I. The Federations. - Popular application of philosophic theory. -Idyllic celebration of the Contrat-Social. - The two strata of the human mind. - Permanent disorder.
If there ever was an Utopia which seemed capable of realization， or， what is still more to the purpose， was really applied， converted into a fact， fully established， it is that of Rousseau， in 1789 and during the three following years. For， not only are his principles embodied in the laws， and the Constitution throughout animated with his spirit， but it seems as if the nation looked upon his ideological gambols， his abstract fiction， as serious. This fiction it carried out in every particular. A social contract， at one spontaneous and practical， an immense gathering of men associating together freely for the first time for the recognition of their respective rights， forming a specific compact， and binding themselves by a solemn oath： such is the social recipe prescribed by the philosophers， and which is carried out to the letter. Moreover， as this recipe is esteemed infallible， the imagination is worked upon and the sensibilities of the day are brought into play. It is admitted that men， on again becoming equals， have again become brothers.[2] A sudden and amazing harmony of all volitions and all intelligences will restore the golden age on earth. It is proper， accordingly， to regard the social contract as a festival， an affecting， sublime idyll， in which， from one end of France to the other， all， hand in hand， should assemble and swear to the new compact， with song， with dance， with tears of joy， with shouts of gladness， the worthy beginning of public felicity. With unanimous assent， indeed， the idyll is performed as if according to a written program.
On the 29th of November， 1789， at Etoile， near Valence， the federations began.[3] Twelve thousand National Guards， from the two banks of the Rh？ne， promise "to remain for ever united， to insure the circulation of grain， and to maintain the laws passed by the National Assembly." On the 13th of December， at Montélimart， six thousand men， the representatives of 27 000 other men， take a similar oath and confederate themselves with the foregoing. - Upon this the excitement spreads from month to month and from province to province. Fourteen towns of the bailiwicks of Franche-Comté form a patriotic league. At Pontivy， Brittany enters into federal relations with Anjou. One thousand National Guards of Vivarais and Languedoc send their delegates to Voute. 48 000 in the Vosges send their deputies to Epinal. During February， March， April， and May， 1790， in Alsace， Champagne， Dauphiny， Orléanais， Touraine， Lyonnais， and Provence， there is the same spectacle. At Draguignan eight thousand National Guards take the oath in the presence of 20 000spectators. At Lyons 50 000 men， delegates of more than 500 000others take the civic oath. - But local unions are not sufficient to complete the organization of France ； a general union of all Frenchmen must take place. Many of the various National Guards have already written to Paris for the purpose of affiliating themselves with the National Guard there； and， one the 5th of June， the Parisian municipal body having proposed it， the Assembly decrees the universal federation. It is to take place on the 14th of July， everywhere on the same day， both at the center and at the extremities of the kingdom. There is to be one in the principal town of each district and of each department， and one in the capital. To the latter each body of the National Guards is to send deputies in the proportion of one man to every two hundred； and each regiment one officer， one non-commissioned officer， and four privates. Fourteen thousand representatives of the National Guard of the provinces appear on the Champ de Mars， the theater of the festival； also eleven to twelve thousand representatives of the land and marine forces， besides the National Guard of Paris， and sixty thousand spectators on the surrounding slopes， with a still greater crowd on the heights of Chaillot and of Passy. All rise to their feet and swear fidelity to the nation， to the law， to the King and to the new Constitution. When the report of the cannon is heard which announces the taking of the oath， those of the Parisians who have remained at home， men， women， and children， raise their hands in the direction of the Champ de Mars and likewise make their affirmation. In every principal town of every district， department， and commune in France there is the same oath on the same day. Never was there a more perfect social compact heard of. Here， for the first time in the world， everybody beholds a veritable legitimate society， for it is founded on free pledges， on solemn stipulations， and on actual consent. They possess the authentic act and the dated official report of it.[4]
There is still something more - the time and the occasion betoken a union of all hearts. The barriers which have hitherto separated men from each other are all removed and without effort. Provincial antagonisms are now to cease： the confederates of Brittany and Anjou write that they no longer desire to be Angevins and Bretons， but simply Frenchmen. All religious discords are to come to an end： at Saint-Jean-du-Gard， near Alais， the Catholic curé and the Protestant pastor embrace each other at the altar； the pastor occupies the best seat in the church， and at the Protestant meeting-house the curé has the place of honor， and listens to the sermon of the pastor.[5]