L’Éducation Physique au XXe Siècle: La Débrouillardise

1902 August 16 — Le Figaro

Democracy’s Real Need:
“Imbued with venerable prejudices, with a poor grasp of distinguishing, in their heavy intellectual heritage, the old fashioned from the brilliant, the French are said to tend to respond, 'Above all, make us disciplined!' But what other democracies are eagerly demanding, and what a certain number of our compatriots are beginning to demand, are débrouillards.”

Context:
• Coubertin identifies a shift: modern democracies need débrouillards, not just disciplined citizens.
• Adaptability becomes the essential quality for civic participation and national strength.

Defining the Naval Origins:
“Let us agree on the value of the word and its exact meaning: a débrouillard, in naval terms, is a shrewd fellow, bold and good natured, admirably adept at all menial tasks, knowing like no other how to get out of a tight spot and always land on their feet. Let us note that these qualities are not to be despised, but they nevertheless make up a somewhat short and vulgar type. Likeable under the sailor’s beret, they are deemed incompatible with a higher culture and somewhat lofty social aspirations.”

Context:
• Coubertin traces débrouillard to naval and working class roots, recognizing its practicality but noting its cultural limitations unless elevated through education and character.

The Risk of Corruption (the arriviste):
“Or else, the débrouillard becomes the social climber, the dry and unscrupulous individual, quick to subordinate everything to his personal success. This person, far from being the ideal representative of democratic society, would, if he were to multiply, be its most formidable scourge.”

Context:
• Coubertin warns that without ethical grounding, resourcefulness can decay into opportunism.
• The ideal débrouillard must serve society, not manipulate it.

The Ideal Modern Débrouillard:
“The débrouillard that the era tends to create will be neither a scamp nor a social climber, but simply a man skilled with his hands, quick to exert himself, supple in his muscles, resistant to fatigue, with a quick eye and firm decision making, and trained in advance for those changes of location, profession, situation, habits, and ideas that the fertile instability of modern civilizations necessitates.”

Context:
• Coubertin defines the modern débrouillard as physically capable, mentally agile, and prepared for constant societal change.

Role of Sport in Shaping the Débrouillard:
“To train him, rely a little on teaching, quite a bit on traveling, and a lot on athletic training. It is thanks to athletic exercises, in fact, that the débrouillard will never feel embarrassed when faced with a rescue, self defense, an effort to make, or a means of locomotion to use; it is thanks to them that he will gain self confidence and earn the respect of others.”

Context:
• Athletic training is positioned not as an end goal but as essential groundwork for cultivating the internal traits of a débrouillard: self reliance, physical readiness, and poise under pressure.

Introduction of the “School of Débrouillardise”:
“Let us therefore attempt to outline the program for this school of débrouillardise, whose creation has already been decided upon and about which we, the readers, will often have the opportunity to speak with you. This truly democratic program will happily combine manual labor and athletic training.”

Context:
• Coubertin moves from theory to action, proposing the establishment of a formal program to devlop the débrouillard as a core element of education.

Eclecticism and Initiative: “The future débrouillard must possess, besides strength and skill, an aptitude to manage new situations, to change activity, to learn unfamiliar tasks quickly; it is this eclecticism and this habitual initiative that must be awakened and maintained.”

Context:
• Coubertin stresses that breadth of skill and readiness to adapt are the core traits of the capable individual.
• Eclecticism and spontaneous initiative are emphasized as critical habits, not secondary traits.

The “Baccalaureate of Life” Parallel:
“There is a whole program to go through, the program of a baccalaureate that is worth as much as any other, if not for the nature of the knowledge to be acquired, at least for its practical usefulness in life.”

Context:
• Coubertin asserts that practical readiness is as valuable as academic degrees, formally elevating débrouillardise to the level of a full education system.

The Closing Line:
“It would rather raise other objections that we must first discuss.”

Context:
• Coubertin acknowledges anticipated resistance but signals this new model will proceed, framing it as real policy rather than a theoretical ideal.

The Three-Part Vision:
“This barbarism [débrouillardise] is a physical education program — or rather, it characterizes the third stage of a work that began under fortunate auspices fourteen years ago... In that interview, I revealed to [Chincholle] only the immediate third of our plans: it was about making physical exercises fashionable. Later, I dreamed of internationalizing them — then, finally, of democratizing them.”

Context:
• Coubertin explicitly defines débrouillardise as the third stage of a strategic plan that began over a decade earlier.
• His progression is clear: first, popularize physical exercise; second, internationalize it through Olympic competition; third, democratize it as a universal civic capability through débrouillardise.
• This statement makes it unmistakable that débrouillardise was never incidental — it was the intended culmination of Coubertin’s educational and athletic reforms.

Summary of the Three Stages:
• First: Popularize physical exercises (make them fashionable)
• Second: Internationalize them (revival of the Olympic Games)
• Third: Democratize them (mass civic preparation through débrouillardise)

Key Insight:
This text marks débrouillard as the intended outcome of Coubertin’s educational project. The term débrouillardise is not simply a stylistic flourish, it signals the transformation of a practical character type into a national educational objective. For Coubertin, forming adaptable, competent individuals was not a side benefit of sport. It was the entire point.