Miraheaii an Opponent of Ahxohitlxni 33 



better than Mirabeau the value of public opinion; no man un- 

 derstood better than he how hopeless the condition of the state 

 was when public opinion became vitiated. In the opening 

 pages of Des leftres de cachet^ referring to the fact that public 

 opinion was not sutficiently united against absolute government 

 and that its apologists were numerous, he exclaimed, "What 

 resource remains to us if public opinion invokes arbitrary 

 rule?''' It was to prevent that misfortune, to interest the public, 

 that the work was written. He had no expectation that he 

 would gain a hearing with the ministers, but he did hope to 

 convince the intelligent portion of the nation that arbitrary rule 

 was utterly indefensible. "Instruction," he cried, "will do all 

 things for society."- The king must be "trained for his 

 trade "-^ and the subjects must be taught their rights and duties. 

 The reign of reason and intelligence once established, all strife 

 would cease. ^ The king would ])erceive that his own interests 

 and those of his subjects were identical and the subjects would 

 readily yield allegiance to a ruler who had their welfare so 

 thoroughly at heart. In Mirabeau' s scheme there was no place 

 for religion. In this respect, as in all others, he was a typical 

 eighteenth-century character, overestimating the influence of 

 intelligence and totally disregarding the power of religion. 



Such then were the reforms that Mirabeau demanded. Had 

 they been granted, they would have substituted law for the arbi- 

 trary rule of one man, and have changed a despotism into a 



1 :' Quelle ressource nous reste-t-il, si 1' opinion publique invoque I'arbi- 

 traire?" Des lettres de catchet. VII. 



^ "L'instruction, cette arme plus douce, plus puissante meme avec le 

 temps, suffira k I'organisation des societes, et la preservera des convulsions 

 de la violence.'' Essai sur le despotisme, 38. 



■■* "On convient assez communement du besoin d'apprentissage pour 

 tous les metiers: celui de gouverner ses semblables est le seul pour lequel 

 tout homme se croit des talens." Ibid, 109. ^ 



■* " Instruisez les rois et les sujets, et le despotisme est coupe par le pied."' 

 Ibid, 57. 



"Apportez la lumiere et vous les verrez tous en paix." Ibid, 9. 



77 



