Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 336 The Glorified and the Castrated

On the morning of April 7, 1881, Armand de Lamotte, the editor of Le Figaro, noticed his assistant's flustered look as soon as he entered his office.

He gave a disgruntled "humph": "What's the matter? Why are you so nervous?"

The assistant picked up a manuscript from the table and handed it to Lamote: "Even the editors are hesitant to decide whether to use this manuscript..."

Lamot muttered, "How can you be getting more and more timid? We are the prestigious Figa..."

Before he could finish speaking, his assistant interrupted him, adding, "It's a manuscript by Mr. Lionel Sorel."

Lamot's hand trembled, and cigar ash fell onto the manuscript. He hurriedly brushed it off: "Next time you give me a manuscript like this, tell me your name first!"

The assistant dared not say another word and could only reply, "Understood, Mr. Lamot!"

Lamote didn't have time to scold his assistant. He hurriedly went into his office with the manuscript in hand and sat down to read it carefully.

The title of the article made his eyelids twitch: "The Glorious and the Castrated".

The combination of "glory" and "castration"—two extremely contrasting words—not only caught the eye but also gave Lamote a sense of "bloodshed."

Sure enough, after briefly recounting some "anecdotes" about Indian elites in London, Lionel launched into a full-blown attack.

Indian princes and wealthy merchants could receive titles, medals, and invitations to royal banquets for their "contributions to the empire"...

But the colonizers still only regarded them as "representatives of foreign subjects," like exotic treasures displayed in a museum.

They were tools used to demonstrate how "inclusive" and "equal" imperial culture was, but they would never be truly accepted as members of society.

Following this, Lionel delved into the purpose of colonial education, a point of great pride for London's Indian elites—

The colonists promoted education in the colonies not for enlightenment or to achieve equality, but to create an intermediary class.

Just as Britain cultivated a group of subjects in India who had Indian ancestry but British mindset.

They need locals to assist in management, and they need someone who can understand their instructions and carry them out in a way that locals can accept.

These selected elites became cogs in the colonial system and mouthpieces.

Then, he presented the article's most core and incisive point—

The colonists taught them knowledge, but they also used that knowledge to emasculate their spirit.

They were taught to look up to the glory of the colonizers' civilization, but were not allowed to have their own light.

They can quote extensively from classical texts and are more familiar with the sayings of Shakespeare and Voltaire than the British or French, yet they are ashamed of their mother tongue.
They imitate the mannerisms of Europeans, wear the most expensive custom-made suits, and attend the best elite schools, yet they are never accepted as "civilized people."

This is a profound form of spiritual castration—the more closely the local elites of the colony imitate the colonizers, the more ridiculous and outcast they appear.

They became spiritually rootless, suspended between two worlds, neither truly belonging to the colonizers' world nor gradually drifting away from the world of their origin.

The "glories" bestowed upon them were precisely the scalpel used to perform this castration surgery.

Near the end, Lionel concluded:
The ultimate product of the so-called "civilization mission of the superior race" is not "civilized people," but spiritual eunuchs shrouded in a halo of glory.

It led the colonized to deny themselves while looking up to others, to lose themselves while imitating others, and ultimately to willingly serve the rule of the colonizers.

Compared to gunboats and bayonets, this chain that binds the soul is both more secure and more pathetic.

But the article wasn't finished; Lionel seemed to have more to say, adding a final paragraph—

This kind of rule will eventually become a nightmare for colonizers and an 'original sin' that future generations will have to bear.

Historical debts never disappear into thin air; their interest only accumulates until the day of repayment.

When the people of the colonies awaken and demand the return of their deprived dignity and rights, colonial history becomes a wound that can never heal.

Every descendant of a colonizer will have to face endless questioning and pay the price generation after generation for the “great achievements” of their ancestors. This price will be far heavier than what they once plundered.

I can even picture an Indian becoming the British Prime Minister, while the streets of France are filled with Algerians…

Lamote put down his manuscript and let out a long sigh.

This article differs from current political commentary in newspapers, focusing more on criticizing cultural and psychological aspects.

Although Lionel's final "prediction" in the article is quite absurd, it is certainly chilling enough.

“My God, an Indian as prime minister…” Ramot shuddered at the thought.

He certainly understood why Lionel had submitted the article to Le Figaro, rather than Le Parisien or Le Repubblica.

The readership of Le Figaro consisted of Parisian conservative middle-class elites who were often beneficiaries of colonial policies.

Lionel's article challenges their views—

It wasn't about loudly proclaiming how hypocritical Jules Ferry was, but about telling the nation's middle class how absurd colonial expansion was.

If Lamote rejects the submission, Lionel will easily find another newspaper to publish it in.

But then, Le Figaro will likely face ridicule and mockery from its peers again.

Lamote didn't want the controversy surrounding "The Curious Case of Benjamin Buton" to fall on this newspaper again.

After much hesitation, he handed over "The Glorious and the Castrated" to the typesetter.

However, he added an editor's note stating that the article does not represent the position of Le Figaro.

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The following day, the latest issue of Le Figaro was published, and Lionel's article indeed sparked heated discussions among Parisian readers and cultural elites.

Compared to the fervent tone of the Commune members, Lionel's article appears more "introspective" and "profound".

"Sorel's angle this time is so unique!"

“He doesn’t talk about economic exploitation or political oppression, but about ‘spiritual castration’.”

"Indeed, this kind of damage is more insidious and harder to heal than material plunder."

Even some moderate readers who were not originally interested in radical left-wing rhetoric were moved by this article.

An unnamed government official told reporters:

“Lional is right. Isn’t our promotion of French-language education in Algeria also aimed at cultivating ‘Algerians with French minds’?”

Of course, there were also criticisms. Some staunch supporters of the colonial policies quickly wrote articles in the newspapers.

They accused Lionel of "alarmism" and "smearing France's cause of spreading civilization," arguing that he ignored the "progress" and "modernization" brought about by colonialism.

But these critics soon discovered an embarrassing fact—

Their rhetoric is almost identical to the British previous attempts to whitewash colonial atrocities.

British media naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity.

The Manchester Guardian quickly arranged for Lionel's article to be translated into English and published in a prominent position.

The article generated an even stronger response in London than in Paris.

(End of this chapter)