the deputy of arcis-第9节

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robably　bring　them　that　evening　in　large　numbers。



VI

THE　CAMPAIGN　OF　1814　FROM　THE　HOSIERY　POINT　OF　VIEW

Champagne　has　all　the　appearance　of　a　poor　region；　and　it　is　a　poor　region。　Its　general　aspect　is　sad；　the　land　is　flat。　Passing　through　the　villages；　and　even　the　towns；　you　will　see　nothing　but　miserable　buildings　of　wood　or　half…baked　clay；　the　best　are　built　of　brick。　Stone　is　scarcely　used　at　all　except　on　public　buildings。　At　Arcis　the　chateau；　the　law　courts；　and　the　church　are　the　only　stone　buildings。　Nevertheless；　Champagne；　or；　if　you　prefer　to　say　so；　the　departments　of　the　Aube；　Marne；　and　Haut…Marne；　richly　endowed　with　vineyards；　the　fame　of　which　is　world…wide；　are　otherwise　full　of　flourishing　industries。

Without　speaking　of　the　manufactures　of　Reims；　nearly　all　the　hosiery　of　Francea　very　considerable　tradeis　manufactured　about　Troyes。　The　surrounding　country；　over　a　circuit　of　thirty　miles；　is　covered　with　workmen；　whose　looms　can　be　seen　through　the　open　doors　as　we　pass　through　the　villages。　These　workmen　are　employed　by　agents；　who　themselves　are　in　the　service　of　speculators　called　manufacturers。　The　agents　negotiate　with　the　large　Parisian　houses；　often　with　the　retail　hosiers；　all　of　whom　put　out　the　sign；　〃Manufacturers　of　Hosiery。〃　None　of　them　have　ever　made　a　pair　of　stockings；　nor　a　cap；　nor　a　sock；　all　their　hosiery　comes　chiefly　from　Champagne；　though　there　are　a　few　skilled　workmen　in　Paris　who　can　rival　the　Champenois。

This　intermediate　agency　between　the　producer　and　the　consumer　is　an　evil　not　confined　to　hosiery。　It　exists　in　almost　all　trades；　and　increases　the　cost　of　merchandise　by　the　amount　of　the　profit　exacted　by　the　middlemen。　To　break　down　these　costly　partitions；　that　injure　the　sale　of　products；　would　be　a　magnificent　enterprise；　which；　in　its　results；　would　attain　to　the　height　of　statesmanship。　In　fact；　industry　of　all　kinds　would　gain　by　establishing　within　our　borders　the　cheapness　so　essential　to　enable　us　to　carry　on　victoriously　the　industrial　warfare　with　foreign　countries；a　struggle　as　deadly　as　that　of　arms。

But　the　destruction　of　an　abuse　of　this　kind　would　not　return　to　modern　philanthropists　the　glory　and　the　advantages　of　a　crusade　against　the　empty　nutshells　of　the　penitentiary　and　negrophobia；　consequently；　the　interloping　profits　of　these　/bankers　of　merchandise/　will　continue　to　weigh　heavily　both　on　producers　and　consumers。　In　Francekeen…witted　land！it　is　thought　that　to　simplify　is　to　destroy。　The　Revolution　of　1789　is　still　a　terror。

We　see；　by　the　industrial　energy　displayed　in　a　land　where　Nature　is　a　godmother；　what　progress　agriculture　might　make　if　capital　would　go　into　partnership　with　the　soil；　which　is　not　so　thankless　in　Champagne　as　it　is　in　Scotland；　where　capital　has　done　wonders。　The　day　when　agriculture　will　have　conquered　the　unfertile　portion　of　those　departments；　and　industry　has　seconded　capital　on　the　Champagne　chalk；　the　prosperity　of　that　region　will　triple　itself。　Into　that　land；　now　without　luxury；　where　homes　are　barren；　English　comfort　will　penetrate；　money　will　obtain　that　rapid　circulation　which　is　the　half　of　wealth；　and　is　already　beginning　in　several　of　the　inert　portions　of　our　country。　Writers；　administrators；　the　Church　from　its　pulpit；　the　Press　in　its　columns；　all　to　whom　chance　has　given　power　to　influence　the　masses；　should　say　and　resay　this　truth；to　hoard　is　a　social　crime。　The　deliberate　hoarding　of　a　province　arrests　industrial　life；　and　injures　the　health　of　a　nation。

Thus　the　little　town　of　Arcis；　without　much　means　of　transition；　doomed　apparently　to　the　most　complete　immobility；　is；　relatively；　a　rich　town　abounding　in　capital　slowly　amassed　by　its　trade　in　hosiery。

Monsieur　Phileas　Beauvisage　was　the　Alexander；　or；　if　you　will；　the　Attila　of　this　business。　And　here　follow　the　means　by　which　this　honorable　merchant　had　acquired　his　supremacy　over　cotton。

The　last　remaining　child　of　farmers　named　Beauvisage；　tenants　of　the　splendid　farm　of　Bellache；　a　dependency　of　the　Gondreville　estate；　his　parents　made；　in　1811；　a　great　sacrifice　in　order　to　buy　a　substitute　and　save　their　only　child　from　conscription。　After　that；　in　1813；　the　mother　Beauvisage；　having　become　a　widow；　saved　her　son　once　more　from　enrolment　in　the　Gardes；　thanks　to　the　influence　of　the　Comte　de　Gondreville。　Phileas；　who　was　then　twenty…one　years　of　age；　had　been　devoted　for　the　last　three　years　to　the　peaceable　trade　of　hosiery。

Coming　to　the　end　of　the　lease　of　Bellache；　old　Madame　Beauvisage　declined　to　renew　it。　She　saw　she　had　enough　to　do　in　her　old　age　in　taking　care　of　her　property。　That　nothing　might　give　her　uneasiness　of　mind；　she　proceeded；　by　the　help　of　Monsieur　Grevin；　the　notary　of　Arcis；　to　liquidate　her　husband's　estate；　although　her　son　made　no　request　whatever　for　a　settlement。　The　result　proved　that　she　owed　him　the　sum　of　one　hundred　and　fifty　thousand　francs。　The　good　woman　did　not　sell　her　landed　property；　most　of　which　came　from　the　unfortunate　Michu；　the　former　bailiff　of　the　Simeuse　family；　she　paid　the　sum　to　Phileas　in　ready　money；advising　him　to　buy　out　the　business　of　his　employer；　Monsieur　Pigoult；　the　son　of　the　old　justice　of　the　peace；　whose　affairs　were　in　so　bad　a　way　that　his　death；　as　we　have　said；　was　thought　to　be　voluntary。

Phileas　Beauvisage；　a　virtuous　youth；　having　a　deep　respect　for　his　mother；　concluded　the　purchase　from　his　patron；　and　as　he　had　the　bump　of　what　phrenologists　term　〃acquisitiveness；〃　his　youthful　ardor　spent　itself　upon　this　business；　which　he　thought　magnificent　and　desired　to　increase　by　speculation。

The　name　of　Phileas；　which　may　seem　peculiar；　is　only　one　of　the　many　oddities　which　we　owe　to　the　Revolution。　Attached　to　the　Simeuse　family；　and　consequently；　good　Catholics；　the　Beauvisage　father　and　mother　desired　to　have　their　son　baptized。　The　rector　of　Cinq…Cygne；　the　Abbe　Goujet；　whom　they　consulted；　advised　them　to　give　their　son　for　patron　a　saint　whose　Greek　name　might　signify　the　municipality；　for　the　child　was　born　at　a　period　when　children　were　inscribed　on　the　civil　registers　under　the　fantastic　names　of　the　Republican　calendar。

In　1814；　hosiery；　a　stable　business　with　few　risks　in　ordinary　times；　was　subject　to　all　the　variations　in　the　price　of　cotton。　This　price　depended　at　that　time　on　the　triumph　or　the　defeat　of　the　Emperor　Napoleon；　whose　adversaries；　the　English　generals；　used　to　say　in　Spain：　〃The　town　is　taken；　now　get　out　your　bales。〃

Pigoult；　former　patron　of　young　Phileas；　furnished　the　raw　material　to　his　workmen；　who　were　scattered　all　over　the　country。　At　the　time　when　he　sold　the　business　to　Beauvisage　junior；　he　possessed　a　large　amount　of　raw　cotton　bought　at　a　high　price；　whereas　Lisbon　was　sending　enormous　quantities　into　the　Empire　at　six　sous　the　kilogramme；　in　virtue　of　the　Emperor's　celebrated　decree。　The　reaction　produced　in　France　by　the　introduction　of　the　Portuguese　cotton　caused　the　death　of　Pigoult；　Achille's　father；　and　began　the　fortune　of　Phileas；　who；　far　from　losing　his　head　like　his　master；　made　his　prices　moderate　by　buying　cotton　cheaply　and　in　doubling　the　quantity　ventured　upon　by　his　predecessor。　This　simple　system　enabled　Phileas　to　triple　the　manufacture　and　to　pose　as　the　benefactor　of　the　workingmen；　so　that　he　was　able　to　disperse　his　hosiery　in　Paris　and　all　over　France　at　a　profit；　when　the　luckiest　of　his　competitors　were　only　able　to　sell　their　goods　at　cost　price。

At　the　beginning　of　1814；　Phileas　had　emptied　his　warerooms。　The　prospect　of　a　war　on　French　soil；　the　hardships　of　which　were　likely　to　press　chiefly　on　Champagne；　made　him　cautious。　He　manufactured　nothing；　and　held　himself　ready　to　meet　all　events　with　his　capital　turned　into　gold。　At　this　period　the　custom…house　lines　were　no　longer　maintained。　Napoleon　could　not　do　without　his　thirty　thousand　custom…　house　officers　for　service　in　the　field。　Cotton；　then　introduced　through　a　thousand　loopholes；　slipped　into　the　markets　of　France。　No　one　can　imagine　how　sly　and　how　alert　cotton　had　become　at　this　epoch；　nor　with　what　eagerness　the　English　laid　hold　of　a　country　where　cotton　stockings　sold　for　six　francs　a　pair；　and　cambric　shirts　were　objects　of　luxury。

Manufacturers　from　the　second　class；　the　principal　workmen；　reckoning　on　the　genius　of　Napoleon；　had　bought　up　the　cottons　that　came　from　Spain。　They　worked　it　up　in　hopes　of　being　able　later　to　give　the　law　to　the　merchants　of　Paris。　Phileas　observed　these　facts。　When　the　war　ravaged　Champagne；　he　kept　himself　between　the　French　army　and　Paris。　After　each　lost　battle　he　went　among　the　workmen　who　had　buried　their　products　in　casks；a　sort　of　silo　of　hosiery；then；　gold　in　hand；　this　Cossack　of　weaving　bought　up；　from　village　to　village；　below　the　cost　of　fabrication；　tons　of　merchandise　which　might　otherwise　become　at　any　time　a　prey　to　an　enemy　whose　feet　were　as　much　in　need　of　being　/socked/　as　its　throat　of　being　moistened。

Phileas　displayed　under　these　unfortunate　circumstances　an　activity　nearly　equal　to　that　of　the　Emperor。　This　general　of　hosiery　made　a　commercial　campaign　of　1814　with　splendid　but　ignored　courage。　A　league　or　two　behind　where　the　army　ad