Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 136 Your Leon? No, Leon is mine!

Lionel took the newspaper and glanced at it. It was from the recently established and friendly newspaper, *La Repubblica*, with a large headline:

From the Alps to the Sorbonne Dome: A Myth of Public Education – Lionel Sorel

The report enthusiastically used him as an example to praise the outstanding French public education system:
At the public secondary school in Larange, Lionel received systematic training in French, history, mathematics, and science. It was this secular and rational knowledge that forged his keen observation, rigorous logic, and critical thinking, which became the cornerstone of his later masterpieces such as "The Old Guard" and "Letter from an Unknown Woman."
Public education has proven that intelligence and talent are not the exclusive domain of the nobility and the church; they reside within millions of ordinary French children, waiting to be discovered and nurtured! If more children attend such schools, France will surely produce countless "Lionel"s!
This is the most worthwhile investment for the Republic, and the only right way to combat ignorance and shape the French nation!

Lionel was not surprised; from the moment he decided to attend Count Rohan's ball, he was prepared to be drawn into it.

In 19th-century France, no writer would shirk their social responsibility while wielding influence; on the contrary, they often actively participated in the vigorous social reform movements.

If Lionel were to declare, "French education reform has nothing to do with me; I can only speak for myself..."

He would then be abandoned by the French the next day and considered a complete coward.

Moreover, the education reforms being promoted by Jules Ferry, the current Minister of Public Education and Fine Arts, not only align with Lionel's ideals but will also benefit France for a century.

“Leon, look…” Alice pointed to a corner of the newspaper: “'Each province must establish at least one normal school, especially a women’s normal school…’”

Lionel looked at the report, one of the focal points of recent parliamentary disputes.

Implementing free compulsory education requires a large number of teachers; the system of separating boys and girls into classes creates a strong demand for female teachers.

Currently, there are 140 male normal schools across France, covering the entire country; but only 15 female normal schools, concentrated in major cities such as Paris and Lyon.

This means that at that time, the education of girls mainly relied on the nuns of the religious order.

According to statistics, only 28% of religious female teachers are certified, while 93% of lay female teachers are certified.

In the future, specially trained professional teachers will replace the priests and nuns in existing schools, making education completely secular.

The church was naturally unwilling to give up this position easily and wanted to maintain the influence granted to them by the "Falluph" in 1850, so it organized a lot of forces to resist.

Lionel looked up at Alice: "You want to be a teacher?"

Alice blushed slightly, then said disappointedly, "What's the point of wanting? No school will accept me..."

Lionel sighed and said nothing more.

In this era, non-manual labor jobs available to women are extremely scarce, and teaching is one of the few jobs that offers relatively decent income and status.

Alice has been staying with him for about half a year, but she lacks a normal social life and has already shown some signs of depression.

If it weren't for Patty at home, who could teach her to write and talk every day; and if she didn't have to copy various manuscripts every day, it would give her a sense of being needed...

Lionel folded the newspaper and handed it to Petit: "The *La Repubblica* is softer and doesn't bleed ink, so we can use it in the toilet from now on. The *Le Petit Parisien* can be used to wrap fruit."

Although the apartment had a private bathroom, the cleaning equipment consisted of a thick hemp rope, which Lionel found unbearable.

In fact, high-end department stores in Paris already sell toilet paper made in the UK and the US, but a roll or a box costs half a franc or 15 sous.

Lionel wanted to buy some to try, but Alice and Patty firmly pulled him away—neither of the girls could accept such wasteful behavior as wiping away half a stamina while using the toilet. Patty happily took the newspaper. She would first crumple the newspaper to soften it, then cut it into small sheets, fold them neatly, and put them in the toilet's metal box.

After lunch, Lionel began writing "Old Man Milon".

This novel was originally not written by Maupassant for at least several years, and it is considered one of Maupassant's finest works depicting the Franco-Prussian War, along with "Boule de Suif" and "Mademoiselle Fifi".

The greatest value of "Old Man Milon" lies in its creation of a vengeful peasant figure who is an "illegalist," breaking through the barriers of previous novels of this kind.

Moreover, the whole story is full of ups and downs and thrills. Although it does not have the panoramic and ensemble scale of "Boule de Suif", it is extremely explosive and has the same captivating literary charm.

The next morning, as the aroma of Petty's fried eggs wafted in through the crack in the door, Alice's voice rang out in the living room: "Leon, you're in the newspaper again; and there's a letter too."

Lionel put on his coat and came into the living room, where Alice handed him a copy of the Universal Times and an envelope.

Lionel opened the Universal newspaper first.

This is a church newspaper with low circulation, but considerable influence, with conservative upper-class figures as its loyal readers.

The Cradle of the Sorbonne's Conscience: Church Schools, the True Foundation of French Civic Education

Lionel frowned. How had he become a positive example of church education again? He patiently read on—

[...La Repubblica deliberately ignored a crucial fact: the reason why Mr. Lionel Sorel was able to express compassion in his works was because Mr. Sorel's earliest and most important period of enlightenment was spent in the St. Joseph's School in his hometown of Monttier!]

It was under the careful guidance of those devout nuns and priests that young Lionel learned to pray and understood eternal, faith-based moral principles such as honesty, kindness, compassion, and responsibility.

Church schools not only impart knowledge, but also shape souls! It was this experience of growing up in the embrace of the church that sowed the seeds of love and justice in his heart, laying the moral foundation for his later upright character and compassionate feelings!
Lionel Sorel's success precisely demonstrates the indispensable role of the Church in education! If citizens miss this lesson during the most crucial stages of their lives, they will be lured into the abyss of hell by "poisonous" works like *Decadent City*!

Lionel, upon seeing this: "..."

I did receive my childhood education at St. Joseph's School, and it was through a recommendation that I went to the Laranée public secondary school.

However, Le Universal's angle was quite tricky. In fact, in that era, almost every literate Frenchman had received some form of religious education.

But this does not mean that only religious education can shape character.

Then Lionel saw the preview in the Universal newspaper:
[The Holy See has appointed Father Jean-Joseph Fulcard to perform a major exorcism for Édouard Benoît de Villeneuve, which will be open to the public to demonstrate to the citizens of Paris how divine power can drive away the demon possessing this author of obscene books!]

Lionel then remembered that Inspector Claude—oh, now he should be called Sheriff—had informed him that the conman's real name was Édouard Benoît de Villeneuve, from a bankrupt minor noble family in Normandy.

As a young man, he attended a church school, where he learned French rhetoric and basic Latin, and even published some poems. Later, he spent years swindling people in various provinces, which perfectly illustrates his identity as "an honest Parisian."

A few days ago, a Paris court sentenced him to one year and six months in prison and agreed to allow the church to perform an exorcism on him.

The Universal News delivered both bad news and good news to him at the same time, leaving him with mixed feelings as he turned his gaze to the envelope, which truly surprised him.

The letter was signed "French Writers' Association", SGDL.

(End of this chapter)