第885章
"I have always delighted in analysis，" said he， one day， "and should Iever fall seriously in love I would take my sentiment to pieces. Why and How are such important questions one cannot put them to one's self too often.""It is certain，" writes an observer， "that he， of all men， is the one who has most meditated on the why which controls human actions."His method， that of the experimental sciences， consists in testing every hypothesis or deduction by some positive fact， observed by him under definite conditions； a physical force being ascertained and accurately measured through the deviation of a needle， or through the rise and fall of a fluid， this or that invisible moral force can likewise be ascertained and approximately measured through some emotional sign， some decisive manifestation， consisting of a certain word， tone， or gesture. It is these words， tones， and gestures which he dwells on； he detects inward sentiments by the outward expression；he figures to himself the internal by the external， by some facial appearance， some telling attitude， some brief and topical scene， by such specimen and shortcuts， so well chosen and detailed that they provide a summary of the innumerable series of analogous cases. In this way， the vague， fleeting object is suddenly arrested， brought to bear， and then gauged and weighed， like some impalpable gas collected and kept in a graduated transparent glass tube. - Accordingly， at the Council of State， while the others， either jurists or administrators， see abstractions， articles of the law and precedents， he sees people as they are - the Frenchman， the Italian， the German； that of the peasant， the workman， the bourgeois， the noble， the returned émigré，[62] the soldier， the officer and the functionary - everywhere the individual man as he is， the man who plows， manufactures， fights， marries， brings forth children， toils， enjoys himself， and dies. -Nothing is more striking than the contrast between the dull， grave arguments advanced by the wise official editor， and Napoleon's own words caught on the wing， at the moment， vibrating and teeming with illustrations and imagery.[63] Apropos of divorce， the principle of which he wishes to maintain：
"Consult， now， national manners and customs. Adultery is no phenomenon； it is common enough - une affaire de canapé . . . There must be some curb on women who commit adultery for trinkets， poetry， Apollo， and the muses， etc."But if divorce be allowed for incompatibility of temper you undermine marriage； the fragility of the bond will be apparent the moment the obligation is contracted；"it is just as if a man said to himself， 'I am going to marry until Ifeel different.' "Nullity of marriage must not be too often allowed； once a marriage is made it is a serious matter to undo it.
"Suppose that， in marrying my cousin just arrived from the Indies， Iwed an adventuress. She bears me children， and I then discover she is not my cousin - is that marriage valid？ Does not public morality demand that it should be so considered？ There has been a mutual exchange of hearts， of transpiration."On the right of children to be supported and fed although of age， he says：
"Will you allow a father to drive a girl of fifteen out of his house？
A father worth 60，000 francs a year might say to his son， 'You are stout and fat； go and turn plowman.' The children of a rich father， or of one in good circumstances， are always entitled to the paternal porridge. Strike out their right to be fed， and you compel children to murder their parents."As to adoption ：
"You regard this as law-makers and not as statesmen. It is not a civil contract nor a judicial contract. The analysis (of the jurist)leads to vicious results. Man is governed by imagination only；without imagination he is a brute. It is not for five cents a day， simply to distinguish himself， that a man consents to be killed； if you want to electrify him touch his heart. A notary， who is paid a fee of twelve francs for his services， cannot do that. It requires some other process， a legislative act. Adoption， what is that？ An imitation by which society tries to counterfeit nature. It is a new kind of sacrament. . . . Society ordains that the bones and blood of one being shall be changed into the bones and blood of another. It is the greatest of all legal acts. It gives the sentiments of a son to one who never had them， and reciprocally those of a parent. Where ought this to originate？ From on high， like a clap of thunder ！"All his expressions are bright flashes one after another.[64] Nobody， since Voltaire and Galiani， has launched forth such a profusion of them； on society， laws， government， France and the French， some penetrate and explain， like those of Montesquieu， as if with a flash of lightening. He does not hammer them out laboriously， but they burst forth， the outpourings of his intellect， its natural， involuntary， constant action. And what adds to their value is that， outside of councils and private conversations， he abstains from them， employing them only in the service of thought； at other times he subordinates them to the end he has in view， which is always their practical effect. Ordinarily， he writes and speaks in a different language， in a language suited to his audience； he dispenses with the oddities， the irregular improvisations and imagination， the outbursts of genius and inspiration. He retains and uses merely those which are intended to impress the personage whom he wishes to dazzle with a great idea of himself， such as Pius VII.， or the Emperor Alexander.