HOW FAR CULPABLE AS MAYOR. 215 



result. He shows himself, on the contrary, deeply humili 

 ated. And he will not fail in future to oppose every 

 undertaking that might turn out to the honour of 

 science. Crowds of such incidents occur to the mind. 

 Are we to infer thence, that we ought to be afraid of see 

 ing the administration of a town given up to the station 

 ary and exclusive spirit of the old Eschevinage to 

 people who have learnt nothing and studied nothing ? 

 Such is not the result of these long reflections. I wished 

 to enable people to foresee the struggle, not the defeat. I 

 even hasten to add, that by the side of the surly, harsh, 

 rude, positive Eschevin, the type of whom, to say the 

 truth, is fortunately becoming rare, an honourable class 

 of citizens exists, who, content with a moderate fortune 

 laboriously acquired, live retired, charm their leisure with 

 study, and magnanimously place themselves, without any 

 interested views, at the service of the community. 

 Everywhere similar auxiliaries fight courageously for 

 truth as soon as they perceive it. Bailly constantly ob 

 tained their concurrence ; as is proved by some touching 

 testimonies of gratitude and sympathy. As to the coun 

 sellors who so often occasioned trouble, confusion, and 

 anarchy in the Hotel de Ville in the years 89 and 90, I 

 am inclined to blame the virtuous magistrate for having 

 so patiently, so diffidently endured their ridiculous preten 

 sions, their unbearable assumption of power. 



From the earliest steps in the important study of na 

 ture, it becomes evident that facts unveiled to us in the 

 lapse of centuries, are but a very small fraction, if we 

 compare them with those that still remain to be discov 

 ered. Placing ourselves, in that point of view, deficiency 

 in diffidence would just be the same as deficiency in 

 judgment. But, by the side of positive diffidence, if I 



