Chapter 1139: Schools
This dye was something Joseph remembered from a documentary about Egypt. The Egyptians had mastered this extraction technique thousands of years ago, and it had been used ever since.
Later, Napoleon brought "Egyptian Blue" back to Europe. Its elegant hue quickly became a sensation among the nobility, leading to a more than thirty percent increase in French blue textile shipments that year.
Actually, what Joseph hadn't told Le Roy was that "Egyptian cultural consumption" was the real moneymaker.
Currently, this mysterious ancient country in the Eastern Mediterranean was little more than a myth to Europeans.
Historically, the exploration of Egyptian civilization by the archaeologists Napoleon brought along caused an "Egyptomania" that lasted for decades.
All sorts of Egyptian-style lion-claw chairs, papyrus-inlaid furniture, and Cleopatra-style headpieces instantly became European fashion, driving massive consumption.
The year Napoleon returned to France, Egyptian-style transparent gauze dresses accounted for forty percent of the total women's clothing production in Lyon!
The "Cleopatra" play was performed over two hundred times a year in Paris, and every show was sold out.
Even Sphinx-shaped statues were selling like wildfire.
Joseph roughly estimated that Egyptian culture could increase France's annual income by more than fifty million francs!
Of course, the most important thing would always be the Suez Canal.
He only vaguely remembered that the canal utilized a natural lake called the "Bitter Lake" in the middle; everything else would have to rely on the on-site surveys of French geologists.
However, he could at least help the geologists avoid two major detours.
First, they could trust the ancient canal route from the Pharaonic era. Second, the Red Sea was not ten meters higher than the Mediterranean.
In history, these two errors had slowed the planning of the canal by countless years, and it wasn't until the mid-nineteenth century that feasibility studies were finally completed.
Currently, Masséna's army was gathering at Toulon and would set sail for Egypt in half a month.
Salem III had already prepared an army of nearly seventy thousand. Once the French army landed on the western side of Egypt, they would immediately launch an attack from the direction of the Sinai Peninsula, forming a pincer movement with the French against the Mamluks.
Meanwhile, the combined Franco-Spanish forces would begin a heavy assault on Gibraltar to distract the British and simultaneously use the fires of war to block any fleets Britain might send toward Egypt.
Afterward, as long as they waited for Muhammad Ali to establish himself, France could gain control of the Suez region through "diplomatic means" without offending the Ottomans.
During this process, French geological experts should have roughly completed the planning, and they could then begin excavating the canal that could be called the "European carotid artery."
Yes, to dig the Suez Canal, they needed the cooperation of both the Ottomans and the Egyptians.
Otherwise, even if they didn't send troops to attack the construction teams, merely refusing to provide labor would mean not a single cubic meter of soil would ever be moved.
"Your Highness."
Eman's soft reminder interrupted Joseph's wandering thoughts.
As Joseph looked up, he saw a middle-aged noble standing with more than twenty people, bowing at the gate of a small courtyard, clearly there to welcome him.
Beside him, Le Roy hurried to introduce the man. "Your Highness, this is Viscount Dubuisson."
Joseph stepped forward with a smile and addressed the middle-aged man. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Viscount Dubuisson.
"Your generous act has brought knowledge and reason to Paris. I believe that countless Parisian children will remember your name forever."
The latter, flattered, bowed once more. "I have only done something insignificant, respected Crown Prince."
"You are truly a humble gentleman," Joseph said. "That is four schools. I heard you spent over twenty thousand francs?"
"Ah, yes, Your Highness. Twenty-three thousand francs," Viscount Dubuisson said quickly.
He paused and gestured to a young woman standing behind him to the side. "In fact, most of this money was provided by Miss Clary. I was only responsible for the preparation of the school buildings and recruiting teachers."
"Miss Clary?" Joseph felt as if he had heard the name somewhere before but couldn't recall it for the moment. He assumed she might be a noble from Versailles. "You are quite a remarkable lady. Whatever made you think of building schools?"
"It... it's because..."
Clary seemed very nervous, unable to get a complete sentence out for a long time.
Seeing her predicament, Joseph offered her a way out. "Then let us first tour the new school."
Viscount Dubuisson hurried to comply. "Oh, yes, of course. This way, please."
After entering the courtyard gate, Joseph saw the sign for the "New Elementary School" hanging on the modest small building in the center of the yard.
Yes, this was an elementary school—a new type of school unprecedented in this era.
However, the name was indeed a bit too literal. Joseph pondered it for a while, but being someone who struggled with names, he couldn't think of anything more suitable.
Once inside the school building, Viscount Dubuisson introduced the facilities eagerly. "Your Highness, there are eleven classrooms here, which can accommodate two hundred and sixty students.
"Over there is the teacher's lounge. This school has a total of six teachers. And over there is the bakery..."
Joseph asked in confusion, "Eleven classrooms but only six teachers?"
"As you know, few people are willing to work here. So I plan to have the older children teach the younger ones."
Joseph nodded. "I will help you find enough staff. For example, by granting teachers the status of government employees."
This was his entry point for breaking the Church's monopoly on the French education system; it had to be handled properly. If necessary, he could absolutely have students from the University of Paris come for a few months of "internship."
Indeed, just as Joseph was considering how to reclaim educational dominance from the Church, Viscount Dubuisson and Miss Clary had taken it upon themselves to raise funds and build four "non-profit schools" in Paris. They were intended to provide educational opportunities specifically for children who could not afford private preparatory schools.
When Le Roy, the President of the French Academy of Sciences, mentioned Dubuisson's schools to Joseph—noting that they only charged a monthly tuition of seven sous and provided half a pound of bread daily—Joseph's eyes lit up.
This was quite simply the best weapon against church schools!
Furthermore, these were privately built schools with no connection to the French government or the royal family. There was no need to worry about the Church's dissatisfaction.
There were already private schools, but they catered to nobles and capitalists and were very expensive.
Viscount Dubuisson's schools were merely cheaper; the Church could hardly find grounds to complain.
Joseph immediately sent someone to contact Viscount Dubuisson to provide guidance on the construction and teaching models of the schools.
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