Thus purified， the monastic institution recovers its normal form， which is the republican and democratic form， while the impracticable Utopia which the philosophers of the eighteenth century wanted to impose on lay society now becomes the effective régime under which the religious communities are going to live. In all of them， the governors are elected by the governed； whether the suffrage is universal or qualified， one vote is as good as another； votes are counted by heads， and， at stated intervals， the sovereign majority uses its right anew； with the Carmelites， it is every three years and to elect by secret ballot， not alone one authority but all the authorities， the prior， the sub-prior and the three clavières.[7] -Once elected， the chief， in conformity with his mandate， remains a mandatory， that is to say a laborer assigned a certain work， and not a privileged person enjoying a gratification. His dignity is not a dispensation， but an additional burden； along with the duties of his office， he subjects himself to an observance of the rules - having become a general， he is no better off than the simple soldier； he rises as early and his daily life is no better； his cell is as bare and his personal support not more expensive. He who commands ten thousand others lives as poorly， under the same strict instructions， with as few conveniences and with less leisure than the meanest brother.[8] Over and above the austerities of ordinary discipline this or that superior imposed on himself additional mortifications which were so great as to astonish as well as edify his monks. Such is the ideal State of the theorist， a Spartan republic， and for all， including the chiefs， an equal ration of the same black broth. There is another resemblance， still more profound. At the base of this republic lies the corner-stone designed in anticipation by Rousseau， then hewn and employed， well or ill， in the constitutions or plébiscites of the Revolution， the Consulate and the Empire， to serve as the foundation of the complete edifice. This stone is a primitive and solemn agreement by all concerned， a social contract， a pact proposed by the legislator and accepted by the citizens； except that， in the monastic pact， the will of the acceptors is unanimous， earnest， serious， deliberate and permanent， while， in the political pact， it is not so； thus， whilst the latter contract is a theoretical fiction， the former is an actual verity.
For， in the small religious cité， all precautions are taken to have the future citizen know for what and how far he engages himself. The copy of the rules which is handed to him in advance explains to him the future use of each day and of each hour， the detail in full of the régime to which he is to subject himself. Besides this， to forestall any illusion and haste on his part he is required to make trial of the confinement and discipline； he realizes through personal， sensible and prolonged experience what he must undergo； before assuming the habit， he must serve a novitiate of at least one year and without interruption. Simple vows sometimes precede the more solemn vows； with the Jesuits， several novitiates， each lasting two or three years， overlie and succeed each other. Elsewhere， the perpetual engagement is taken only after several temporary engagements； up to the age of twenty-five the "Fréres des Ecoles Chrétiennes" take their vows for a year； at twenty-five for three years； only at twenty-eight do they take them for life. Certainly， after such trials， the postulant is fully informed； nevertheless， his superiors contribute what they know.
They have watched him day after day； deep down under his superficial， actual and declared disposition they define his profound， latent， and future intention； if they deem this insufficient or doubtful， they adjourn or prevent the final profession： "My child， wait-your vocation is not yet determined，" or "My friend， you were not made for the convent， return to the world！" - Never was a social contract signed more knowingly， after greater reflection on what choice to make， after such deliberate study： the conditions of human association demanded by the revolutionary theory are all fulfilled and the dream of the Jacobins is realized. But not where they planned it： through a strange contrast， and which seems ironical in history， this day-dream of speculative reason has produced nothing in the lay order of things but elaborate plans on paper， a deceptive and dangerous Declaration of (human) Rights， appeals to insurrection or to a dictatorship：
incoherent or still-born organizations， in short， abortions or monsters； in the religious order of things， it adds to the living world thousands of living creatures of indefinite viability. So that， among the effects of the French revolution， one of the principal and most enduring is the restoration of monastic institutions....
