My Year With Proust - Day 334

It is true that M. de Guermantes had not displayed so profound and pained an astonishment when he learned that Saint-Loup was a Dreyfusard.  But, for one thing, he regarded his nephew as a young man gone astray, from whom nothing would be surprising until he began to mend his ways, whereas Swann was what M. de Guermantes called a "level-headed man, a man occupying a position in the front rank."  Moreoever, and above all, a considerable period of time had elapsed during which, if, from the historical point of view, events had to some extent seemed to justify the Dreyfusard thesis, and anti-Dreyfusard opposition had greatly increased in violence, and from being purely political had become social.  It was now a question of militarism, of patriotism, and the waves of anger that had been stirred up in society had had time to gather the force which they never have at the beginning of a storm.  "Don't you see," M. de Guermantes went on, "even from the point of view of his beloved Jews, since hs is absolutely determined to stand by them, Swann has made a bloomer of incalculable significance.  He has proved that they're all secretly united and are somehow forced to give their support to anyone of their own race, even if they don't know him personally.  It's a public menace.  We've obviously been too easy-going, and the mistake Swann is making will create all the more stir since he was respected, not to say received, and was almost the only Jew that anyone knew. People will say: Ab uno disce ownes." (Satisfaction at having hit at the right moment upon so apt a quotation alone brightened with a proud smile the melancholy countenance of the betrayed nobleman).

Marcel Proust, Cities of the Plain, pp. 704-705

Once again, Proust has sometime valuable to tell us, as much as we would like the sentiment to have disappeared into the mists of time.  Even if no one quotes Virgil anymore (ab uno disce ownes - "from one, learn all") you could replace the Jews with the Muslims and witness a similar discussion today.  Proust reports that, "opposition had greatly increased in violence, and from being purely political had become social.  It was now a question of militarism, of patriotism, and the waves of anger that had been stirred up in society had had time to gather the force which they never have at the beginning of a storm."  No one ever thinks their own country can devolve into Fascism until it does, and history is replete with examples of democratic dreams lost.  Ab uno disce ownes.