Les Misérables, v. 2/5: Cosette

by Victor Hugo

  CHAPTER IV.

  THE CONVENT FROM MORAL STANDPOINT.

  Some men unite and live together. By what right? By the right ofassociation.

  They shut themselves up at home. By what right? By the right whichevery man has to keep his door open or shut.

  They do not go out. By what right? By the right to go and come, whichimplies the right to stay at home.

  There, at home, what do they do?

  They speak in low tones; they lower their eyes; they work. Theyrenounce the world, cities, sensual joys, pleasures, vanity, pride,interest. They are clad in coarse wool, or coarse canvas. Not one ofthem has any property of his own. In entering, he who was rich makeshimself poor. Whatever he has he gives to them all. He who was what theworld calls well born, the nobleman and the lord, is the equal of himwho was a peasant. All have the same cell. All bear the same tonsure,wear the same frock, eat the same black bread, sleep on the same straw,die on the same ashes. The same sackcloth on the back, the same ropearound the loins. If it is the rule to go barefoot, all go barefoot.One of them may have been a prince, this prince is the same shade asthe others. No more titles, family names even have disappeared. Theybear only Christian names. All bow beneath the equality of baptismalnames. They have dissolved the fleshly family, and have formed in theircommunity the spiritual family. They have no longer any other kindredthan mankind. They help the poor, they heal the sick. They elect thosewhom they obey. They call each other "brother."

  You stop me, and you exclaim, "But that is an ideal convent."

  It is enough that such a convent is possible to make it my duty to takeit into account.

  This is the reason that in the preceding book I have spoken of aconvent in a tone of respect. Putting aside the Middle Ages, puttingaside Asia, reserving the consideration of the historical and politicalquestion from the purely philosophical point of view, outside of thenecessities of militant politics, upon the condition that the monasteryshould be wholly voluntary, and should shut up only those who freelyconsent, I should always regard the claustral community with attentiveand on some accounts reverend gravity. Where the community is, there isthe commune; where the commune is, there is human right. The monasteryis the result of the formula: Equality, Fraternity. Oh, how great isLiberty! What a glorious transfiguration! Liberty is all that is neededto transform the monastery into the republic.

  Let us go on.

  But these men or these women, who are behind these four walls, theywear sackcloth, they are equal, they call each other brother. Verywell; but is there anything else that they do?

  Yes.

  What?

  They look into the darkness, they fall upon their knees, and they clasptheir hands.

  What does that mean?