The lost children of the philosophic party.—Naigeon, Sylvain MarÉchal, Mably, Morelly.—The entire discredit of traditions and institutions derived from it. We stop here. It is pointless to follow the lost children of the party, Naigeon and Sylvain MarÉchal, Mably and Morelly, the fanatics that set atheism up as an obligatory dogma and a superior duty; the socialists who, to suppress egoism, propose a community of property, and who found a republic in which any man that proposes to re-establish "detestable ownership" shall be declared an enemy of humanity, treated as a "raging maniac" and shut up in a dungeon for life. It is sufficient to have studied the operations of large armies and of great campaigns.—With different gadgets and opposite tactics, the various attacks have all had the same results, all the institutions have been undermined from below. The governing ideology has withdrawn all authority from custom, from religion, from the State. Not only is it assumed that tradition in itself is false, but again that it is harmful through its works, that it builds up injustice on error, and that by rendering man blind it leads him to oppress. Henceforth it is outlawed. Let this "loathsome thing" with its supporters be crushed out. It is the great evil of the human species, and, when suppressed, only goodness will remain. "The time will then come3342 when the sun will shine only on free men recognizing no other master than Reason; when tyrants and slaves, and priests with their senseless or hypocritical instruments will exist only in history and on the stage; when attention will no longer be bestowed on them except to pity their victims and their dupes, keeping oneself vigilant and useful through horror of their excesses, and able to recognize and extinguish by the force of Reason the first germs of superstition and of tyranny, should they ever venture to reappear." The millennium is dawning and it is once more Reason, which should set it up. In this way we shall owe everything to its salutary authority, the foundation of the new order of things as well as the destruction of the old one. 3301 (return) 3302 (return) 3303 (return) 3304 (return) 3305 (return) 3306 (return) 3307 (return) 3308 (return) 3309 (return) 3310 (return) 3311 (return) 3312 (return) 3313 (return) 3314 (return) 3315 (return) 3316 (return) 3317 (return) 3318 (return) 3319 (return) 3320 (return) 3321 (return) 3322 (return) 3323 (return) 3324 (return) 3325 (return) 3326 (return) 3327 (return) Et ses mains, ourdissant les entrailles du prÊtre, En feraient un cordon pour le dernier des rois. Brissot: "Necessity being the sole title to property the result is that when a want is satisfied man is no longer a property owner. . . . Two prime necessities are due to the animal constitution, food and waste . . . . May men nourish themselves on their fallen creatures? (Yes for) all beings may justly nourish themselves on any material calculated to supply their wants. . . Man of nature, fulfill your desire, give heed to your cravings, your sole masters and your only guide. Do you feel your veins throbbing with inward fires at the sight of a charming creature? She is yours, your caresses are innocent and your kisses pure. Love alone entitles to enjoyment as hunger is the warrant for property." (An essay published in 1780, and reprinted in 1782 in the "BibliothÈque du LÉgislateur," quoted by Roux and Buchez "Histoire parlementaire," XIII, 431.] 3328 (return) 3329 (return) 3330 (return) 3331 (return) 3332 (return) 3333 (return) 3334 (return) 3335 (return) 3336 (return) 3337 (return) 3338 (return) 3339 (return) 3340 (return) 3341 (return) 3342 (return) |