Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 197 Two Enraged Men
His Excellency Louis-Antoine-Augustan Gibbon, Archbishop of the Diocese of Paris, is in good spirits lately.

Former Archbishop Gibel was urgently recalled to the Holy See to face punishment due to the scandal of the "Great Exorcism Ritual".

With the position of Archbishop of Paris suddenly vacant, he seized the opportunity and, through a discourse on "how the Church can consolidate its position and guide public opinion in Paris," successfully took control of the papacy in this city of great importance in the secular world.

Bishop Gibb's main point was that the Church should take every opportunity to collaborate with artists in Paris to present a positive image of the Vatican.

Republican governments operate on electoral politics; influencing voters means influencing members of parliament.

If the church wants to obstruct the "Ferry Act," it must address the root cause!

If French citizens believe that the Church plays a positive role in basic education in France, then the so-called "secularization of education" has failed.

As for "free" and "obligatory," without "secularization," it becomes a big cake being handed to the church.

He had read the script of "The Choir" and, although he had some doubts, after reading the reports of Monsieur Valette and Brother Duclos, he decided to support the performance of the play.

Bishop Gibbon had little illusion about the image of the Church, knowing full well that constant praise and glorification would only invite the audience's resentment and the critics' ridicule.

He believes that "The Choir" strikes a good balance—although the reformatory under church control is a little "rigid," it can become a starting point for troubled teenagers to start anew with just a few changes.

Therefore, he instructed Le Universal and La Croix to create a favorable public opinion environment for The Choir, hoping that the premiere of this play, which "demonstrates the great power of church administration and the results of its influence," would cause a sensation in Paris.

This could even reverse the church's disadvantage in the war of public opinion.

He will also personally attend the Comédie-Française and enjoy that glory amidst the praise and applause of many believers!

But a message shattered his expectations—

According to feedback from various churches, many believers complained to the priests that they could not buy tickets for the premiere of "The Choir".

At first, he thought it was because "The Chorus" was too popular, and even prepared to put pressure on the Comédie-Française to increase the number of performances of "The Chorus".

But when it was learned that this was an ignorant Russian noblewoman who actually attempted to buy out the entire premiere of "The Choir," completely ruining this grand drama that was supposed to help the church reverse public opinion...

The Archbishop is furious!

"Idiot! Utter idiot!"

Archbishop Gibbon roared at Monsignor Valette.

If the premiere of "The Chorus" is a flop, and no one watches the play that the church has been so heavily promoting, then all the previous publicity will become a mockery, and the church will become a laughing stock in all of Paris!

This is something he absolutely cannot tolerate!

With a livid face, he issued the order: "Go see Baroness Alexievna immediately! Warn her to discipline her daughter with the Church's strictest measures!"

Tell them that if the premiere of "The Choir" causes any problems because of their foolish behavior, the church guarantees that they will have no place in Paris!
All salons, all banks, all embassies will no longer open their doors to them! Let them think carefully about the consequences!

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.

When Monsignor Valette arrived at Baroness Alexievna's residence, the usually haughty noblewoman truly felt fear.

The threat from the Church was devastating to the Shcherbatov family's operations in Paris.

Although the Church's power in Paris has shown signs of decline, the powerful and wealthy will certainly not mind taking this opportunity to thoroughly exploit this fat sheep from Russia.

The baroness was pale and drenched in cold sweat, which trickled down her chin along her beard and finally dripped onto her chest hair.

She never imagined that her daughter's impulsive act of venting her anger would offend the most powerful force in the Parisian religious community.

Almost under the pressure of Monsieur Valette's cold gaze, she immediately sent people to forcibly bring back the still smug Sophia.

For the first time, the Baroness, who had always doted on her daughter, unleashed a furious rage on Sophia. "You foolish troublemaker! Do you know what you've done? You almost ruined everything we have in Paris!"
"Immediately! Right now! Get rid of all those damn theater tickets! Or I'll send you to Siberia to live with the bears!"

Sofia was completely terrified by her mother's fury and stern warning.

She only intended to humiliate Lionel, but she never expected to get herself into such a mess.

The previous arrogance and pride vanished in an instant, leaving only fear and panic.

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.

Sophia's "feat" not only reached the ears of the church, but also quickly alarmed Émile Perrin, the director of the Comédie-Française.

This kind of behavior—using money to blatantly interfere with art and attempting to create performance mishaps—is simply shaking the very foundation of the Comédie-Française.

Emil Perrin also expressed his outrage: "Absurd! Shameless! Who does she think she is? To use such dirty tricks to ruin an artistic performance!"
This is not only an insult to Lionel Sorel, but a trampling of the dignity of our comedy theater!

The theater's survival depends not only on its classic repertoire, but also on its inviolable reputation and impartiality.

If a foreign noblewoman is allowed to use her money to buy out ticket sales and create a flop, the Comédie-Française will become a laughing stock in Paris and even throughout Europe!
Who will respect the artistic choices of comedy theaters in the future?

Dean Emil Perrin roared at his assistant, “Investigate immediately! Verify the information! If it is true… issue the strongest written warning to Baroness Alexievna in the name of the theater!”
Tell them that if a large number of seats are maliciously left empty on the night of the 26th, the theater will immediately declare all tickets sold for that performance invalid, refund the ticket price, and reopen the theater for ticket sales!

At the same time, all theaters in France will permanently refuse entry to the mother and daughter!

------

Under immense pressure, Sofia had to make amends as quickly as possible.

The following day, a somewhat awkward "revelation" appeared in Le Figaro and Le Parisien, signed Sofia Ivanovna Durova-Sherbatova:
Recently, out of my eager anticipation and support for Lionel Sorel's new work "The Choir" and my strong desire to give more theater lovers the opportunity to appreciate the play, I asked a friend to purchase some tickets for the premiere performance.

I hereby declare that all these tickets will be donated free of charge to citizens who genuinely desire to see the play. Specific instructions regarding collection will be provided separately to the Comedy Theatre's ticket office. Best wishes for a successful performance of "The Choir".

------

"Haha, 'eagerly anticipating and supporting'? How can she say that!"

Albert chuckled to himself as he read the newspaper.

He turned to look at Lionel, who was engrossed in eating his lunchbox: "You knew this would happen from the beginning?"

Lionel glanced at him: "Otherwise, why would I thank her? She actually paid for it!"

My biggest worry was that the show wouldn't sell out...

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.

After this bizarre farce, "The Choir" gained unprecedented attention.

All of Paris stared wide-eyed, eager to see what this drama, which had newspapers swung their opinions and wealthy ladies were throwing money around like crazy, was all about!

Those who were previously hesitant about watching have now made up their minds.

Long queues formed in front of the comedy theater's ticket window, and the tickets that Sofia "donated" were snapped up instantly.

26号首演场迅速售罄，甚至连加演的28号、30号以及明年1月2号、4号的门票，也以惊人的速度被抢购一空，票房热度甚至超过了同期的经典剧目！

Lionel Sorel and his "Chorus" had already ignited anticipation throughout Paris in a way no one could have predicted, even before the premiere began.

(End of this chapter)