once took a thousand dollars (thalers), the savings of a very hard-worked life, from an old leather purse, and joyfully contributed them to a Revolutionary cause, on a certain occasion when, at the beginning of the Revolution, money was being collected; and Champfort was avaricious and had always been protected by the great.
But the men of the working-classes (die Männer der Gewerbe) did much more than the literati to bring about the fall of the old régime. If the latter believed that in its place there would be a Government of intellectual capacity, the former, as the industrials, held that there would be given to them, as the practically most powerful and influential part of the people, a legal recognition of their higher significance, and quite as certainly citizenly equality and co-operation in state affairs. And in fact, as all institutions had hitherto rested on the ancient military system and church faith—neither of which had any longer a life in themselves—society must in future be based on the two new powers in which throbbed the most life-power: that is, on industry and science. The clergy, who had been spiritually behind-hand ever
summis officiis quantum potes maleficiorum reponis." The Romans had even discovered a type of character so detestable that he would do to those who had rendered him kind service worse evil than he would have inflicted on an enemy.—Translator.
