The Sengresse estate has been sold.
The Sengresse estate, where Frédéric Bastiat lived for much of his life, has just been purchased by a British couple, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Mc Lusky, who plan to divide their time between the United Kingdom and the department of the Landes, before perhaps settling here permanently in due course. They had never heard of Bastiat before but although they had only just moved in they were eager to attend the dinner debate on September 25. They have kindly offered us the use of the facilities at Sengresse if we wish to organise an event there one day.
We have kept the pictures of Sengresse on the website of Bastiat.net, under the heading ‘Frédéric Bastiat Encyclopædia’, in the section Illustrations.
A talk by Jacques de Guenin to the Société de Borda.
Many visitors are puzzled by the reference to Cobden and the League at the base of the statue of Bastiat in Mugron. On 22 January 2005, Jacques de Guenin will give a talk to the ‘Société de Borda’ (the historical society of the Landes) on the subject "Frédéric Bastiat, Richard Cobden and the League".
Lectures on alterglobalism.
Following the publication of his book on alterglobalism, which is also, it should be remembered, a vigorous defence of liberal globalism, Jacques de Guenin has been invited in the second half of the year to give lectures followed by discussion to various associations (Lyons, Liberté Chérie, Clubs de l'Embarcadère, Club de l'Horloge, Euro 92).
The Bastiat.net site becomes more lively
From its inception the site has each quarter posted details of the forthcoming dinner-debate (in advance of the newsletter) and has also given an account of the previous one. (This collection makes up in fact a veritable anthology of libertarian thought.). You will also have noticed that for several years there has been a section on the activities of the Circle. But all this has been in French. In the English part we are now including those sections of the Circle Activities that are of more than purely local interest. This is thanks to the kind cooperation of Mr Michael Glencross a professional English translator living in the Landes.
Since the beginning of the year a quotation from Frédéric Bastiat has been added to the site every quarter. In the first quarter the quotation was:
All monopolies are hateful, but the worst of all is the monopoly of education.
This is the last sentence from the brilliant pamphlet "Cursed Money".
In the second quarter the quotation was taken from "Justice and Fraternity":
Who will not agree that, if we could concur on the best form of teaching possible, with regard to the subject and method, unitary or governmental teaching would be preferable since, in this assumption, it is only error that the law could exclude. But for as long as this criterion has not been found, as long as the legislator or the minister of public education do not bear the irrefutable sign of infallibility on their foreheads, the best chance for the true method to be discovered and absorb the others is for diversity, tests, experience and individual effort, subject to the influence of the advantage of success, in a word, freedom.
The quotation for the third quarter can be found at the beginning of the English section of the site. It is also taken from "Justice and Fraternity".
Back to the english section of www.bastiat.net