Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 139 You have superhuman skills, I have science! (Seeking monthly votes)

Flaubert's living room was filled with the smoke of cigars, the aroma of coffee, and the scent of cologne, but even more so with the anxiety of the people there.

Lionel felt the pressure from the attention, but he didn't rush to speak—he was also weighing the pros and cons.

To him, this swindler named Dewar-Benoît de Villeneuve was naturally not worth dying for.

However, he also did not want to see the church take the opportunity to expand its power as a result.

Moreover, Villeneuve was essentially taking the blame for this absurd ceremony on his behalf.

Maupassant couldn't help but urge Lionel: "Léon, what do you think? To sign or not to sign?"

Lionel put down the cup of coffee he had only taken a small sip from, raised his head, his gaze calm and his voice low, yet it cut through the stagnant air like a paper cutter: "Gentlemen, we seem to be caught in an either-or trap."

Flaubert and the others were stunned: "Is this another trap?"

Lionel patiently explained: “Signing a petition to stop exorcisms will be stigmatized as protecting the devil; but not stopping it implies that the church has the privilege of conducting theological trials on literary works.”

Maupassant was an impatient man: "We all know that, so what do you think we should do?"

Lionel smiled and patted him on the shoulder, calming his anxiety: "The real crux of the problem lies in the Church's misuse of the vague and dangerous label of 'demon possession' to explain everything they cannot or do not want to understand—"

Whether it was Villeneuve's criminal acts, or his... well, peculiar 'creations,' weren't they?

Lionel paused slightly to make his words carry more weight, and then walked to the center of the living room.

His tone grew increasingly calm: "The exorcism ritual itself, however absurd, is something we may be powerless to stop, nor do we need to forcibly stop."

That was the church indulging in self-amusement within its own belief system. The key lies in the 'judgment' following the ceremony—

The church will inevitably declare the exorcism a success, the 'devil' banished, and Villeneuve 'regained his senses'.

And then, what happens?

This question left the writers looking at each other in bewilderment; they genuinely had no idea about it.

Lionel laughed: "According to Sheriff Claude, who arrested him, based on past experience, after the exorcism, Villeneuve was sent to the Salpétrière Asylum, chained up, and locked up with real lunatics!"
Everyone knows what a lousy place it is.

That was actually their real purpose—to use a living body to erect a threatening warning sign.

The living room was silent, except for Lionel's voice echoing: "Therefore, the key to stopping the church is not whether or not to sign a petition against exorcism, but to provide a scientific and unquestionable diagnosis of Villeneuve's condition based on science!"

"The diagnosis?" Maupassant blurted out, puzzled.

Lionel nodded: "Yes, the diagnosis. We can request the Ministry of the Interior or the Ministry of Justice, after the exorcism ritual—note, after—"

A highly authoritative and reputable psychiatrist must be appointed to conduct a rigorous and independent mental health assessment of Villeneuve!

Flaubert was the first to realize: "Good idea. Regardless of whether the diagnosis shows he has a mental illness, there is still a huge controversy between the two, even if the church declares him possessed by the devil."

The public will see that the same symptoms are attributed by the church to the devil, and by medicine to brain lesions or trauma.

As long as there is controversy, we can use it to educate the public about mental illness and the absurdity of exorcism rituals! Lionel nodded: "Yes, so what the French Writers' Association needs to do is submit a carefully worded petition to the Ministry of the Interior or even higher."

The point is not to oppose exorcism, but to emphasize how necessary and urgent it is to introduce scientific medical evaluation at critical moments involving citizens' mental health and judicial proceedings.

Our aim is to prevent misjudgments based on superstition and to uphold the fairness of the law and the dignity of the scientific spirit!

After he finished speaking, the living room fell into absolute silence for a few seconds.

Zola slammed his hand on the table, making the ashtray jump: "My God! This is it! Lionel, a genius! Absolutely a genius idea! Bypassing pointless direct confrontation and hitting the nail on the head!"
Let's use the spear of science to pierce through the intimidating veneer of theology! This is more effective than arguing a hundred times about whether or not to sign the petition! I fully support it!
Flaubert smiled and nodded: "I'll push for it with the French Writers' Association!"

Maupassant excitedly grabbed the bottle, refilled his glass, and raised it high: "To Lionel! To the spear of science! To hell with those charlatans! Cheers!"

He tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, not caring at all as the liquor dripped down his chin.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

It wasn't just the writers who wanted to stop the exorcism ritual.

Just as Flaubert was drafting his open letter to the Ministry of the Interior, a luxurious four-wheeled carriage, adorned with elaborate gold trim and a double-headed eagle emblem, hurriedly rolled across the wet cobblestone street in front of the French Ministry of the Interior's annex in the 8th arrondissement, splashing up a cloud of mud.

After the carriage arrived downstairs, the door suddenly opened, and Sofia Ivanovna Durova-Sherbatova was swept into the heart of this building, a symbol of the administrative power of the Third French Republic, like a cold gust of wind.

Without even waiting for her secretary to announce her arrival, she strode forward with crisp, hurried footsteps, carrying an unwavering anger, and knocked directly on the heavy oak door of the residence of Interior Minister Ernest Constant.

"Uncle Constantine, it's me, Sophia!"

Ernest Constance was meeting with a high-ranking official in the living room when he heard Sophia's voice, and had no choice but to ask the official to leave for a moment.

He met the noblewoman from Russia in the more private living room.

“Uncle Constantine!” Sophia’s voice wasn’t cold like it was for strangers; instead, it was sweet like a girl next door.

She looked as if she had suffered a great injustice: "I hope that you, with the power of the French Minister of the Interior, will cancel that absurd exorcism farce that is about to take place at Notre Dame Cathedral against Édouard-Benoît de Villeneuve!"

Minister Constantine placed his hands on his stomach, a reassuring smile on his face: "Sophia, I understand your and your mother's concerns. Villeneuve's actions are truly outrageous."

However, this exorcism ritual... it involves the internal affairs of the church and is also a religious practice, falling within the scope of religious freedom.

"It's really inconvenient for the government to directly interfere with the clergy..."

Sofia couldn't help but scoff: "Religious freedom? Uncle Constantine, are you talking to me about the freedom of prayer of those peasant farmers in the country church?"

No! This meticulously planned 'sacred show,' aimed at all of Paris and even Europe, whatever its initial purpose, will ultimately be aimed at my mother!

Minister Constantine was somewhat surprised: "What, don't you want the swindler to be punished? After Villeneuve undergoes the exorcism, he will be locked up in the Salpetrie mental hospital."

Believe me, he'll suffer ten times more inside than in prison..."

Despite saying this, Minister Constantine secretly considered a possibility—Could Baroness Alexievna still harbor feelings for this gifted conman?
(Ask for monthly ticket)

(End of this chapter)