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by example and by gentleness than by any other means; and we believe
that God will specially help us in this。 All constraint is bad。 Of the
manifold Parisian miseries; the most difficult to discover; and the
bitterest; is that of worthy persons of the middle classes who have
fallen into poverty; for they make concealment a point of honor。 Those
sorrows; my dear Godefroid; are to us the object of special
solicitude。 Such persons usually have intelligence and good hearts。
They return to us; sometimes with usury; the sums that we lend them。
Such restitutions recoup us in the long run for the losses we
occasionally incur through impostors; shiftless creatures; or those
whom misfortunes have rendered stupid。 Through such persons we often
obtain invaluable help in our investigations。 Our work has now become
so vast; its details are so multifarious; that we no longer suffice of
ourselves to carry it on。 So; for the last year we have a physician of
our own in every arrondissement in Paris。 Each of us takes general
charge of four arrondissements。 We pay each physician three thousand
francs a year to take care of our poor。 His time belongs to us in the
first instance; but we do not prevent him from attending other sick
persons if he can。 Would you believe that for many months we were
unable to find twelve really trustworthy; valuable men; in spite of
all our own efforts and those of our friends? We could not employ any
but men of absolute discreetness; pure lives; sound knowledge;
experience; active men; and lovers of doing good。 Now; although there
are in Paris some ten thousand individuals; more or less; who would
gladly do the work; we could not find twelve to meet our needs in a
whole year。〃

〃Our Saviour had difficulty in gathering his apostles; and even then a
traitor and an unbeliever got among them;〃 said Godefroid。

〃However; within the last month all our arrondissements are provided
with a Visitorthat is the name we give to our physicians。 At the
same time the business is increasing; and we have all redoubled our
activity。 If I confide to you these secrets of our system; it is that
you must know the physician; that is; the Visitor of the
arrondissement to which we are about to send you; from him; all
original information about our cases comes。 This Visitor is named
Berton; Doctor Berton; he lives in the rue d'Enfer。 And now here are
the facts: Doctor Berton is attending a lady whose disease puzzles and
defies science。 That; of course; is not our concern; but that of the
Faculty。 Our business is to discover the condition of the family of
this patient; Doctor Berton suspects that their poverty is frightful;
and concealed with a pride and determination which demand our utmost
care。 Until now; my son; I should have found time for this case; but
the work I am undertaking obliges me to find a helper in my four
arrondissements; and you shall be that helper。 This family lives in
the rue Notre…Dame des Champs; in a house at the corner of the
boulevard du Mont…Parnasse。 You will find a room to let in the same
house; where you can live for a time so as to discover the truth about
these persons。 Be sordid for yourself; but as for the money you may
think needed for this case have no uneasiness。 I will remit you such
sums as we may judge necessary after ourselves considering all the
circumstances。 But remember that you must study the moral qualities of
these unfortunates: their hearts; the honorableness of their feelings;
those are our guarantees。 Miserly we may be for ourselves; and
generous to those who suffer; but we must be prudent and even
calculating; for we are dealing with the money of the poor。 So then;
to…morrow morning you can start; think over the power we put in your
hands: the brothers are with you in heart。〃

〃Ah!〃 cried Godefroid; 〃you have given me such a pleasure in the
opportunity of doing good and making myself worthy to belong to you
some day; that I shall not sleep to…night。〃

〃One more word; my child。 I told you not to recognize me without the
signal; the same rule applies to the other gentlemen and to Madame;
and even to the people you see about this house。 We are forced to keep
up an absolute incognito in all we do; this is so necessary to our
enterprises that we have made a rule about it。 We seek to be ignored;
lost in this great Paris。 Remember also; my dear Godefroid; the spirit
of our order; which is; never to appear as benefactors; to play an
obscure part; that of intermediaries。 We always present ourselves as
the agent of a pious; saintly person (in fact; we are working for
God); so that none of those we deal with may feel the obligation of
gratitude towards any of us; or think we are wealthy persons。 True;
sincere humility; not the false humility of those who seek thereby to
be set in the light; must inspire you and rule all your thoughts。 You
may indeed be glad when you succeed; but so long as you feel within
you a sentiment of vanity or of pride; you are not worthy to do the
work of the order。 We have known two perfect men: one; who was one of
our founders; Judge Popinot; the other is revealed by his works; he is
a country doctor whose name is written on the annals of his canton。
That man; my dear Godefroid; is one of the greatest men of our time;
he brought a whole region out of wretchedness into prosperity; out of
irreligion into Christianity; out of barbarism into civilization。'*'
The names of those two men are graven on our hearts and we have taken
them as our models。 We should be happy indeed if we ourselves could
some day acquire in Paris the influence that country doctor had in his
canton。 But here; the sore is vast; beyond our strength at present。
May God preserve to us Madame; may he send us some young helpers like
you; and perhaps we may yet leave behind us an institution worthy of
his divine religion。 And now good…bye; your initiation beginsAh! I
chatter like a professor and forget the essential thing! Here is the
address of that family;〃 he added; giving Godefroid a piece of paper;
〃I have added the number of Dr。 Berton's house in the rue d'Enfer; and
now; go and pray to God to help you。〃

'*' The Country Doctor。 Little; Brown & Co。; Boston。

'I assume the 〃Little; Brown & Co。〃 is a reference to a publisher。 I
will remove this in the finished version of the text。 Elsewhere she
has used a different method of indicating a reference to another work
in La Comedie。JB。'

Godefroid took the old man's hands and pressed them tenderly; wishing
him good…night; and assuring him he would not neglect a single point
of his advice。

〃All that you have said to me;〃 he added; 〃is graven in my memory
forever。〃

The old man smiled; expressing no doubts; then he rose; to kneel in
his accustomed place。 Godefroid retired; joyful in at last sharing the
mysteries of that house and in having an occupation; which; feeling as
he did then; was to him an untold pleasure。

The next day at breakfast; Monsieur Alain's place was vacant; but no
one remarked upon it; Godefroid made no allusion to the cause of his
absence; neither did any one question him as to the mission the old
man had entrusted to him; he thus took his first lesson in
discreetness。 Nevertheless; after breakfast; he did take Madame de la
Chanterie apart and told her that he should be absent for some days。

〃That is good; my child;〃 replied Madame de la Chanterie; 〃try to do
honor to your godfather; who has answered for you to his brothers。〃

Godefroid bade adieu to the three remaining brethren; who made him an
affectionate bow; by which they seemed to bless his entrance upon a
painful career。

ASSOCIATION; one of the greatest social forces; and that which made
the Europe of the middle…ages; rests on principles which; since 1792;
no longer exist in France; where the Individual has now triumphed over
the State。 Association requires; in the first place; a self…devotion
that is not understood in our day; also a guileless faith which is
contrary to the spirit of the nation; and lastly; a discipline against
which men in these days revolt and which the Catholic religion alone
can enforce。 The moment an association is formed among us; each
member; returning to his own home from an assembly where noble
sentiments have been proclaimed; thinks of making his own bed out of
that collective devotion; that union of forces; and of milking to his
own profit the common cow; which; not being able to supply so many
individual demands; dies exhausted。

Who knows how many generous sentiments were blasted; how many fruitful
germs may have perished; lost to the nation through the infamous
deceptions of the French Carbonari; the patriotic subscriptions to the
Champ d'Asile; and other political deceptions which ought to have been
grand and noble dramas; and proved to be the farces and the melodramas
of police courts。 It is the same with industrial association as it is
with political association。 Love of self is substituted for the love
of collective bodies。 The corporations and the Hanse leagues of the
middle…ages; /to which we shall some day return/; are still
impossible。 Consequently; the only societies which actually exist are
those of religious

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