The Duke of Saint-Aignan stands up from the Ultraroyalist benches of the Chamber of Peers and, clearing his throat, holds the maiden speech.
"Monsieur President de la Chaimbre des Pairs."
"It has been known to me that recently two petitions regarding national education have been authored by members of the Other Chamber. One of them has been authored by right honorable Député du Norde and the other by the most reverend Bishop of Montauban."
"It is without doubt that the intentions of both of these gentlemen are noble and aimed at a cause that is important for all of us - upbringing of the future generations."
"However it is my firm belief that we, Peers of France, should support, if His Christian Majesty chooses to propose these bills to the legislative assembly, the proposal authored by the Bishop of Montauban."
"First of all, the projects tabled by good Deputy du Norde are much more costly and ambitious than we can currently afford. The necessities so finely stated in the Other Chamber - restoration of our borders, upkeep of the Royal Armies and restructuring of the national economy and administration, as well correction of the injustices and harms caused by the wars and revolution to private property and rights of the subjects of His Majesty - ask for us to be modest in our expectations towards luxuries such as higher education. The right honorable Député du Norde claims that the educationary institutions under his proposal are largely self-reliant. However, if we look through his petition, we would see that its obliges the Government to fund the construction and upkeep of a number of Universités and Grandes École, and the construction of many Collèges Royaux and Écoles Populaire, reopening all these instituions which have been closed during the revolution! While the upkeep the Universities and the Grand École would be the direct responsibility of the Royal Government, the other education institutions are to be funded from the communal and departmental purses. Moreover, if the communes and departments are unable to fund these institutions, the Royal Government would have once again to step in!"
"It is my belief that, rather supporting this extensively ambitious and costly educational project, it is better currently to concentrate on the primary education, which is most important for a common working Frenchman. It, without doubt, would cost us less and is more realistic. If necessary, we could in this case combine different sources of financing - the funds belonging to the Roman Catholic Church in France, the funds of the central government as allocated by the Ministry of Finance and the funds of the departments and communities in which these primary parish schools would be located. Thus the financial burden on each of this entities would be lessened."
"Secondly, I believe that is important for us not only give the children of France certain sums of formal knowledge, but to raise them as pious, virtuous and diligent subjects of His Christian Majesty. We, alas, know many examples, when the schools, placed in the hands of irreligious haughty followers of the radical philosophers, have become the source of destructive revolutionary ideas, corrupting clear souls of our innocent children. Therefore it is only reasonable, should we want our national education to be based on order and morals, not chaos and amorality, to call the good clergymen of the Roman Catholic Church to our aide. They have experience, educating the children of France for hunderds of years - and thanks to them, thanks to the parish schools, the young Frenchmen would become harmonious people, loyal to their God and King."
"I know that the proposal of right honorable Député du Norde includes religious education as part of the educational curriculum, but it does not provide any guarantees that men of cloth would play a leading role in such education even on most basic level, that they would significantly represented in the schools or that their views would be truly taken into account."
"Therefore I suggest that the Peers of France should support the proposal of the Bishop of Montauban, should it be tabled by His Catholic Majesty or his Ministers."
"Thank you for your time."
- Claude Louis Marie de Beauvilliers, Duc de Saint-Aignan
"Monsieur President de la Chaimbre des Pairs."
"It has been known to me that recently two petitions regarding national education have been authored by members of the Other Chamber. One of them has been authored by right honorable Député du Norde and the other by the most reverend Bishop of Montauban."
"It is without doubt that the intentions of both of these gentlemen are noble and aimed at a cause that is important for all of us - upbringing of the future generations."
"However it is my firm belief that we, Peers of France, should support, if His Christian Majesty chooses to propose these bills to the legislative assembly, the proposal authored by the Bishop of Montauban."
"First of all, the projects tabled by good Deputy du Norde are much more costly and ambitious than we can currently afford. The necessities so finely stated in the Other Chamber - restoration of our borders, upkeep of the Royal Armies and restructuring of the national economy and administration, as well correction of the injustices and harms caused by the wars and revolution to private property and rights of the subjects of His Majesty - ask for us to be modest in our expectations towards luxuries such as higher education. The right honorable Député du Norde claims that the educationary institutions under his proposal are largely self-reliant. However, if we look through his petition, we would see that its obliges the Government to fund the construction and upkeep of a number of Universités and Grandes École, and the construction of many Collèges Royaux and Écoles Populaire, reopening all these instituions which have been closed during the revolution! While the upkeep the Universities and the Grand École would be the direct responsibility of the Royal Government, the other education institutions are to be funded from the communal and departmental purses. Moreover, if the communes and departments are unable to fund these institutions, the Royal Government would have once again to step in!"
"It is my belief that, rather supporting this extensively ambitious and costly educational project, it is better currently to concentrate on the primary education, which is most important for a common working Frenchman. It, without doubt, would cost us less and is more realistic. If necessary, we could in this case combine different sources of financing - the funds belonging to the Roman Catholic Church in France, the funds of the central government as allocated by the Ministry of Finance and the funds of the departments and communities in which these primary parish schools would be located. Thus the financial burden on each of this entities would be lessened."
"Secondly, I believe that is important for us not only give the children of France certain sums of formal knowledge, but to raise them as pious, virtuous and diligent subjects of His Christian Majesty. We, alas, know many examples, when the schools, placed in the hands of irreligious haughty followers of the radical philosophers, have become the source of destructive revolutionary ideas, corrupting clear souls of our innocent children. Therefore it is only reasonable, should we want our national education to be based on order and morals, not chaos and amorality, to call the good clergymen of the Roman Catholic Church to our aide. They have experience, educating the children of France for hunderds of years - and thanks to them, thanks to the parish schools, the young Frenchmen would become harmonious people, loyal to their God and King."
"I know that the proposal of right honorable Député du Norde includes religious education as part of the educational curriculum, but it does not provide any guarantees that men of cloth would play a leading role in such education even on most basic level, that they would significantly represented in the schools or that their views would be truly taken into account."
"Therefore I suggest that the Peers of France should support the proposal of the Bishop of Montauban, should it be tabled by His Catholic Majesty or his Ministers."
"Thank you for your time."
- Claude Louis Marie de Beauvilliers, Duc de Saint-Aignan
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