France -- Civilization; France -- Politics and government; France -- Social life and customs -- 19th century
Such a body, enjoying such credit, cannot remain independent. Napoleon
is not content to be one of its members. He wants to hold it in his
grasp, have it at his own disposition, and use it the same as a member
or, at least, contrive to get effective control of it. He has reserved
to himself an equally powerful one in the old Catholic Church; he has
reserved to himself like equivalents in the young lay Church; and, in
both cases, he limits them, and subjects them to all the restrictions
which a living body can support. In relation to science and religion he
might repeat word for word his utterances in relation to religion and to
faith. "Napoleon has no desire to change the belief of his populations;
he respects spiritual matters; he wishes simply to dominate them without
touching them, without meddling with them; all he desires is to make
them square with his views, with his policy, but through the
influence of temporalities." To this end, he negotiated with the Pope,
reconstructed, as he wanted it, the Church of France, appointed bishops,
restrained and directed the canonical authorities. To this end, he
settles matters with the literary and scientific authorities, gets them
together in a large hall, gives them arm-chairs to sit in, gives by-laws
to their groups, a purpose and a rank in the State, in brief, he adopts,
remakes, and completes the "National Institute" of France.[6235]
IV. Napoleon's stranglehold on science.
Hold of the government on the members of the Institute.--How
he curbs and keeps them down.--Circle in which lay power may
act.--Favor and freedom of the mathematical, physical and
natural sciences.--Disfavor and restrictions on the moral
sciences.--Suppression of the class of moral and political
sciences.--They belong to the State, included in the
imperial domain of the Emperor.--Measures against Ideology,
philosophic or historic study of Law, Political Economy and
Statistics.--Monopoly of History.
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