not his main
idea that they disputed, so much as its desirability; they would
appeal to Clerambault's better side:

"Certainly, of course, I think as you do, or almost as you do; I
understand what you mean; ... but you ought to be cautious, my dear
friend, not to trouble the consciences of those who have to fight. You
cannot always speak the truth, at least not all at once. These fine
things may come about ... in fifty years, perhaps. We must wait and
not go too fast for nature ..."

"Wait, until the appetites of the exploiter, and the folly of the
exploited are equally exhausted? When the thinking of clear-sighted,
better sort gives way to the blindness of coarser minds, it goes
directly contrary to that nature which it professes to follow, and
against the historical destiny which they themselves make it a point
of honour to obey. For do we respect the plans of Nature when we
stifle one part of its thought, and the higher, at that? The theory
which would lop off the strongest forces from life, and bend it
before the passions of the multitude, would result in suppressing the
advance-guard, and leaving the army without leaders.... When the boat
leans over, must I not throw my weight on the other side to keep an
even keel? Or must we all sit down to leeward? Advanced ideas are
Nature's weights, intended to counter-balance the heavy stubborn past;
without them the boat will upset.... The welcome they will receive is
a side issue. Their advocates can expect to be stoned, but whoever has
these things in his mind and does not speak them, is a dishonoured
man. He is like a soldier in battle, to whom a dangerous message is
entrusted; is he free to shirk it?... Why does not everyone understand
these things?"

When they saw that persuasion had no effect on Clerambault, they
unmasked their batteries and violently taxed him with absurd, criminal
pride. They asked him if he thought himself cleverer than anyone else,
that he set himself up against the entire nation? On what did he found
this overweening self-confidence? Duty consists in being humble, and
keeping to one's proper place in the community; when it commands, our
duty is to bow to it, and, whether we agree or not, we must carry out
its orders. Woe to the rebel against the soul of his country! To be in
the right and in opposition to her is to be wrong, and in the hour of
action wrong is a crime. The Republic demands obedience from her sons.

"The Republic or death," sa