\"Well，\"resumedthepoorliberatedconvict，\"whenheleftmethefirsttime，andCatherinehadgonewithhimtoshowtheway，Iwasleftalone。Ithenfeltwithinmysoulafreshness，acalmness，asweetness，Ihadneverknownsincechildhood。ItwaslikethehappinessmypoorCatherinehadgivenme。Theloveofthisdearmanhadcometo/seekme/;that，andhisthoughtforme，formyfuture，stirredmysoultoitsdepths;itchangedme。Alightbrokeforthinmybeing。Aslongashewasthere，speakingtome，Iresisted。That’snotsurprising;hewasapriest，andwebanditsdon’teatoftheirbread。ButwhenInolongerheardhisfootstepsnorCatherine’s，oh！I
was——ashetoldmetwodayslater——enlightenedbydivinegrace。Godgavemethenceforthstrengthtobearall，——prison，sentence，irons，parting;eventhelifeofthegalleys。IbelievedinhiswordasIdointheGospel;IlookeduponmysufferingsasadebtIwasboundtopay。WhenIseemedtosuffertoomuch，Ilookedacrosstenyearsandsawmyhomeinthewoods，mylittleBenjamin，myCatherine。Hekepthisword，thatgoodMonsieurBonnet。Butonethingwaslacking。WhenatlastIwasreleased，Catherinewasnotatthegateofthegalleys;
shewasnotonthecommon。Nodoubtshehasdiedofgrief。ThatiswhyIamalwayssad。Now，thankstoyou，Ishallhaveusefulworktodo;I
canemploybothbodyandsoul，——andmyboy，too，forwhomIlive。\"
\"Ibegintounderstandhowitisthattherectorhaschangedthecharacterofthiswholecommunity，\"saidMadameGraslin。
\"Nothingcanresisthim，\"saidFarrabesche。
\"Yes，yes，Iknowit！\"repliedVeronique，hastily，makingagestureoffarewelltoherkeeper。
Farrabeschewithdrew。Veroniqueremainedaloneontheterraceforagoodpartoftheday，walkingupanddowninspiteofafinerainwhichfelltillevening。Whenherfacewasthusconvulsed，neitherhermothernorAlinedaredtointerrupther。ShedidnotnoticeintheduskthathermotherwastalkinginthesalontoMonsieurBonnet;theoldwoman，anxioustoputanendtothisfreshattackofdreadfuldepression，sentlittleFrancistofetchher。Thechildtookhismother’shandandledherin。Whenshesawtherectorshegaveastartofsurpriseinwhichthereseemedtobesomefear。MonsieurBonnettookherbacktotheterrace，saying:——
\"Well，madame，whatwereyoutalkingaboutwithFarrabesche？\"
Inordernottospeakfalsely，Veroniqueevadedareply;shequestionedMonsieurBonnet。
\"Thatmanwasyourfirstvictoryhere，washenot？\"shesaid。
\"Yes，\"heanswered;\"hisconversionwould，Ithought，givemeallMontegnac——andIwasnotmistaken。\"
VeroniquepressedMonsieurBonnet’shandandsaid，withtearsinhervoice，\"Iamyourpenitentfromthisdayforth，monsieur;Ishallgoto—morrowtotheconfessional。\"
Herlastwordsshowedagreatinternaleffort，aterriblevictorywonoverherself。Therectorbroughtherbacktothehousewithoutsayinganotherword。Afterthatheremainedtilldinner—time，talkingabouttheproposedimprovementsatMontegnac。
\"Agricultureisaquestionoftime，\"hesaid;\"thelittlethatIknowofitmakesmeunderstandwhatagainitwouldbetogetsomegoodoutofthewinter。Therainsarenowbeginning，andthemountainswillsoonbecoveredwithsnow;youroperationscannotthenbebegun。HadyounotbetterhastenMonsieurGrossetete？\"
Insensibly，MonsieurBonnet，whoatfirstdidallthetalking，ledMadameGraslintojoinintheconversationandsodistractherthoughts;infact，heleftheralmostrecoveredfromtheemotionsoftheday。MadameSauviat，however，thoughtherdaughtertooviolentlyagitatedtobeleftalone，andshespentthenightinherroom。
XVI
CONCERNSONEOFTHEBLUNDERSOFTHENINETEENTHCENTURY
Thefollowingdayanexpress，sentfromLimogesbyMonsieurGrossetetetoMadameGraslin，broughtherthefollowingletter:——
ToMadameGraslin:
MydearChild，——Itwasdifficulttofindhorses，butIhopeyouaresatisfiedwiththoseIsentyou。Ifyouwantworkordrafthorses，youmustlookelsewhere。Inanycase，however，Iadviseyoutodoyourtillingandtransportationwithoxen。Allthecountrieswhereagricultureiscarriedonwithhorseslosecapitalwhenthehorseispastwork;whereascattlealwaysreturnaprofittothosewhousethem。
Iapproveineverywayofyourenterprise，mychild;youwillthusemploythepassionateactivityofyoursoul，whichwasturningagainstyourselfandthusinjuringyou。
Yoursecondrequest，namely，foramancapableofunderstandingandsecondingyourprojects，requiresmetofindyoua/raraavis/
suchasweseldomraiseintheprovinces，where，ifwedoraisethem，weneverkeepthem。Theeducationofthathighproductistooslowandtooriskyaspeculationforcountryfolks。
Besides，menofintellectalarmus;wecallthem\"originals。\"Themenbelongingtothescientificcategoryfromwhichyouwillhavetoobtainyourco—operatordonotflourishhere，andIwasonthepointofwritingtoyouthatIdespairedoffulfillingyourcommission。Youwantapoet，amanofideas，——inshort，whatweshouldherecallafool，andallourfoolsgotoParis。Ihavespokenofyourplanstotheyoungmenemployedinlandsurveying，tocontractorsonthecanals，andmakersoftheembankments，andnoneofthemseeany\"advantage\"inwhatyoupropose。
Butsuddenly，asgoodluckwouldhaveit，chancehasthrowninmywaytheverymanyouwant;ayoungmantowhomIbelieveIrenderaserviceinnaminghimtoyou。Youwillseebyhisletter，herewithenclosed，thatdeedsofbeneficenceoughtnottobedonehap—hazard。Nothingneedsmorereflectionthanagoodaction。Weneverknowwhetherthatwhichseemsbestatonemomentmaynotproveanevillater。Theexerciseofbeneficence，asIhavelivedtodiscover，istousurptheroleofDestiny。
AsshereadthatsentenceMadameGraslinletfalltheletterandwasthoughtfulforseveralminutes。
\"MyGod！\"shesaidatlast，\"whenwiltthouceasetostrikemedownonallsides？\"
Thenshetookuptheletterandcontinuedreadingit:
Gerardseemstometohaveacoolheadandanardentheart;that’sthesortofmanyouwant。Parisisjustnowahotbedofnewdoctrines;IshouldbedelightedtohavetheladremovedfromthetrapswhichambitiousmindsaresettingforthegenerousyouthofFrance。WhileIdonotaltogetherapproveofthenarrowandstupefyinglifeoftheprovinces，neitherdoIlikethepassionatelifeofParis，withitsardorofreformation，whichisdrivingyouthintosomanyunknownways。Youaloneknowmyopinions;tomymindthemoralworldrevolvesuponitsownaxis，likethematerialworld。Mypoorprotegedemands（asyouwillseefromhisletter）
thingsimpossible。Nopowercanresistambitionssoviolent，soimperious，soabsolute，asthoseofto—day。Iaminfavoroflowlevelsandslownessinpoliticalchange;Idislikethesesocialoverturnstowhichambitiousmindssubjectus。
ToyouIconfidetheseprinciplesofamonarchicalandprejudicedoldman，becauseyouarediscreet。HereIholdmytongueinthemidstofworthypeople，whothemoretheyfailthemoretheybelieveinprogress;butIsufferdeeplyattheirreparableevilsalreadyinflictedonourdearcountry。
Ihaverepliedtotheenclosedletter，tellingmyyoungmanthataworthytaskawaitshim。Hewillgotoseeyou，andthoughhisletterwillenableyoutojudgeofhim，youhadbetterstudyhimstillfurtherbeforecommittingyourself，——thoughyouwomenunderstandmanythingsfromthemerelookofaman。However，allthemenwhomyouemploy，eventhemostinsignificant，oughttobethoroughlysatisfactorytoyou。Ifyoudon’tlikehimdon’ttakehim;butifhesuitsyou，mydearchild，Ibegyoutocurehimofhisill—disguisedambition。Makehimtaketoapeaceful，happy，rurallife，wheretruebeneficenceisperpetuallyexercised;wherethecapacitiesofgreatandstrongsoulsfindcontinualexercise，andtheythemselvesdiscoverdailyfreshsourcesofadmirationintheworksofNature，andinrealameliorations，realprogress，anoccupationworthyofanyman。
Iamnotobliviousofthefactthatgreatideasgivebirthtogreatactions;butasthoseideasarenecessarilyfewandfarbetween，Ithinkitmaybesaidthatusuallythingsaremoreusefulthanideas。Hewhofertilizesacorneroftheearth，whobringstoperfectionafruit—tree，whomakesaturfonathanklesssoil，isfarmoreusefulinhisgenerationthanhewhoseeksnewtheoriesforhumanity。How，Iaskyou，hasNewton’ssciencechangedtheconditionofthecountrydistricts？Oh！mydear，I
havealwayslovedyou;butto—dayI，whofullyunderstandwhatyouareabouttoattempt，Iadoreyou。
NooneatLimogesforgetsyou;wealladmireyourgrandresolutiontobenefitMontegnac。Bealittlegratefultousforhavingsoulenoughtoadmireanobleaction，anddonotforgetthatthefirstofyouradmirersisalsoyourfirstfriend。
F。Grossetete。
Theenclosedletterwasasfollows:——
ToMonsieurGrossetete:
Monsieur，——Youhavebeentomeafatherwhenyoumighthavebeenonlyamereprotector，andthereforeIventuretomakeyouarathersadconfidence。Itistoyoualone，youwhohavemademewhatIam，thatIcantellmytroubles。
Iamafflictedwithaterriblemalady，acruelmoralmalady。InmysoularefeelingsandinmymindconvictionswhichmakemeutterlyunfitforwhattheStateandsocietydemandofme。Thismayseemtoyouingratitude;itisonlythestatementofacondition。WhenIwastwelveyearsoldyou，mygenerousgod—father，sawinme，thesonofamereworkman，anaptitudefortheexactsciencesandaprecociousdesiretoriseinlife。Youfavoredmyimpulsetowardbetterthingswhenmynaturalfatewastostayacarpenterlikemyfather，who，poorman，didnotlivelongenoughtoenjoymyadvancement。Indeed，monsieur，youdidagoodthing，andthereisneveradaythatIdonotblessyouforit。ItmaybethatIamnowtoblame;butwhetherIamrightorwrongitisverycertainthatIsuffer。InmakingmycomplainttoyouIfeelthatItakeyouasmyjudgelikeGodHimself。Willyoulistentomystoryandgrantmeyourindulgence？
BetweensixteenandeighteenyearsofageIgavemyselftothestudyoftheexactscienceswithanardor，youremember，thatmademeill。MyfuturedependedonmyadmissiontotheEcolePolytechnique。Atthattimemystudiesoverworkedmybrain，andI
cameneardying;Istudiednightandday;Ididmorethanthenatureofmyorganspermitted。IwantedtopasssuchsatisfyingexaminationsthatmyplaceintheEcolewouldbenotonlysecure，butsufficientlyadvancedtoreleasemefromthecostofmysupport，whichIdidnotwantyoutopayanylonger。
Itriumphed！Itrembleto—dayasIthinkofthefrightfulconscription（ifImaysocallit）ofbrainsdeliveredoveryearlytotheStatebyfamilyambition。Byinsistingontheseseverestudiesatthemomentwhenayouthattainshisvariousformsofgrowth，theauthoritiesproducesecretevilsandkillbymidnightstudymanypreciousfacultieswhichlaterwouldhavedevelopedbothstrengthandgrandeur。Thelawsofnaturearerelentless;
theydonotyieldinanyparticulartotheenterprisesorthewishesofsociety。Inthemoralorderasinthenaturalorderallabusesmustbepaidfor;fruitsforcedinahot—houseareproducedatthetree’sexpenseandoftenatthesacrificeofthegoodnessofitsproduct。LaQuintiniekilledtheorange—treestogiveLouisXIV。abunchofflowerseverydayatallseasons。Soitiswithintellects。Thestrainuponadolescentbrainsdiscountstheirfuture。
Thatwhichischieflywantingtoourepochislegislativegenius。
EuropehashadnotruelegislatorssinceJesusChrist，who，nothavinggiventotheworldapoliticalcode，lefthisworkincomplete。Beforeestablishinggreatschoolsofspecialistsandregulatingthemethodofrecruitingforthem，wherewerethegreatthinkerswhocouldbearinmindtherelationofsuchinstitutionstohumanpowers，balancingadvantagesandinjuries，andstudyingthepastforthelawsofthefuture？Whatinquiryhasbeenmadeastotheconditionofexceptionalmen，who，bysomefatalchance，knewhumansciencesbeforetheirtime？Hastherarityofsuchcasesbeenreckoned——theresultexamined？Hasanyenquirybeenmadeastothemeansbywhichsuchmenwereenabledtoenduretheperpetualstrainofthought？Howmany，likePascal，diedprematurely，worn—outbyknowledge？Havestatisticsbeengatheredastotheageatwhichthosemenwholivedthelongestbegantheirstudies？Whohaseverknown，doesanyoneknownow，theinteriorconstructionofbrainswhichhavebeenabletosustainaprematureburdenofhumanknowledge？Whosuspectsthatthisquestionbelongs，aboveall，tothephysiologyofman？
Formypart，Inowbelievethetruegenerallawistoremainalongtimeinthevegetativeconditionofadolescence;andthatthoseexceptionswherestrengthoforgansisproducedduringadolescenceresultusuallyintheshorteningoflife。Thusthemanofgeniuswhoisabletobearupundertheprecociousexerciseofhisfacultiesisanexceptiontoanexception。
IfIamright，ifwhatIsayaccordswithsocialfactsandmedicalobservations，thenthesystempractisedinFranceinhertechnicalschoolsisafatalimpairmentandmutilation（inthestyleofLaQuintinie）practiseduponthenoblestflowerofyouthineachgeneration。
Butitisbettertocontinuemyhistory，andaddmydoubtsasthefactsdevelopthemselves。
WhenIenteredtheEcolePolytechnique，Iworkedharderthaneverandwithevenmoreardor，inordertoleaveitastriumphantlyasIhadenteredit。Fromnineteentotwenty—oneIdevelopedeveryaptitudeandstrengthenedeveryfacultybyconstantpractice。
Thosetwoyearswerethecrownandcompletionofthefirstthree，duringwhichIhadonlypreparedmyselftodowell。ThereforemypridewasgreatwhenIwontherighttochoosethecareerthatpleasedmemost，——eithermilitaryornavalengineering，artillery，orstaffduty，orthecivilengineeringofmining，and/pontsetchaussees/。[*]Byyouradvice，Ichosethelatter。
[*]Departmentofthegovernmentincludingeverythingconnectedwiththemakingandrepairingofroads，bridges，canals，etc。
ButwhereItriumphedhowmanyothersfail！DoyouknowthatfromyeartoyeartheStateincreasesthescientificrequirementsoftheEcole？thestudiesaremoresevere，moreexactingyearly。Thepreparatorystudieswhichtriedmesomuchwerenothingtotheintenseworkoftheschoolitself，whichhasforitsobjecttoputthewholeofphysicalscience，mathematics，astronomy，chemistry，andalltheirnomenclaturesintothemindsofyoungmenofnineteentotwenty—oneyearsofage。TheState，whichseemsinFrancetowishtosubstituteitselfinmanywaysforthepaternalauthority，hasneitherbowelsofcompassionnorfatherhood;itmakesitsexperiments/inanimavili/。Neverdoesitinquireintothehorriblestatisticsofthesufferingitcauses。Doesitknowthenumberofbrainfeversamongitspupilsduringthelastthirty—sixyears;orthedespairandthemoraldestructionwhichdecimateitsyouth？IampointingouttoyouthispainfulsideoftheStateeducation，foritisoneoftheanteriorcontingentsoftheactualresult。
Youknowthatscholarswhoseconceptionsareslow，orwhoaretemporarilydisabledfromexcessofmentalwork，areallowedtoremainattheEcolethreeyearsinsteadoftwo;theythenbecometheobjectofsuspicionslittlefavorabletotheircapacity。Thisoftencompelsyoungmen，whomightlatershowsuperiorcapacity，toleavetheschoolwithoutbeingemployed，simplybecausetheycouldnotmeetthefinalexaminationwiththefullscientificknowledgerequired。Theyarecalled\"driedfruits\";Napoleonmadesub—lieutenantsofthem。To—daythe\"driedfruits\"constituteanenormouslossofcapitaltofamiliesandoftimetoindividuals。
However，asIsay，Itriumphed。Attwenty—oneyearsofageIknewthemathematicalsciencesuptothepointtowhichsomanymenofgeniushavebroughtthem，andIwasimpatienttodistinguishmyselfbycarryingthemfurther。ThisdesireissonaturalthatalmosteverypupilleavingtheEcolefixeshiseyesonthatmoralsuncalledFame。ThefirstthoughtofallistobecomeanotherNewton，orLaplace，orVauban。SucharetheeffortsthatFrancedemandsoftheyoungmenwholeavehercelebratedschool。
Nowletusseethefateofthesemenculledwithsomuchcarefromeachgeneration。Atone—and—twentywedreamoflife，andexpectmarvelsofit。IenteredtheEcoledesPontsetChaussees;Iwasapupil—engineer。Istudiedthescienceofconstruction，andhowardently！Iamsureyourememberthat。Ilefttheschoolin1827，beingthentwenty—fouryearsofage，stillonlyacandidateasengineer，andthegovernmentpaidmeonehundredandfiftyfrancsamonth;thecommonestbook—keeperinParisearnsthatbythetimeheiseighteen，givinglittlemorethanfourhoursadaytohiswork。
Byamostunusualpieceofluck，perhapsbecauseofthedistinctionmydevotedstudieswonforme，Iwasmade，in1828，whenIwastwenty—fiveyearsold，engineer—in—ordinary。Iwassent，asyouknow，toasub—prefecture，withasalaryoftwenty—
fivehundredfrancs。Thequestionofmoneyisnothing。Certainlymyfatehasbeenmorebrilliantthanthesonofacarpentermightexpect;butwherewillyoufindagrocer’sboy，who，ifthrownintoashopatsixteen，willnotintenyearsbeonthehigh—roadtoanindependentproperty？
Ilearnedthentowhattheseterribleeffortsofmentalpower，thesegiganticexertionsdemandedbytheStateweretolead。TheStatenowemployedmetocountandmeasurepavementsandheapsofstonesontheroadways;Ihadtokeepinorder，repair，andsometimesconstructculverts，one—archedbridges，regulatedrift—
ways，cleanandsometimesopenditches，layoutbounds，andanswerquestionsabouttheplantingandfellingoftrees。Sucharetheprincipalandsometimestheonlyoccupationsofordinaryengineers，togetherwithalittlelevellingwhichthegovernmentobligesustodoourselves，thoughanyofourchain—bearerswiththeirlimitedexperiencecandoitbetterthanwewithallourscience。
Therearenearlyfourhundredengineers—in—ordinaryandpupilengineers;andastherearenotmorethanahundredorsoofengineers—in—chief，onlyalimitednumberofthesub—engineerscanhopetorise。Besides，abovethegradeofengineer—in—chief，thereisnoabsorbentclass;forwecannotcountasameansofabsorptionthetenorfifteenplacesofinspector—generalsordivisionaries，——poststhatarealmostasuselessinourcorpsascolonelsareintheartillery，wherethebatteryistheessentialthing。Theengineer—in—ordinary，likethecaptainofartillery，knowsthewholescience。Heoughtnottohaveanyoneoverhimexceptanadministrativeheadtowhomnomorethaneighty—sixengineersshouldreport，——foroneengineer，withtwoassistantsisenoughforadepartment。
Thepresenthierarchyinthesebodiesresultsinthesubordinationofactiveenergeticcapacitiestotheworn—outcapacitiesofoldmen，who，thinkingtheyknowbest，alterornullifytheplanssubmittedbytheirsubordinates，——perhapswiththesoleaimofmakingtheirexistencefelt;forthatseemstometheonlyinfluenceexercisedoverthepublicworksofFrancebytheCouncil—generalofthe/PontsetChaussees/。
Suppose，however，thatIbecome，betweenthirtyandfortyyearsofage，anengineerofthefirst—classandanengineer—in—chiefbeforeIamfifty。Alas！Iseemyfuture;itiswrittenbeforemyeyes。Hereisaforecastofit:——
Mypresentengineer—in—chiefissixtyyearsold;heissuedwithhonors，asIdid，fromthefamousEcole;hehasturnedgraydoingintwodepartmentswhatIamdoingnow，andhehasbecomethemostordinarymanitispossibletoimagine;hehasfallenfromtheheighttowhichhehadreallyrisen;farworse，heisnolongeronthelevelofscientificknowledge;sciencehasprogressed，hehasstayedwherehewas。Themanwhocameforthreadyforlifeattwenty—twoyearsofage，witheverysignofsuperiority，hasnothingleftto—daybutthereputationofit。Inthebeginning，withhismindspeciallyturnedtotheexactsciencesandmathematicsbyhiseducation，heneglectedeverythingthatwasnothisspecialty;andyoucanhardlyimaginehispresentdulnessinallotherbranchesofhumanknowledge。IhardlydareconfideeventoyouthesecretsofhisincapacityshelteredbythefactthathewaseducatedattheEcolePolytechnique。Withthatlabelattachedtohimandonthefaithofthatprestige，noonedreamsofdoubtinghisability。ToyoualonedoIdarerevealthefactthatthedullingofallhistalentshasledhimtospendamilliononasinglematterwhichoughtnottohavecosttheadministrationmorethantwohundredthousandfrancs。Iwishedtoprotest，andwasabouttoinformtheprefect;butanengineerIknowverywellremindedmeofoneofourcomradeswhowashatedbytheadministrationfordoingthatverything。\"Howwouldyoulike，\"hesaidtome，\"whenyougettobeengineer—in—chieftohaveyourerrorsdraggedforthbyyoursubordinate？Beforelongyourengineer—in—chiefwillbemadeadivisionalinspector。Assoonasanyoneofuscommitsaseriousblunder，ashehasdone，theadministration（whichcan’tallowitselftoappearinthewrong）
willquietlyretirehimfromactivedutybymakinghiminspector。\"
That’showtherewardofmeritdevolvesonincapacity。AllFranceknewofthedisasterwhichhappenedintheheartofParistothefirstsuspensionbridgebuiltbyanengineer，amemberoftheAcademyofSciences;amelancholycollapsecausedbyblunderssuchasnoneoftheancientengineers——themanwhocutthecanalatBriareinHenriIV。’stime，orthemonkwhobuiltthePontRoyal——
wouldhavemade;butouradministrationconsoleditsengineerforhisblunderbymakinghimamemberoftheCouncil—general。
Arethetechnicalschoolsvastmanufactoriesofincapables？Thatsubjectrequirescarefulinvestigation。IfIamrighttheyneedreforming，atanyrateintheirmethodofproceeding，——forIamnot，ofcourse，doubtingtheutilityofsuchschools。Only，whenwelookbackintothepastweseethatFranceinformerdaysneverwantedforthegreattalentsnecessarytotheState;butnowshepreferstohatchouttalentgeometrically，afterthetheoryofMonge。DidVaubanevergotoanyotherEcolethanthatgreatschoolwecallvocation？WhowasRiquet’stutor？Whengreatgeniusesariseabovethesocialmass，impelledbyvocation，theyarenearlyalwaysroundedintocompleteness;themanisthennotmerelyaspecialist，hehasthegiftofuniversality。DoyouthinkthatanengineerfromtheEcolePolytechniquecouldevercreateoneofthosemiraclesofarchitecturesuchasLeonardodaVinciknewhowtobuild，——mechanician，architect，painter，inventorofhydraulics，indefatigableconstructorofcanalsthathewas？
Trainedfromtheirearliestyearstothebaldnessofaxiomandformula，theyouthswholeavetheEcolehavelostthesenseofeleganceandornament;acolumnseemstothemuseless;theyreturntothepointwhereartbegins，andclingtotheuseful。
Butallthisisnothingincomparisontotherealmaladywhichisunderminingme。Ifeelanawfultransformationgoingonwithinme;
Iamconsciousthatmypowersandmyfaculties，formerlyunnaturallytaxed，aregivingway。Iamlettingtheprosaicinfluenceofmylifegetholdofme。Iwho，bytheverynatureofmyefforts，lookedtodosomegreatthing，Iamfacetofacewithnonebutpettyones;Imeasurestones，Iinspectroads，Ihavenotenoughtoreallyoccupymefortwohoursinmyday。Iseemycolleaguesmarry，andfallintoasituationcontrarytothespiritofmodernsociety。Iwantedtobeusefultomycountry。Ismyambitionanunreasonableone？Thecountryaskedmetoputforthallmypowers;ittoldmetobecomearepresentativeofscience;
yethereIamwithfoldedarmsinthedepthsoftheprovinces。I
amnotevenallowedtoleavethelocalityinwhichIampenned，toexercisemyfacultiesinplanningusefulenterprises。Ahiddenbutveryrealdisfavoristhecertainrewardofanyoneofuswhoyieldstoaninspirationandgoesbeyondthespecialservicelaiddownforhim。
No，thefavorasuperiormanhastohopeforinthatcaseisthathistalentandhispresumptionmaynotbenoticed，andthathisprojectmaybeburiedinthearchivesoftheadministration。WhatthinkyouwillbetherewardofVicat，theoneamonguswhohasbroughtabouttheonlyrealprogressinthepracticalscienceofconstruction？TheCouncil—generalofthe/PontsetChaussees/，composedinpartofmenworn—outbylongandsometimeshonorableservice，butwhoseonlyremainingforceisfornegation，andwhosetasideeverythingtheynolongercomprehend，istheextinguisherusedtosnuffouttheprojectsofaudaciousspirits。
ThisCouncilseemstohavebeencreatedtoparalyzethearmofthatgloriousyouthofFrance，whichasksonlytoworkandtobeusefultoitscountry。
MonstrousthingsaredoneinParis。Thefutureofaprovincedependsonthemeresignatureofmenwho（throughintriguesIhavenotimetoexplaintoyou）oftenstoptheexecutionofusefulandmuch—neededwork;infact，thebestplansareoftenthosewhichoffermosttothecupidityofcommercialcompaniesorspeculators。
AnotherfiveyearsandIshallnolongerbemyself;myambitionwillbequenched，mydesiretousethefacultiesmycountryorderedmetoexercisegoneforever;thefacultiesthemselvesarerustingoutinthemiserablecorneroftheworldinwhichI
vegetate。Takingmychancesattheirbest，thefutureseemstomeapoorthing。IhavejusttakenadvantageofafurloughtocometoParis;Imeantochangemyprofessionandfindsomeotherwaytoputmyenergy，myknowledge，andmyactivitytouse。Ishallsendinmyresignationandgotosomeothercountry，wheremenofmyspecialcapacityarewanted。
IfIfindIcannotdothis，thenIshallthrowmyselfintothestruggleofthenewdoctrines，whichcertainlyseemcalculatedtoproducegreatchangesinthepresentsocialorderbyjudiciouslyguidingtheworking—classes。Whatarewenowbutworkerswithoutwork，toolsontheshelvesofashop？Wearetrainedandorganizedasiftomovetheworld，andnothingisgivenustodo。Ifeelwithinmesomegreatthing，whichisdecreasingdaily，andwillsoonvanish;Itellyousowithmathematicalfrankness。BeforemakingthechangeIwantyouradvice;Ilookuponmyselfasyourchild，andIwillnevertakeanyimportantstepwithoutconsultingyou，foryourexperienceisequaltoyourkindness。
IknowverywellthattheState，afterobtainingaclassoftrainedmen，cannotundertakeforthemalonegreatpublicworks;
therearenotthreehundredbridgesneededayearinallFrance;
theStatecannomorebuildgreatbuildingsforthefameofitsengineersthanitcandeclarewarmerelytowinbattlesandbringtothefrontgreatgenerals;but，then，asmenofgeniushaveneverfailedtopresentthemselveswhentheoccasioncalledforthem，springingfromthecrowdlikeVauban，cantherebeanygreaterproofoftheuselessnessofthepresentinstitution？Can’ttheyseethatwhentheyhavestimulatedamanoftalentbyallthosepreparationshewillmakeafiercestrugglebeforeheallowshimselftobecomeanonentity？IsthisgoodpolicyonthepartoftheState？Onthecontrary，isnottheStatelightingthefireofardentambitions，whichmustfindfuelsomewhere。
Amongthesixhundredyoungmenwhomtheyputfortheveryyearthereareexceptions，——menwhoresistwhatmaybecalledtheirdemonetization。Iknowsomemyself，andifIcouldtellyoutheirstruggleswithmenandthingswhenarmedwithusefulprojectsandconceptionswhichmightbringlifeandprosperitytothehalf—deadprovinceswheretheStatehassentthem，youwouldfeelthatamanofpower，amanoftalent，amanwhosenatureisamiracle，isahundredfoldmoreunfortunateandmoretobepitiedthanthemanwhoselowernatureletshimsubmittotheshrinkageofhisfaculties。
Ihavemadeupmymind，therefore，thatIwouldratherdirectsomecommercialorindustrialenterprise，andliveonsmallmeanswhiletryingtosolvesomeofthegreatproblemsstillunknowntoindustryandtosociety，thanremainatmypresentpost。
Youwilltellme，perhaps，thatnothinghindersmefromemployingtheleisurethatIcertainlyhaveinusingmyintellectualpowersandseekinginthestillnessofthiscommonplacelifethesolutionofsomeproblemusefultohumanity。Ah！monsieur，don’tyouknowtheinfluenceoftheprovinces，——therelaxingeffectofalifejustbusyenoughtowastetimeonfutilelabor，andnotenoughtousetherichresourcesoureducationhasgivenus？Don’tthinkme，mydearprotector，eatenupbythedesiretomakeafortune，norevenbyaninsensatedesireforfame。Iamtoomuchofacalculatornottoknowthenothingnessofglory。NeitherdoIwanttomarry;seeingthefatenowbeforeme，Ithinkmyexistenceamelancholygifttoofferanywoman。Asformoney，thoughIregarditasoneofthemostpowerfulmeansgiventosocialmantoactwith，itis，afterall，butameans。
Iplacemywholedesireandhappinessonthehopeofbeingusefultomycountry。Mygreatestpleasurewouldbetoworkinsomesituationsuitedtomyfaculties。Ifinyourregion，orinthecircleofyouracquaintances，youshouldhearofanyenterprisethatneededthecapacitiesyouknowmetopossess，thinkofme;I
willwaitsixmonthsforyouranswerbeforetakinganystep。
