And in the
result she likewise had placed herself in Gaude's hands. She certainly
was of little account, and, whatever might become of her, the world would
be none the poorer by her death. But Boutan pointed out that during the
fifteen years that Gaude's theories and practices had prevailed in
France, no fewer than half a million women had been treated accordingly,
and, in the vast majority of cases, without any such treatment being
really necessary. Moreover, Boutan spoke feelingly of the after results
of such treatment--comparative health for a few brief years, followed in
some cases by a total loss of muscular energy, and in others by insanity
of a most violent form; so that the padded cells of the madhouses were
filling year by year with the unhappy women who had passed through the
hands of Gaude and his colleagues. From a social point of view also the
effects were disastrous. They ran counter to all Boutan's own theories,
and blasted all his hopes of living to see France again holding a
foremost place among the nations of the earth.
"Ah!" said he to Mathieu, "if people were only like you and your good
wife!"
During those four years at Chantebled the Froments had been ever
founding, creating, increasing, and multiplying, again and again proving
victorious in the eternal battle which life wages against death, thanks
to that continual increase both of offspring and of fertile land which
was like their very existence, their joy and their strength.
Pages:
316
317
318
319
320
321
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340