It has been estimated that in salutes, royal and military compliments, exchanges of courteous hubbub, signals of etiquette, roadstead and citadel formalities, rising and setting of the sun saluted daily by all fortresses and all vessels of war, the opening and closing of gates, etc., etc., the civilized world, in every part of the globe, fires off daily one hundred and fifty useless cannon shots. At six francs per shot, that amounts to nine hundred thousand francs a day, or three hundred million a year, gone up in smoke. This is only one item. Meanwhile, the poor are dying of hunger.
Victor Hugo, Les Miserables (via handatthelevelofyoureye)
… I have no idea what a franc was really worth back then so I don’t know how outraged I should be but I suspect the answer is “quite a bit, really”.
(via pilferingapples)
If you’d like some perspective on their value—Feuilly earns three francs a day; from what I’ve read, there were workers who earned rather less. Marius lives on seven hundred a year. Bahorel, who is said to have a “prodigious allowance,” has three thousand a year.
The government is spending three hundred million a year on ritual cannon salutes.
(via midshipmankennedy)
As I read it this is about governmentS, plural, though? “the civilized world, in every part of the globe”. Not sure who all Hugo would have counted as Civilized, since he’s drawing that line, but that does spread out the outlay a bit. Still, yes, obvious rageness.
(via pilferingapples)
That’s a lowball estimate even for France; I’m having trouble tracking down accurate numbers on account of the July Monarchy was bad at government and the Second Republic was bad at everything, but even at the time of the June Rebellion there were more than 150 cannon-equipped warships in La Royale. If they were all launching ball at the sun as it advanced and retreated every day, then the problem was worse than Hugo thought it was.
…The problem was worse than Victor Muthatruckin’ Hugo thought it was.
(via texasuberalles)
WAITWHAT
I so hope you’re wrong because otherwise that’s like learning Upton Sinclair downplayed the hygiene problems in the meatpacking industry.
(via pilferingapples)
Oh gosh really?
(via apaladinagain)
Goldnwulf 