The things we do!

They prefer to keep their money rather than
to give it away. For this reason they spurn the claims which the
State and individuals have upon them as much as possible. They
avoid paying their debts. They willingly lay their hands on public
property which is badly protected; finally they are disposed to
regard gendarmes and proprietors as detrimental, and all the more so
because this has been repeated to them over and over again, day
after day, for a whole year. - On the other hand there is no change
in the situation of things. They are ever living in a disorganized
community, under an impracticable constitution, the passions which
sap public order being only the more stimulated by the semblance of
fraternity under which they seemed to be allayed. Men cannot be
persuaded with impunity that the millennium has come, for they will
want to enjoy it immediately, and will tolerate no deception
practiced on their expectations. In this violent state, fired by
boundless expectations, all their whims appear reasonable and all
their opinions rational.


Pages:
529 530 531 532 533 534 535 536 537 538 539 540 541 542 543 544 545 546 547 548 549 550 551 552 553