The term 'freedom' in whatever connection it is used has forfifty years past exercised a magical influence in France.Hence ithappened that Say， under the Empire as well as under theRestoration， belonged to the Opposition， and that he incessantlyadvocated economy.Thus his writings became popular for quite otherreasons than what they contained.Otherwise would it not beincomprehensible that their popularity should have continued afterthe fall of Napoleon， at a period when the adoption of Say's systemwould inevitably have ruined the French manufacturers？ His firmadherence to the cosmopolitical principle under such circumstancesproves how little political insight the man had.How in little heknew the world， is shown by his firm belief the cosmopoliticaltendencies of Canning and Huskisson.One thing only was lacking tohis fame， that neither Louis XVIII nor Charles X made him ministerof commerce and of finance.In that case history would have coupledhis name with that of Colbert， the one as the creator of thenational industry， the other as its destroyer.
Never has any author with such small materials exercised sucha wide scientific terrorism as J.B.Say； the slightest doubt as tothe infallibility of his doctrine was branded as obscurantism； andeven men like Chaptal feared the anathemas of thispolitico-economical Pope.Chaptal's work on the industry of France，from the beginning to the end， is nothing else than an expositionof the effects of the French protective system； he states thatexpressly； he says distinctly that under the existing circumstancesof the world， prosperity for France can only be hoped for under thesystem of protection.At the same time Chaptal endeavours by anarticle in praise of free trade， directly in opposition to thewhole tendency of his book， to solicit pardon for his heresy fromthe school of Say.Say imitated the Papacy even so far as to its'Index.' He certainly did not prohibit heretical writingsindividually by name， but he was stricter still； he prohibits all，the non-heretical as well as the heretical； he warns the youngstudents of political economy not to read too many books， as theymight thus too easily be misled into errors； they ought to readonly a few， but those good books， which means in other words， 'Youought only to read me and Adam Smith， no others.' but that none toogreat sympathy should accrue to the immortal father of the schoolfrom the adoration of his disciples， his successor and interpreteron earth took good care， for， according to Say， Adam Smith's booksare full of confusion， imperfection， and contradictions； and heclearly gives us to understand that one can only learn from himself'how one ought to read Adam Smith.'
Notwithstanding， when Say was at the zenith of his fame，certain young heretics arose who attacked the basis of his systemso effectually and so boldly， that he preferred privately to replyto them， and meekly to avoid any public discussion.Among these，Tanneguy du Ch鈚el (more than once a minister of State) was themost vigorous and the most ingenious.
'Selon vous， mon cher critique，' said Say to Du Ch鈚el in aprivate letter， ' il ne reste plus dans mon 閏onomie politique quedes actions sans motifs， des faits sans explication， une cha頽e derapports dont les extr閙it閟 manquent et dont les anneaux les plusimportants sont bris閟.Je partage donc l'infortune d'Adam Smith，dont un de nos critiques a dit qu'il avait fait r閠rograderl'閏onomie politique.'(4*) In a postscript to this letter heremarks very naively， 'Dans le second article que vous annoncez， ilest bien inutile de revenir sur cette pol閙ique， par laquelle nouspouvions bien ennuyer le public.'