France Under the Republic - nouveau livre

UNDER THE REPUBLIC BY JEAN CHARLEMAGNE BRACQ LITT. B., LL. D. Professor of French Literature in Vassar College NEW AND BBVISED EDITION NEW YORK CHARLES SCRIBNERS SONS 1916 LOUIS ADOLPHE TJIIERS COPYRIGHT, 1910, 1916, BY CEIBLBS SCKIBNEHS SONS 6 i PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION THE first edition of this volume was pub lished at a time when Conservatives and Cleri cals in France were asserting and reasserting her decadence. The book was intended as an answer to these pessimistic charges. It was an honest attempt to inventory the constructive work of the nation under the Republic, to gauge French life, not by those rhetorical assertions so frequently made by its official defenders, but by a calm statement of facts. Though well re ceived by the public at large, a few accused it of excessive optimism. The writer again and again reiterated that there were great evils in the land of his birth some of them he pointed out at length others he assumed, perhaps with out sufficient warrant, were known to his read ers. To show the wholesome growth of the country, he produced a large array of evidence, very little of which has been contradicted, and all of which demonstrated the untenableness of the assertions of the opponents of the Republic. The terrible test of life and character to which vi PREFACE the nation has been subjected during the last twenty months has more than confirmed his conclusions. The writer has used the word Republic in a chronological and not in a causal sense, though the form of government has been a factor in the results which he sets forth. Following the example of biologists, he has taken a cross section of the recent life of France, and has shown its healthfulness by itsfunctions and growth. He never claimed that the progress indicated had existed only under the present government, but that the Republic helps this growth and, as an historical landmark, fur nishes us with a definite sweep of time in which to measure it. With all its deficiencies, it is the government which, in the long run, has best furthered the development of the latent powers of the people. Some important changes have been made in this edition involving the introduction of new matter. The extracts from moral text-books, showing their decided religious character, have been eliminated, now that the reasons which de manded their publication no longer exist, but the general structure of the book has not been disturbed. Wherever possible the facts given have been brought up to date otherwise they PREFACE vil have remained untouched. The word now, used frequently, refers to the period immediately pre ceding the present war. The author gratefully acknowledges the many suggestions made by his colleague, Professor Burges Johnson, which he has incorporated in this text. He has nothing to change in his estimates of the illustrious land which he has ever defended. The conviction expressed in 1910 has become an absolute cer tainty in 1916. He feels that when the present conflict is over, France, her head high after her great victories moral above all will resume her march forward according to her humane genius, along the path of civilisation and peace. JEAN CHARLEMAGNE BBACQ. VJLSSAB COLIJDGE, April 18, 1916. CONTENTS PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION .... v CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE xi, I. THE WORK OF POLITICAL RECONSTRUCTION 1 II. THE TRANSFORMATION AND EXPANSION OF FRANCE 31 III. THE DEVELOPMENT OFCOMMERCE AND WEALTH 57 IV. THE NEW EDUCATION IN THE NEW LIFE . 75 V. CHANGES IN LITERATURE, ART, AND PHI LOSOPHY 95 VI. THE NEW ACTIVITY IN HISTORY AND SCI ENCE 124 VII. SOCIAL REFORM AND PHILANTHROPY, . . 15 VIII. SOCIAL IMPROVEMENT AND MORALITY . . 173 IX. RELIGIOUS DOUBT AND RELIGION .... 190 X. THE CONTEMPORARY FRENCHMAN IN THE NEW LIFE 207 XI. MORAL INSTRUCTION IN FRENCH SCHOOLS XII. THE DISPERSION OF THE UNAUTHORISED RELIGIOUS ORDERS ix CONTENTS XIII. THE SEPABATION OF CHUECH AND STATE . 80 XIV. THE CRISIS OF THE SEPARATION OF CHURCH 307 AND STATE ............