#ahg  ,,the ,,author ,,and ,,her ,,book 
#aie     ,,general ,,causes ,,of        
,,happiness     ,,the ,,thread ,,of     
,,life     ,general ,causes of          
,happiness   ,the most imperative motive
 of all human actions is the desire to  
be happy4 ,but it is difficult to attain
 happiness if the search for it is made 
the constant aim of one's life1 although
 the primordial craving for it is an    
instinct in our nature4  ,the art of    
living is one in which we are but ill   
instructed by philosophers1 scientists  
and metaphysicians2 the first1 because  
they leave the meaning of life as it is 

to show us some end in view2 the second1
 because they are but rationalist       
theorists2 and the last1 because they   
claim to be able to lift the veil from  
the ,beyond4 ,the truth is that life is 
worth living1 and that in order to live 
happily one must know how to draw from  
life a relative amount of happiness4    
,simply by realising the charm of the   
pleasures--small though they be--which  
every instant of the day offers us1 one 
may create for oneself a source of      
happiness1 for this realisation gives   
what is usually called the joie de vivre
 7the joy of living71 the principle in  
all happy nature4  ,unfortunately1 in   
the majority of cases1 man does not see 
clearly the road leading to happiness   
because he is seeking it in the         
immediate and complete satisfaction of  
his desires1 in material or intellectual
 delights whose worth he exaggerates2 in
 superfluity1 in possession1 in all that
 he takes for happiness1 but which is in
 reality mere enjoyment allied to fears1

 dangers1 and regrets4  ,it is          
necessary1 first of all1 to simplify the
 causes of happiness4 ,to illustrate my 
doctrine1 ,i ask everyone to imagine the
 idyll in its true form1 that is to say1
 as being the perfect presentment of the
 sentiment of love4 ,simplicity1 whether
 in personal tastes1 in the affections1 
or in daily actions1 is the great secret
 of happiness4  ,with our nature1       
however justifiable it may be to        
acquaint ourselves with partial and     
transitory satisfactions1 we cannot     
build up happiness on so fragile a      
foundation4 ,fortune is unstable2       
notoriety1 whatever its cause1 fades    
with time2 glory is a vain word2 health 
declines1 and all is ruin and sorrow    
everywhere1 save where complete         
satisfaction has been built up by       
continually aspiring towards the ,true1 
the ,beautiful1 and the ,good4  ,again1 
that aspiring must be the result of     
cultivating1 in all simplicity1 our     
mental 8,i40 ,happiness lies in the     

depths of ourselves2 it is by the right 
development of our personality that we  
may bring it into manifestation1 make of
 it the enfolding comfort of our days4  
,is it not true1 that in love1 if you   
live in the spirit1 you possess more    
happiness than if you live in the       
senses8 ,it is the same with material   
existence2 simplified1 reduced to the   
normal exercise of our faculties1 it    
brings us a greater share of happiness  
than does excess4 ,all the vices of our 
nature furnish but a momentary          
satisfaction1 and that not unmixed with 
bitterness4  ,but how shall we attain to
 the development of our mental          
personality8 ,first of all by the       
training of our ,self1 then by the      
selection of affinities4 ,in this way   
each one1 conscious of his own true     
desires1 may bring around him those     
whose tastes and feelings are in harmony
 with his own4 ,so may he avoid the     
painful and regrettable shocks and      
collisions which lead fatally to strife1

 from which combative and provocative   
natures cannot emerge without wounds1   
weariness1 or disgust4  ,if you are     
obliged to live in a country different  
from your own1 or amid surroundings     
where the mental atmosphere does not    
harmonise with yours1 face the situation
 coolly2 learn to be by turns the wise  
teacher and the willing disciple3 in    
this way you will become understood1    
appreciated1 and you will preserve      
intact your inner happiness4  ,you must 
learn to pass through moral and         
intellectual atmospheres as you pass    
through those of the physical world4    
,just as you put on the costume suitable
 to the season1 so must your spirit     
assume the costume adapted to its       
surroundings4 ,many people fear life1   
they are in despair over the least      
ill-success2 they tack about1 dreading  
to enter the haven1 and their mistakes  
vex and disconcert them4 ,remember that 
there is no circumstance which should   
cast you down or prevent your enjoying  

life1 because1 ,i repeat1 happiness is  
inward content1 a supporting spirit     
which one may attain in spite of the    
worst vicissitudes or unavoidable       
catastrophes4 ,since inward happiness   
proceeds from a habit of character      
produced by the training of oneself1 the
 cultivation of simplicity1 and adapting
 oneself to the uncongenial1 it is      
necessary to submit to these things if  
one would steer his barque skilfully and
 taste all that constitutes the supreme 
enjoyment of life4  ,he who has followed
 these precepts will be able1 when his  
days begin to decline1 to look back     
calmly on the past4 ,as he has drawn    
from every circumstance in his life the 
greatest possible good1 as he will      
possess the certainty of having injured 
no one1 he will see with infinite       
tranquillity the gates of ,death opening
 before him2 more especially if he has  
also cultivated a love of ,nature1 for  
the pleasure it gives by its restfulness
 and its eternal loveliness4     ,,the  

,,education ,,of ,,the ,,will   ,the    
will is the faculty of freely           
determining to do certain actions4 ,but 
in order that the will may always be the
 result of ideas noble in aim1 it is    
necessary to give it some training1     
through the investigation of conflicting
 causes and motives4  ,as ,ribot says3  
8,the ,i will declares a situation1 but 
does not constitute one40 ,to constitute
 a situation requires the formation of  
character1 which is nothing more than   
will power4 ,and this may be obtained by
 a progressive training1 the secret     
cultivation of one's personality4  ,the 
human being should impress upon all his 
actions a unity of aim1 and show forth  
his character in what he does4  ,the    
education of the will1 then1 is         
indispensable in life1 if only for the  
avoidance of useless effort and to give 
us clearness of moral sight4 ,this      
training brings us to the mastery of    
ourselves1 to steady persistence in     
action1 and uniformity of conduct4 ,thus

 considered1 the will assumes paramount 
importance in the life of the           
individual1 and forms one of the most   
powerful forces in the world--free and  
willing action under the control of     
sound judgment4  ,if you educate your   
will1 desiring that which is good1      
beautiful and just1 you will never      
undertake mental work at a time when    
inauspicious circumstances make it      
liable to failure2 nothing which you    
undertake will remain unachieved2 you   
will follow no aim whose fulfilment does
 not seem to you certain4  ,the immortal
 ,guyau says3 8,he whose action is not  
in accordance with his thought1 thinks  
incompletely40 ,now1 in order to think  
completely1 an idea must be solidly     
based upon knowledge4 ,and knowledge is 
the result of the education of the will4
  ,let us make no mistake1 such training
 gives us force which is invaluable4 ,a 
man1 having considered the action he is 
about to perform1 perceived what will be
 its results1 grasped its utility1 and  

shaped it to the end in view1 may safely
 obey his will1 provided his moral sense
 is satisfied4 ,he thus assumes1 in full
 understanding1 the responsibility of   
his actions4  ,the effect of this idea  
of responsibility is that the individual
 will becomes answerable to itself only4
 ,from the moment the education of the  
will is completed1 personal             
determination is almost instantaneous4  
,the result is the avoidance of loss of 
time--we no longer exhaust ourselves in 
hesitation1 questionings1 indecision4   
,besides1 as we are able to bring into  
play1 through mental use1 the forces    
which are ours1 the sense of freedom    
grows stronger1 and with it the sense of
 possessing the power to attain the end 
in view4  ,the education of the will is 
of such utility that1 without it1 the   
intellect is powerless to influence     
action4 ,that is the reason why1 in     
these days1 so many intellectual people 
are the victims of hesitation and doubt1
 incapable of reasoned and logical      

action4  ,a trained will brings great   
stability into a man's life1 first      
because it enables him to do everything 
at the right time1 then because it      
prevents conflicting feelings1 by       
strengthening the reasoning powers2 and1
 through systematised thought1 saves him
 from those emotional storms which are  
as injurious to health as to free play  
of the will4  ,let us no longer forget  
that all truly profitable actions and   
strong characters are the work of the   
will4  ,timidity1 to specify amongst    
qualities detrimental to the intellect1 
only comes from a lack of will-training1
 being a form of over-emotionalism      
without control4 ,he who is ignorant of 
the laws which govern feeling1 will be  
unable to act according to the dictates 
of reason4  ,i must make it clear that1 
in speaking of the education of the     
will1 ,i do not mean moral restraint4   
,the individual should feel himself at  
liberty1 bound only by an ideal of      
goodness which repudiates all thought of

 authority2 neither claiming nor        
suffering it4  ,this ideal1 inseparable 
from our conception of what is useful   
both to ourselves and others1 always    
takes form through the education of our 
will2 giving consistency to the         
expression of feeling1 and justifying us
 in our actions4  ,to envelop oneself in
 an idea1 so that nothing has power to  
distract--to withdraw1 concentrate upon 
it1 burn for its realisation1 obey its  
laws--such are the principal features of
 will-training1 by means of which our   
actions and feelings1 far from losing in
 strength1 acquire greater force4       
,violence and precipitation are foes to 
all wisely planned action4 ,what one    
loses in intensity by calm reflection1  
one gains in quality as the result of   
this law4  ,if you train your will      
wisely1 you will double the worth of    
existence2 you will leave undone what is
 useless1 you will realise to the full  
the purpose of your soul4  ,and1 as all 
your actions will be performed with the 

approval of your own spirit1 you will   
know the joy of well-doing4             
,,honesty   ,honesty1 the quality       
corresponding to honour1 may be said to 
be relative1 according to the customs of
 different countries4 ,for mankind      
generally1 honesty consists in not      
exceeding the limits of licensed        
dishonesty4 ,thus in commerce1 which is1
 at bottom1 a cheating game1 integrity  
is not1 as ,dr4 ,dubois says1 the same  
everywhere4 8,there are communities1    
little cultivated in other respects1    
where it is observed scrupulously2 there
 are others in which1 in spite of       
scientific1 artistic and literary       
development1 this moral perception seems
 to be atrophied4 ,a people whose       
business honesty is proverbial may have 
a very elastic conscience in regard to  
morality between the sexes40  ,in the   
professions1 or in social positions     
which place the individual above the    
mass of people1 a man's honesty consists
 in adapting his conscience to the      

circumstances of the moment4  ,in       
questions of commercial or industrial   
enterprise1 intellectual ventures1      
public or private morals1 general or    
particular interests1 masculine honesty 
is an adjustable matter which springs   
from the desire for free action1 without
 infringing upon the law4  ,woman's     
honesty is quite a different matter4 ,it
 consists simply in safeguarding the    
8honour of the home10 in keeping away   
all 8intruders0 upon the sacred ground  
of marriage1 and in averting any fracas 
tending to diminish the authority of the
 man1 the husband1 the owner1 and free  
the feminine soul from its ancestral    
slavery4  ,this is why men and women    
cannot be in perfect accord1 so long as 
honesty1 taken in the widest sense1 is  
not the same for both4 ,based upon      
respect for what is fair1 just and good1
 honesty has essentially no sex4        
,whether strict or comparative1 it does 
not imply a different moral law for     
individuals of different natures4  ,this

 primordial question has always been    
treated too lightly1 though it has been 
the source of continual                 
misunderstanding1 especially in         
matrimonial questions4  ,how many       
examples one could give of want of      
scruple violating the idea of honesty   
and responsibility6  ,how many sins1    
grave in themselves1 are committed by   
men in power1 knowing themselves safe   
from the arm of the law2 how many       
actions1 unpunishable1 yet which are an 
outrage upon the liberty of others1 a   
breach of respect for human nature1 and 
an injury to society6  ,how many men    
sacrifice1 for the sake of ambition1    
their country's vital interests1 and    
incur no censure save that of powerless 
public opinion6  ,the orator who1 in a  
moment of national excitement1 throws   
his visionary dreams and interested lies
 broadcast into the press2 the leader   
who1 in full consciousness of his       
abominable work1 deceives the people2   
the perjured politician who denies his  

convictions to attain promotion1 should 
all have their honour called in         
question4 ,to such as these1 as to      
others1 woman owes respect and          
obedience1 without the option of        
comparing her own honour1 based on      
imperative duty1 with that of these     
empty talkers and tub-orators4  ,it is  
true that1 on the other hand1 a woman   
may1 without censure1 give out that her 
dearest friend's husband is making love 
to her--that she may thus1 by a word1   
destroy a home's peace--without any     
pangs of conscience1 and without the man
 attacked being able to call her to     
account4  ,in the relations between men 
and women some solution should be found 
by which both may be placed on equal    
ground as regards morality and          
responsibility4 ,in this way loss of    
esteem between them would be avoided1   
and the value of each enhanced4  ,but1  
to obtain such a result1 tolerance and  
the principle of harmony must first be  
taught2 men must become less selfish1   

and women learn that their life is not  
only a work of love but a work of       
reason4 ,social rights must be equalised
 in the light of conscience and moral   
responsibility4 ,in fact1 thorough      
sincerity must bring about loyalty both 
in business and private affairs1        
creating a moral atmosphere in which    
forgery1 fraud1 plagiarism1 the lie that
 corrupts the soul of a people1 all the 
monstrous growths of our modern society1
 can no longer exist4 ,then honesty1    
from being comparative1 will become     
supreme1 incumbent equally upon man and 
woman1 bound no longer only by social1  
but by moral ties4     ,,friendship     
,friendship1 taken in its strict sense1 
that is to say as affection exempt from 
the attraction of the senses1 plays an  
immense part in the lives of men and    
women4  ,friendship1 as between men1 is 
based on moral equality4 ,the tie       
uniting two minds and two hearts creates
 the same rights and the same duties for
 each of the friends1 no matter how     

different their degree of fortune and   
rank in the world4 ,where friendship is1
 there is reciprocity4 ,this is what    
made ,la ,botie1 ,montaigne's great     
friend1 say3 8,friendship is a sacred   
name1 it is a holy thing4444 ,there can 
be no friendship where there is cruelty1
 disloyalty1 or injustice4444 ,the      
wicked are not friends1 but             
accomplices40  ,i must quote here an    
admirable passage from ,emerson1 whose  
judgment is sound concerning what is    
high1 great and forceful in the dual    
character of ,friendship3 8,the         
sufficient reply to the sceptic1 who    
doubts the power of the furniture of    
man1 is in that possibility of joyful   
intercourse with persons1 which makes   
the faith and practice of all reasonable
 men4 ,i know of nothing life has to    
offer so satisfying as the profound good
 understanding which can subsist1 after 
much exchange of good offices1 between  
two virtuous men1 each of whom is sure  
of himself1 sure of his friend4 ,it is a

 happiness which postpones all other    
gratifications1 and makes politics1 and 
commerce1 and churches1 cheap4 ,for1    
when men shall meet as they ought1 each 
a benefactor1 a shower of stars1 clothed
 with thoughts1 with deeds1 with        
accomplishments1 it should be a festival
 of ,nature which all things announce4  
,of such friendship1 love in the sexes  
is the first symbol1 as all other things
 are symbols of love4 ,these relations  
to the best men--which1 at one time1 we 
reckoned the romances of youth--become1 
in the progress of character1 the most  
solid enjoyment40  ,friendship between  
women is somewhat different from that   
between men1 just because it excludes   
the feeling of equality4 ,it is very    
rare1 in spite of the best education1   
that a woman will forget her rank and   
fortune with a friend who becomes her   
protge4 ,it is no less rare when a woman
 in a humble position does not resent   
any outward inequality4 ,the result is  
that friendship between women is not a  

continual delightful exchange of feeling
 and opinion1 but rests more on         
interest4  ,one of the most beautiful   
forms of friendship1 as some think1 is  
that between man and woman4 ,between    
persons of the highest education and    
refined tastes1 such friendship not only
 plays a great part in life1 but becomes
 a necessity1 for it increases the      
intellectual power of both parties4 ,it 
is very like disinterested love1 and is 
governed by secret influences which give
 it its value4 ,certain people have the 
gift of drawing out our confidences2    
there are others the very sight of whom 
makes our heart rejoice4 ,our spiritual 
force1 our eloquence1 often come into   
play simply through the presence of such
 a beloved friend4  ,there is a peculiar
 feeling of confidence between the      
sexes2 friendship between a man and a   
woman has something in it graver1 deeper
 than any other4 ,even in family        
relationships1 what ,i call 8home       
friendship0 depends entirely on this    

kind of mutual dependence4 ,cases are   
rare of sons turning against their      
mother1 or of sisters who fail their    
brothers4  ,friendship is said to be    
blind2 ,i believe1 on the contrary1 that
 it is clear-sighted as to the duties   
entailed upon it1 and needs no vow to   
make it binding4  ,if1 for a man1 a     
friend of his own sex is a second self1 
for a woman a man-friend is at once a   
confidant1 a counsellor and a protector4
 ,he represents authority with          
reverence1 incalculable devotion2 he    
becomes the symbol of that ,good which  
signifies refuge from suffering1        
forgiveness when one has erred4  ,for a 
man1 a woman friend is everything2 yet  
his feeling for her is the purest in the
 world1 the affection which asks nothing
 in return4  ,yet too great intimacy may
 kill friendship1 which--to quote       
,emerson again--follows the laws of     
divine necessity2 unless the things of  
daily life have become of common        
interest between the friends4 ,but even 

then the friendship should be in some   
sort kept in a shrine apart lest it fall
 into the commonplace4  ,yes1 truly1 the
 human heart desires a friend4 ,it seeks
 him everywhere1 even from childhood1   
and when it has found him1 it is proud  
of him as of a victory through which it 
has won happiness1 strength1 the        
incentive to become better4 ,we carry   
our friend's eyes in our own2 in his    
absence1 they mirror his care for us4   
,his coming strikes a note of triumph in
 our brain1 his presence lightens every 
moment and makes our happiness4         
,montaigne did violence to a beautiful  
gift of the spirit in denying the       
existence of friendship between men and 
women2 and ,nietzsche declares too      
lightly1 and without taking into account
 the moral worth of the individual1 that
 for the maintenance of friendship      
between a man and woman a little        
physical aversion is necessary4         
,certainly1 ,don ,juan and ,ninon de    
,lenclos could not have been friends2   

but it is equally certain that a        
beautiful woman may win the purest      
friendship of a charming man1 for       
friendship between man and woman springs
 from a train of circumstances which    
lead them into soul fellowship1 the     
sharing of similar tastes1 and an       
affection entirely of the spirit4 ,the  
constant interchange of high thought1   
the brotherly and sisterly tone of the  
relationship1 safeguard the friends     
against becoming lovers4  ,the nature of
 each contributes greatly1 in these     
heart unions1 to the friendship's being 
compatible with prudence and            
consideration for the feelings of       
others4 ,it is obvious that a friendship
 begun between two people of unbalanced 
mind is almost always fatal1 but two    
dissimilar natures1 if morally equal1   
steady one another by a friendship which
 becomes for them a safety-valve4  ,for 
instance1 a man with a calm temperament1
 but not a cold heart1 will be the best 
of friends for an impulsive woman1 and  

render her the greatest services that   
life can give4  ,let us look at this    
loving friendship1 so much discussed1 so
 often described and cried down4  ,i    
said that friendship between man and    
woman was a form of disinterested love2 
it is a love based on mental sympathy1  
on respect for moral qualities1 on      
admiration for certain actions or       
certain thoughts expressive of a        
character4 ,in this kind of friendship1 
affection1 which springs from the heart1
 governs love1 which springs from the   
senses4  ,this form of friendship is not
 to be despised1 dangerous though it may
 seem in the eyes of severe moralists or
 of hypocrites4 ,take such a case4 ,if  
either of the friends needs advice on   
some matter he or she has deeply at     
heart1 such advice will not be well     
considered1 unbiased1 and to the point1 
unless free from all jealousy--coming   
from the heart and not from the nerves4 
,then1 and then only1 can this          
friendship be a precious resource1 a    

deep1 protective affection claiming not 
possession as its reward4     ,,divorce 
,marriage1 considered by society as a   
necessary mode of union1 is a contract  
governed by law4  ,in the eyes of ,roman
 ,catholics1 marriage being a sacrament1
 which renders it indissoluble1 divorce 
does not exist4 ,according to this      
principle we must accept as a sacrament 
an earthly tie which touches more nearly
 on material than on spiritual          
questions4 ,but it seems strange that   
the ,church of ,rome should teach men1  
by the voice of her servants1 that human
 perfection consists in the acceptance  
of all the sacraments1 and then forbid  
marriage--which would be1 from a        
practical point of view1 the most useful
 to them--to her representatives4 ,in so
 doing1 the ,church creates an illogical
 exception to her imperious rule4       
8,from the psychological point of view10
 says ,dr4 ,toulouse1 8marriage is the  
union1 first through passion1 then      
through sympathy1 of two beings2 from   

the social point of view1 it represents 
a mutual effort towards reproduction4   
8,the union of feeling between two      
beings has not been too highly exalted  
by the poets4 ,it manifests in the      
highest degree that selection which     
purifies the instinct of sex4  8,this   
selection is in itself a proof of the   
free will which works--with restraining 
effect--on the tyranny of passion4      
,again1 the woman1 in giving herself to 
one only1 demonstrates in the most      
striking manner that she belongs to1 and
 can dispose of1 herself4  8,sex        
freedom1 then1 which is a condition of  
evolution1 is manifested most clearly in
 a marriage entered upon willingly by   
both parties4 ,but the corollary to this
 is1 that divorce should also be        
possible simply at the wish of both40   
,let us study divorce from the point of 
view of its utility4 ,divorce offers an 
advantage in preventing marriage from   
being regarded as an endless chain1 a   
crushing yoke1 or a prison deliberately 

chosen as a livelihood4 ,it means1 in   
fact1 that people need not be tightly   
bound together who cannot bear so to    
live2 it would put an end to what is    
sometimes extreme mental suffering1     
abolish dangers which sometimes lead to 
murder2 in a word1 it means escape from 
8the sentimental and emotional results  
of the indissolubility of marriage40    
,the termination of miserable 8marriages
 of convenience0 would ensure for many a
 new life1 the production of healthier  
children under normal conditions2 from  
the social point of view1 it would      
increase the value of the man and the   
woman4  ,how many live together for long
 years who are strangers to each other  
in body and soul6 ,how many slaves of   
marriage there are1 whose union is      
unnatural1 childless1 and made hideous  
by mutual hatred6  ,why should one see1 
in the name of a religious principle1   
these infernos--whose tortures are as   
varied as they are                      
crushing--perpetuated8 ,why should not  

reason1 individual rights1 be allowed to
 correct ill-chance1 false calculations1
 and disappointed hopes8  ,why should a 
woman1 who no longer finds in her       
husband the moral support she needs1    
submit to the horrors of a long agony   
without defence1 of perpetual strife in 
which she is miserably vanquished2 on   
the other hand1 why should the man who  
does not find in his wife the           
companion--or even the slave--he        
desired1 see the way to happiness closed
 to him for ever8  ,marriage is based on
 a contract4 ,every contract can be     
rectified1 modified1 or broken4 ,in a   
compact1 there must be mutual agreement2
 from the moment when the agreement     
ceases to be respected by either of the 
parties1 it is naturally dissolved4     
,before the establishment of divorce the
 husband and wife who lived on bad terms
 had to endure suffering worse than     
death1 for nothing1 ,i repeat1 is to be 
compared with the torment of being tied1
 body and soul1 in hatred1 contempt1 or 

even merely in indifference4  ,in former
 days1 the independent-minded1 those who
 feared not public opinion1 or thought  
little of social conventions1 went each 
their way1 to live in a different       
dwelling--as happens still in certain   
countries 7in ,spain1 for instance1     
where divorce does not exist2 where     
legal separation is not even            
recognised72 but though they might live 
apart1 the marriage contract held none  
the less1 and the question of fortune   
remained a grave problem for solution4  
,it is the same to-day when1 through    
worldly expediency1 or weakness1 an     
ill-assorted couple share a miserable   
life or seek solace in separation4 ,the 
woman1 married under the ,napoleonic    
,code1 cannot dispose of her dowry1 and 
the man1 on his side1 cannot sell       
without his wife's signature4 ,the socit
 d'acquts 7common property of married   
people7 is a constant menace in a       
situation of this kind2 one comes to    
think that it is of no use for a couple 

to economise for the sake of their      
heirs1 for1 when one of the two parties 
dies1 the common property goes to the   
other4 ,another case1 also serious1 may 
occur4 ,if either husband or wife incurs
 debts1 these1 under the law1 become    
common to both1 and it comes about that 
the one who has not run into debt finds 
him or herself compelled to meet the    
liabilities of the other6  ,what        
manifold complications1 what openings   
for dissension1 what accumulated        
vexations6 ,widowhood1 widowerhood1     
seems the only deliverance from a       
desperate situation4  ,but there is     
something worse still4 ,in a household  
completely at variance1 weary with      
strife1 the children have to look on at 
scenes which wound their belief in the  
love between husband and wife4 ,in such 
a case they suffer through the absence  
of divorce1 both from the moral         
standpoint and because they are deprived
 of property which should fall to them1 
since through the socit d'acquts--that  

stern claimant--the children's capital  
cannot be increased4  ,if we pass from  
this array of facts to another1 which   
concerns this unnatural life of two     
people1 the evil is no less great4      
,from the time when life together has   
become impossible1 the husband more or  
less openly substitutes illicit union   
for marriage1 and most frequently takes 
to live with him the woman he has chosen
 as his new companion4 ,because the     
marriage contract remains unbroken1 this
 is an insult to the wife1 for his house
 is still her home by law4  ,although in
 a case of separation1 the wife almost  
always acts with greater circumspection 
and caution1 she will find it difficult 
to prevent the echo of any attention she
 may accept from reaching the ears of   
her husband1 or his knowledge that she  
gives willingly to another what she has 
yielded with such aversion to himself4  
,divorce prevents this gratuitous insult
 to marriage4 ,the advantages it offers 
exceed by far the disadvantages cited by

 the defenders of an institution which  
to-day has grown weak because it has    
remained unchanged in the midst of      
social evolution4  ,the enemies of      
divorce assert that it is the destroyer 
of the family4 ,that is not so1 for     
there are no more families to destroy4  
,frankly1 honestly1 where is the family 
of old1 since the law of the majority   
has freed the child1 since compulsory   
education has lessened the moral        
authority of parents1 without           
perceptibly improving the mass of the   
people2 since in the vast field of      
higher education boys and girls1 through
 school life1 become strangers to the   
authors of their being and are mainly   
indebted to the ,state for their        
training8  ,if hypocrisy were not at the
 bottom of the whole matter1 it would be
 quickly seen that nothing remains of   
the family as a sacred institution4     
,authority on the one side1 submission  
on the other1 are the exception2 the    
sacrifices1 too1 which parents made in  

the past1 to the point of forgetting    
their own well-being1 have to-day no    
longer any reason for existing4  ,yes1  
divorce is useful1 necessary1 moral4    
,but it may1 it should1 become more so1 
and undergo modification4 ,divorce by   
mutual consent must become the remedy   
for evils which dishonour the human     
soul2 victims of unhappy marriages      
should be able to dissolve their union  
without the most intimate details of two
 lives--poisoned by misunderstanding1   
incompatibility of temper1 excess1      
cruelty1 and insult--being made a prey  
to public curiosity1 the malice of      
barristers1 and the opinions of judges4 
,those liberated from their matrimonial 
prison1 and ripened by experience1 must 
be allowed to marry the beloved one who 
has loved1 consoled1 and helped them    
through the battle of their days4  ,nine
 times out of ten1 these new marriages  
would be happy1 because the husband and 
wife would have had time to appreciate  
each other's qualities1 because they    

would have obeyed the law of love1      
escaped convention and not been guided1 
generally speaking1 by interest1 that   
chief and pernicious element in conflict
 between the sexes4  ,divorce1 as at    
present established1 does not afford    
enough solutions for the melancholy     
problems resulting from marriage4 ,it is
 inadmissible1 inhuman1 even immoral1   
that one who has suffered patiently     
twenty years 8for the children's sake0  
should be condemned1 because he or she  
has left the torture-chamber1 to pass   
the remainder of life without the right 
to create a new home and consecrate by  
marriage the affection and devotion     
which have healed the old wounds1 given 
back joy in living1 and created for him 
or her obligations at once moral and    
social4  ,the day when divorce shall    
become a law of justice1 and no         
longer--as it sometimes is now--a tacit 
agreement covering wrongdoing2 the day  
when divorce shall exist by the will of 
him or her who gives valid reasons for  

it1 and also by mutual consent2 the day1
 finally1 when lover and beloved1 under 
normal conditions1 may marry1 then true 
and rightful solutions will have been   
brought to impossible situations1 and a 
noble work done for the individual and  
society at large4     ,,the ,,family    
,the conditions of the modern family1 in
 the northern countries particularly1   
have in reality become almost           
artificial2 and it seems probable that1 
in the near future1 the family will be  
completely disintegrated4  ,in ,france1 
especially amongst the bourgeoisie1 the 
family appears to me likely to remain   
for a long time what it has been        
heretofore1 because it constitutes an   
association the members of which1       
closely grouped1 protect their common   
interests1 whether commercial or        
industrial4  ,this family1 representing 
a society in the possession of property1
 will exist as long as its members1 in  
virtue of their fellowship1 preserve    
intact their old social conditions1 each

 of them continuing to have an interest 
in the success of their common          
enterprise4  ,in ,spain1 where the      
,moorish government has left so many    
traces of its primitive organisation1   
the family still continues in a state of
 slavery1 a state wherein the woman     
glories4  ,but the question here is not 
of these two particular cases1 where the
 maintaining of the family group serves 
the interests of the man1 the head1 the 
master2 for the family differs according
 to different centres1 countries1       
customs1 and castes4  ,to come to more  
general statements1 we must first go    
back to the fountain-head1 and consider 
the family in its evolution through the 
course of civilisation4  ,the family1 as
 it first appears in the history of     
humanity1 was a patriarchal association 
formed of the father1 mother and        
children4 ,there was no binding         
marriage1 but repeated unions4 ,the     
conditions were such that the women were
 for all men indiscriminately1 and the  

children knew no father in particular4  
,this state of things in many cases     
continued so long that the ,christian   
,church was obliged1 at its birth1 to   
wink at this communism4 ,herodotus tells
 us that the children of the ,lycians   
bore the name of their mother2 ,varro   
assures us that it was the same in      
,athens1 and that the woman1 being the  
producer of wealth1 was the only one to 
inherit4  ,when polygamy began1 the     
woman was reduced to a state of         
seclusion and often of slavery4 ,her    
part consisted principally in bringing  
children into the world1 and her care of
 them was more through instinct than    
love4  ,as for the man1 he sought       
nothing1 as regarded the woman1 but his 
own gratification1 and concerned himself
 not at all about fatherhood4  ,later   
on1 through the growth of civilisation1 
monogamy decided the limits of the      
family and formed class groups2 but     
gradually1 these groups becoming mixed  
and losing their old characteristic of  

brotherhood1 the conditions of the      
family became much modified4  ,the      
causes of this slow process of breaking 
up accumulated1 according to the        
particular centre and to social degrees4
 ,in one place primogenitureship began  
to take to itself privileges2 in another
 the paternal power lessened the        
mother's authority over her daughters2  
everywhere there was a tendency towards 
emancipation1 and1 finally1 in our own  
day1 at the two poles of society1 family
 conditions have become almost          
artificial4  ,the home peace is         
troubled1 and even where there is no    
rupture between the husband and wife1   
there is mental friction between parents
 and children1 between brothers and     
sisters1 through the clash of opinion1  
mutual intolerance1 and the collision of
 personal interests2 it is rarely that  
harmony prevails in the household4  ,it 
must be said that the reasons for       
marriage are not the same as they were  
in the old days1 when the bond was      

indissoluble1 based on the instinct of  
ownership1 on the government of a       
community4 ,besides1 the marriage for   
love1 the only one worthy of respect1   
has destroyed the original idea of the  
association1 and1 unable to guarantee   
its own continuance1 calls for an       
adjustment of responsibilities by means 
of the law1 so that the man shall no    
longer be the brutal master1 and the    
woman--though she be more moral1 more   
virtuous1 and more temperate than       
he--humiliated and degraded4 ,it has    
been said that it is enough for a woman 
to be beautiful and to be a mother4     
,that is altogether absurd nonsense4    
,the woman has a right to the complete  
development of her faculties1 a right to
 bring into play all the resources of   
her being4 ,noble women have proved     
that1 quite apart from maternity1 they  
are fit to walk in the immortal         
footsteps of heroes1 artists and        
thinkers1 and every day we see women    
,illustration3 ,,the ,,infanta ,,eulalia

  ,photograph by ,baumann1 ,munich4     
becoming1 in talent1 energy1 and patient
 determination1 rivals of scientists1   
poets1 and all who devote themselves to 
enterprise in the world of mind4  ,but1 
it may be said1 such claims are contrary
 to the idea of the family4 ,not at all4
 ,the family1 essentially modified1 each
 member subject to the determinism of   
thought and ensuring the observance of  
mutual rights and duties1 will only     
become a more beautiful institution than
 before1 its children born of sincere   
love and no longer the product of       
undesirable or questionable unions based
 upon the interests of the strongest4   
,,the ,,complete ,,independence ,,of    
,,woman   ,to this question squarely    
put3 8,why does a man arrogate to       
himself the right to live as he chooses1
 and why should a woman submit to a     
prohibitive moral code80--men answer    
that in marriage the virtue of the wife 
and the legitimacy of her children are  
absolutely and supremely essential4     

,this touches one point merely1 and only
 applies to married women4 ,in all that 
concerns 8free0 women1 by what right are
 they condemned to abstain from making  
full use of their independence1 as most 
men do8 8,woman's life1 like man's10    
says ,miramont1 8is a harmonious        
evolution1 by which every phase is      
developed1 and which thus brings into   
play a succession of forms and aspects  
of existence4 ,daughter1 mother and     
grandmother2 dreamer1 fighter1          
thinker--woman1 like man1 passes through
 many transformations in the course of  
life1 and is always progressive40  ,by  
the same fact of social evolution1      
thanks to her participation in the      
battle of life1 and also to a rational  
education1 it has long been proved that 
woman is not an inferior creature1 of no
 use save for the propagation of the    
species4  ,we are far removed1 happily1 
from the theories of ,schopenhauer1 who 
declared that woman was afflicted with  
intellectual shortness of sight1 that   

she was childish1 futile and narrow1    
inferior to man in everything concerning
 rectitude and scrupulous honesty2 that 
she was lacking in sense and reflection1
 incapable of taking any unbiased view1 
etc4 etc4  ,if woman's characteristic   
feature be that nature has destined her 
for motherhood1 it is none the less true
 that1 just as she has a fine skin and  
quick sensibilities1 her intellect is   
prompt to seize details1 and that she   
possesses a brain as well furnished as  
that of man4  ,her apparent inferiority 
comes from the fact that woman is       
oppressed by the law and ill-treated by 
the moralist1 whence result her native  
timidity and diffidence4 ,the truth is  
that man1 desiring to keep the supremacy
 attributed to him1 does not care to see
 in woman the qualities of courage and  
independence4 ,he will not admit the    
immanent struggle between two beings    
inspired by the same needs and the same 
desires4 ,men would like women to remain
 tied down to household cares1 while    

thinking women who have ceased to resign
 themselves to this wish their sex to   
profit by all the rights of men4  ,the  
partisans of absolute feminism desire   
that there should be no difference      
between men and women1 in the name of   
biological equality which incites them  
to claim social equality4  ,without     
going so far as this1 it is certain that
 women should now enjoy more            
independence and be authorised1 without 
losing caste in the eyes of moralists1  
to prove the strength of their personal 
faculties4  ,unfortunately1 as a modern 
thinker has observed3 8,kept apart from 
magnificent realities 444 maintained    
continually in a state of moral         
independence worse than physical        
slavery1 only quitting the maternal yoke
 to fall under that of a husband1       
trained entirely with a view to         
marriage1 which is to transform at a    
stroke the child into the wife1 the wife
 into the mother1 educated according to 
the prejudices of their set at the      

sacrifice of expansion of their own     
personality1 women do not develop       
normally1 except by finding a kindred   
soul1 according to the ideal formed in  
their dim consciousness4 ,and as social 
conventions do not permit them to seek  
this ideal1 which is falsified and made 
vague1 too1 by novel-reading1           
enlightenment usually comes to them too 
late to destroy the effect of a narrow  
existence accepted through timidity1    
ignorance1 or chagrin1 and moulded by   
the dictates of society2 so they live1  
for the most part1 either like children 
broken in to their destiny1 or like     
rebels in search of visionary           
compensations3 in any case              
misunderstood40  ,i have nothing better 
to add4 ,for centuries1 man has denied  
to woman her finest qualities1 which are
 fearlessness and presence of mind1 and 
the majority of women have come to be   
convinced themselves that these         
qualities are unwomanly and to be       
reckoned faults4  ,now1 if tenderness be

 woman's most beautiful attribute1 it   
should be recognised that true          
tenderness is especially found amongst  
those women who are courageous1 strong  
and endowed with shrewd sense4 ,the     
acceptance of servitude does not admit  
of real tenderness1 such as influences1 
for instance1 the conception and        
carrying out of works of art1 as incites
 to noble action1 and produces wonderful
 results in every degree of the social  
scale4  ,for years1 in many countries1  
the attention of thinkers has been fixed
 upon the liberation of woman4 ,many    
mistakes have been made4 ,against one   
,john ,stuart ,mill a crowd of          
philosophers like ,nietzsche have       
arisen1 but the idea is gaining ground  
in scientific centres1 and1 with the    
help of rational ,socialism1 the work of
 woman's emancipation is being steadily 
pursued4  ,reverting to old times1 we   
find that in many primitive races1 the  
males were chosen by the females for    
their valour1 physical strength1 or     

natural beauty4 ,this selection having  
led to the progressive development of   
the male in the majority of races1      
resulted in an ideal female type also4  
,but when the woman became the          
8property0 of the man1 the slave        
destined to work for the male1 the      
development of the race stopped short2  
the salutary effect of the woman's free 
choice having ceased4  ,in a new state  
of society1 when woman1 duly trained for
 her part1 shall recover her complete   
freedom1 we shall see the triumph of    
affinities1 and the power of a feminine 
ideal will ensure for the future a new  
and vigorous race4     ,,the ,,war      
,,against ,,feminism   ,it is           
incomprehensible that so many           
intellectual1 sensible men1 claiming to 
be logical1 should be hostile to modern 
feminism4 ,i say 8modern0 to mark the   
actual state of conflict1 for eternal   
feminism is contemporaneous with the    
eternal feminine1 as ,lucien ,muhlfeld  
says4 ,following ,schopenhauer and      

,strindberg1 who strove to demonstrate  
the inferiority of woman1 our           
detractors1 in making war upon feminism1
 show themselves to be very             
inconsistent4 ,as woman1 is1 in their   
eyes1 an inferior being1 they are either
 fighting what they have no reason to   
fear1 which shows lack of courage on    
their part2 or1 by admitting that under 
present conditions woman plays an       
important part in everyday life1 they   
recognise in her a certain value1 which 
shows a lack of sincerity4  ,on the day 
woman first recognised the fact that she
 could earn her living by taking up the 
employments hitherto reserved for men1  
she made good her claim to a share of   
instruction and training by means of    
which to put an end to her mental       
inequality4  ,unable to escape from the 
subordinate position in the family      
thrust upon her by the ,civil ,code1 she
 determined to free her mind first1 and 
gain recognition of her rights in the   
domain of intellect4 ,this seemed       

inadmissible1 even in respect of the    
principles of science4  ,now1 in times  
gone by1 women worked as much as1 and   
often more than1 men1 thus gaining      
recognition of their physical strength4 
,when man was still a barbarian1 hunting
 and fighting for mere subsistence1     
woman hunted and fought with him2 just  
as his comrade1 she carried the slain   
beast over her shoulder4 ,later1 she    
spun flax to clothe her family2 she was 
obliged1 in her enslaved condition1 to  
turn to common uses her intellect and   
devotion1 and when1 later still1 the    
family was placed on a legal footing1   
she was obliged to give all her         
faculties to manual labour4  ,long      
centuries passed4 ,man had no longer to 
fight for his daily bread4 ,one         
invention after another had gradually   
modified the conditions of his life2 he 
had become educated1 had attained to    
different trades and professions1       
developed his power and authority1 while
 woman remained the same dependent      

creature1 tied to her duties as wife and
 mother4 ,a time came when woman1 too1  
learnt trades which she made her own4   
,man took them from her1 possessed      
himself of her needle1 of               
clothes-making1 hairdressing1 cookery4  
,this is why1 in the eighteenth century1
 women attempted an inroad into letters 
and the arts4 ,this is why1 helped by   
the ,revolution1 they sought to claim   
common rights4 ,to-day1 trained at      
school and college1 women know that they
 can utilise their faculties more nobly 
than hitherto4 ,they no longer live in  
an epoch when1 men having absorbed      
everything1 they have to resign         
themselves to being married1 whilst     
hardly more than children1 for a        
livelihood4  ,consider how sad was the  
lot of the woman when1 devoid of the    
means to free herself honestly from     
slavery1 she was compelled to sell      
herself1 by legal marriage or otherwise4
  ,whatever certain philosophers and    
anti-feminists may say1 the reason why  

the personality of the woman weakened in
 the course of ages1 was that her       
physical force had been exhausted1 which
 entailed mental inferiority4  ,but     
through the progress of science1        
innovations of all kinds1 economic and  
social evolution1 daily events2         
throughout the complexities of a new    
life1 woman began to make her influence 
felt1 became conscious of her powers1   
strengthened by study1 system and       
experience4  ,strindberg1 the           
misogynist1 when he declared that 8woman
 is incapable of acquiring complete     
knowledge in any branch of study        
whatsoever10 said a foolish thing4 ,in  
proof of the contrary1 in the           
university1 in the art schools1 in law1 
women are said to be1 if not superior to
 men1 at least their equal4  ,it must be
 remembered that it is less than a      
century since woman1 even in the most   
advanced countries1 was first allowed to
 receive the same training as man4      
,taking into consideration how far      

behind her rival in intellect she then  
was1 the results she has obtained give a
 flat contradiction to those who opposed
 her equality1 which1 originally a law  
of nature1 has1 under modern social     
conditions1 become a law of existence4  
,if it be true that it takes several    
generations to perfect a race from a    
physical point of view1 it is equally   
true that several generations are needed
 for the development of the moral and   
intellectual qualities4 ,if only through
 the consciousness of her ego1 woman is 
called to take a more important place in
 the life of nations4  ,from the        
dependent that she once was1 woman will 
become the agent required by her times4 
,if she no longer receives from her     
comrade1 as in old ,teutonic days1 the  
cuirass1 helmet1 and sword1 that she may
 fight by his side1 she will none the   
less endeavour to equal him in the field
 of intellect4  ,the start which man has
 gained and still keeps in the realms of
 ,science and ,art does not justify him 

in boasting over the inferiority of     
woman4  ,to sum up1 woman claims no more
 than her right to-day when she demands 
knowledge of all the occupations in     
which man is employed and reserves for  
himself2 when she desires to exercise   
her judgment and prove both her skill   
and taste4  8,whereas in men10 says     
,louis ,dimier1 8taste1 which is a power
 of the mind1 precedes and commands     
skill1 which is organic aptitude2 in    
women1 on the other hand1 it seems to be
 skill which determines and commands    
taste4 ,one might say literally that    
with a woman the feeling for the        
beautiful is in her fingers4 ,all women1
 too1 some more and some less1 but      
without exception1 make use of their    
powers of action2 but a man cannot rely 
all his life on the possession of his   
capacity for judgment40  ,yes1 woman is1
 fundamentally1 man's equal4 ,belittled 
as she has been till recently by        
conditions which made her a nonentity1  
she is now1 thanks to the spread of     

education1 the mingling of classes1 and 
social changes1 becoming a respected    
worker and a valued being4 ,born into a 
new life1 she will no longer be the     
jealous rival of man1 but his useful    
fellow-worker1 as she has always been   
his generous comrade1 sharing his joys  
and sorrows4     ,,the ,,equalising ,,of
 ,,classes ,,by ,,education   ,the      
education which is the progressive      
adaptation of humanity to the conditions
 of social life has been1 in a general  
way1 so greatly developed by our modern 
civilisation1 that it has1 if not       
created the complete equalisation of the
 classes1 at least brought the          
aristocracy1 the middle classes1 and the
 people together in a common effort     
towards individual action4  ,it cannot  
be denied that a very curious phenomenon
 exists in the equalisation so far      
effected1 the causes of which are       
manifold1 and amongst which the most    
noticeable and obvious are the partition
 of large fortunes1 the importance      

assumed by ,labour ,syndicalism1 and the
 competition established in all trades  
and professions4  ,scarcely anything    
remains now of the ancient conditions of
 nations2 the abolition of slavery has  
transformed the idea of servitude2      
compulsory education has raised the     
level of the lower classes1 and by this 
means the first stone of the            
,socialistic edifice has been laid4 ,but
 humanity1 in attaining to a higher     
degree of self-consciousness1 to a new  
ideal1 has developed a spirit on new    
lines1 and created for itself needs with
 which the old instincts have nothing to
 do4 ,capitalists1 manufacturers1       
merchants1 labour leaders1 workpeople of
 all kinds1 find themselves arrayed     
against one another in a new perception 
of their rights 7if not always of their 
duties71 and all1 in the light of newly 
discovered needs1 are jostling one      
another in life in this all-pervading   
struggle4  ,the mass of the people1     
whose one instinct in former times was  

the bare preservation of life1 is on the
 way to emancipation2 the pressure from 
beneath is mounting like a wave1 leaping
 upward to the social strata where      
hitherto the monopoly of lucre and      
jobbery has been jealously held2 the    
workmen's associations1 in their war    
against capital1 want themselves to     
capitalise2 members of the working      
class1 with growing improvement in      
education1 are entering the professional
 field2 the middle classes are          
struggling for the attainment of public 
offices1 and1 by an inevitable reaction1
 the aristocracy1 mulcted of some of its
 ancestral rights and privileges1 is    
turning its eyes towards manufacture and
 commerce4  ,this does not mean that the
 balance has become even1 for ,i am of  
,jean ,lahor's opinion3 8,the plutocrats
 may be preparing for the masses of the 
future a still more crushing yoke1 with 
more falsity and more deadening         
effect--by the suggestions of the       
,press1 which they have completely in   

their power--than has ever been the case
 with aristocracies or autocracies1     
whose authority had its origin at least 
in the finer human energies1 in a noble 
desire for power40  ,it must            
nevertheless be recognised that1 in     
order that the relations between man and
 man should no longer be in the hands of
 those devoid of conscience and feeling1
 a certain equality1 a meeting on common
 ground for action1 has been already    
established in modern society2 if the   
lower classes have climbed the ladder   
far enough to attain to that domain     
which seemed bound to remain in the     
hands of the higher1 the latter1 on the 
other hand1 have not hesitated to leave 
the heights to which class prejudice    
might have held them1 and invade the    
territory of trade and commerce4  ,a man
 of high position will no longer lose   
caste by becoming the head of a motor   
factory2 a nobleman may take part in    
commercial enterprise1 a prince of the  
blood sell1 in his own name1 the        

products of his vineyards and lands4    
,it is the same from the point of view  
of women4 ,as they think more1 as they  
become carried away by the desire to    
prove their value and the need for      
individual effort1 the middle-class     
woman is reaching towards higher and    
higher branches of education4 ,great    
ladies1 even princesses1 do not disdain 
to draw profit from the industrial arts1
 from painting and literature4  ,these  
new social conditions could not continue
 but by the spread and improvement of   
education and the growing sense of      
justice as understood by ,herbert       
,spencer2 that is to say1 the           
responsibility of the individual taken  
in connection with the need for social  
co-operation4  ,complete equality will  
never exist2 comparative equality must  
be based on such liberty as1 by its     
exercise1 cannot infringe upon the      
liberties of others4  ,it must not be   
forgotten that social harmony is the    
result of the adjustment of conflicting 

rights and duties4 ,one has to-day to   
take into consideration the fact that   
the humblest artisan is working for the 
good of society just as is the most     
famous engineer1 the greatest inventor1 
the noblest writer1 or the most         
celebrated statesman4 ,therefore1 being 
8morally equal in duty1 they are morally
 equal in rights40  ,education1 that    
leveller of castes1 dispenser of good1  
justice1 and harmony1 is the outcome of 
the experience of each utilised for the 
good of all4 ,it should come from       
ourselves as well as from others1 and   
pass through the way of reason4  8,it is
 through the combined working of all    
systems of education and hygiene10 says 
the author of ,pessimisme ,heroque1 8it 
is through the combined energy of all   
educators and hygienists1 that we shall 
with certainty obtain some day          
fundamental reforms1 and immense        
progress in the physical1 intellectual1 
and moral life of humanity40            
,,socialism   ,opposed to               

,individualism1 ,socialism is the idea  
of social equality in utilising the     
power1 capital1 property1 labour1 etc41 
of the community4 ,the generalisation of
 the term means a social compact1 a     
contract between the members of a       
society4  ,born in the eighteenth       
century1 with the theory of good to be  
shared by the community1 ,socialism1    
which should be a united inherent       
organisation of the social classes1 and 
of the relations of different classes to
 one another1 has become divided into   
several hostile cliques4 ,each has its  
partisans2 there is ,possibilist        
,socialism1 the ,socialism of ,marx1    
,agrarian ,socialism1 ,parliamentary    
,socialism1 ,english ,municipal         
,socialism1 ,collectivist ,socialism1   
,state ,socialism1 ,christian           
,socialism1 ,pulpit ,socialism--and more
 for aught ,i know4  ,the very splitting
 up of the initial idea which aimed at  
the regulation of the needs of society1 
proves that it is a very difficult thing

 to create1 in its entirety1 a new      
social machine1 capable of satisfying   
everyone4  ,it is above all a question1 
in my opinion1 of discovering a form of 
association which shall defend and      
protect by its collective force the     
person and property of each of its      
members1 and through which each one1    
while united to all1 is answerable only 
to himself 7apart from obligations      
agreed upon71 and remains free in his   
actions4  ,it should guarantee that no  
one should be rich enough to take anyone
 into bondage1 and that no one should be
 poor enough to be compelled to sell    
himself4  ,again1 no man should be able 
to say3 8,i am hungry1 ,i do not know   
how to get food3 ,i am cold1 ,i have no 
means of warming myself3 ,i am homeless1
 ,i do not know where to rest my head40 
,no woman must need to make merchandise 
of herself to escape starvation4  ,man  
being no longer obliged to sell his     
physical strength or intellect1 woman no
 longer constrained to throw herself    

into the market1 security of life would 
exist for all1 and a sort of equality   
would be established4  ,but is not this 
equality a chimera1 and can it exist in 
practice8 ,are not abuses inevitable8   
,how can the feelings and duties of     
everyone be subject to rule1 in such a  
way as to restrict the great as to their
 wealth and power and the small as to   
their avarice and covetousness8         
,socialism would have to impose a sort  
of economic equality which would satisfy
 everyone2 so that he who had climbed a 
few rungs of the social ladder need not 
envy him who is already at the top4 ,it 
must1 in short1 do away with every cause
 of discontent1 envy1 and revenge1      
between the classes who are compelled to
 have constant dealings with one        
another4 ,thus would great social       
disorder be avoided4 ,but it would be   
necessary to keep clear of side issues1 
to take as the base of ,socialism the   
8simplifying of life10 always keeping an
 intellectual and spiritual ideal as the

 end in view4  8,the characteristic of  
social organisation10 says ,nicati1 8is 
to be the means of information2 a       
faithful medium between the individuals 
from whom primarily all activity        
emanates1 and with whom it ends3 just as
 the personal intellect intervenes in   
the emotional domain1 between           
impressions and the impulses to which   
they give rise4  8,the function of this 
natural organisation conforms to the    
religious principles regulating its     
formation and acts4  8,its ultimate     
object is to maintain harmony between   
men1 as the intellect maintains harmony 
amongst the emotions1 and to unite them 
in a common desire for equalisation1    
balance4  8,the doctrine of the         
cultivation of an intellectual and      
spiritual ideal1 then1 may be defined as
 a natural social organisation having   
for aim the religious pursuit of good1  
remembering that we understand by       
#8religious' that which is consistent   
with the natural fabric of social       

relationship2 and by #8good' the        
necessary and natural result of all     
harmony1 balance40  ,in reality1        
however1 it appears to me that social   
equilibrium is no better established now
 than it was before4 ,the weight which  
tipped one side of the scale is now on  
the other4 ,the drawbacks of the lack of
 stability have not yet disappeared4    
,why1 for instance1 should it be thought
 advantageous that one class1 now in    
possession1 be completely despoiled to  
profit another class1 which would then  
take its place8 ,whether the inequality 
existed as from the heights downwards or
 from the depths upwards1 would not the 
results be exactly the same8 ,is not the
 supreme power as dangerous in the hands
 of the many as in the hands of the     
privileged8  ,if it be true that man has
 a natural right to all that he needs1  
it is none the less true that his       
8right0 should not exceed the limits of 
the needful4  ,in spite of all theories1
 the social organisation of humanity is 

not in existence yet1 and will not exist
 so long as society fails to comprehend 
that its aim is to satisfy the needs of 
each one1 in the order in which they    
become manifest4     ,,the ,,working    
,,classes   ,the part played by the     
working man in modern society is of     
extreme importance4 ,this producer of   
national wealth is the artery which     
keeps the heart of a country beating4   
,jean ,lahor says3 8,the wealth1 power1 
and glory of the country are1 in great  
part1 the work of the humblest of her   
children--of the artisan1 the worker1   
the common soldier1 of unknown heroes of
 whom no one speaks1 never will speak2  
silent whilst in life as they will be   
when dead40  ,lord ,avebury1 too1 says3 
8,it is an interesting illustration of  
the ,unity of ,man1 and an encouragement
 to those of us who have no claims to   
genius1 that though1 of course1 there   
have been exceptions1 still1 on the     
whole1 periods of progress have         
generally been those when a nation has  

worked and felt together2 the advance   
has been due not entirely to the efforts
 of a few great men1 but of their       
countrymen generally2 not to a single   
genius1 but to a national effort40      
,then1 since the working man is the     
great factor in national greatness1 it  
is but just that he should be an object 
of consideration for the thinkers4 ,this
 is a truth3 the education received by  
the working man is not consistent with  
the place which he occupies in the      
,state4  ,i have in mind1 for the       
children of the working class1 schools  
specially adapted to that class1 where  
the child should be taught his rle in   
life as a sort of religion2 his employer
 of the future appearing as a kind of   
protective deity4 ,the child destined to
 become an artisan should be made to    
understand1 from the most tender age1   
not to regard himself as a mere tool1   
but as the most active element in       
society4 ,he should be inculcated with  
pride in his condition1 not have his    

temper embittered and be taught to hate 
the upper classes1 which are1 from      
another point of view1 a vital element  
equally with his own class4 ,the working
 classes--and this is a point which     
,socialism and ,evolutionism have failed
 to recognise--should form a majority   
set apart in the nation1 not for the    
purpose of excluding them from the      
common good1 but1 on the contrary1 for  
their advantage1 as being the most      
active and least fortunate4  ,in all    
countries which recognise wherein their 
strength consists1 the working man      
should be the object of constant care on
 the part of the administration2 he     
should be recompensed according to his  
merits1 and receive help in his needs4  
,the entire health of a country depends 
so much on that of the working          
population1 that dwellings built in     
accordance with the most perfect        
sanitary conditions1 public baths and   
wash-houses1 national parks as in       
,america1 and institutes where he could 

educate himself to a higher mental life1
 should be guaranteed to the working    
man4  ,it is very strange that1 in      
democratic countries1 the most urgent   
reforms are generally delayed1 that they
 put off the amelioration of the        
wretched conditions prevailing amongst  
the humblest--yet1 by numbers and       
activity1 the strongest--class2         
amelioration which is first carried out 
in aristocratic countries1 such as      
,england4  ,when ,french hospitals1 for 
instance1 are compared with those in    
,england1 ,germany1 and ,russia1 a clear
 idea is gained of the great difference1
 which does honour to the latter        
countries4  ,it is said that the first  
idea of working men's dwellings         
originated in ,france4 ,i admit it2 but 
they only came into existence there     
after ,england and ,belgium had set the 
example4  ,where in the great ,french   
centres will you find the garden cities 
of ,england and ,germany8 ,even in the  
matter of food1 from the point of view  

of price and quality1 the ,french       
artisan has reason to envy his ,english 
neighbour4  ,the artisan is too cramped 
by material conditions and constant     
labour1 too much cut off from men       
superior in mental training to himself2 
he needs to be taken out of his sordid  
environment1 allowed to acquire property
 of his own1 to give him a taste for    
home life4  ,when legislators and       
rulers1 teachers and employers1 have    
taught the working man to recognise his 
own character and claim respect for his 
value to society1 a thousand rational   
reforms will spring into being          
spontaneously4  ,it seems to me that in 
manufacturing centres every house should
 be a temple of fraternity4 ,i will give
 an illustration3 ,an artisan marries4  
,his wife and he live in a very small   
house1 which1 after the birth of their  
children becomes too cramped for them1  
and inadequate from a hygienic point of 
view4 ,close by1 there is an artisan    
living in a much larger house1 as he has

 had a large family4 ,the children1     
having grown up1 have left their        
parents1 and for this reason the house  
has become much too large for them4 ,the
 couple whose family have gone take the 
little dwelling1 and the houseful of    
children move into the large one4 ,in   
this way a kindly interchange is made in
 response to particular requirements2   
hence1 a share of happiness for         
everyone1 and health for all4  ,utopia6 
someone will say4 ,why8 ,there is really
 nothing simpler4 ,but then1            
unfortunately1 the simple is always     
hostile to reason4     ,,domestic       
,,service   ,since the disappearance of 
slavery1 domestic service has taken on  
new forms--variable1 oppressive--and now
 it seems likely to disappear           
altogether4 ,the terms1 ,liberty1       
,equality1 ,fraternity1 misunderstood by
 some1 misconstrued by others1 have     
created great disquietude in society4   
,the servant of former days--the        
wage-earning man or woman--who formed an

 integrant part of the family1 exists no
 longer1 and those succeeding have      
changed the old ways and manners to the 
point of rendering them                 
unacceptable--from the time when        
attachment disappeared before a false   
conception of liberty4 ,so that to-day1 
amongst people of only moderate means1  
the lack of servants is becoming a      
serious problem1 although changing      
fashions and the competition in 8special
 lines of work0 secures us assistance in
 much of our daily business4  ,we occupy
 ourselves with workmen's dwellings1    
have honestly sought to secure better   
conditions for the poor2 why should we  
not consider the case of those blocks of
 flats where the closeness of the       
quarters has become one of the principal
 hindrances to the 8good and loyal      
service0 so much appreciated by our     
forbears8  ,servants in these days      
consider themselves as employees of a   
special kind1 able to dictate their own 
terms and exempt from various duties4   

,their service1 continuous and dearly   
paid1 is no longer suitable except in   
palaces and large private houses4  ,in  
these they form a community of their own
 which is not1 each member of it        
individually1 every moment of the day in
 direct contact with the master and     
mistress4 ,in such cases as these one   
scarcely realises the irritating        
position of servants with regard to     
their employers1 and vice versa4  ,the  
question to be considered is that of    
small establishments and blocks of      
dwellings in large towns where1 for the 
sake of greater accommodation1 the      
employers' and the servants' quarters   
are close together1 perhaps only divided
 by glass doors and thin partitions4    
,now1 to ensure respect for the master  
and mistress in their private life1 and 
willing obedience from the servants1    
distance in point of fact should be in  
proportion to distance in point of      
position and education4  8,no great man 
is a hero to his valet10 says the       

proverb4 ,this proverb is unfortunately 
true4 ,it describes an evil which has   
grown to such a degree as to make       
domestic service in apartments          
impossible4  ,in ,america this question 
is almost completely settled4 ,in       
,england the example set by the ,united 
,states is beginning to be followed4    
,the ,continent in its turn should      
evolve some practical expedient for the 
independence of both employer and       
employee4  ,to this end there should be 
a system of 8service by the hour40 ,this
 will have to be arranged in view of the
 fear that we may find ourselves        
servantless4 ,it does not imply that the
 service now extant will disappear      
entirely4  ,like all innovations1 my    
suggestion will at first alarm some and 
bring a smile to others2 it will seem   
paradoxical in spite of its simplicity4 
,however1 ,i will explain my idea4  ,it 
is not to be denied that we have become 
servants to our domestics1 for they     
dictate terms on entering our service1  

and we are compelled to accept their    
conditions for fear of finding ourselves
 boycotted and unable to get them at    
all4 ,in ,america--,i quote typical     
cases--people have ceased to have their 
meals at home on ,sunday because the    
chef or cook spends that day in the     
country4 ,in ,england ladies' maids     
refuse to wait up for their mistresses' 
return from evening parties4 7,i knew an
 unmarried lady who was compelled to    
sleep one night dressed as she was      
because her maid1 having locked herself 
into her room1 declined to get up to    
unfasten her dress for her67 ,in        
,germany the servants make it a         
condition that they shall spend so many 
evenings at masked balls2 in ,france a  
weekly or fortnightly 8day off0 is one  
of the least inconveniences created by  
domestic service4  ,is it not the truth 
that in flats1 if one had a woman in in 
case of need1 and a sort of watchman to 
guard against burglars1 nothing more    
would be needed8  8,service by the hour0

 would have the advantage of providing  
regular attendance1 and the servants    
themselves would earn more2 they would  
not be obliged to listen to the voice of
 command from the same master or        
mistress all day long2 they could choose
 the kind of service they preferred1    
just as the employer could choose his   
employees4 ,there would be more freedom 
on both sides3 the one party would work 
more conscientiously1 the other enjoy   
greater peace of mind4 ,there would be  
less friction1 more justice1 all round4 
,in the absence of close proximity there
 would be no more irritating            
surveillance1 no fear of gossip1 no     
ill-temper over work ill-done or        
neglected4  ,if you have a masseur or   
masseuse1 even a 8bath attendant10 a    
hairdresser1 a manicurist1 a packer1 a  
8vacuum cleaner10 and a floor polisher1 
what remains for you to ask of your     
servants8  ,if a woman can come and     
fetch your dresses to be ironed or      
8freshened10 and a man do the same with 

your coats1 and someone else come and   
polish your boots1 is not that          
all-important8  ,companies for 8service 
by the hour0 would have to be           
established in different districts4     
,according to one's needs he would      
telephone to one of these establishments
 for a bath attendant1 for someone to   
truss poultry1 for housework1 etc4  ,and
 then how delightful it would be to be  
alone again1 no longer spied upon1 to be
 one's own master--without any servants6
  8,but the expense60 someone will say4 
,if you calculate what the servants     
living in your house cost you in one way
 and another1 you will come to the      
conclusion that there would be less     
expense for the employer and certain    
profit for the servants1 whose service  
by the hour would be better paid4  ,in  
some of these modern blocks of dwellings
 there is but one common kitchen4 ,it   
would be sufficient to mention the hour 
for meals and the number to be served to
 ensure regular attendance4  8,service  

by the hour0 would do away with a       
thousand annoyances1 some merely        
irritating by their frequency1 but      
others serious1 as in ,england1 for     
instance1 where the evidence of servants
 has so much weight in cases of divorce4
  ,with 8service by the hour0 there     
would be no more spying1 no more mean   
revenges1 no more dishonourable         
compromises4 ,as the lower classes have 
shaken off the yoke of their slavery1   
why should we still be the victims of a 
new state of things in matters domestic8
  ,there is no perfect happiness without
 real independence4 ,let us aim at      
independence for everyone4  ,in doing   
good in a new way the human end in view 
has not changed4 ,let us bear in mind   
that good for all is only found in      
individual freedom4     ,,international 
,,schools   ,now that the different     
peoples fraternise over science1        
commerce1 and industry1 now that they   
are jointly liable1 in the name of      
economic relations1 now that collective 

work1 free from 8national etiquette10 is
 instrumental in producing material and 
moral progress for all1 international   
schools ought to be founded in the      
different civilised countries4  ,these  
nurseries of the intellect and will     
would bring pupils together by one      
single rational system of training2 the 
pupils would be subject to the same     
examinations2 and there would be        
effected between the different countries
 an exchange of individualities1        
destroying race hatred in the idea of   
rights common to all and the rightful   
administration of collective            
communities4  ,armed peace1 costly as it
 is for every nation1 is a benefit in   
these modern times4 ,each nation1 by    
preserving the integrity of its own     
territory1 is more at liberty for       
intercourse with its neighbours1 and for
 the development of the high ideals     
which are urging the peoples towards    
economic unity4  ,in former times1      
taking ,france as an example1 the       

various provinces detested one another1 
and were at variance through all kinds  
of conflicting interests4 ,they were    
separated by the barrier of opposite    
temperaments1 dissimilar customs2 each  
of them preferring to remain a stranger 
to the rest1 though they all spoke the  
same language4 ,but by means of gradual 
changes1 they were at length drawn      
together1 each province grew to feel a  
certain oneness of thought with the     
others1 until finally the rigid barriers
 broke down1 and to-day the whole race  
aims at the training in international   
feeling of every individual1 desiring   
that future generations1 free from too  
local a patriotism1 should attain to    
what ,i may call geographical           
fraternity4 ,for this object nothing    
would be so valuable as the creation of 
international schools1 by which the tide
 of different ideas may enter1 and thus 
solve the great problem of comparative  
education4  ,let us imagine similar     
schools in every country4 ,young men and

 girls1 sent abroad to follow up the    
course of study they have begun in their
 own country1 would find the completion 
of their education in the mental        
intercourse offered by contact with the 
boys and girls of the foreign school4   
,they would by this means widen the     
horizon of their ideas1 they would      
become cosmopolitan without effort1 reap
 such advantages from foreign life as   
would greatly add to the force of their 
own personality1 and return home with an
 equipment of sound judgment and        
self-possession4 ,in addition1 they     
would have learnt the foreign languages 
so necessary to the pursuit of commerce1
 manufacture1 letters1 and the arts4    
,the young man and the girl thus        
educated in the idea of                 
world-relationship would hold their own 
in the circles to which they belonged1  
and would be certain to do their country
 good service at an age when1 in the    
ordinary course of things1 they might   
dream of going abroad for the sake of   

seeing the world1 without any ability to
 profit by that exchange of ideas and   
comparison of manners which the         
international school would secure to    
them just at the impressionable age4    
,when one considers how useless in most 
cases1 and how invariably costly to     
parents1 travelling is in the case of   
young men destined for professional or  
even commercial careers1 when undertaken
 after their education is completed1 one
 must acknowledge the advantage which   
would result from the exchange between  
the countries of young1 amenable pupils1
 quick to assimilate all the elements   
needed for complete training4  ,of      
course each student sent abroad would   
have professors of his own tongue and   
race to continue the course of study he 
was pursuing at home4 ,but from the very
 fact that they were living in a foreign
 land1 they would be able to learn the  
new language outside the classroom      
without any trouble1 and become         
initiated in new ways and ideas1        

acquiring all sorts of useful knowledge1
 which would help to mature their minds4
 ,so would each one1 without losing     
contact with his own land1 profit by the
 constant recurrence of matters for     
comparison and analysis4  ,sainte-,beuve
 had conceived the project of such a    
state of things when1 on the eve of the 
,franco-,german ,war in #ahgj1 he said3 
8,war is being prepared between the two 
greatest peoples in ,europe4444 ,it     
would be better to found two schools1   
one in ,berlin and one in ,paris4 ,the  
flower of our youth would go and        
strengthen their minds in the           
laboratories of ,berlin1 which are      
richer than ours2 the ,prussians would  
come here and be moulded to our ,french 
grace40 ,the real difficulty between    
nations is that of mutual understanding4
 ,whether it be a question of medicine1 
manufacture1 commerce1 or education1    
there are many efforts made which1 in   
the first instance1 are unknown in      
neighbouring countries1 and thereby     

progress is hindered4 ,by means of      
international schools1 a solution would 
be found to problems common to all1 for 
instruction would pass from one to      
another4  ,in commercial and industrial 
matters1 especially1 dealings between   
one country and another would be carried
 out more easily1 and on a larger scale4
  ,through uniformity of customs1 and   
harmony in feeling and ideas1 brought   
into play for the good of all1 peace    
would be assured1 while rivalry1 on     
which progress depends1 would still     
exist4 ,autocracy1 democracy1           
imperialism1 all would be merged in the 
common desire for improved conditions4  
,on the day when harmonious endeavour   
shall become the rule between people and
 people1 the wealth of the world will   
increase tenfold1 simply through the    
working of all intelligence for the good
 of every nation4     ,,the ,,necessity 
,,of ,,religion1 ,,and ,,its ,,influence
 ,,over ,,the ,,people   ,religion is   
neither a collection of natural laws nor

 a philosophic dogma4 ,it is higher in  
dignity than teachers of to-day         
represent it1 and it will be understood 
if we consider the meaning of the word  
8religion0 as applied to the life of the
 individual4 ,in the words of ,dr4      
,nicati10 444 applied to an individual1 
it denotes the allied operations of the 
spirit upon which rests his judgments   
and actions4 ,as applied to society1 it 
is the symbol of the facts which        
determine the relations between         
individuals2 it embraces in one common  
term the principles of social harmony40 
,in giving us this definition of        
religion1 ,dr4 ,nicati is not           
considering any creed in particular1 but
 all religions1 each of which1 taken    
separately1 is a moral code4  ,the      
religious idea1 which ,french           
governments of to-day set aside as      
useless1 is1 on the contrary1 of obvious
 utility1 primarily for all those whose 
brains1 ill-supplied with mental        
nourishment1 need both spiritual food   

and also a curb4 ,what a strong         
restraining force is the fear of eternal
 punishment2 what an encouragement the  
desire of endless reward6  ,in vain have
 all our orators striven1 our           
materialists shown their contempt2 it is
 none the less true that the wiser      
spirits--men like ,littr1 ,taine1 and   
,renan--have maintained in spite of all 
that 8the people must have a religion1 a
 religion considered purely as an idea  
inculcating morality40  ,i will not     
embark upon the study of the evolution  
of religions1 of the ,roman ,catholic   
religion in particular1 which1 from its 
origin1 remains the moral authority of  
the ,latin peoples4 ,i will simply state
 that1 compulsory education             
notwithstanding1 criminality in ,france 
has increased in alarming proportion1   
whereas in ,england1 as the noble       
thinker ,lord ,avebury remarked some    
time ago1 8prisons have had to be closed
 for want of prisoners40  ,let us make  
no mistake4 ,french criminality is in   

exact proportion with the lowering of   
the moral level2 the absence of         
criminality in ,england comes of the    
respect shown by our neighbours for all 
religious sects1 provided they use their
 influence for the development of the   
religious principle in children--that is
 to say1 the fear of the punishment     
which comes of wrongdoing1 and the hope 
of the reward which good merits4  ,until
 the moral sense has become thoroughly  
developed in everyone1 religion--that is
 to say1 a preventive training against  
the passions--will continue necessary4  
8,we have schools enough of every       
description10 says the author of        
,l',education de ,soi-,mme1 8which give 
us general knowledge and admirable skill
 in the technique of every branch of    
human activity2 what we need is a school
 for the making of men40 ,the ,church   
would have remained such a school if the
 ,romanists had not made of their       
authority a political weapon4           
,nevertheless1 religious morality dwells

 in the depths of the mind1 and thus it 
is1 according to ,maurice de ,fleury1   
8that modern savants who have lost their
 faith1 and cannot believe in human free
 will1 become reconciled ultimately to  
the teaching given us by the ,church40  
,the rational morality which comes of   
mental training may be sufficient for   
the strong1 relieving them of a thousand
 illusions and childish fancies4 ,it    
remains none the less true1 however1    
that1 even amongst those who are past   
masters in the arts1 in science1 and    
politics1 there are some who1 from an   
ethical point of view1 are spiritual    
weaklings1 needing1 in place of the     
,latin intelligere1 some creed1 hidden  
or avowed1 adapted to their imaginative 
and imperfectly-controlled brain4       
,whatever may be said1 the mass of the  
people has to be considered as an       
8inferior majority40 ,apart from it1 a  
8superior minority0 stands out2 no      
longer bound by all the old beliefs1 but
 all the same given to an 8inner0       

religion1 which is the ethical          
intelligence whence springs rational    
morality4  ,let us consider the apostle4
 ,the inferiority of his followers is   
manifest1 but as soon as these disciples
 reach a higher level1 through the      
education of their spirit1 they in their
 turn will become apostles1 and moral   
equality will exist in a group which1 in
 its turn again1 will win over other    
groups4  ,we must then concede to the   
people a religion which may take the    
place of the moral law1 one giving them 
the hope of living again in             
,illustration3 ,,the ,,infanta ,,eulalia
 ,,and ,,her ,,two ,,sons  ,photograph  
by ,boissonnas  ,taponier1 ,paris4  a   
better life1 affording comfort in       
affliction1 and restraining their       
cravings4 ,religious beliefs are but the
 poetic materialisation of moral truths4
 ,by maturing the popular mind1 by      
improved education1 the time will       
come--in some far-distant future--when  
man will need no other dogma than that  

natural one which is faith in himself1  
without which he does not 7consciously7 
exist4  ,on the day when religion shall 
no longer serve to govern morals1 it    
will be useless4 ,for many it is already
 a dead letter4 ,that matters nothing in
 the case of those whose morality1 ,i   
repeat1 is based on reason2 but how     
regrettable when it is a question of    
persons of inferior intelligence who1   
without fixed rules1 are unable to      
attain the perception of good and evil6 
,amongst certain peoples1 a religion was
 founded by philosophers as long ago as 
#ejj years before ,christ4 ,did not     
,confucius correct the habits of his    
country1 reform justice1 and bring in   
prosperity1 through moral training8     
,chief authority of a new sect1 governed
 by the idea of rectitude in the life1  
he organised a state of things which    
continues yet4  ,this may happen later  
on in our ,western countries2 but until 
we have replaced the ancient creeds by a
 moral ,ideal impressed upon all minds1 

it will be necessary to keep up the     
religious sentiment amongst the people1 
who have remained hitherto an           
unconscious force4     ,,the ,,press    
8,the newspaper10 says ,eugne           
,tavernier1 8is the expression of       
society40 ,that is a rudimentary truth  
which has strangely lost its meaning    
since the ,press1 whose social rle was  
that of an educator1 gave itself up to  
sectarianism1 and1 in consequence1 was  
no longer able to exercise1 for the most
 part1 a really moral influence4  ,from 
the fact that the ,press sells itself   
shamelessly to its supporters1 it often 
happens that it attacks the weak and    
blindly defends the strong1 thus making 
capital out of ostracism and injustice4 
,present-day morals have destroyed the  
original character of the newspaper4 ,in
 the hands of men more concerned with   
their personal interests than the good  
of their country or the pursuit of      
truth1 the ,press has sacrificed        
everything to profit1 for money is its  

object4 ,newspapers are bazaars where   
everything is sold1 calumny included4   
,and the turmoil of life has made of the
 journalist a purveyor of sensational   
news1 of paradoxes which falsify the    
popular judgment1 and information as    
misleading as it is swiftly obtained4   
,the result is that in our democratic   
times1 when everyone claims the right to
 give expression to his ideas1 we see   
most journalists writing to order and   
playing the sorry part of impersonal    
machines4  ,since writers worthy of the 
name found themselves obliged to bow to 
the will of these dealers in spoilt     
paper1 many of them have refused to     
write for the daily papers4  ,now1 as   
journalistic over-production increases  
continually1 and as the success of many 
enterprises 7based on the exploitation  
of credulity1 the fear of scandal1 and  
excessive advertisement7 is almost      
always in inverse ratio to integrity1   
hosts of ignorant men1--8men of all     
work0--shelter themselves behind the    

newspaper and make a livelihood out of  
their trash4 ,the day after the         
,commune1 ,louis ,veuillot said of the  
,press3 8,i have been associated with it
 all my life1 and ,i do not like it4 ,i 
may say that ,i hate it2 but it belongs 
to the considerable class of necessary  
evils4 ,newspapers have become such a   
danger that it is necessary to create   
many4 ,you cannot contend against the   
,press1 except through its multitude4   
,add flood to flood1 and let them drown 
one another1 forming no more than a     
swamp1 or1 if you will1 a sea4 ,the     
swamp has its lagoons1 the sea its      
moments of slumber4 ,we will see whether
 it is possible to build some ,venice   
within it44440  ,the daring             
controversialist and uncompromising     
fighter did not foresee that the ,press1
 far from neutralising itself through   
its numbers1 would1 later on1 create a  
,state within a ,state1 developed to    
such an extent1 and so imbued with      
disintegrating principles1 that it would

 become as dangerous to social groups as
 to individuals4  ,i shall be told that1
 since its very modest beginnings1 in   
the time of ,louis ,,xiv41 the ,press   
was as formidable under the ,revolution 
as later1 and that all governments      
suffered through it4 ,but ,i reply that 
in former times the journalist1 in spite
 of many excesses1 held his calling     
sacred1 and that his exercise of it     
found an excuse in his talent and       
sincerity4 ,it was a time when men of   
strong opinions fought beneath the same 
flag2 in our own day we often see men   
pass from one side to the other and     
defend by turns diametrically opposite  
views4  ,in the critic's domain1 for    
instance1 it was esteemed an honour to  
show oneself possessed of a sense of the
 beautiful4 ,men like ,thophile         
,gautier1 ,sainte-,beuve1 ,paul de      
,saint-,victor1 spared not their        
personal preferences to pay homage to   
talent1 no matter whence it came4  ,art 
was the first object with spirits like  

these4 ,to-day1 mere talkers1 with some 
dubious interest at their back1 are     
willing to boom any mediocrity who makes
 it worth their while4 ,everything is   
done with an eye to expediency4 ,the    
independent artist is regarded as an    
enemy because he will not condescend to 
pay the paper's price for praise and    
puffery4 ,it is the same in politics2   
and whosoever1 in commerce or industry1 
fails to sacrifice to the omnipotent god
 of advertisement1 finds himself        
checkmated by rivals pushed forward at a
 great expenditure of bank-notes4  ,it  
comes about then that1 in a free state1 
a privileged class1 generally recruited 
from amongst the quasi-intellectual of  
the 8flash-in-the-pan0 type1 is able to 
place itself above the law because1 in  
many cases1 slander is--or so it        
appears--a means of instructing or      
amusing the public4  ,not long ago1 when
 the ,press was censored1 people cried  
out at the abuse of power2 but when it  
was given freedom to express even       

destructive opinions1 it hastened to    
turn this freedom into licence4 ,and1 in
 fact1 to-day the evil has become so    
great1 through the falsity and baseness 
of the subject-matter1 that the least   
well-informed reader1 seldom though he  
may look at a paper1 knows beforehand   
the stuff that will be served up to him1
 whether as regards politics1 art1      
science1 or the small change of public  
scandals4  ,the intrusion of            
advertisement1 too1 is such that the man
 whose article is published is often the
 one who pays4 ,in this way1 the ,lie1  
in a thousand different forms1 is       
retailed every hour of the day to the   
poor deluded reading public4  ,in order 
that the ,press may fill the rle of     
educator of the people1 leader of the   
masses1 it must adhere to a political1  
social1 and moral ideal1 frankly        
sincere1 and with a personal sense of   
the beautiful4  ,the opinions of honest1
 enlightened minds1 freed from the snare
 of time-serving1 would be offered to   

society1 instead of such as corrupt     
individual aspirations or bring a       
ferment of confusion into the different 
social spheres4  ,but1 to make that     
possible1 every newspaper should be1    
first of all1 an enterprise possessing  
considerable capital1 supplied by       
independent shareholders1               
uncompromising1 honourable men1 whose   
fortune would be an element making for  
success4  ,established on a solid and   
lasting foundation1 the ,press1 in spite
 of differences of opinion1 would become
 an admirable organ of instruction1 such
 as would waken the intellect1 but not  
satisfy morbid curiosity4  ,for the     
spread of thought1 selection of the best
 information from all sources must be   
considered1 not extortion and           
satisfaction of depraved taste4  ,when  
the ,press becomes genuine1 writers of  
merit of all kinds will bring to it the 
tribute of their observation1 ideas1 and
 workmanship4 ,when that day comes1 the 
newspaper will be entirely free with    

regard to political and social groups   
and private individuals alike1 since it 
will be a common enterprise of good     
men--men well informed1 worthy of their 
office1 and fit for the accomplishment  
of sound1 honest1 and praiseworthy work4
     ,,morality   ,morality is a        
metaphysical quality by the help of     
which our practical actions are         
justified1 and which in most cases      
constitutes restraint4 ,morality is a   
science1 say some2 morality is an art1  
say others2 for many idealists it       
remains a revanche of reason1 and ,m4   
,rodrigues sees in it the will which    
binds itself and which we bind4         
8,individual liberty10 he says1 8if it  
exists1 only plays a part on the second 
plane2 in practice it signifies little  
when humanity in its entirety is        
considered4 ,bound to an organism1 and  
still more to society1 the psychological
 or moral consciousness1 when it draws  
inspiration from within itself1 finds   
there in effect what its milieu has     

placed there4 ,it expresses a system of 
representations1 to the forming of which
 it has in itself contributed but a     
small part4444 ,morality1 too1 has      
undergone an evolution parallel in all  
points to that of science40  ,yes1      
truly1 morality1 like everything which  
touches on conduct1 social laws1 rites1 
traditions1 ancestral prejudices1 the   
need of freedom1 the right of the       
individual1 undergoes continual         
evolution according to the conditions of
 a community4 ,we are to-day far from   
the morality which1 according to ,kant1 
is legislation on the part of the       
reasonable being1 enjoining upon all    
persons the same duties4  ,according to 
the morality of ,epictetus1 resting on  
the idea of liberty1 8man may free      
himself of all dependence with regard to
 other men and to ,nature1 and raise    
himself to absolute freedom1            
distinguishing between the things which 
rest on him and those which do not1 and 
despising the latter as immaterial02    

according to the ethics of ,epicurus1   
pleasure is the sovereign good of man1  
and all our efforts should tend towards 
its attainment1 provided that pleasure  
consist as much of the satisfaction of  
the heart and mind as of the senses1 but
 modern morality has become sectarian1  
and differs according to class4  ,the   
principle of bourgeois morality is to   
preserve the unity of the community     
without any consideration for the       
liberty of the individual2 the bourgeois
 family being a sort of commercial      
association1 it confines its morality to
 the idea of a duty which is1 above all1
 the protection of the interests of the 
community4 ,it is a morality which is   
quite beside the point1 and which has no
 intrinsic value4  ,the principle of    
aristocratic morality is to preserve for
 the glory of its escutcheon all the    
splendour it deems requisite4 ,it does  
not trouble itself as to the means by   
which that escutcheon gains in radiance1
 because it has made a virtue of its    

pride4 ,the superadded adornments       
trouble it with no pangs of conscience1 
because for it duty consists in the     
integrity of appearances4 ,this morality
 is not1 in the main1 more false in     
conception than that of the bourgeois2  
it is the guardian of appanage as the   
other is the guardian of selfish        
interests4  ,the morality of ,courts    
consists in preserving tradition intact1
 and it does not hesitate to sacrifice  
individuals to the ,cause which is one1 
unchangeable1 and imperative4 ,it is    
thus a morality extraordinary1 having   
authority above right and outside duty4 
,but whatsoever constitutes the quality 
deemed essential1 whether it be the     
commercial and industrial stability of  
the bourgeois1 the true or false        
splendour of the nobleman's escutcheon1 
or the more or less artificial halo of  
the ,court1 it is none the less true    
that class morality is daily obliged to 
yield to circumstances and bend to      
conditions4  ,being one of the          

manifestations of human action1 morality
 is necessarily subject to the law of   
living according to such and such an    
epoch4 ,it has to adapt itself to       
change4 ,for this reason personal       
interest1 selfishness1 pride of birth1  
and the idea of being above humanity    
must all1 in spite of their rules1      
conform to new conceptions of altruism  
and idealism1 for there is no moral     
finality4  ,to speak truly1 every       
individual bears the moral sense within 
himself1 but he has to remember that the
 sanction of moral judgment is one of   
the most important factors of           
civilisation and progress1 and cannot be
 dissociated to-day from the scientific 
element4  ,nothing leads men more astray
 than to let them believe that certain  
persons or certain things injurious to  
society are desirable4  ,the personal   
interest of the merchant is not adapted 
to the artisan's life conditions2 an    
escutcheon is not a thing to be coveted 
by the worker2 and the right called     

8,divine0 diminishes in no degree the   
right of a people4 ,on the contrary1    
class morality is hostile to the new    
moral ideas answering to new social     
needs2 this is the reason why its value 
has depreciated1 because humanity is    
making a constant effort towards an     
ideal which it creates and changes      
according to the difficulties of the    
way1 and because the straight road leads
 to righteousness4     ,,public         
,,opinion   8,it is easy1 in the world1 
to live after the world's opinion10 says
 ,emerson2 8it is easy in solitude to   
live after our own2 but the great man is
 he who1 in the midst of a crowd1 keeps 
with perfect sweetness the independence 
of solitude40  ,in this logical rounding
 of his thought1 the master has given us
 a rule of conduct based on             
self-confidence1 the result of vigorous 
mind-training and the exchange of       
opinion4  ,every slave to public opinion
 lives irresponsibly1 because he fails  
to possess his own soul1 is incapable of

 inward control1 and unable to arrive at
 an independent view4  ,to be checked by
 public opinion means the abandonment of
 mental effort1 the surrender of the    
8,i02 it means resigning oneself to     
become mere reflection1 a nonentity4    
,not to everyone is it given to be able 
to brave public opinion2 only a few have
 the force to throw off social          
conventions4  ,one of the conditions    
permitting of contempt of public opinion
 is to have no need of anyone1 both from
 the point of view of material existence
 and of moral status4 ,i am not speaking
 of those on whom fortune has smiled    
from their birth1 but of the great      
majority who1 lacking firmness of       
character and matured personality1 obey 
blindly as circumstances dictate4  ,what
 is public opinion if not a collection  
of incongruous judgments turned to      
general use1 rules followed from force  
of custom1 hypocritical virtues1 lies in
 disguise8 ,and why should not ,i hold  
to my own private view1 in spite of     

current opinion1 if1 in the             
consciousness of pure intention1 wisdom 
in action1 ,i show forth in my conduct  
the precepts guiding my life8  ,is      
public opinion responsible for my       
mistakes8 ,am ,i less good1 less just1  
less loyal because unshackled by        
imitation1 lack of originality1 and     
affectation8 ,why1 then1 should ,i      
deprive myself of honest happiness for  
fear opinion should turn against me8    
,why should ,i bow to circumstances     
which ,i have not created8 ,why1 once   
more1 should ,i not be myself8  ,the    
desire for general approbation is a sign
 of weakness1 a defect of the mind and  
conscience4 ,it is allowing someone else
 to know your duty better than yourself 
and force upon you preconceived notions1
 neutral1 limited ideas of action and   
thought4  ,woe betide those who fall    
under such influence4 ,they resign      
themselves to an existence of mental    
wretchedness1 painfully dragging out    
their days in hesitation and spiritual  

cowardice1 never able to realise that   
public opinion has no moral worth1 but1 
though varying according to country1    
conditions1 and training1 is            
nevertheless intolerant1 mean1 and      
arbitrary everywhere4  ,the careless    
judgments given by public opinion always
 assume too much1 and are not the result
 of harmony between conduct and         
principle on the part of those who form 
them4 ,we should show ourselves         
fearlessly for what we are1 speak our   
own language with sincerity1 express our
 thought directly to-day1 to-morrow1 the
 day after to-morrow4 ,even if we       
contradict ourselves on certain points1 
that is but a proof of our readiness to 
be better1 more just4 ,to be true to    
oneself is the great secret of          
personality1 and prevents all fear of   
our neighbour4  ,a matured1 steadfast   
spirit1 a sound brain given to          
meditation1 a conscience sharpened by   
training1 constitute a character which  
can afford to despise public opinion1   

and command an entrance for itself to   
all the paths of life4  ,this state of  
individualism does not imply systematic 
opposition to the customs of the day4   
,it is not hostile to society1 but it   
enables one to shake off the yoke of    
public opinion1 and assert with         
sweetness his personality4              
,,prejudices   ,prejudices1 or          
preconceived opinions adopted at random1
 subsist indefinitely4 ,like creeds1    
they are a malady of weak minds which   
unquestioningly accept relative moral   
laws1 formulas which the reason cannot  
admit1 and errors which live and        
propagate faster than truths4  ,those   
are persons without judgment or         
discernment who profess to do as all the
 world does1 because they have not the  
force to form an independent opinion1   
undergo the discipline of thought1      
examine their own actions1 and confess  
the absurdity of their own weaknesses4  
,it is not to be denied that minds      
trained by mental gymnastics have little

 to say to prejudices4 ,their judgment  
being independent1 they require perfect 
freedom of action1 and they cannot      
permit a host of trifling considerations
 to hinder them in their way of living  
and thinking4  ,prejudices--a form of   
mental aberration--are a standard by    
which the least intelligent claim to    
estimate the capacities of others4 ,and 
those prejudices which proceed from     
stupid customs1 absurd fears1 silly     
superstitions1 have led to the most     
annoying assertions4  ,it is a matter of
 general belief1 for instance1 that the 
number #ac is unlucky1 that the song of 
a black bird is a sign of death1 that   
three lights bring misfortune2 and the  
belief is not less general that persons 
of high birth are inevitably lacking in 
great intelligence4 ,it has been decided
 once for all that they are unfit for   
intellectual work1 and capable only of  
being pleasant company1 as superficial  
as useless4 ,if these persons take up   
any intellectual pursuit1 be it the     

publishing of books1 or devoting        
themselves to art1 they are misjudged1  
there is an outcry at the unreality1 the
 gross impossibility2 for it has been   
decided that high birth should be a     
patent of incapacity4  ,prejudice thus  
destroys beforehand the proof of        
intelligence and tarnishes reputation4  
,at the same time1 in the form of       
conventional1 generally-received        
opinions1 it overawes timid spirits4    
,it is in frivolous society that        
prejudices are most ineradicable4 ,they 
creep into conversation1 obtrude        
themselves in all their bareness and    
ugliness into the midst of chatter and  
compliments4  ,even if some strong      
personality appears1 and disposes of    
some prejudice1 it shoots up again      
directly the disturber is gone4 ,born of
 folly and fear1 prejudices are         
parasitic plants whose roots are in the 
brain1 and which are transmitted1 like  
an heirloom of ignorance1 from one      
century to another4  ,prejudices1 so    

numerous in these days1 fall foul of    
everything3 art1 science1 law1 the      
liberty of the individual1 conscience1  
truth4  ,is it not regarded as a fact1  
in certain circles1 that the ,jew is    
incapable of fine intelligence8 ,now1   
for the last twenty-five years dramatic 
art has given the lie flatly to such an 
assertion4 ,has not the man of science1 
in spite of every proof of his capacity1
 been attacked by prejudiced people who 
see in him an insulter of the ,divinity8
  ,is not the education of the people   
regarded in many cases as a danger to   
society8 ,is not the creation of new    
laws1 designed for ensuring the rights  
of all1 considered monstrous8 ,now that 
human consciousness has developed1 now  
that the will is being trained to       
righteousness1 now that personal        
responsibility has entered our life     
conditions1 and moral education has     
become rational1 it is really strange to
 see people who claim intelligence1 and 
who pass for well informed1 accept the  

absurd prejudices in vogue4  ,women1 it 
must be said1 are for the most part     
hostile to progress4 ,through heredity1 
through habit1 they take up prejudices  
with a fervour that deludes their       
superficial minds4 ,two pernicious      
elements1 jealousy and envy1 conduce to 
this4 ,prejudiced men are no less       
dangerous1 for1 being incapable of      
thinking for themselves1 and not willing
 to think through others1 they are      
unable to correct their own errors4  ,my
 conclusion is that all slaves of       
prejudice should be compelled to live   
together1 separated from the living and 
thinking world1 until the day comes     
when1 being no longer satisfied with    
themselves1 they will begin to be       
endurable to others4     ,,judgment     
,judgment is the faculty of             
discrimination in ideas1 of establishing
 a connection between the state of our  
conscience and reality4 ,but as         
conscience varies according to the      
nature of social situations1 it does not

 seem possible to apply a fixed rule to 
judgment1 though it always requires     
affirmation4 ,whatever be the degree of 
judgment one possesses1 one cannot      
exercise it in the case of others       
without first applying the precept1     
8,know thyself0--an ancient utterance   
which has lost a little in value since  
it has been handed down1 without        
sincerity1 from generation to           
generation4 ,this precept is1           
nevertheless1 held in honour by the     
finer spirits1 for it is obvious that   
the appeal to our conscience should be  
placed above all others4 ,without this1 
as ,nicati says1 8the man who forgets to
 examine himself1 and whose personality 
is effaced thereby1 counts for less than
 the inert matter whose very resistance 
constitutes personality40  ,he who lives
 according to his conscience1 and after 
his own moral laws1 may be satisfied4   
,when he comes to judge himself1 he     
knows that his life has been passed in  
the observance of his own personal      

principles4  ,we must1 then1 seek in    
ourselves a standard of judgment1       
remembering the beautiful words of      
,thomas  ,kempis3 8,turn thine eyes unto
 thyself1 and beware thou judge not the 
deeds of other men4 ,in judging of      
others1 a man laboureth in vain1 often  
erreth1 and easily sinneth2 but in      
judging and discussing of himself1 he   
always laboureth fruitfully40           
,nevertheless1 in self-judgment1 it is  
right to apply severely to ourselves the
 rules of reason and virtue so far as   
our own nature permits4 ,it is to be    
noted that witty people1 or those with a
 good memory1 are not the most capable  
of clear and profound judgment4         
,assimilation is prejudicial to         
reflection2 memory is not thought4      
,when our own ideas are clear to us1 we 
shall not judge others without due study
 of their reasons for what they do1 the 
motives by which they have been         
governed1 the circumstances which may   
have influenced their estimate of good  

and evil4 ,thus our attitude will be    
more kindly1 and we shall avoid all the 
evils springing from injustice and false
 judgment4  ,our own conscience is not  
always in the ascendant4 ,we often yield
 to weakness1 and it is only just that  
our knowledge of the limitations of the 
human will should move us to indulgence 
towards our fellow-men4  ,such          
indulgence consists in recognising our  
own weaknesses1 and in not condemning   
others for what we consider their       
errors4  ,the first condition for       
judging clearly and soundly is the      
constant attention to our mental life1  
acknowledging to ourselves our own      
changes of mood1 ceaselessly fighting   
the enemy within us4  ,from the         
altruistic point of view1 we should     
picture to ourselves the person to be   
judged in the circumstances which have  
prompted his action--difficult though it
 be to perceive the differences between 
characters and shades of                
feeling--according to the numberless    

cases in which such action takes place4 
,this is the reason why historians1 in  
the act of composition1 so often pass   
false judgments on the past4 ,in their  
desire to make the characters live      
again1 to call up vanished scenes1 they 
become partisans1 loving or hating those
 whom they have never known4 ,purely in 
deference to their own opinion1 they    
fail in tolerance and indulgence4 ,they 
do not estimate the worth of men of past
 days according to the moral tone of the
 epoch in which they lived2 they judge  
of a society as a whole in the light of 
isolated documents1 so that the men of  
vanished ages cut but a poor figure in  
their eyes to-day4  ,now1 the truth is  
that men are no greater now than in the 
other ages of the world4 ,removed from  
our own time by twenty-two centuries1   
the heroes of ,plutarch remain as noble 
as our heroes of to-day2 and in the     
domain of science1 religion1 and        
philosophy we have but changed names    
without changing at all in judgment and 

logic1 without modifying the conditions 
of happiness or the outward signs of    
courage1 and without developing the     
human 8,i40     ,,the ,,fear ,,of       
,,ridicule   ,the fear of ridicule is a 
terrible and powerful weapon in the eyes
 of many people4 ,cleverly handled by   
those who are slaves to custom and      
fashion1 this fear of ridicule often    
prevents our obeying our true feelings1 
and leads us to act against our own     
interests4  ,many persons whose social  
position is uncertain1 or whose moral   
force is but little developed1 have     
their days embittered by the thought of 
8what people will say40  ,if these      
persons could only comprehend that      
nothing which is simple and sincere can 
be ridiculous1 if vanity and            
amour-propre would permit them to       
understand that criticism is inevitable1
 that it increases self-confidence in   
well-balanced people1 and in many cases 
helps us towards the end we wish to     
attain1 they would not only cease to    

fear the observation of others1 but no  
longer wish to suppress the personality 
of a neighbour4  ,they would say with   
,emerson3 8,that which ,i ought to do   
concerns my personality1 and not what   
people think ,i ought to do40  ,they    
would remember these words of ,la       
,bruyre's3 8#8,we must do as others do' 
is a suspicious maxim1 signifying nearly
 always #8,we must do wrong' as soon as 
it extends beyond the purely outward    
things which result in nothing1 and     
which depend upon custom1 fashion1 and  
manners40  ,a modern thinker1 under the 
veil of anonymity1 remarks wittily3 8,if
 one wishes to be in good society1 even 
with those who are not of it1 need one  
give up being oneself8 ,good society1   
pushed to this excess1 is only folly and
 trickery4 ,what on earth have you done 
with your amour-propre on these         
occasions8 ,dare to say what you think1 
if you do think40 ,i add to this3 ,dare 
to do what seems to you good1 useful1   
and sensible2 flee preconceived         

opinions1 do not let yourself be        
influenced by the ideas of others1 keep 
your independence in the face of new    
suggestions1 convince yourself of your  
own value1 call your perceptions into   
play1 suppress your self-love--in a     
word1 get rid of the fear of ridicule1  
which1 carried to excess by people1 has 
spoilt fine careers1 ruined the noblest 
hopes2 destroyed for one his dawning    
happiness1 for another possible fortune4
 ,why this mean respect for what is     
done1 and absurd fear of what is not    
done8 ,why this foolish imitation1 this 
holding back of your real self8 ,why    
don't you eat and drink what you like8  
,why spoil your behaviour in public by  
hypocrisy8 ,where is the sense of this  
perpetual dressing up of things which   
ties you down to convention not in      
keeping with the real impulses of your  
heart and mind8  ,there is so much fear 
of ridicule in the world that one may   
see a man miss an interview which might 
be morally or materially useful to him  

because he is afraid to appear          
unfashionably dressed1 because he has   
not the latest hat1 or the shoes which  
snobbism has decreed the correct thing4 
,women1 in whom the fear of ridicule is 
so strong1 so intimately linked with the
 taste of the moment1 will willingly    
risk their health rather than go down in
 the estimation of others4  ,if1 for    
example1 fashion decrees thin summer    
clothing1 a woman will brave bronchitis 
and the after-effects to wear it2 and   
she acts in a similar spirit with regard
 to winter fashions1 because it is not  
the right thing to think with one's own 
mind1 feel with one's own heart1 or live
 according to one's own means1 nerves1  
or senses6  ,this passive life by rule  
is a curious thing1 and ,montaigne was  
right--for folly belongs to all         
periods--in thus speaking of it for his 
own epoch3 8,in some sort all the       
opinions we have are taken on authority1
 or on credit1 444 ,everyone is richer  
than he thinks1 but we go about         

borrowing and seeking2 it suits us      
better to make use of others than of    
ourselves4444 ,we neither essay nor know
 our own faculties2 we invest in those  
of others1 and let our own lie idle44440
  ,yes1 truly1 the fear of ridicule is  
one of the worst shortcomings of        
education1 for it destroys character1   
leads all our impulses towards folly1   
and often incites to irreparable wrong4 
,how many marriages which might have    
been happy are prevented because of     
difference in fortune1 age1 or birth6   
,the fear of ridicule brings a          
disintegrating element even into the    
quest after happiness1 which is a law of
 ,nature4  ,it is the same with the fear
 of ridicule as with morality2 everyone 
should base his individual action on    
some good to be gained1 get rid of all  
constraint--in a word1 be himself       
without depending on custom and outward 
circumstances2 preserving the balance   
between his conscience1 trained by      
experience and reason1 and his personal 

faculties4     ,,moral ,,courage        
,moral courage is that energy of        
character which leads us to confess and 
uphold what we think and believe4 ,this 
quality1 one of the rarest in man1 is   
nevertheless indispensable to whomsoever
 uses his faculties in any public       
capacity1 whether he be a statesman1 a  
soldier1 an artist1 or a writer2 that is
 to say1 everyone who has to take       
responsibility1 making nothing of       
opinion or criticism4  ,i have often    
heard it said that moral courage        
corresponds to physical development4    
,that is true1 provided that the        
physical development be attended by good
 health4 ,we often see men insignificant
 in appearance gifted with moral courage
 which athletes lack4 ,it is because1 in
 spite of their physical slightness1    
these men possess health so robust as to
 save them from mental weakness and give
 them perfect balance4  ,but there is   
something besides4 ,although there is   
still much to learn about character1 it 

is certain that we can cultivate the    
moral courage which springs from        
instinct and temperament by the choice  
of our own ideas and actions4  ,never   
has the need of character-forming made  
itself felt so much as in our days4     
,character is becoming rare because     
intellects are in disorder4             
,dilettantism kills reason1 stheticism  
strays without direction through the    
mind1 ready-made opinions take the place
 of thought1 and the caprice of the     
moment serves for moral or material     
interests and weakens the will4  ,the   
sign of the individual1 the dominant    
feature of his personality1 is          
character1 and character gives birth to 
moral courage4 ,dr4 ,ferrand says3      
8,character assumes considerable        
importance in the life of the individual
 and in the life of all the natural or  
social groups which individuals form    
amongst themselves2 it is1 accordingly  
to ,smiles1 one of the greatest motive  
powers in the world4 ,by the unity of   

direction which he impresses upon all   
his actions1 the man of character is not
 only master of himself1 though that is 
much1 but he bears naturally upon the   
activity of others1 and  ,illustration3 
,,the ,,infanta ,,eulalia ,,and ,,her   
,,two ,,sons  ,photograph by ,boissonnas
  ,taponier1 ,paris4  draws them after  
him1 as a mighty ship draws into its    
track all the craft it encounters in its
 course40  ,there is yet another        
consideration4 ,by the side of the      
intellectual element1 by which we       
estimate our thoughts and actions1 there
 is feeling2 that is1 the sensibility   
which modifies the judgment and         
enlightens the deep thought determining 
our responsibility4 ,he who obeys       
feeling1 when the latter is not subject 
to the control of thought1 commits many 
errors of judgment and lets himself be  
guided by moods which may lead him into 
injustice and breach of trust4 ,let us  
not forget that justice is truth applied
 to the things of life4 ,now1 it is     

precisely the absence of this idea of   
justice in the modern consciousness     
which brings us daily face to face with 
a sort of failure in moral courage1 both
 as regards attack and defence4         
,politics during the last few years have
 furnished us with sad examples of this 
weakness2 letters and the arts have also
 given us instances1 and they are very  
regrettable from every point of view4   
,literary and musical criticism is to be
 noted particularly for many lapses2    
science itself is not exempt from       
dealings which reason disapproves1 and  
it is not even to lack of education that
 this shortcoming is due4 ,and we find  
this lack of moral courage in           
communities which have blindly turned   
liberty to a revolting slavery4         
,consider parliaments1 study castes1    
look closely at groups of individuals   
served by opinion1 and you will see that
 real characters worthy to inspire the  
good1 the beautiful1 and the true are   
overwhelmed in the host occupied in     

ruining the popular conscience4         
,individual moral courage is what makes 
the greatness of a people4 ,this form of
 courage tends to disappear more and    
more1 because everyone is losing the    
idea of his own responsibility1 and1    
inspired by selfishness1 troubles       
himself not at all to make justice and  
virtue respected4  ,how few men we see  
use their authority to repair an error1 
punish a lie or any villainy whatsoever6
 ,weakness1 hesitation1 doubt1 lack of  
initiative1 indifference1 have taken the
 place of moral courage1 and that       
through the lack of character-training4 
,as ,emerson says3 8,no change of       
circumstances can repair a fault of     
character4444 ,what have ,i gained 444  
if ,i quake at opinion1 the public      
opinion1 as we call it2 or at the threat
 of assault1 or contumely1 or bad       
neighbours1 or poverty1 or mutilation1  
or at the rumour of revolution1 or of   
murder8 ,if ,i quake1 what matters it   
what ,i quake at80  ,each of us1 then1  

should in his own sphere of action      
become conscious of what is right1 and  
not hesitate to struggle1 even to the   
detriment of his private interests1     
against all false judgment attacking    
honour1 every opinion concealing        
baseness1 every action which is an      
insult to reason and to the liberty of  
the individual4     ,,traditions        
,tradition is a link of the present with
 the past1 the transmitting of legendary
 memories from century to               
century--memories based on real facts1  
exaggerated or deformed by the popular  
mind in quest of the ideal4  ,traditions
 of pagan or religious essence are      
multiform4 ,in most cases they denote   
blind reverence1 unconscious veneration 
for creeds turned into customs2 they are
 a sign of the passivity of the human   
mind1 whose chief weakness is           
superstition4  ,whether as regards      
action or thought1 tradition appeals to 
the special organisation of certain     
temperaments of a primitive order1 or   

which are purely dogmatic4  ,the desire 
to maintain tradition implies           
uncontrolled deference to custom        
together with the need for moral or     
sectarian order1 and for this reason it 
is detrimental to the gradual change of 
thought on which progress depends4  ,in 
all ages of the world1 since the period 
when oral narration was handed down from
 generation to generation1 traditions   
have been accepted as truths4 ,now1 that
 which was truth at the exact moment    
when a certain thing occurred is no     
longer truth after a long lapse of time1
 because of changes with regard to the  
original fact and the false             
interpretations put upon it by the      
crowd4  ,locke says with much truth3 8,a
 man worthy of belief bringing testimony
 of a thing known to him affords a good 
proof2 but if another man equally worthy
 of credence testifies on the report of 
that man1 his witness is weaker2 while  
that of a third who attests a hearsay is
 still less to be considered2 so that in

 truths that come by tradition each     
degree of remoteness from the original  
source weakens the force of the proof2  
and in proportion as a tradition passes 
successively through more hands1 it has 
ever less force and evidence40  ,this is
 the reason that traditions1 from       
whatsoever source they come1 constitute 
false propositions all the more         
dangerous because to many they appear   
incontestable4 ,after ,christianity was 
established1 tradition had all the value
 of an idealism capable of inspiring    
individual action2 under different      
aspects it induced respect for great    
moral acts1 linked up more closely      
familiar ties 7the festival of          
,christmas--,nol or ,yule--is a case in 
point71 it cemented friendships1 gave   
value to the idea of good rewarded and  
evil punished1 created an atmosphere of 
justice and fear1 inward joy and hope4  
,but with time1 as the sense of         
personality developed and social        
friction became more frequent1 it came  

about that traditions were divided into 
different camps1 some being simply a    
consolation for the afflicted1 others   
becoming authoritative in the hands of  
priests and judges4 ,centuries passed1  
changing names and beliefs1 modifying   
desires and interests2 then tradition   
weakened and altered in character and   
significance4  ,even in our own day1    
however1 many ancient traditions are    
rigorously observed both in town and    
country4 ,still1 as the social movement 
has become more accentuated1 more       
conscious1 they have so weakened that   
they are more like a list of festival   
days in the calendar than anything else4
 ,in spite of castes which1 by holding  
together1 still maintained tradition1   
the evolution of the masses gradually   
brought about1 through force of         
circumstances1 the destruction of such  
as was useless4 ,this is good because1  
,i repeat1 tradition is hostile to      
progress in that it makes error in the  
guise of custom predominate over science

 and altruistic duty4  ,the weakening of
 pagan or religious traditions is very  
noticeable to-day4 ,for instance1 the   
observance of the anniversaries of the  
dead is falling into desuetude4 ,one    
scarcely sees1 except in the ,latin     
countries where civilisation is         
backward1 the relatives in deep black   
coming at a fixed date to mourn their   
dead from midnight to midnight4 ,this   
traditional custom1 besides1 has lost so
 much of its ancient solemnity that the 
mourners do not hesitate to dance and   
feast directly the time of forced grief 
is over4 ,this anomaly is frequent in   
,spain nowadays4 ,as soon as the        
8accessories0 of the tradition          
disappear1 the tradition itself will    
vanish in its turn4  ,go through the    
villages and you will note the          
disappearance of numbers of customs to  
which the inhabitants were slaves not   
long ago4 ,where1 to-day1 are the       
processions in the open fields1 the     
patronal festivals1 the inquiries at    

fountains1 all the traces of ancient    
beliefs8 ,where1 as in ,rome in times   
past1 is the lachrymatory1 in which1 on 
days of funerals1 everyone collected his
 tears8  ,man1 as he grows conscious of 
his forces1 his rights1 throws off a    
thousand obligations created for the    
most part by fear1 that slayer of the   
will4  ,so it is that lovers of         
tradition1 still struggling to maintain 
obscurantism amongst the simple and     
poor1 and authoritative creeds amongst  
the other classes1 are attempting a work
 as difficult as it is inauspicious4    
,their task will soon be unavailing1 for
 the masses are the true supporters or  
destroyers of tradition1 and the masses 
will no longer keep up worthless        
traditions the object of which is to    
oppose their enlightenment and their    
interests4     ,,criticism   ,criticism1
 taken in its general sense1 is the free
 exercise of judgment4 ,whether it be a 
question of literary1 artistic1 or      
intellectual analysis--that is to say1  

the observation of the beautiful--or of 
philosophy1 history1 or philology1      
experimental or exact sciences1         
criticism is necessary1 as it shows the 
value of a conception and realisation4  
,now this criticism is a source of dread
 in many circles1 fettering the actions 
of many1 and paralysing their wills4 ,as
 against this evil1 which is too        
frequent nowadays1 some reaction is     
needed2 for it is not more unwise to    
seek criticism as a means of            
advertisement than to make a bugbear of 
it or shun it for fear of wounded pride4
  ,i say that the expression of an      
opinion contrary to our own should not1 
logically speaking1 slacken our efforts1
 suppress our inclinations1 or lead us  
to hypocritical actions4  ,it helps us  
greatly against the fear of others'     
criticism to force ourselves to become  
our own critics--a very difficult       
matter1 but exceedingly profitable4  ,by
 this kind of exercise of the conscience
 we arrive more easily at an            

understanding of the criticism we       
receive from without1 and learn to      
despise the envy and jealousy by which  
it may be actuated4 ,so1 too1 we may    
benefit by the lessons derived from an  
honest analysis of our own qualities and
 defects4  ,criticism1 if sincere1 only 
expresses what it perceives clearly4    
,for it1 personal evidence becomes a    
guarantee4  ,but1 it will be said1      
criticism is often the expression of    
severity4 ,would you have it the        
expression of culpable indulgence8 ,when
 severe1 it is an element tending       
towards self-control2 too indulgent1 it 
can only foster vanity4 ,the mission of 
criticism is not to determine our       
actions2 its duty is to judge them to   
its own satisfaction4  ,for instance1 it
 is obvious that1 in the case of        
writers1 painters1 and musicians1 the   
critic has only to consider the question
 of taste4 ,if he attempts to destroy   
what is estimable1 he dishonours        
himself1 and so becomes useless2 if he  

accords praise1 he can only express it  
according to his personal judgment4     
,within ourselves1 the critic of our    
reasoned or impulsive actions is a      
spectator looking through the windows of
 our soul1 seeing our motives as it were
 from between the curtains1 and for this
 reason unable to judge clearly4 ,this  
critic1 as we know by sad experience1 is
 not worth listening to4  ,we shall be  
safe1 however1 when we are conscious of 
the fineness of our achievements1 the   
purity of our intentions1 the dignity of
 our actions1 or the mere joy of our    
feelings1 in permitting criticism to do 
its work and pursuing our way4  ,this   
does not imply that it always answers to
 treat judicious criticism with         
contempt4  ,just as in politics1        
opposition is necessary for the best    
public administration of the party in   
power1 so in private life criticism is  
an element in that emulation which aids 
us to attain the end we have in view4   
,,the ,,danger ,,of ,,excessive         

,,analysis   ,if there exist but few    
people who have any taste for synthesis1
 there are many whose passion for       
analysis is pushed to the most          
exaggerated limits4  ,certainly1 a      
continual examination of conscience is  
necessary if we would escape both       
useless scruples and irrational desires2
 certainly1 it is good to look squarely 
in the face the near or remote          
consequences of our actions2 certainly1 
too1 we ought to investigate in all     
sincerity the secret motives which cause
 our acts1 so that we may correct our   
errors1 taste the delight of well-doing1
 profit by the lessons of the past1 and1
 in short1 satisfy the needs of ethical 
culture4  ,by criticising ourselves1    
looking inward1 training ourselves in   
abstract ideas1 and submitting to the   
laws of mental attainment1 we gain the  
moral instinct which everyone should    
possess4  ,if1 on the other hand1 pushed
 by the desire to be strictly honest1 we
 analyse our actions too minutely1 we   

shall disturb the balance of our        
judgment2 while1 if we thus investigate 
the doings of others1 we shall begin to 
depreciate great or noble actions until1
 by our false interpretation of them1 we
 lose the power to perceive them at all4
  ,if1 taking separately each idea      
comprised in an abstract general notion1
 each small fact composing some         
important action1 we study such parts   
analytically1 we falsify their quality  
and quantity just as we falsify forms   
observed through a magnifying glass4    
,trifling defects appear enlarged and   
developed1 and injure the beauty of the 
whole--the harmony of a great idea1 or  
the carrying out of an enterprise4 ,i do
 not deny that1 to become morally great1
 we must imagine great things2 ,i know  
well that an action is only of value in 
proportion to the virtue of the end in  
view2 ,i am not ignorant of the fact    
that it is useful to look inward2 but ,i
 do say that too severe analysis applied
 to all our actions1 or those of others1

 as much in the case of trifles as in   
serious matters1 makes one unjust to his
 neighbour and himself1 and always tends
 to impair the workings of the          
intellect4  ,by scrutinising all the    
motives by which action has been        
determined1 you rob that action either  
of its beauty or its goodness1 and you  
will suffer doubly--both with regard to 
yourself and others4  ,for instance1 you
 say to yourself3 8,was ,i right in     
doing such a kind action80 ,and if1 in  
the process of deduction 7whether you   
consider the service useless because    
rendered to one not perfectly worthy of 
it1 or doubt beforehand of the gratitude
 due to you71 you come to regret the    
altruistic impulse on which you acted1  
you will at once destroy all the        
pleasure you felt1 and you will do wrong
 to the person you have befriended by a 
coldness of feeling he has not deserved4
 ,examples might be cited indefinitely4 
,by this excessive analysis you can     
transform an act of self-sacrifice into 

an act of narrow egotism1 an excuse into
 a meanness1 a certainty into an        
hypothesis1 or a sincere affection into 
a selfish pretence4 ,this1 as regards   
others2 in regard to oneself1 the result
 will be great hesitation1 confusion of 
ideas1 disturbance of thought1 continual
 uneasiness and dissatisfaction4  ,i    
have only spoken of the misuse of       
analysis1 for its normal use in the     
mental life is useful1 especially when  
the whole of the facts of the case in   
point are taken into consideration1 as  
they should never fail to be4  ,paulhan 
says3 8,though analysis is to some      
extent necessary to all mental action1  
it assumes supreme importance in certain
 operations of the spirit4 ,they are    
those which we see govern analytical    
minds lacking the power of synthesis4   
,observation1 the habit of noticing     
details1 rests mainly on analysis1 and  
the same is true of the faculty of      
comprehending the thoughts of others4   
,memory1 too1 especially the organised  

memory which implies the discrimination 
between impressions and ideas1 is also  
founded on analysis2 the same with      
criticism1 the detailed and reasoned    
appreciation of a work of art1 science1 
or philosophy4 ,certain qualities of the
 mind and even the character1 again1    
imply the faculty of analysis in a high 
degree2 for instance1 finesse1 delicacy1
 the spirit of scepticism and the love  
of detail40  ,granting all this1 ,i say 
that excessive analysis is a danger4 ,to
 be useful1 it must have the qualities  
of precision1 delicacy1 and depth1 and  
not those of vagueness1 violence1 and   
exaggeration4     ,,the ,,law ,,of      
,,compensation   ,when ,azas1 at the    
beginning of the nineteenth century1    
published his ,compensations dans les   
,destines ,humaines1 he stated1 in      
principle1 this proposition3 8,the lot  
of man1 considered in its entirety1 is  
the work of the whole of ,nature1 and   
all men are equal by their lot40  ,la   
,rochefoucauld1 long before him1 said3  

8,whatsoever difference may appear      
between fortunes1 there is1             
nevertheless1 a certain balancing of    
good and evil which makes them equal40  
,one sees that compensation is a        
principle of optimism4 ,whatever may be 
advanced by the many makers of systems1 
this law is manifest amongst all peoples
 as in all individuals1 including those 
who1 whilst ceaselessly regretting their
 ill-fortune1 yet taste1 relatively1 a  
little of the sweetness of compensation 
if only in their own prudence and       
courage4  ,the law of compensation is   
certainly the most consoling that we can
 desire1 and to it all human morality is
 allied4  ,it is surprising to read     
these words from the pen of ,droz3 8,the
 absurd system of compensation1 would   
have1 as its result1 apathy1 contempt   
for the troubles of others1 and the most
 odious selfishness40 ,the conviction   
that sorrow has joy on the reverse side1
 that suffering makes health prized1    
that regret is doubled by memory1 is no 

hindrance1 that ,i am aware of1 to      
sharing in the griefs and joys of       
others4  ,altruism1 besides1 which so   
many teachers practise so ill1 is       
nothing but the perfection of egoism1   
paradoxical though this may seem to     
some4  ,nietzsche says3 8,an altruistic 
morality1 a morality in which           
selfishness dies1 is in every case a bad
 sign4 ,it is so in the case both of    
individuals and peoples4 ,we lose the   
best of our instincts when we begin to  
fail in egoism4 ,the instinctive        
selection of that which is detrimental  
to us1 the allowing ourselves to be     
deluded by #8disinterested' motives1 is 
almost the doctrine of decadence40      
,without going so far as this master of 
aphorisms1 ,i say that egoism cannot be 
opposed to altruism1 and that the law of
 compensation does not create           
reprehensible egoism--that which        
consists in thinking of oneself only4   
,egoism is useful2 it is legitimate when
 it is an action only concerning        

ourselves and not prejudicial to others4
 ,of this very egoism comes the moral   
philosophy of compensation1 for the     
quest of happiness is fundamentally the 
utmost possible mitigation of evil4 ,let
 us hear ,emerson3 8,the same dualism   
underlies the nature and condition of   
man4 ,every excess causes a defect2     
every defect an excess4 ,every sweet    
hath its sour2 every evil its good4     
,every faculty which is a receiver of   
pleasure has an equal penalty put on its
 abuse4 ,it is to answer for its        
moderation with its life4 ,for every    
grain of wit there is a grain of folly4 
,for everything you have missed you have
 gained something else2 and for         
everything you gain you lose something40
  ,it is quite certain that the         
ambitious man who has gained power and  
who rules a nation has greater          
responsibilities than the humble        
artisan4 ,if he break his promises1 if  
his ideas be not realised1 he falls1    
betrayed1 despised1 abandoned1 while the

 worker goes on with his task with the  
satisfaction of duty done4 ,in what     
concerns the real blessings of man all  
are alike1 taking into consideration    
class and accompanying circumstances4   
,wealth cannot prevent death from       
entering the dwelling2 poverty knows the
 joys of the deepest affection4 ,when a 
great tyrant arises1 the strength of the
 people to resist increases tenfold2    
punishment lies close to reward4 ,all   
conditions are in the human soul4 ,to   
come under the law of compensation is   
not to be able to escape one's destiny4 
,the acceptance of evil is the assurance
 of better things through moral effort4 
,the sensualist suffers through his     
sensations1 the sage rejoices in his    
wisdom4 ,and everywhere is the soul     
untiring in the quest of what is good1  
right1 and just4 ,it must have life1    
though it find life amid the worst      
misery and the lowest of decay4  ,for   
this reason the doctrine of ,nemesis is 
eternal4 ,every action entails reaction1

 every sorrow and every joy has its     
degree in the social scale4 ,the man    
born rich will suffer more through the  
misery created by ruin than the poor man
 whose pockets are always empty4 ,one   
has nothing to envy the other4  8,no man
 had ever a point of pride that was not 
injurious to him10 says ,burke4 ,fear is
 the punishment of the unjust4 ,the law 
of compensation is not that of          
indifference1 for1 without the moral    
sense no excuse is found for error1 and 
there is no satisfaction for a fault    
grown to a habit4  ,the belief that a   
grief will be compensated for by a joy  
will bring no comfort to the spirit1    
unless the soul assert itself4  ,we must
 in every circumstance assert our 8,i10 
keep our conscience on the alert1 and   
look to the nature of our own soul to   
find compensation for inequality of     
condition4 ,let the rich man receive the
 rich2 if ,i am poor1 ,i will take the  
poor to my heart4  ,the love of those   
above me in fortune and power cannot    

prevent my love from being what it is2  
my little sorrows and joys will be      
neither heavier nor less sweet than the 
griefs of the rich and their triumphs4  
,regarded so1 the law of compensation is
 the finest element in the formation of 
character4     ,,the ,,author ,,and     
,,her ,,book   ,the foregoing pages must
 inevitably arouse in the reader's mind 
a curiosity to know more of the author4 
,it is rarely that a princess of ,royal 
blood sets down in writing1 and         
publishes for all the world to read1 her
 personal views of the established      
institutions of civilisation and the    
inherent virtues and vices of mankind1  
and when those views prove to be the    
very antithesis of what might be        
expected from one born and bred in the  
restricted atmosphere of a ,european    
,court1 curiosity is still further      
whetted4 ,the broad socialism--using the
 word in its widest sense--which        
characterises the ,infanta ,eulalia's   
views of life would have been a         

surprising product of any ,royal ,house2
 emanating as it does from the ,royal   
,house of ,spain it is no less than     
amazing1 as ,king ,alfonso's action in  
regard to this book 7which we deal with 
later7 further shows4  ,a knowledge of  
the ,infanta's life will enable the     
discerning reader to detect the         
influences which have laid open her mind
 to liberal and democratic ideas1       
fostered her remarkable independence of 
thought1 and given her the moral courage
 to express her well considered         
opinions4 ,she was little more than a   
baby when the revolution which dethroned
 her mother1 ,isabella ,,ii41 sent them 
both in exile to ,france4 ,it was in    
,september1 #ahfh1 that ,queen          
,isabella1 who had been living in a     
fool's paradise at ,lequetio1 on the    
,biscay coast1 enjoying sea-bathing1 at 
last realised that ,spain would no      
longer tolerate her rule1 for ,admiral  
,topete1 in command of the squadron in  
,cadiz ,bay1 hoisted the flag of revolt4

 ,all ,spain was waiting for this spark1
 which kindled a fire not easily to be  
extinguished4 ,the ,battle of ,alceola  
followed1 when ,serrano1 representing   
the ,revolution1 defeated ,pavia1 who   
defended the tottering regime1 and the  
road to ,madrid was open4 ,isabella     
heard of ,alceola five days after the   
fight1 i4e4 on the #bith ,september1    
#ahfh4 ,soon after1 the news reached her
 of the unanimous rising of ,madrid1 the
 deposition of the ,bourbon dynasty1 and
 the formation of a provisional         
,government4 ,she realised then that    
there was nothing left for her to do but
 to cross the frontier into ,france4    
,the abdication of her throne in favour 
of her son ,alfonso took place some     
years later4 ,in ,france she first      
resided at the ,castle of ,pau1 then in 
,paris1 in the ,pavillon de ,rohan1 an  
annexe of the ,tuileries fronting on the
 ,rue de ,rivoli4 ,during the winter of 
#ahfh-ahfi she bought a house in the    
,avenue du ,roi de ,rome 7now the       

,avenue ,klber71 named it the ,palace of
 ,castile1 and dwelt there till her     
death4  ,at that time1 the authoress of 
8,the ,thread of ,life10 the ,infanta   
,marie-,eulalie-,franoise               
d',assise-,marguerite-,roberte-,isabelle
-,franoise de ,paule-,christine-,marie  
de la ,piedad1 to mention a few of the  
many names bestowed on her1 was three   
and a half years old1 having been born  
in ,madrid on the #abth of ,february1   
#ahfd4 ,two and a half years later1 the 
little girl's education was entrusted to
 the ,ladies of the ,sacred ,heart1     
whose famed institution in ,paris stood 
in the ,rue de ,varenne4 ,there she     
remained until she was thirteen and a   
half4 ,during her stay at the ,convent  
of the ,sacred ,heart1 no distinction   
was made between her and the other      
pupils1 the nuns governing the          
institution being no flatterers of      
,royalty1 accustomed as they had been1  
for years to educate the daughters of   
the highest families4 ,to them1 the     

,infanta ,eulalia was an ordinary       
boarder4  ,while she was still at       
school1 her brother1 ,alfonso ,,xii41   
begged his mother1 the ex-,queen1 to let
 ,eulalia return to ,spain1 for the     
young girl was his favourite sister4 ,so
 to ,spain the little princess went1 and
 although1 to one of her nature and     
upbringing1 ,court life must have been  
stiff and unpleasant1 she remained in   
,spain until after her brother's death  
in #ahhe4  ,her homes in ,spain were the
 ,escorial and ,la ,granja1 and she     
lived the usual life of a ,spanish      
princess4 ,of that life nothing need be 
recorded here4 ,the history of the      
,infanta ,eulalia may be said to begin1 
for the readers of her book1 with her   
marriage on ,march #fth1 #ahhf1 to      
,prince                                 
,antoine-,louis-,philippe-,marie1       
,infante of ,spain1 ,duc de ,galliera4  
,after her marriage1 the ,infanta       
,eulalia again took up her residence in 
,paris4 ,she has since spent most of her

 life in ,france and in ,england4 ,in   
the latter country she frequently       
visited her sister-in-law1 the ,comtesse
 de ,paris1 and many ,english friends   
during the ,london season1 being on one 
occasion the guest of ,lord and ,lady   
,clifford of ,chudleigh at ,ugbrooke4   
,the year #ahic is a memorable one in   
the life of the ,infanta ,eulalia1 for  
it was then that she visited1 in company
 with her husband1 ,cuba and the ,united
 ,stales4 ,in ,cuba1 one of the remnants
 of the old ,spanish ,empire--and that1 
too1 soon to be torn away--they were    
received and entertained with much pomp 
and ceremony1 in accordance with the    
requirements of ,spanish etiquette4 ,in 
,america1 most democratic of countries1 
they mingled freely with the people1 and
 the contact doubtless stirred in the   
,infanta's mind those liberal ideas     
concerning men and things which have    
brought her into such worthy prominence4
  ,while in ,cuba the royal visitors    
were entertained with a bull-fight1 six 

bulls having been imported for the      
occasion from ,spain1 and a garden party
 was given in their honour by           
,captain-,general ,rodriguez ,arrico at 
his summer residence1 ,los ,molinos1 the
 party being attended by all the chief  
officials and the lite of ,havana       
society4 ,the ,royal guests also visited
 the ,asylum ,beneficencia              
,domicilirria1 were present at a        
performance at the ,albizu ,theatre1    
attended a great military review1 and a 
ball at the ,casino ,espaol4 ,on ,may   
#aeth they sailed for ,new ,york on the 
,reina ,maria ,cristina1 having been    
serenaded the night before by the       
firemen and volunteers of ,havana4      
,previous to the departure of the       
,infante and ,infanta from ,cuba1 the   
people of ,washington1 ,new ,york1 and  
,chicago1 who had been preparing for the
 visit1 were thrown into a state of     
anxiety by a rumour that the ,infanta   
might not1 after all1 visit the ,united 
,states owing to ill-health4            

,representatives of the newspapers1 who 
called upon the ,spanish ,minister1     
,seor ,murugua1 were told that the      
,royal lady dreaded the burden of the   
social functions arranged for her       
entertainment in the cities she was     
expected to visit2 she had read of the  
8lionising0 of the ,duke of ,veragua1   
the lineal descendant of ,christopher   
,columbus1 and a noted breeder of bulls 
for the arena1 who had preceded her1 and
 she shrank from the fatigue that would 
accompany the round of pleasure prepared
 for one of her rank4 ,the ,spanish     
,court considered that1 as the ,infanta 
had been invited by ,act of ,congress to
 be the guest of the nation1 as         
representative of the ,queen-,regent of 
,spain1 she ought to be received with   
the honours due to her exalted position4
 ,but1 when it was learned that the     
,president of the ,united ,states       
refused to return her proposed call1    
great was ,spanish indignation1 and it  
was at one time feared that she would   

return direct to ,spain from ,havana4   
,however1 the person most concerned     
disregarded the diplomatic hubbub and   
left for the ,states1 as already stated4
  ,the ,reina ,maria ,cristina arrived  
in ,new ,york late in the night of the  
#ahth of ,may4  ,in the morning1 the    
,u4,s4 dispatch-boat ,dolphin1 bearing  
the representative of the ,president of 
the ,united ,states1 was seen to be     
lying at anchor just outside ,sandy     
,hook1 on the ,new ,jersey coast4 ,it   
would seem that the ,dolphin expected   
the ,reina ,maria ,cristina to move into
 the bay1 while the latter awaited the  
former outside the bar4 ,etiquette had  
again crept in4 ,finally1 an            
understanding was reached through the   
mediation of the ,spanish consul1 for it
 was explained that it was impossible   
for the ,infanta to enter a foreign port
 in any ship but a ,spanish man-of-war1 
whereupon the ,dolphin saluted the      
,infanta with twenty-one guns1 and then 
followed in the wake of the cutter sent 

for her by the ,spanish frigate ,isabel1
 on board of which she was received with
 ,royal honours4 ,while on the cruiser1 
a delegation from the ,spanish colony in
 ,new ,york came to welcome her1 and to 
pay her its respects4 ,the ceremony was 
of the briefest and most formal kind1   
the visitors being introduced by her    
chamberlain1 the ,duc de ,tamames4      
,shortly afterwards1 she landed at      
,jersey ,city1 and entrained thence for 
,washington4  ,the ,infanta arrived at  
the capital at eight o'clock the same   
evening1 being met at the station by    
,secretary ,gresham1 representing the   
,president of the ,united ,states1 and  
by ,assistant ,secretaries ,quincy and  
,adee1 who1 after welcoming the nation's
 guest1 conveyed her in the ,president's
 state carriage to the ,arlington       
,hotel4 ,next day1 she called on the    
,president at the ,white ,house1 and two
 hours later her call was returned by   
,mrs4 ,cleveland and the wives of the   
members of the ,cabinet4  ,during her   

brief and enjoyable stay in ,washington1
 the ,infanta devoted most of her time  
to sight-seeing1 and visited the home of
 ,george ,washington at ,mount ,vernon1 
on the opposite side of the ,potomac4   
,the ,president and ,mrs4 ,cleveland    
gave a dinner in honour of ,her ,royal  
,highness1 and ,sir ,julian             
,pauncefote's ball at the ,british      
,embassy to celebrate ,queen ,victoria's
 birthday was honoured by the ,infanta's
 presence4 ,during her sojourn in the   
capital1 she attended ,st4 ,matthew's   
,church4 ,she naturally was besieged by 
callers from the ,embassies and         
,legations1 as well as by people        
prominent in social circles of the      
capital4  ,on ,may #beth she left       
,washington en route for ,new ,york1 and
 at ,jersey ,city was greeted by        
committees of the citizens of ,new ,york
 and of the ,spanish residents1 the     
principal officers of the ,spanish      
warships in port1 and the ,spanish      
consul4 ,on reaching ,new ,york she was 

welcomed by the ,mayor 7the ,hon4       
,thomas ,f4 ,gilroy71 and afterwards    
escorted to the ,savoy ,hotel4 ,in reply
 to the address delivered by ,mayor     
,gilroy the ,infanta said3  8,i am      
delighted with the graciousness of the  
pleasant reception you have tendered me4
 ,in fact1 my welcome has been so hearty
 and spontaneous that ,i am confused1   
and hardly know what to say40  ,her     
round of pleasure was to begin on the   
very evening of her arrival4 ,while     
dining1 she was greeted with the strains
 of ,spain's 8,royal ,march0 from a band
 stationed on the ,piazza1 while a group
 of ,new ,york ,spaniards cheered       
vociferously1 and clamoured for her     
appearance4 ,she graciously showed      
herself on the balcony4 ,when1 just as  
she was returning to the dining-room1   
she was asked at what hour she desired  
to go to the theatre1 her answer1 as    
recorded by an ,american journalist1    
was3  8,from nine to ten1 to show myself
 to the people who have been so kind to 

me2 but ,i should so like to be back at 
ten o'clock1 for ,i am very tired1 and  
,i would like to come home and go to    
sleep40  ,on the following day she was  
entertained at a ball given in her      
honour in the ,concert ,hall of ,madison
 ,square ,garden4 ,it was there that she
 made an impression that served her well
 throughout her stay in the ,united     
,states1 her tact and simplicity of     
manner placing everyone at ease4 ,there 
had been bitter heart-burnings as to who
 would be spoken to by the ,infanta1 and
 much intriguing had taken place1 in    
order to secure an entre to the charmed 
,royal circle4 ,these jealousies were   
dispelled by the ,infanta herself1 who  
chatted affably with all1 making no     
invidious distinctions4  8,we felt we   
were all hostesses10 was the comment of 
a prominent ,new ,york lady4  ,the      
,infanta had a busy time in ,new ,york4 
,she cruised up the ,hudson as far as   
,yonkers1 was taken over ,governor's    
,island in ,new ,york ,harbour1 and the 

,u4,s4 ,military ,academy at ,west      
,point1 attended the review on          
,decoration ,day1 and laid a wreath on  
,general ,grant's sarcophagus at        
,riverside4 ,a little incident1 which   
reveals the sympathetic1 warm-hearted   
impulsiveness of the ,infanta1 occurred 
when she visited the ,normal ,school1   
where she was gracefully welcomed by    
#a1ijj girls4 ,in a characteristic      
outburst of womanly feeling1 she        
exclaimed3  8,i can only say that ,i    
wish ,i were sitting on the benches with
 you1 girls40  ,on ,june #eth she left  
for ,chicago1 and ,chicago was          
determined not to be behind ,new ,york  
and ,washington in the enthusiasm of its
 reception4 ,it had been announced that 
only the 8best society0 would be invited
 to meet the ,infanta1 and much bad     
feeling was created when a member of    
this select coterie1 on being asked by a
 local journalist whether the ,city     
,fathers would be invited1 unguardedly  
replied3  8,the ,city ,council could    

hardly claim to represent our best      
society40  ,in the end1 however1        
everybody who was or who pretended to be
 entitled to hobnob with ,royalty was   
invited4  ,at the ,union ,depot she was 
met by ,mayor ,carter ,harrison--so soon
 to be foully murdered4 ,she speedily   
became as popular in ,chicago as in ,new
 ,york and ,washington1 and when she    
visited the ,exhibition she was at once 
named 8,queen of the ,fair40 ,her desire
 for privacy was courteously respected1 
and on several occasions she was        
permitted to leave the hotel and to go  
out for a walk unnoticed4 ,the ,duke of 
,veragua1 who was about to leave        
,chicago1 called on her1 and a reception
 was given in her honour at the ,mayor's
 private residence1 but on the whole she
 was left to herself much more than she 
had been in ,new ,york4 ,with visits to 
the ,niagara ,falls1 ,boston1 and some  
of the watering-places on the ,atlantic 
seaboard1 this princess of old ,spain   
concluded her stay in the western       

republic4 ,she left ,new ,york on board 
the ,touraine for ,havre1 en route for  
,madrid1 carrying with her all the      
varied impressions which the modern     
institutions and industrial and social  
forwardness of the ,united ,states had  
made upon her receptive mind4 ,the      
following letter to ,seor ,arturo       
,cuyas1 of the ,circulo                 
,colon-,cervantes1 ,new ,york1 written  
in ,english the day before her          
departure1 is evidence of the feelings  
the country aroused in her3--           
,,new ,,york1 #bc ,,june1 #ahic4        
,,dear ,,mr4 ,,cuyas1       ,your       
inquiry about the impressions the       
,united ,states have produced      on my
 mind have met my expectations 7sic74   
,they are most      favourable and1     
judging from the present1 will be       
lasting1 as so      many pleasant       
remembrances will be attached to them4  
,it would require more than             
,longfellow's thorough knowledge of     
,english1 ,depew's imagination1 and     

,mary ,anderson's sentimentality to     
express all the feelings which ,i       
entertain for this country4       ,the  
official world1 the ,press1 the people  
and society at large have      been most
 kind to me4       ,let me close with a 
,french saying1 8,la distance n'est pas 
l'oubli40                               
,au revoir6                             
,,infanta ,,eulalia    ,the domestic    
affairs of the ,infanta and her husband 
about twelve years ago received that    
undesirable publicity which the 8fierce 
light which beats upon a throne0 gives  
even to those who are only related to   
its occupant4 ,the result was a rumour  
that the ,royal couple were divorced4   
,this was wholly untrue4 ,the fact was  
that1 by mutual consent and without any 
intervention on the part of the ,courts 
of ,justice1 a separation was arranged4 
,by this arrangement1 the ,infanta      
continues not only to receive the #f1jjj
 annually voted by the ,cortes1 but also
 the allowances under her marriage      

settlement4 ,her town residence is in   
,madrid1 and she has a cottage at ,navas
 de ,pinares1 in the ,province of       
,avila1 high up in the ,sierra de       
,malagon1 a continuation of the ,sierra 
de ,guadarrama4 ,the name ,comtesse     
d',avila1 under which the ,french       
edition of this book was published1 is  
taken from the province in which her    
country residence is situated4  ,the    
,infanta has two sons1 both of whom were
 educated1 first at ,beaumont ,college1 
the ,jesuit institution near ,windsor   
known as the 8,catholic ,eton10 and     
later at the ,spanish ,military ,academy
 at ,toledo4 ,the eldest is ,prince     
,alphonse-,marie-,franois ,diego1 born  
in ,madrid in #ahhf4 ,he holds a        
commission in the infantry regiment of  
,san ,fernando4 ,three years ago he     
married ,princess ,beatrice of          
,saxe-,coburg and ,gotha1 daughter of   
the  ,illustration3 ,,the ,,infanta     
,,eulalia ,,at ,,work ,,on 8,,the       
,,thread ,,of ,,life0  late ,duke1      

better known in this country as the     
,duke of ,edinburgh4 ,the ,prince       
,alfonso served in the recent ,melilla  
campaign1 and as late as ,december of   
#aiaa was received by ,king ,alfonso1   
who conversed with him about the        
situation in that ,spanish colony on the
 ,moroccan coast4 ,about the same time  
the ,king also received the ,infanta's  
second son1 ,infante                    
,louis-,ferdinand-,marie-,zacarias1 who 
was born at ,madrid in #ahhh4  ,it will 
be noticed that the elder brother does  
not bear the title of ,infante of       
,spain4 ,he was deprived of it on his   
marriage to a ,protestant princess4 ,it 
has been reported--it cannot be said    
with what amount of truth--that his     
mother declared that 8her cup of        
bitterness was full0 after the treatment
 meted out to her son after serving in  
the ,moroccan campaign1 for she asserted
 that a promise had been made that his  
title should be restored to him if he   
served efficiently in ,morocco4  ,the   

chequered career of the ,infanta from   
her earliest childhood--a career almost 
without precedent in the annals of      
,royal houses--has given her the wide   
purviews1 the all-embracing1 generous   
sympathy with human joys1 woes and      
strivings1 which can be the attributes  
only of one who1 by nature broad-minded1
 has had the opportunity and the        
discernment to form her own opinions on 
the great problems of life4 ,the ,royal 
infant1 hurried from a country in       
revolution2 the little ,paris schoolgirl
 in the care of the nuns of the ,convent
 of the ,sacred ,heart2 the young       
princess receiving her rightful homage  
at her brother's ,court2 her visit to   
the ,united ,states1 with all that it   
taught her2 the failure of her married  
life2 her unassuming later years in     
,france1 and her frequent visits to her 
,english friends--all these varied      
experiences contributed to the making of
 a character some interesting details of
 which were given by a ,paris           

correspondent to the ,daily ,telegraph  
on the occasion of the ,king of ,spain's
 sensational action regarding 8,the     
,thread of ,life40 ,he wrote as         
follows3--  8,the ,infanta ,eulalia1 of 
whom ,i have often heard a good deal    
through the ,cuban and ,spanish colonies
 here1 is herself one of the most       
remarkable examples of the simple life4 
,and many unjust and untrue things have 
been said of her on that very account4  
,the princess1 on the contrary1 while   
being most simple and unaffected in her 
ways1 is a generous1 highly intellectual
 and resolute personality4 ,she read to 
me the chapter on the cultivation of the
 will and one's own personal            
individuality1 and interrupted to tell  
me3  8#8,i shall conquer4 ,i believe    
that the most necessary thing in life is
 to have a personal1 properly developed 
will of one's own4 ,i have always been  
resolute myself4 ,i have all my life    
done my own will when ,i thought it was 
proper4 ,i reflected well beforehand1   

and then no one could stop me2 and ,i   
always conquered1 and ,i shall conquer  
again4'  8,this last was said with a    
certain amount of defiance4 #8,anyway1' 
she said1 #8,i am quite prepared for    
anything they may now do4 ,i know that  
there has always been an antipathy      
between me and the ,court life4 ,i hate 
,court life1 anyway1 because it is so   
absurd in many of its stiff formalities4
 ,it puts a barrier between you and     
persons of the intellectual world4      
8#8,you may mix with only a certain set 
of people1 who may be the most opposed  
to you1 whom you feel to be             
unintellectual1 and who are incapable of
 attracting your sympathy4 ,i hate the  
barrier that would prevent you from free
 association with men of merit and of   
understanding just because they are not 
in ,court circles4 ,at ,court they have 
also known for long that ,i did not care
 for them4 ,i love my own simple life4  
,nothing gives me greater pleasure than 
my little home here in the ,boulevard   

,lannes1 facing the beautiful ,bois de  
,boulogne4 ,when ,i feel like it1 ,i    
take a ride on my bicycle in the alles  
of the ,bois4 ,i frequently take a ride 
round the lakes all by myself1 and come 
back with a healthy feeling of pleasure 
after my exercise4 ,i like simple meals 
and no great fuss about my table4 ,i    
like to converse with persons of        
intellect or artistic taste4 ,i love my 
children and my grandchildren4'0        
,probably no one was more surprised than
 the ,infanta herself that her          
book--which she described to the        
above-mentioned interviewer as          
representing 8merely my own experience  
in life0--should so disturb the ,court  
of ,madrid4 ,on the #bnd ,december1     
#aiaa1 she received in ,paris a telegram
 from her nephew1 ,king ,alfonso1       
couched in the following terms3         
8,i am astonished to learn from the     
newspapers that you are      publishing 
a book as the ,countess of ,avila1 and  
from other      information ,i suppose  

this will cause a great sensation4 ,i   
order      you to suspend publication   
till ,i have seen the book and till you 
have received my permission to publish  
it40  ,the following telegram in reply  
was sent by the ,infanta3       8,i am  
much surprised that the book should be  
judged before the      contents are     
known4 ,that is a thing which only      
happens in ,spain4      ,having never   
liked ,court life1 from which ,i have   
always kept aloof1      ,i take this    
opportunity to say good-bye to it1 for  
after this      proceeding1 worthy of   
the ,inquisition1 ,i consider myself    
free to      act in my private life as  
,i think proper40  ,the text of these   
telegrams was communicated by the       
princess to the ,paris ,temps1 and1     
judging from what she said at an        
interview which she granted to a        
representative of that journal1 there   
can be no doubt that the bitterness     
created by the unjust treatment which   
she declared her soldier son had been   

subjected to was largely responsible for
 the definite renunciation of the ,court
 of ,madrid to which the telegram gives 
expression4  ,the rupture thus created  
between the ,king and the ,infanta was  
officially admitted on the #eth of      
,december in the ,council of ,ministers 
at ,madrid4 ,throughout early ,december 
it formed the paramount topic of        
conversation in the ,spanish capital4   
,the peremptory tone of the ,infanta's  
reply to the ,king's telegram evoked    
varied opinions4 ,it was felt by some   
that her attitude had been unnecessarily
 defiant1 but others regarded it as     
justifiable resentment of an act of     
unwarranted interference4 ,the ,spanish 
newspapers were also divided in opinion1
 but1 judging by the number of telegrams
 and letters of approval and            
congratulation which arrived at the     
,infanta's ,paris residence1 there must 
have been a very large body of people in
 her native country who were aroused to 
enthusiasm by her action4  ,on the #eth 

,december the ,infanta telegraphed as   
follows to ,seor ,canalejas1 the        
,spanish ,premier3--       8,i am       
awaiting punishment1 and ,i beg you to  
let me know what it is      as soon as  
possible1 since ,i am about to start on 
a journey40  ,to this telegram ,seor    
,canalejas sent the following reply3--  
8,i have the honour to acknowledge your 
telegram1 and ,i am to inform      you  
that the ,cabinet has so far confined   
itself to regretting the      attitude  
which you have adopted1 as it regards   
the representations      of the head of 
the ,spanish ,royal ,family as          
absolutely                              
warranted4--,,canalejas40  ,at that time
 the ,government were engaged in        
discussing the question whether the     
princess could constitutionally be      
deprived of her rank of an ,infanta of  
,spain4 ,the payment of her ,civil ,list
 income was assessed at #bej1jjj pesetas
 7about #i1bjj74 ,the princess1 however1
 estimated her own income at about      

#f1jjj1 and this estimate was           
practically confirmed on the #fth       
,december by a semi-official communiqu1 
which asserted that the amount in her   
,civil ,list was #aej1jjj pesetas1 i4e4 
about #e1ejj4 ,on the solution of the   
constitutional question of the integrity
 or otherwise of her rank1 the question 
of the deprivation of her income was    
known to depend4  ,the attitude of the  
,king at this time was a fixed          
determination to act strictly in        
accordance with the ,constitution1      
though it was understood that in any    
case the ,infanta's personal relations  
with the ,spanish ,court would          
henceforth be regarded as at an end4    
,the princess stated her intention of   
making a present of her ,spanish estates
 to her eldest son1 and of henceforth   
living incognito4  ,through the medium  
of the ,paris correspondent of the      
,imparcial1 the ,infanta addressed a    
letter to that journal declaring her    
unaltered affection for ,spain1 the     

,king1 and the ,queen-,mother4 ,she said
 that she would be disposed to ask for  
pardon1 were it not that by so doing she
 might appear to be anxious about her   
,civil ,list4 ,by the #gth ,december1 it
 appeared improbable that any severe    
measures would be taken against the     
,infanta1 and the excitement caused in  
,madrid by the extraordinary incident   
began to subside4  ,what was the cause  
of the attempt by the ,spanish ,court to
 stop the publication of 8,the ,thread  
of ,life08 ,the ,infanta herself        
believed that 8the reason they took so  
much offence was that they imagined it  
was going to be a book on some other    
subject--a book that would make a       
scandal4 ,this was the most remote      
possible thing from my mind4 ,i had no  
idea that anyone would trouble about my 
book4 ,it was for that reason that ,i   
had only a small number of copies       
printed1 to be handed round to my       
friends40  ,the book was written in     
,french because the ,infanta assumed    

that it would not arouse very much      
interest in ,spain4  8,i think10 she    
said to a correspondent of the poca1    
8that the general mode of thought in    
,spain is not particularly in harmony   
with the ideas which my book reveals40  
,the incident1 however1 has served the  
useful purpose of drawing the attention 
of the world to a volume of thoughtful  
essays by one of the most remarkable    
personages to be found in the ,royal    
families of ,europe--essays which are   
the more interesting because they are   
the reasoned conclusions of one who1    
born and bred in the purple1 has        
emancipated herself from the            
circumscribed past by contact and       
sympathy with the wider world of common 
things4  ,,printed ,,by ,,cassell ,,and 
,,company1 ,,limited1 ,,la ,,belle      
,,sauvage1 ,,london1 ,e4,c4