IV. CASTING OUT THE RESIDUE OF TRUTH AND JUSTICE.
Two stages in this operation. - Voltaire， Montesquieu， the deists and the reformers represent the first one. - What they destroy and what they respect.
In this great undertaking there are two stages. Owing to common sense or timidity many stop half-way. Motivated by passion or logic others go to the end. -- A first campaign results in carrying the enemy's out-works and his frontier fortresses， the philosophical army being led by Voltaire. To combat hereditary prejudice， other prejudices are opposed to it whose empire is as extensive and whose authority is not less recognized. Montesquieu looks at France through the eyes of a Persian， and Voltaire， on his return from England， describes the English， an unknown species. Confronting dogma and the prevailing system of worship， accounts are given， either with open or with disguised irony， of the various Christian sects， the Anglicans， the Quakers， the Presbyterians， the Socinians， those of ancient or of remote people， the Greeks， Romans， Egyptians， Muslims， and Guebers， of the worshippers of Brahma， of the Chinese and of pure idolaters. In relation to established laws and customs， expositions are made， with evident intentions， of other constitutions and other social habits， of despotism， of limited monarchy， of a republic， here the church subject to the state， there the church free of the state， in this country castes， in another polygamy， and， from country to country， from century to century， the diversity， contradiction and antagonism of fundamental customs which， each on its own ground， are all equally consecrated by tradition， all legitimately forming the system of public rights. From now on the charm is broken. Ancient institutions lose their divine prestige； they are simply human works， the fruits of the place and of the moment， and born out of convenience and a covenant. Skepticism enters through all the breaches. With regard to Christianity it at once enters into open hostility， into a bitter and prolonged polemical warfare； for， under the title of a state religion this occupies the ground， censuring free thought， burning writings， exiling， imprisoning or disturbing authors， and everywhere acting as a natural and official adversary. Moreover， by virtue of being an ascetic religion， it condemns not only the free and cheerful ways tolerated by the new philosophy but again the natural tendencies it sanctions， and the promises of terrestrial felicity with which it everywhere dazzles the eyes. Thus the heart and the head both agree in their opposition. -- Voltaire， with texts in hand， pursues it from one end to the other of its history， from the first biblical narration to the latest papal bulls， with unflagging animosity and energy， as critic， as historian， as geographer， as logician， as moralist， questioning its sources， opposing evidences， driving ridicule like a pick-ax into every weak spot where an outraged instinct beats against its mystic walls， and into all doubtful places where ulterior patchwork disfigures the primitive structure. -- He respects， however， the first foundation， and， in this particular， the greatest writers of the day follow the same course. Under positive religions that are false there is a natural religion that is true. This is the simple and authentic text of which the others are altered and amplified translations. Remove the ulterior and divergent excesses and the original remains； this common essence， on which all copies harmonize， is deism. -- The same operation is to be made on civil and political law. In France， where so many survive their utility， where privileges are no longer paid for with service， where rights are changed into abuses， how incoherent is the architecture of the old Gothic building！ How poorly adapted to a modern nation ！ Of what use， in an unique and compact state， are those feudal compartments separating orders， corporations and provinces？ What a living paradox is the archbishop of a semi-province， a chapter owning 12，000 serfs， a drawing room abbé well supported by a monastery he never saw， a lord liberally pensioned to figure in antechambers， a magistrate purchasing the right to administer justice， a colonel leaving college to take the command of his inherited regiment， a Parisian trader who， renting a house for one year in Franche-Comté， alienates through this act alone the ownership of his property and of his person. Throughout Europe there are others of the same character. The best that can be said of "a civilized nation" [12] is that its laws， customs and practices are composed "one-half of abuses and one-half of tolerable usage". --But， underneath these concrete laws， which contradict each other， and of which each contradicts itself， a natural law exists， implied in the codes， applied socially， and written in all hearts.
"Show me a country where it is honest to steal the fruits of my labor， to violate engagements， to lie for injurious purposes， to calumniate， to assassinate， to poison， to be ungrateful to one's benefactor， to strike one's father and mother on offering you food". -"Justice and injustice is the same throughout the universe，"and， as in the worst community force always， in some respects， is at the service of right， so， in the worst religion， the extravagant dogma always in some fashion proclaims a supreme architect. --Religions and communities， accordingly， disintegrated under the investigating process， disclose at the bottom of the crucible， some residue of truth， others a residue of justice， a small but precious balance， a sort of gold ingot of preserved tradition， purified by Reason， and which little by little， freed from its alloys， elaborated and devoted to all usage， must solely provide the substance of religion and all threads of the social warp.
V. THE DREAM OF A RETURN TO NATURE.