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How the Year 2440 was Imagined in 1771 — Transcript

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0:01[Music]
0:03the world of the future is a concept
0:05that has always evolved with the
0:08present over the years many different
0:10Visions have been put forward from
0:12predictions of personal airships around
0:141900 to nuclear powered cars and space
0:17flight by the middle of the
0:20century most of these Visions were made
0:23in the wake of the rapid industrial and
0:25scientific progress of the 19th century
0:27and focus on how technology will
0:29continue to reshape the
0:33world but even before this period in
0:36time there were some who speculated
0:38about how the future could be different
0:39from the
0:40present one of them was the French
0:43writer and dramatist Louis Sebastian
0:46Mercier in 1771 he published a novel
0:50called the year 2440 a dream if ever
0:53there was one in which he presents a
0:55very different kind of future than we're
0:57used to written from the perspective of
1:00an 18th century man who falls asleep one
1:02night and dreams that he wakes up almost
1:04700 years into the future it shows a
1:07world where some technological progress
1:09has been made but the Industrial
1:11Revolution never happened it's a world
1:14where an agrarian society has invented
1:16something resembling hologram technology
1:18where Pennsylvania is ruled by an atic
1:21emperor and drinking coffee is a
1:23criminal
1:25offense most of all the book is
1:27interested in how philosophy and reason
1:29has changed the world world and
1:30describes how France has been
1:32transformed into an aarian Society
1:34through a peaceful Revolution led by its
1:37king essentially a piece of utopian
1:40fiction the book was unusual and that it
1:42placed its Utopia not in the present day
1:44on some Far Away Island but in the
1:46distant future and in the familiar
1:48setting of
1:49[Music]
1:50Paris released just 18 years before the
1:53outbreak of the French Revolution it can
1:55be seen as a veiled call to action and
1:57was promptly banned in its country of
1:59origin
2:01it was also forbidden in Spain where it
2:03was condemned by the Inquisition and
2:05reputedly burned by the king
2:07himself nonetheless the book became an
2:10underground hit and one of the most
2:12popular and controversial novels of the
2:1318th century it was translated into
2:16numerous languages went through over 20
2:19editions in mercier's lifetime and ended
2:21up in the libraries of both George
2:23Washington and Thomas
2:26Jefferson in this video we'll take a
2:28closer look at this century old vision
2:30of the
2:31[Music]
2:39[Music]
2:44future upon waking up the unnamed
2:47protagonist of the story notices that
2:49his body feels much heavier than usual
2:52his hands tremble his face is pale and
2:55he can only walk with the help of a cane
2:57in other words he had grown old and fr
2:59Trail in his
3:01sleep making his way out to the street
3:04the man finds a newly erected Monument
3:06with the year 2440 inscribed in Roman
3:10numerals looking around he can barely
3:12recognize the city he once lived in and
3:14is so captivated by its order and
3:16cleanliness that he at first doesn't
3:18notice when a crowd of people start
3:20gathering around to look at this strange
3:22figure wearing old-fashioned
3:25clothes after a while one man approached
3:27him and asked what was the purpose of
3:29this guys hearing that the protagonists
3:32was from the age of Louis the 15th he
3:34exclaimed that we should be astonished
3:36at nothing perhaps this gentleman has
3:38found the immortal Elixir or the
3:40philosopher
3:41stone he then offered to show him around
3:44becoming the first of a number of guides
3:46that appear in the story and help
3:47explain the world to
3:49us first of all the protagonist was led
3:52to a clothing shop where he could find
3:53something more upto-date to wear his
3:5618th century attire was not in line with
3:59a practical and comfortable fashion of
4:01the future and clearly Drew too much
4:04attention on the way there he was
4:06informed that he wouldn't be needing his
4:07sword anymore the government had banned
4:10all duels and in a well-regulated city
4:12like Paris it was considered completely
4:14unnecessary and even indecent to wear a
4:17Lethal Weapon wherever you
4:19went having decided on a new set of
4:21clothes he paid with a gold coin from
4:24his own time which the shopkeeper
4:26promised to keep as an
4:27antique the man then stepped back back
4:29out on the street and began exploring
4:31the
4:37city Paris in the year 2440 has been
4:40completely
4:41reorganized the chaotic medieval fabric
4:44has made way for Grand and beautiful
4:46streets built in straight lines similar
4:48to what actually happened during
4:49housman's renovation a bit under a
4:51century after the book was
4:54published the buildings which are all in
4:56good condition no longer grow old with
4:58those that built them
5:00their rooftops are ornamented with
5:02fragrant trees and pots of flowers and
5:04since they're all of a similar height
5:06they connect forming one vast Roof
5:08Garden covering the city in
5:11Greenery as the main character started
5:14walking down one of the orderly streets
5:16he was immediately impressed by the
5:19traffic what caught his attention was
5:21not flying cars or any other exotic
5:23means of transportation but the simple
5:25observation that all who went took the
5:28right hand and all who came left in
5:30other words in 2440 Paris has rightand
5:35traffic this was a big deal because in
5:38the 18th century parisians had no rule
5:40to decide whether they would drive on
5:41the left or on the right side of the
5:43road and coaches would often get
5:45entangled with one another clogging up
5:47traffic for hours this of course also
5:50made the roads very dangerous for
5:53pedestrians and as if that wasn't enough
5:55some drivers especially noblemen could
5:57be completely Reckless in the footnotes
6:00Mercy informs us that he has quote seen
6:03a superb Carriage drawn by six horses
6:05sumptuously harnessed through two rows
6:08of wandering
6:09Artisans this is no longer a problem in
6:12the year
6:132440 those kinds of coaches have been
6:15banned through sumay law that is a law
6:18designed to prevent extravagance or
6:19luxury and the noblemen of the Future
6:22walk with their own two legs in this way
6:24they have more money and less
6:28gout we also learn of some more specific
6:30changes to the city just like in real
6:33life the bastile has been torn down
6:35although not by a revolution but by a
6:38king on the ruins of this place of Royal
6:41Vengeance has been built a temple to
6:42clemency heralding a new age where no
6:45citizen can be imprisoned without due
6:48process the Lou whose transformation
6:50from a medieval castle into a classical
6:52Palace had begun already in 1528 has
6:55finally been finished and is home to all
6:58the greatest artists of the Kingdom
7:01together with the twery palace which in
7:02our timeline was destroyed in 1871 and
7:05no longer exists it forms an immense
7:08Square where public celebrations are
7:10held furthermore for the sake of safety
7:13gunpowder magazines are no longer
7:15located within the city as Mercier
7:18points out they can easily be ignited by
7:20lightning which in fact happened as
7:22recently as 1769 when an explosion in
7:25the Italian city of breia killed
7:27hundreds if not thousands
7:30the hotel du for a long time the only
7:33Hospital in Paris has also been moved
7:35and divided into 12 smaller departments
7:37placed at the edges of the city this was
7:40done to prevent overcrowding and the
7:41spread of
7:43disease merci writes that the hospital
7:45in his time could convert a simple
7:47indisposition into a cruel disease and
7:49recalls that he has personally walked
7:51through the wards of the hospital and
7:52quote seen the dying crowded closer
7:55together than they ought to be in the
7:56grave precipitate the death of their
7:58miserable companions
8:00I've seen their pangs and their tears
8:02regarded with General unconcern the
8:04sword of death struck on the right and
8:06on the left and not a sigh was heard one
8:09would have thought that they were
8:10killing beasts in a starter
8:12house in the future by contrast well
8:15educated and Humane Physicians closely
8:18examine each patient and people no
8:20longer go to the hospital already struck
8:22with the idea of death and mey to secure
8:24an
8:28interment
8:31[Music]
8:37in Mercy's future Paris has been
8:39transformed into a beautiful and
8:41efficient City but it's barely grown at
8:44all while the population of the Kingdom
8:46at large has doubled from around 25 to
8:4950 million most of them live in the
8:52countryside the Industrial Revolution
8:55simply never took off and if anything
8:57France is more agrarian than in the past
9:00life of the average farmer is described
9:02in idilic terms the fields ReSound with
9:06songs of Joy work takes up just a few
9:08hours of the day and is frequently
9:10interrupted by sports or folk
9:13dances this relaxed life style is
9:15possible not because of automation but
9:17simply because everyone is productive
9:20there are no more monks nor are there
9:22valleys domestic servants or people
9:24employed in other
9:26luxuries some still have more money than
9:28others but they spend their wealth on
9:30useful and respectable projects like
9:33scientific
9:35experiments the Kings also take great
9:37interest in increasing human knowledge
9:40instead of counting victories in battles
9:42or lands conquered it is said of
9:44monarchs that he made such a discovery
9:46in the ocean of beings or he
9:49accomplished such a project for the good
9:50of
9:52mankind so despite not having ushered in
9:54a new age of industry and urbanization
9:57scientific progress has taken place and
10:00the main character gets to witness some
10:01of the new technology they will be
10:03available in the
10:05future at one point in the story he
10:08enters a vast building known as the
10:10king's
10:11cabinet containing a seemingly endless
10:13collection of natural specimens and
10:15human inventions it was meant as an
10:17abridgment of the entire universe and
10:20served a similar function to actual
10:22cabinets of physics in which lecturers
10:24demonstrated scientific principles to
10:2618th century
10:27audiences Within its four wings you
10:30could find every plant from the meal
10:32flower to the great Cedar Taxidermy
10:34animals from the lion to the whale and
10:36even samples from the deep interior of
10:39the Earth all systematically arranged
10:41and
10:43categorized among the inventions kept
10:45here one in particular caught the eye of
10:47the protagonist namely a device that
10:50could manipulate lights to create the
10:51illusion of different views similar to a
10:54projector of images or perhaps even of
10:56holograms he writes but what most of all
11:00surprised me was an optical cabinet
11:02where they had assembled all the
11:03properties of light it was a Perpetual
11:06scene of magic they caused to pass
11:08before my eyes Landscapes prospects
11:11palaces rainbows meteors luminous
11:14ciphers imaginary seas and which were
11:17more striking than even the realities it
11:20was the region of
11:21Enchantment the prospect of creation
11:24rising out of inanity could not have
11:25given me a sensation more Exquisite and
11:28astonishing
11:30scientists had not only succeeded in
11:32manipulating light the narrator was also
11:35shown a device that could mimic various
11:37sounds quote what related to Acoustics
11:40was no less miraculous they had acquired
11:43the art of imitating all the
11:44articulations of the human voice of the
11:46cries of animals and the various notes
11:48of birds by touching certain Springs we
11:51seem to be instantly transported to some
11:54wild forest where we heard the roarings
11:55of the lion the tiger and the Bear
12:00this invention was not only used for
12:02entertainment it could also teach
12:04valuable
12:05lessons whenever a prince would develop
12:08a warlike disposition he was led into a
12:11special room called the
12:13hell there this device would be
12:15activated showing him all the horrible
12:17sounds of battle the quote cries of rage
12:21and of grief the Lamentations of the
12:23dying the sounds of Terror the bellowing
12:26of That Hideous Thunder which is the
12:28signal of Destruction embarrass the
12:30execrable sound of
12:32death if nature did not then Prevail on
12:34his mind if he did not send forth A Cry
12:37of horror if his countenance remained
12:39unmoved and Placid he was confined to
12:41that room for the remainder of his
12:45days in another part of the building
12:48dedicated to mathematics the narrator
12:50was shown some of the Practical fruits
12:52of this science quote I saw machines of
12:56every kind that were proper to assist
12:58the arm of man and such as contained
13:00much greater Powers than are known to us
13:02they were adapted to all sorts of
13:04motions and by the aid of these the
13:06heaviest weights were managed with
13:09facility impressive as these inventions
13:12were we are never shown the most
13:14advanced technology available in the
13:16future quote they whispered moreover
13:19that many remarkable and even wonderful
13:22secrets were confided to the care of a
13:24small number of their sages for there
13:26are matters good in themselves that may
13:29be abused in their
13:30application the human mind in their
13:32opinion was not yet sufficiently strong
13:35to make use of the most rare and most
13:36powerful discoveries without
13:44[Music]
13:48danger the people of the future are
13:51deeply religious in fact you can hardly
13:54find a single atheist in the whole
13:56Kingdom but religion has changed over
13:59the course of the
14:00centuries in 2440 people believe in an
14:04intelligent creator of the universe and
14:06in the immortality of the soul but
14:07prefer not to speculate much on
14:10specifics it said that it is with
14:13religion as with laws the most simple
14:15are the best adore God love thy neighbor
14:18hearken to conscience all the rest is
14:21imposture fraud and
14:23falsehood no one writes about theology
14:26anymore and all existing works on this
14:28subject have been locked behind large
14:30iron bars in a Subterranean
14:32chamber one of the people the main
14:35character meets explains that if we
14:37should have a war with any neighboring
14:38Nation instead of attacking them with
14:40our Cannon we shall send these
14:42pestiferous Works among them we preserve
14:45these volcanoes of inflammable matter
14:47merely for the destruction of our
14:48enemies which they will certainly affect
14:51by means of their subtle poisons that
14:53sees at once The Head and the
14:55[Music]
14:57Heart every morning people are called by
15:00the sound of trumpets to public prayer
15:02in a temple and the narrator visits one
15:04of these buildings in
15:06Paris he describes it as circular and
15:08crowned with a magnificent Dome of glass
15:11displaying to the people the author of
15:13the universe in all its different
15:14aspects through weather and the
15:17seasons the interior centers around the
15:19Altar and is completely unadorned only
15:22the name of God repeated a thousand
15:24times in different languages is spread
15:26across the
15:27walls when wor ship lasts for about an
15:30hour and evolves a simple sermon
15:32accompanied by hymns and organ
15:35music only a few religious ceremonies
15:38are practiced in the future one of them
15:40corresponds to the first
15:43communion whenever a young man is judged
15:45to be ready he's brought to an
15:46observatory on a clear starry night to
15:49be initiated into the mysteries of the
15:52universe by means of a telescope he
15:54shown Saturn Jupiter Mars and the
15:57countless stars of the Milky Way while a
15:59venerable Pastor tells him with an awful
16:01Majestic voice to adore that Creator
16:05whose resplendant Majesty is impressed
16:07on the front of these stars that obey
16:08his
16:10laws then a microscope is brought and a
16:13new universe more astonishing more
16:15wonderful than the former opens up
16:17before his
16:19eyes after this ceremony he's supposed
16:22to be cured of his terrestrial ambition
16:24and of the little hatreds that it
16:27engenders he respects all man has
16:29animated with the same breath of life he
16:32is the brother of all that the creator
16:33has
16:35formed the stars and the planets also
16:38play an important role at the end of
16:40life it is believed that these heavenly
16:42bodies are all inhabited and that you
16:45can be reincarnated on them after
16:47death but while the generous Soul
16:50ascends to ever higher worlds as by
16:52gradual ladder leading ultimately to
16:54Perfection the wicked are plunged Back
16:57Into Darkness quote
16:59a monarch at his decease becomes a mole
17:02a minister a venomous serpent inhabiting
17:04some filthy Marsh while the writer he
17:07disdained or rather could not comprehend
17:10hath obtained a glorious rank among
17:11intelligent beings the Friends of
17:16Humanity but before leaving this life
17:19behind it is customary to collect what
17:21you've learned for future
17:23Generations all of your wisdom and your
17:25greatest insights are written down in a
17:27book which is collected with reverence
17:29and meditated on by your descendants
17:32quote these are our funeral earns and
17:34seem to us more valuable than your
17:36Sumptuous madams your tombs covered with
17:39wretched inscriptions dictated by pride
17:41and executed by
17:43baseness portraits and statues preserve
17:46the body semblance only why not
17:48represent the soul and The Virtuous
17:50sentiments by which it was
17:57affected
18:01not all books are treated with as much
18:03reverence at one point the narrator
18:06visits the Royal Library and finds to a
18:08surprise that its Grand Halls stand
18:10almost
18:11empty only a small room to the side
18:14contained a number of books none of
18:15which were particularly
18:17large asking the librarian what had
18:20happened he explained that the vast
18:22majority of books had been destroyed in
18:23a great configration one he adds which
18:26was done on purpose
18:29quote by an unanimous consent we brought
18:32together on a vast plane all those books
18:35which we judged either frivolous useless
18:37or
18:38dangerous of these we formed a pyramid
18:41that resembled in height and bulk an
18:43enormous Tower it was certainly another
18:46Babel journals crowned this strange
18:48edifice and it was covered on all sides
18:51with ordinances of Bishops remonstrances
18:53of parliaments petitions and funeral
18:56orations it was composed of 5 or 600,000
19:00commentators of 800,000 volumes of law
19:03of 50,000 dictionaries of 100,000 poems
19:07of 1,600,000 voyages and travels and of
19:11a milliard of
19:14romances this massive book burning
19:16ceremony was part of an attempt to
19:18rebuild human knowledge from the ground
19:20up works that were perceived as harmful
19:23were forever destroyed whereas those
19:24that had some substance hidden beneath a
19:27quote monstrous heap of words or phrases
19:30were summarized before being put on the
19:33fire among the books lost in those
19:35Flames were not just newer works but
19:37also some of the ancient Classics like
19:39oid Herodotus safo ciceros
19:42non-philosophical works and those of the
19:44quote vile
19:46Aristophanes Plato and a number of
19:49ancients were as spared although the
19:50largest section of the library belongs
19:52to English
19:54authors the only thing regulating new
19:57works however is public opinion
19:59authors in theory enjoy freedom of the
20:01press and can write anything they want
20:04but if enough readers find that
20:05someone's work is immoral or contains
20:07dangerous principles then he's forced to
20:10wear a mask of Shame and is visited
20:12daily by two re- Educators until it
20:14takes back what he's
20:16written similarly practitioners of the
20:18other Arts are provided for by the state
20:21and thereby in theory free to express
20:22their genius however they want instead
20:24of appeasing some rich client but they
20:27won't win any competition without the
20:29approval of the
20:30public this has conveniently led to
20:33profusion of works that are moral and
20:35instructive Painters have abandoned
20:38mythological themes which although
20:40ingenious in the infancy of the art had
20:42been repeated a thousand times and was
20:44now become
20:45disgustful modern Works show examples of
20:48virtue and heroism and have become so
20:50lifelike that they appear almost like
20:53mirrors thanks to improvements in the
20:55art of Engraving highly accurate color
20:57copies of these paintings things can be
20:59mass-produced and are found decorating
21:01the walls of almost every
21:06home we get a closer look inside a
21:08typical home where the narrator is
21:09invited for dinner with a family one
21:12evening the rooms are large and
21:15decorated with restraint you no longer
21:17find quote 20 brittle tasteless bobles
21:21there was no gilding varnishing
21:23porcelain or wretched
21:25figures the manners of his hosts also
21:28great they impressed the main character
21:31these people talked from principle he
21:32writes and did not contradict themselves
21:3420 times in a quarter of an hour the
21:37eldest son did not give me a specimen of
21:39his wit by ridiculing his father neither
21:42his mother nor his grandmother would
21:43have been Charmed with such
21:46witticisms the women he continues were
21:48not continually wrangling about
21:50metaphysics and if they spoke about
21:52poetry of Dramas or authors they
21:55constantly acknowledged themselves
21:56notwithstanding their great ability
21:59unequal to the
22:00[Music]
22:02subject women play a very small part in
22:05merc's vision of the future and are
22:07still confined to traditional gender
22:09roles marriage is based on love and
22:12divorce is legal but the ideal woman of
22:14the 25th Century is an amiable companion
22:17to her
22:18husband no longer expected to perform
22:21backbreaking physical work they learn to
22:23manage the economy of the household and
22:25take care of child
22:27rearing it education in the future does
22:29not involve learning ancient Greek and
22:31Latin both dead
22:33languages instead children are simply
22:35taught to read and write in French
22:38further instruction differs depending on
22:40what station they're expected to hold in
22:43society each art is unfathomable it is
22:46said and to excel in it requires our
22:48whole attention it was the ridicule of
22:51your age to Endeavor to be Universal we
22:53regard it as a
22:56Madness before the clock at struck 7 it
22:59was time for supper which was noteworthy
23:01for its Simplicity none of the meats had
23:04any particular seasoning apart from Salt
23:06while the herbs and fruits were all of
23:08the season for they knew not the secret
23:11of producing wretched cherries in the
23:13midst of
23:14winter for entertainment they turned to
23:16drafts chess or recreational mathematics
23:20something that even the children are
23:21acquainted
23:22with there was also music the narrator
23:26heard a woman sing a beautiful song
23:27accompanied by flute although most
23:30enchanting of all was the sound of the
23:31improved harmonica which quote breathed
23:34the most pure lull and melodious sounds
23:36that can charm the year it was a
23:39ravishing and Celestial
23:42music what he's talking about here is
23:44not the harmonica we usually think of
23:46since it was only invented in the 19th
23:48century instead he probably refers to
23:51the glass harmonica a new and exciting
23:53instrument which had only been invented
23:5511 years before the book was published
23:57by none less than Benjamin
23:59Franklin played with wetted fingers it
24:02consisted of a set of graduated tuned
24:04glass bowls and briefly achieved great
24:06popularity before falling out of fashion
24:08in the early 19th century Marie antoanet
24:12is known to have taken lessons and
24:13Mozart wrote this very piece
24:15specifically for the
24:22[Applause]
24:27harmonica
24:28[Laughter]
24:30[Applause]
24:44Mercier successfully predicted that
24:46France would undergo a revolution though
24:48in his version it was enacted by one man
24:51a great philosopher
24:52king being more interested in the
24:55happiness of his people than in power he
24:57abolished absolute monarchy and
24:59decentralized the kingdom into a sort of
25:01Confederation where each province
25:02governs
25:04itself in this new system power is
25:07divided between the king whose role has
25:09become largely ceremonial the Senate
25:11which takes care of day-to-day
25:12Administration and the Estates General
25:15which meets every 2 years to enact new
25:17laws and fill vacant posts everything is
25:20decided there by a majority of
25:23votes corruption has been Stamped Out of
25:25the legal system and the laws have been
25:27reformed into regular and just body
25:30punishments are less severe and have
25:32become proportional to the crime in
25:34question no one is above the law and
25:37everyone enjoys the right to plead one's
25:38case arbitrary arrests have long been a
25:41thing of the
25:43past even in Mercy's Utopia however you
25:47are expected to pay your
25:48taxes thankfully the rate is no higher
25:51than 2% and if your income is under a
25:53certain threshold or if you don't own
25:55any property then you don't have to pay
25:57at all
25:59that being said the people of the future
26:01often pay more than what's required of
26:02them in every quarter of Paris and in
26:05every city in the provinces you'll find
26:07two chests one large where the mandatory
26:10tax is deposited and one smaller for
26:13voluntary gifts to the state people
26:16flock to contribute to this smaller one
26:18whenever the king proposes a useful
26:19project for the public good and as a
26:21consequence it often contains more money
26:23than the
26:25other the collection of all of these
26:27chests from around the country is done
26:29once a year and has become a public
26:31celebration as they are brought on
26:33carriages to the Royal Palace people
26:35turn out wearing garlands of flowers and
26:37cry long live the king cannons are fired
26:41and toasts are made to the health of the
26:42Monarch who personally walks out into
26:44the joyful crowd to present
26:46himself the king is always near to the
26:49people he now lives in Paris instead of
26:51Versailles and is no longer surrounded
26:53by that class of men who lived in
26:55idleness and fed their pride with old
26:57parchments
26:59before coming to power he's brought up
27:01far from the court clothed like an
27:04ordinary peasant he travels through all
27:05the provinces and learns about the lives
27:07of ordinary
27:09people he enters the Hut of the plowman
27:11eats at his table assists in his labors
27:14and learns to respect
27:16him even after ascending to the throne
27:18he observes a strict fast and sleeps on
27:20the floor for 3 Days every year lest he
27:23should forget what he owes the poor in
27:24times of public
27:27calamity
27:28any citizen can be admitted to the Royal
27:30Hall of audience and have his voice
27:32heard by the king if he provides Sound
27:35Advice he is thanked but if what he
27:37proposes is unjust or self-interested
27:40he's dismissed and booed out of the
27:43hall on his head the king wears a simple
27:46branch of olive as a crown he is Seated
27:48on a chair elevated merely to extend his
27:51voice and on the first step to the
27:53throne is written in large characters
27:55the word
27:57eternity this step is actually a tomb
27:59where the emomed body of the last
28:01Monarch rests until being replaced by a
28:04son the king is thereby reminded that
28:06the dream of royalty is soon over and
28:08that nothing will remain but his
28:11[Music]
28:25reputation one of the reasons why Texas
28:28can be kept low is that France has
28:29disbanded its
28:31military the sovereigns of the Earth
28:33have DED to hear the voice of
28:35philosophy they quote glory in good
28:38government preferring the pleasure of
28:40making a small number happy to the
28:42Frantic ambition of ruling over
28:44countries designated or filled with
28:46ulcerated hearts to whom the power of a
28:48conqueror must forever be
28:51odious these Kings by Common consent
28:54have fixed bounds to their dominions and
28:56such as nature itself seems to have
28:58finded in separating them by Seas by
29:00forests or mountains they have learned
29:03that a kingdom of but small extent is
29:05susceptible to the best form of
29:08government furthermore France has lost
29:11its colonies which is explained in the
29:13following
29:14way we should be highly ridiculous to
29:17send our dear fellow citizens 2,000
29:19leagues from us why should we thus
29:21estrange ourselves from our Brethren our
29:24climate is at least as good as that of
29:25America every necessary production is
29:28here common and by Nature
29:30excellent the colonies were to France
29:33what a country house is to a private
29:34person the house in the country sooner
29:37or later ruins that in
29:41town the book argues that the Greed for
29:44gold and useless luxuries brought about
29:46by international trade was the cause of
29:48inequality at home and of countless
29:50atrocities abroad quote you violated the
29:54most sacred ties of blood and nature on
29:56the coast of Guinea
29:58you armed the father against the son
30:00while you pretended to the name of
30:01Christians and of men blind barbarians a
30:06whole race of men bought and sold
30:08treated as the vest
30:10animals Kings became Merchants covering
30:12the Seas with
30:15blood since then the East and West India
30:18companies have been abolished and almost
30:20all trade is now internal consisting
30:22mostly of agricultural
30:24products luxuries like snuff tea and
30:27coffee have all been
30:30banned so what then happened to the
30:33former
30:34[Music]
30:35colonies we get a first hint where the
30:37narrator finds a newly erected Monument
30:39outside of the church or Temple that he
30:42visited a statue of sacred humanity is
30:45surrounded by female personifications of
30:47various Nations kneeling and begging for
30:50pardon for the crimes they've committed
30:52for religious persecution for tyranny
30:55slavery and
30:56colonialism here writes Spain still more
31:00criminal than her sisters groaned at the
31:02thought of having covered the new
31:03continent with 35 millions of carcasses
31:06with having pursued the deplorable
31:08remains of a thousand Nations into the
31:09depths of forests and into the caverns
31:11of rocks Spain May sigh and supplicate
31:15her Phil but never ought to hope for
31:17pardon the punishment of so many retes
31:20condemned to the minds ought forever to
31:22be urged against
31:23[Music]
31:25her not far from this Monument he served
31:28a pedestal supporting a statue of a
31:30black man with Fierce eyes and a noble
31:32and commanding
31:33attitude around him were spread the
31:35broken relics of 20 scepter and at his
31:38feet were written the words to the
31:40Avenger of the new
31:43world this man a black Spartacus had
31:45broken asunder the chains of all the
31:47slaves and quot at the same instant they
31:50poured forth the blood of all their
31:52tyrants French Spanish English Dutch and
31:56Portuguese all became pray to the sword
31:58the fire and
32:00poison and so the Europeans were chased
32:03out of the new world while the slaves
32:05gained their freedom and the natives
32:07resumed their unalienable
32:10rights we find out more exactly what had
32:13happened when the narrator reads a pile
32:14of gazettes one
32:16evening they say that when the Avenger
32:18of the new world had driven away the
32:20tyrants he laid down his sword and
32:22contented himself with being a
32:25legislator the continents were divided
32:27in to two empires that of North and
32:30South America each in turn consists of
32:33numerous smaller States United under a
32:35general Sovereign similar to the whole
32:37Roman
32:39Empire in the north a descendant of
32:41monuma has been reinstated to the throne
32:44and rules over his vast and prosperous
32:45realm from a palace in Mexico
32:48City stretching from the Antilles all
32:51the way to Canada it contains the state
32:53of
32:54Pennsylvania this seems to be the only
32:56of the 13 colonies to have survived and
32:59was likely spared by the Avenger because
33:00of the Quakers who opposed
33:03slavery The Gazette informs us that this
33:06province where Humanity Faith Liberty
33:09Concord and equality have taken refuge
33:11for more than 800 years is covered with
33:14the most elegant and flourishing
33:19cities we also learn about other parts
33:22of the world China and Japan have opened
33:25their borders and have friendly contacts
33:27with the West
33:29books are translated and plays and
33:31dramas are exchanged for the past 200
33:34years French has been widely spoken in
33:36Beijing and Chinese characters have been
33:39replaced by a simpler writing
33:42system a land there has more recently
33:44ended its isolation is
33:47Tahiti The Gazette mentions that this
33:50happy Island where rain the manners of
33:52the Golden Age had been discovered in
33:54the 18th century by the French explorer
33:56Lou Anan Dean
33:59he claimed it for the French crown and
34:01brought the tahan back with him who in
34:031770 attracted the Curiosity of Paris
34:06for a
34:07week the name of the man was aut toru
34:10and his visit would have been fresh in
34:12the memory of Mercier when he wrote the
34:13book perhaps he even personally saw
34:16him but little was it known then the
34:19cassette continues that a member of buan
34:21ville's crew had stayed behind on the
34:24island after the ship had left he
34:26presented himself to the the people and
34:28warned them of the Europeans quot these
34:31strangers you have entertained and who
34:33seemed so polite whom you have loaded
34:35with civilities and presence will soon
34:38return and bring with them all those
34:39plagues that affect other
34:41countries they will load you with
34:43Fetters and by their cruel arguments
34:45they will prove it to be for your
34:47advantage he then convinced the people
34:50that the only way to protect themselves
34:51was to kill every stranger that landed
34:53on the island in this way the tahitians
34:56refused any interaction with the outside
34:58world and managed to avoid
35:01colonization however it says that this
35:03law has lately been abolished because by
35:05repeated informations they've learned
35:07that Europe is no longer the enemy of
35:09the other four parts of the globe that
35:12it is ambitious of forming friends and
35:14not making slaves that is vessels go in
35:17search of examples of simple and refined
35:19manners and not of contempt
35:25riches closer to home we find that the
35:28Turks had already been driven out of
35:29Europe by the end of the 18th
35:32century Constantinople is once again in
35:35the hands of the Greeks who have formed
35:36a prospering republic where philosophy
35:40flourishes the Calio the former Palace
35:43of the saltans is now used for
35:45masquerades and a theater has been
35:46constructed on the ruins of the famous
35:48Hagia Sophia
35:51Church the fall of the Ottoman ccess was
35:54brought about by people from the north
35:58in real life the Russian Empress
36:00Katherine the Great had plans to create
36:01a Greek state in the European part of
36:03the Ottoman Empire so perhaps something
36:06similar actually happened in Mercy's
36:08world in the future Katherine is still
36:11remembered though not for her conquests
36:13and triumphs but as an enlightened ruler
36:17there is no mention of the partitions of
36:18Poland the first of which took place
36:20just a year after the book was
36:22released instead it speaks of how
36:25Catherine had a wonderful influence over
36:26this Kingdom and that the poles are
36:28still grateful to her for ending Anarchy
36:30in their land and for increasing the
36:32liberty of the
36:34peasants she's also remembered for
36:36abolishing serfdom in Russia and since
36:38her days absolute monarchy has also been
36:42abandoned thanks to centuries of wise
36:45government the Empire's population has
36:47grown from 14 million to a staggering 45
36:50million and has thereby become equal to
36:53its extent which is greater than that of
36:55Augustus or Alexander
36:58the Papal States are no more the pope
37:01has been demoted to Bishop of Rome and
37:04his former lands are ruled by the
37:05Emperor of
37:07Italy meanwhile in Spain the spirit of
37:10industry is everyday more
37:12manifest the Arts are reaching new
37:14levels of refinement and new discoveries
37:17are being made on the nature of
37:19electricity in Vienna the austrians are
37:22marrying off their princesses to those
37:24princes of the earth that have given the
37:26Fest proofs of tenderness for their
37:28people and in London which is now three
37:30times as large as in the 18th century a
37:32new Statue of Cromwell has recently been
37:35erected he is acknowledged as the real
37:37author of their political system which
37:39is still maintained because it enriches
37:41not the Monarch but the
37:43people furthermore the Scots and Irish
37:46have recently presented a petition to
37:48Parliament that quote the names of
37:51Scotland and Ireland may be abolished
37:53and that they may make but one body
37:55spirit and name with the English as they
37:57are one by that patriotic spirit with
37:59which they are
38:02[Music]
38:11animated in the last chapter of the book
38:14The narrator leaves Paris to see what
38:15has become of the famous Palace of
38:19versailes upon arriving he finds nothing
38:22but quote ruins gaping walls and
38:25mutilated statues some porticos half
38:28demolished afforded a confusing idea of
38:31its ancient
38:32magnificence as I walked over these
38:35ruins I saw an old man sitting upon the
38:37capital of a
38:38column alas I said to him what has
38:41become of this vast
38:43Palace it is Fallen it was crushed by
38:46its own weight a man in his impatient
38:49Pride would have here forced nature he
38:53hastily heaped buildings upon buildings
38:56greedy of gratifying his capricious will
38:58he harassed his subjects all the wealth
39:01of the nation was here swallowed up here
39:04flowed a stream of tears to compose
39:06those reservoirs of which there are now
39:07no
39:08traces behold All That Remains of that
39:11Colossus which a million of hands
39:13erected with so much painful
39:16labor the foundations of this Palace
39:18were laid in iniquity it was an image of
39:21The Wretched greatness of him that built
39:23it the Kings his successors were obliged
39:26to fly from it lest they should be
39:28crushed by its
39:30fall oh May these ruins cry aloud to all
39:33sovereigns that they who abuse a
39:35momentary power only discover their
39:37weakness to Future
39:40Generations at these words he shed a
39:42flood of tears and turned his eyes to
39:44heaven with a mournful repenting look
39:47why do You Weep I said all the world is
39:49happy and these ruins by no means
39:51declare any public Calamity he raised
39:54his voice and said oh how wretched is my
39:57fate know that I am LS I 14th who built
40:01this ruthful Palace the Divine justice
40:05has again illumined the torch of my days
40:07to make me contemplate more nearly my
40:09deplorable
40:10Enterprise how transient are the moments
40:12of Pride I must now and forever weep oh
40:16that I had but
40:18known I was going to ask him a question
40:21when one of the adders with which this
40:23place swarmed darted from a broken
40:25column stung me on on the neck and I
40:34[Music]
40:46wake

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