The Arcades Project - Operi

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women, were in no way the outcome of an epicurean design." Firmin Maillard, La
Legende de lafemme emancipee (Paris), p. 40.
[U15,5]
Proudhon was a fierce opponent of Saint-Simonianism; he speaks of "Saint-
Simonian rottenness." [U!5,6]
"The arts can flourish only as conditioned within an organic age ,
and inspiration is strong and salutary only when it is social and religious."
Thus E. Barrault speaks out, in Aux artistes: Du Passe et de l'avenir des
beaux-arts (Paris, 1830), p. 73, against the barren I."critical ages." [DI5,7]
Last eeho of the idea that inaugurated Saint-Simonianism: "One can compare the
zeal and the ardor displayed by the civilized nations of today in their establishment
of railroads with that which, several centuries ago, went into the building
of cathedrals . . . . If it is true, as we hear, that the word religion' comes from
"eligare, "to hind" . .. ,then the railroads have more to do with the religious spirit
than one might suppose. There has never existed a more powerful instrument for
... rallying the scattered populations." Michel Chevalier, "Chemins de fer/' in
Dictionnaire de l'economie politique (Paris, 1852), p. 20. [UlSa,l]
"The government wanted, on its own, to eonstruct the railway system. There were
various disadvantages to this course of action, . .. but, in the end, it would have
given us railroads. The idea occasioned a terrific explosion; political rivalries
dominated the scene. Science itself . .. came ont in support of the spirit of systematic
opposition. An illustrious savant was vain enough to lend the authority of his
name to the plot against the railways. Construction by the state was thus rejected
by an overwhelming majority. This occurred in 1838. Favorably disposed, as it
was, toward the project, the government now turned to private industry. Take
these marvelous thoroughfares, it said; I am offering you the concession for them.
And no sooner were these words out than a new storm at'ose. What! The bankers,
the capitalists are going to reap a fortune from this venture! ... It is feudalism
reborn from its own ashes!-The plans to offer concessions to companies were
accordingly withdrawn, . .. or else spiked with clauses that made aeceptance impossible
for serious investors. We continued like this up until 1844." Michel
Chevalier, Chemins de fer," excerpt from Dictionnaire de ['economic politiqu.e
(Paris, 1852), p. 100. [U!5a,2]
Chevalier already sets up, for the transport of war materials in railroad cars, the
equation: forty men equal six horses. See Michel Chevalier, "Chemins de fer," in
Dictionnaire de l'econonde politiquc (Paris, 1852), pp. 47-48. [UlSa,3]
Theory of art in Saint-Simoniamsm. It rests on the division of history "into Organic
or religious ages and Critieal or irreligious ages . ... The course of history
treated in this work comprises two organic ages-the first constituted under the
reign of Greek polytheism, the second under that of Christianity-and, in the