. . The only rights that parents have are those of protection and watchfulness."[91]
The father can no longer control the education of his children； the State takes charge of it. The father is no longer master of his property； that portion he can dispose of by donation or testament is of the smallest； we prescribe an equal and forced division of property. - Finally we preach adoption， we efface bastardy， we confer on children born of free love， or of a despotic will， the same rights as those of legitimate children. In short， we break that sacred circle， that exclusive group， that aristocratic organization which， under the name of the family， was created out of pride and egoism.[92]
- Henceforth， affection and obedience will no longer be frittered away； the miserable supports to which they have clung like ivy vines， castes， churches， corporations， provinces， communes or families， are ruined and rooted out； on the ground which is thus leveled， the State alone remains standing， and it alone offers any point of adhesion； all these vines are about to twine themselves in on trunk about the great central column.
VIII.
Indoctrination of mind and intellect. - Civil religion.- National education. -Egalitarian moral standards..- Obligatory civism. - The recasting and reduction of human nature to the Jacobin type.
Let not Man go astray， let us lead him on， let us direct minds and souls， and， to this end， let us enfold him in our doctrines. He needs general ideas and the daily experiences flowing out of them； he needs some theory explaining the origin and nature of things， one which assigns him his place and the part he has to play in the world， which teaches him his duties， which regulates his life， which fixes the days he shall work and the days he shall rest， which stamps itself on his mind through commemorations， festivals and ceremonies， through a catechism and a calendar. Up to this time Religion has been the power charged with this service， interpreted and served by the Church； now it is to be Reason， interpreted and served by the State. - In this connection， many among us， disciples of the encyclopedists， constitute Reason a divinity， and honor her with a system of worship； but it is plain that they personify an abstraction； their improvised goddess is simply an allegorical phantom； none of them see in her the intelligent cause of the world； in the depths of their hearts they deny this Supreme Cause， their pretended religion being merely a show or a sham.
- We discard atheism， not only because it is false， but again， and more especially， because it is disintegrating and unwholesome.[93] We want an effective， consolatory and fortifying religion， and that religion is natural religion， which is social as well as true.
"Without this，[94] as Rousseau has said， it is impossible to be a good citizen... ...The existence of divinity， the future life， the sacredness of the social contract and of the laws，" all are its dogmas； "no one may be forced to believe in these， but whoever dares say that he does not believe in them， sets himself up against the French people， the human species and nature." Consequently， we decree that "the French people recognizes the Supreme Being and the immortality of the soul." - The important thing now is to plant this entirely philosophic faith in all hearts. We introduce it into the civil order of things， we take the calendar out of the hands of the Church， we purge it of its Christian imagery； we make the new era begin with the advent of the Republic； we divide the year according to the metric system， we name the months according to the vicissitudes of the seasons， "we substitute， in all directions， the realities of reason for the visions of ignorance， the truths of nature for a sacerdotal prestige，"[95] the decade for the week， the décadi for Sundays， lay festivals for ecclesiastical festivals.[96] On each décadi， through solemn and appropriate pomp， we impress on the popular mind one of the highest truths of our creed； we glorify， in the order of their dates， Nature， Truth， Justice， Liberty， Equality， the People， Adversity， Humanity， the Republic， Posterity， Glory， Patriotism， Heroism， and other virtues. Besides this， we honor the important days of the Revolution， the taking of the Bastille， the fall of the Throne， the punishment of the tyrant， the expulsion of the Girondins. We， too， have our anniversaries， our relics， the relics of Chalier and Marat，[97] our processions， our services， our ritual，[98] and the vast system of visible pageantry by which dogmas are made manifest and propagated. But ours， instead of leading men off to an imaginary heaven， brings them back to a living patrimony， and， through our ceremonies as well as through our creed， we shall preach public-spiritedness (civism).
It is important to preach this to adults， it is still more important to teach it to children： for children are more easily molded than adults. Our hold on these still flexible minds is complete， and， through national education "we seize the coming generations."[99]
Naught is more essential and naught is more legitimate.
"The country，" says Robespierre， "has a right to bring up its own children； it cannot confide this trust to family pride nor to the prejudices of individuals， the eternal nourishment of aristocracies and of a domestic federalism which narrows the soul by keeping it isolated." We are determined to have "education common and equal for all French people，" and "we stamp on it a great character， analogous to the nature of our government and the sublime doctrines of our Republic. The aim is no longer to form gentlemen (messieurs) but citizens."[100]