Still, although the military class in France is not one with the aristocracy, it is quite true that the military profession is the only career, in French opinion, for a gentleman of birth, unless he studies for the bar, which he generally does without any intent to practise.
The Official Class.
The Prefect.
Contempt for Republican Officials.
The official class of prefects, sub-prefects, and other members of the administrative hierarchy, form a caste quite apart from high society, which will not recognise office-holders under the Republic. I have known several of these officials who were thorough gentlemen, and had good private fortunes besides, but the higher classes ignored them as completely as if they had been personally unfit for society. The fact that the prefect is by virtue of his office the greatest personage in the department only makes him the more disliked. His rank is officially equal to that of an English lord-lieutenant, and he is more important in the sense of having more work to do and more real authority to exercise.[73] When, however, we compare the social position of the two we see how France is divided. England is not yet divided in the same way because the Crown makes the great official appointments, or at least seems to make them. There is not now any political authority left standing in France which commands the respect of the upper classes. They do not respect authorities emanating from the people.
Noblesse, Bourgeoisie, Peuple.
Professional People.
Now, with regard to the professional and trading classes I should say that they are nearer to one another in France than in England. The old division of Noblesse, Bourgeoisie, Peuple, is still in constant use, and is extremely convenient as a general division of French classes. The noblesse, true or false, lives on its means, and has generally landed property; the bourgeoisie lives in more or less comfort, either on private means or on the gains of professions and trades; the peuple lives by manual labour and on wages. An artist, a solicitor, a doctor, belong to the bourgeoisie, and they are all three nearer to the shopkeepers and more familiar and friendly with them than are men who belong to the liberal professions in England.
Gentlemen.
A distinction of the greatest importance between England and France is indicated by the untranslatableness of the word “gentleman.” The English reader knows what the word means. It is the sign of an ideal which may constitute caste or something else, for it often traverses caste. You frequently, in England, meet with men who are not of high birth, who are not very rich, yet whom all recognise as gentlemen, and this simple recognition places them on an equality, of a certain kind, with people of higher rank. In France, this peculiar kind of equality is unknown. The bourgeois is never the equal of the noble, though he may be the better gentleman of the two. It is undeniable that, in this peculiar sense, English society is more égalitaire than French.