"[80] "Sick women,[81] children in their cradles, lie outstretched
in the sun," in the very heart of Paris, in rue Vivienne, on the Pont-
Royal, and remain there "late in the night, demanding alms of the
passers-by." "One is constantly stopped by beggars of both sexes, most
of them healthy and strong," begging, they say, for lack of work.
Without counting the feeble and the infirm who are unable to stand in
a line, whose sufferings are visible, who gradually waste away and die
without a murmur at home, "one encounters in the streets and markets"
only famished and eager visages, "an immense crowd of citizens running
and dashing against each other," crying out and weeping, "everywhere
presenting an image of despair."[82]
V. Revolutionary Remedies.
Revolutionary remedies. - Rigor against the refractory. - Decrees
and orders rendering the State the only depositary and distributor of
food. - Efforts made to establish a conscription of labor. -
Discouragement of the Peasant. - He refuses to cultivate. - Decrees
and orders compelling him to harvest. - His stubbornness. -
Cultivators imprisoned by thousands. - The Convention is obliged to
set them at liberty.
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