of man to a State automaton is
plain enough in the institution of "Overseer of Gags..." At all grand
hunts, at all gatherings of troops, he orders the application of gags.
In these cases gags are put in the soldiers' mouths; they then fulfill
their duties without tumult or shouting."]

[Footnote 2206: These two words have no exact equivalents in Greek or
Latin, Conscientia, dignitas, honos denote different shade of meaning.
This difference is most appreciable in the combination of the two modern
terms delicate conscience, scrupulous conscience, and the phrase of
stake one's honour on this or that, make it a point of honor, the laws
of honor, etc. The technical terms of antique morality: the beautiful,
truthfulness, the sovereign good, indicate ideas of another stamp and
origin.]

[Footnote 2207: Alas, modern 20th century democratic Man has given up
honor and conscience, all he has got to do is to be correct and follow
the thousands of rules governing his life. And, of course, make sure
that he is following orders or sure of not being caught when he breaks
the natural rules of friendship, honor or conscience. Conscience, on
the other had, will always lurk somewhere in the shadows of our mind,
because we all know how we would like to be treated by others, and
will be forced not to transgress certain boundaries in case an intended
victim might be in a position to take his revenge. That I am not alone
in seeing things this way I noted in an interview with the 79 year old
French author Michel Deon in Le Figaro on the 16th of May 1998 in which
Mr. Deon said: "Everywhere we are still in a nursery. A great movement
attempting to turn us all into half-wits (une grande campagne de
cretinisation est en route). When these are the only ones left, the
governments have an easy job. It is very clever." (SR.)]

[Footnote 2208: Montaigne, Essays, book I., ch. 42: "Observe in
provinces far from the court, in Brittany for example, the retinue,
the subjects, the duties, the ceremony, of a seignior living alone
by himself, brought up among his dependents, and likewise observe the
flights of his imagination, there is nothing which is more royal; he may
allude to his superior once a year, as if he were the King of Persia...
The burden of sovereignty scarcely affects the French gentilhomme twice
in his life... he who lurks in his own place avoiding dispute and trial
is as free as the Duke of Venice."]

[Footnote 2209: "Memoires de Chateaub