Page 39 - 15 The Bible and the French Revolution
P. 39
the good of others. The rich had found no
rebuke for their oppression of the poor, the
poor no help for their servitude and
degradation. The selfishness of the wealthy
and powerful grew more and more apparent
and oppressive. For centuries the greed and
profligacy of the noble resulted in grinding
extortion toward the peasant. The rich
wronged the poor, and the poor hated the
rich.
In many provinces the estates were held by
the nobles, and the laboring classes were
only tenants; they were at the mercy of their
landlords and were forced to submit to their
exorbitant demands. The burden of
supporting both the church and the state fell
upon the middle and lower classes, who were
heavily taxed by the civil authorities and by
the clergy. “The pleasure of the nobles was