ABSTRACT
In a realm where two opposed parties furiously battle one another, there is hardly a public opinion. All opinions are intensified by difference. Rome's well-being embraced the well-being of all Roman citizens, and invariably generated enthusiasm by proposing the sacrifice of personal interests to the common good, not that the Romans were more generous than we are, but because the contribution of each individual was outweighed by the benefit he derived from the common weal. The two great differences make it necessary that the Republic in France not demand things of or exert pressure upon the people, that it be guided by a preventive ethic rather than a doctrine of sacrifice that becomes brutal when it ceases to be voluntary, in short, we must remember that progress in the technique of social organization, having made private welfare easier to achieve, has alienated citizens all the more from sacrificing for the common good.
