New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-02-25
TAINE'S FRANCE.
THE INFLUENCE OF NAPOLEON IN RE-
ILGION AND EDUCATION

Tainp. d. G. l.. ONOn. translated ny 1J.''
Durand Vol. III. PIP. XIX pa. Henry iiOit G. a.
Whoever has observed miHutely the "eo Oh
the geometrical spider has at hand convenient
smile in describing Taine's notion OF mouer"
French history. 1t is a bright summer morn
ing and the spiders web gtters win dewdropS
rs If bespangled with gems. The concen;ric
polygons are easily inspected. and even more
marked are the strong lines which, conversnS
from exterior points Of attachment sustain the
wonderful weaver a. the centre The weaver
NJ Tho centre Of the web of French history, as
-rai,e understands it, is Napoleon. 1t was the
first en,neror who readjusted all the interests OIL
I,ranca IN eeometrcal order around himself. 80
doGri,e TN are the forces of nature that the
interests Of a preceding age can be seen failing
into ,heir concentric place with reference to the
coming man IL il be said that the web Is OF
tho historians workmanship. and that he NM
Golf should rghtfully be found at the focus Oh
Z, his answer would certainly be that ne mas
only pictured things as he found them,'th MS
hooks are not the original web, but merely an
elaborate effort to delineate IT, The divisions OF
this centralized theme in the present volume are
those pertaining to religion and education
Though complete in themselves. they do not Ill
the authors plan. which, in one form or an
other contemplated. in addition to the survey
Of French society in Its parts. STUDY OF II as
n whole animated by new TRANSFORMING lnea-
that Of nositlye science Under the influence of
this idea men are creating for themselves new
environment which must in turn chahBe H.
revocablv the character Of coming generations
He looked upon this process as similar To thoSe
which fitted life in the past for the rahSi'ioh
from one geological period to another though
doubtless with narrower time limit 10 us az
ton But he certainly would deem the changes
that he saw more sweeping and more vital than
others would consider them For Iaine really
never recovered from mechanical estimate of
the notifications in human life that was IN It's
Intensity like the old-fashoned catastrophe
theories in geology This is a natural result or
dealing with periods as contrasted with the
general history of mankind 1t is illustrated by
that belief of Remains that humanity came TO
full circumstances in the French Revolution.
This will not seem to be the case to the his
+or;a,s writing in the far future They will
see in the turmoil of Europe at the close OF the
eighteenth century something differing in degree
hut not in kind from other violent changes Of
the mast The gradual widening Of the area
Of civilization may also give them that to write
Of beside which every event Of the past VIII
seem INSIGNIFICANT. But from the point OF view
Of the present age. nothing could be more just
than the comparison. attributed by NJ. Durand
10 Tame OF the transition from the Ancient to
the Modern Regime and that from the an
Client city-state to Roman imperialism or
from imperialism TO the feudal system.
To future historian II may seem thai the
clearest notion os the true nature OF the
change was that of Napoleon himself. not eX-
pressed in 50 many words. but suggested in his
remark that he was not a successor to LOUIS
XIV but to Charemagne. For both Charlie
magne and Napoleon seem to stand. each in his
own place. apart from the order ont OF which
they sprang and the order which they created.
What pass as their creations were not intended
IN either case; they hoped for one thing, but
destiny preferred another.
Looking at the matter in this way it is easy to
grasp Taine's view Of Napoeons relation to
what happened after. both in religion and edu-
cation. Napoleon shared feeling common in
his time that religion merely necessity OF
human life not divine factor in II. He was
therefore at liberty. as far as conscience was
concerned to deal with 1t In variety OF ways.
lie chose the method most agreeable to a mind
which contemplated the world as subordinate to
a single will, and that will his own. But he
might have done as Louis XIV did. looked at
the whole affair from the point Of personal dig
nifty. He not to have done that. He had
formed his conception of the State lines nat
ural to a military genius who was also plain
man of business. In this State, for good or ill.,
religion was part 1t must therefore be made
subject to the State and particularly to him, in
whom the State was embodied. But If religion
IS TO be an instrument and not the superior Of
the State 1t well that it should take only
recognized forms. Il nothing" said Ma
poleon. 'In Egypt was a Mussulman, here
shall be Catholic, for the good of the people"
BY one device another man could be kept sat
isfed with few predominant systems. In fact.
Napoleon meant that people should be content
with one Of a few systems. These were such as
had definite forms of belief. He against all
vagueness in the expression Of religious. as well
all other kind of thought. To the assertion
that all religious systems involved marvellous
notions. he would have replied that at all events
II was desirable to prevent the creation haphaz-
ard of new forms stranger than those already in
existence The supernatural had been rendered
definite and precise by those systems which had
long been in existence. II better TO accept
It from them than at the hands OF every ad-
venturer and charlatan who came along and so
he exclaimed Il do not want dominant re-
ligion. nor the establishment of new ones. The
Catholic. Reformed and Lutheran systems es-
tablished by the Concordat are sufficient" Fixed
and definite beliefs capable Of being stated in
precise words and thenceforward Interchangeable
were Indispensable TO religion favored by Ma
poleon Not merely his mental cOnsttu-
ton would lead him TO this. but also the ext
gencies Of the State as he conceived ia state
which had too much else in hand to be vexed as
governments in the past had been by religious
controversy. Substantially. then. Napoleon, as
autOcraf all tba iofo
we need and those we have shall hereafter for
ever be taught on the lines now deemed correct"
This was an ideal conservatism. There is no
need Of telling how it has since weakened re-
hgion. Less Intentionally. bat with equal
effectiveness Napoleon conserved the power
OF the Pope. If would understand in brief
Iaines long exposition Of this absorbing question
we must picture to ourselves the appropriation |
oy Napoleon TO his own purpose of a complicated |
mechanism the true relations Of which had been !
In dispute for ages. Was the Church above the !