Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 137 Let's restore the tithe!

The French Writers' Association has a long history, founded in 1838 by Balzac and others. Victor Hugo and George Sand were among its early members, and Alexandre Dumas briefly served as its president.

The association’s main purpose is to protect writers from piracy and to provide legal assistance to writers involved in publishing disputes.

However, the French Writers' Association has always been very selective, and even established writers may not be able to be selected. For example, Émile Zola is still not a member of the association.

Although Lionel has recently gained fame, he is still very young and has no official status, making him an unlikely candidate for membership in the "French Writers' Association".

With a puzzled look in his eyes, Lionel pulled out the letter and glanced at it, nearly spitting out his coffee.

The letter was very brief, calling on writers in Paris to petition for Édouard-Benoît de Villeneuve, author of "The Decadent City," to stop the church from carrying out a major exorcism.

The French Writers' Association was not defending him against the fraud charge, but rather concerned that if the novel's content could be linked to demonic possession and grant the church the power to perform exorcisms, then the writer's creative freedom would be threatened.

This was intolerable to the French Writers' Association, so they not only mobilized their members but also found writers outside the association to sign the petition.

Lionel was one of them.

Lionel was now in a bind; several simple matters seemed to have slowly intertwined and become complicated.

He put down the letter, pondered for a while, and finally decided to go to Villa Médan again today to ask Zola's opinion.

No sooner had he stepped out of the door of 64 Lafitte Street than reporters swarmed around him—

"Mr. Sorel, do you consider yourself a product of secular education or a product of church education?"

"Mr. Sorel, do you support all women receiving an education? Wouldn't this lead to the decline of social morality?"

"Mr. Sorel, it is said that you are a supporter of Minister Ferry and Count Rohan. Do you agree to reduce religious content in the curriculum?"

"Mr. Sorel, do you prefer Baroness Alexievna or her daughter, Miss Sophia?"

"Huh?" The last question startled not only Lionel but also reporters from other newspapers.

The person who asked the question was a tall, thin, bald man with a sallow complexion, clearly suffering from excessive indulgence and lack of rest. Seeing everyone looking at him, he said sheepishly, "I'm from the 'Clown Newspaper'..."

Everyone: "..."

After the reporters threw the "clown" to the street corner, everyone surrounded Lionel again.

Although journalists of this era lacked microphones and cameras, their relentless pursuit of their goals was in no way inferior to that of later generations.

Lionel knew he couldn't avoid them, so he simply waited for them openly.

The first person to squeeze in front of him was a reporter from the Universal News.

After hearing him introduce himself, Lionel smiled slightly: "The article in the Universal newspaper reminded me of an interesting fact—yes, I did spend my first few years at the church school in my hometown."

The nuns were very kind, and the priest was very responsible. They taught me to read, to make the sign of the cross, and told me that stealing was wrong and that I should share my bread...

I am grateful for these basic ethical standards.

A reporter from the Universal Times became excited: "So you're going to overturn your speech at the Earl's Ball and switch your support to the Church?"

Lionel shook his head: "I systematically studied French, Latin, history, and basic geometry and algebra at the La Ranne public high school. This knowledge trained my thinking and taught me how to analyze, express, and understand this complex world."

Without these abilities, I wouldn't have been able to pass the secondary school exams, enter the Sorbonne, or write the works I have today.

The reporter from the Universal Times gave a knowing smile: "So you've chosen 'neutrality,' is that it? So you won't offend the minister, nor the church..."

Lionel glanced at the reporter, thinking to himself that this line of work is pretty much the same all the time, always setting traps for people.

He certainly wouldn't fall for that. In this era, he had no illusions about what stance to take when faced with such a problem—anyone with even a slight understanding of educational history knows that France is a shining example of modern public education.

No matter how hard the church tries, it is like a mantis trying to stop a chariot; it cannot stop the large-scale popularization of free, compulsory, and secular education.

However, this does not mean that we should provoke the church at this time.

Lionel hesitated for a moment before speaking: "To be precise, I support a system that can provide educational resources and opportunities to children of all social classes in a more stable, comprehensive, and sustainable manner."

Minister Ferry's reforms are based on the country's tax revenue, which can be said to be taken from the people and used for the people. I can't think of a smarter or kinder way to use it.
But if the Church were willing to fund the construction of thousands of classrooms in France, waiving all fees, then perhaps that could be a counterweight on the other side of the scale.

The reporter who asked the question was momentarily speechless.

One of the sources of contention in parliament is the reformed fiscal spending. According to preliminary calculations, national education funding will balloon from 2.5 million francs per year to 5 million francs per year over the next 10 years.

This is a major national policy that can only be supported by the entire nation, and the church simply cannot afford to pay for it.

The reporter was still unwilling to give up: "Why can't it be like this—the government can allocate this part of the funds to church schools, so that the churches can expand the size of the schools and waive the fees."

This way, all French children can go to school...

Lionel realized that the other party was probably a reporter from a pro-church newspaper, so he kept trying to get Lionel to say things that were good for the church.

He was getting a little impatient, but his face still held a warm smile, and his tone was even more amiable: "Actually, I have a better suggestion for the church. Would you like to hear it?"

The reporter perked up and quickly asked, "Tell me quickly, what is your suggestion?"

Lionel's expression turned serious: "Since the Church is so enthusiastic about the education of French children, it can certainly ask Parliament to restore the tithe!"
This way, there's no need for government funding; one-tenth of the income of all French citizens goes into the church's bank account. What's a little free education compared to that?

The reporter turned pale upon hearing this, realizing he had been tricked by Lionel.

It is important to know that one of the key achievements of the French Revolution was the abolition of all feudal privileges, including the "church tithe".

Later, the French government even took direct control of church property, and clergy were paid by the state, which led to the current situation where secular forces have the upper hand.

Even though the vast majority of French people are devout believers, they would never be willing to hand over even one percent of their income to the church.

Lionel casually linked "funding church schools" with "tithing," and if other newspapers sensationalized it, probably no one would support them.

The reporter from The Universal Times dared not ask any more questions, stuffed his notebook and pen into his pocket, and slunk away.

At this point, reporters from other newspapers squeezed in, and Lionel, not wanting to get bogged down in the details, expressed his views more directly:
"Instead of arguing about which school has contributed more to my small achievements today, let's look at which type of education is more likely to make France's future brighter."

"Well, at least for one of them, we've given them enough time and enough opportunities..."

(End of this chapter)