Date: Thu, 27 May 2010 07:51:22 +0200
From: A.K. <andrej@andrejkoymasky.com>
Subject: Montsabot Charterhouse 11/15 (highschool/historical)

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MONTSABOT CHARTERHOUSE
By Andrej Koymasky © 2010
Written on June 29, 2002
Translated by the Author
English text kindly revised by Brian

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USUAL DISCLAIMER

"MONTSABOT CHARTERHOUSE" is a gay story, with some parts containing
graphic scenes of sex between males. So, if in your land, religion,
family, opinion and so on this is not good for you, it will be better
not to read this story. But if you really want, or because YOU don't
care, or because you think you really want to read it, please be my
welcomed guest.

-----------------------------

Chapter 11 - THIRD PART

11 - Handing over the responsibilities

1949 was a year full of events in the Charterhouse.

Roland, who was now sixty years old, decided to leave the Dean's
responsibilities to Serge, and to devote himself exclusively to enrich
and develop the Institution's library. The Charterhouse had in that year
three hundred and twenty-seven boys, divided in twenty family-houses.
The adults working there in the various roles, were in all sixty-three.

Serge decided they had to commemorate all the alumni who fell in the
war, therefore he had all their names, with their birth and death date,
carved in one of the empty niches at the side of the church entrance
gate, which before the French revolution contained statues of Saints,
and had put there a bronze lamp so to have a perennial flame lit.

One day, then, a telephone call came to the dean's studio.

"Charles Claudel speaking. May I have dean Roland Laforest, please?"

"Charles? I'm Serge, how are you?"

"Oh, Serge, what a pleasure hearing you! I'm very well, and you?"

"I too, thank you. I am now the new dean, do you know? Roland wanted to
retire and so now he devotes all his time to our library... But tell me,
you are married, if I remember rightly..."

"Yes, just after leaving the Charterhouse. And now I have four wonderful
children."

"Four? My compliments! Why don't you come to visit us with all your
family?"

"I will, I will come sooner or later, but not now. Listen to me
carefully, rather. I'm working at the Education Ministry, here in Paris.
Just yesterday I came to know that the Minister ordered, prior to giving
you the needed certifications and funds, an accurate inspection of the
Charterhouse. The commission will stay there for a full week, and will
be a pain in your arse. They certainly will see everything, know
everything, they will examine all the boys... They are all terribly nosy
people, they will split hairs. So I thought... I appreciated very much the
healthy sexual education you gave us and the degree of freedom... even on
the sexual field. It helped me very much once I was out, to be a better
man and, as much, also to be a better husband and father.

"But we both know very well how reigning here outside Montsabot is a
respectable, puritan and hypocritical mentality... If they suspected
anything, not only you would get nothing, but they would force Montsabot
to shut down and possibly they would accuse you adults of... corruption of
minors and god knows what else! Therefore you have to prepare all the
boys in hurry, and to carefully hide anything that can... compromise you.
I pray you. It would sadden me terribly if something bad happened to you
because of a pack of Puritans!"

"Do you know when they will be here?"

"No, I couldn't get the exact date, but I presume before this month's
end."

"Thank you Charles, you are a real friend. We will do as you said,
surely. They said nothing to Roland about this inspection; we really
didn't expect it. Anyway, when you can, remember to come to see us with
all your family, agreed?"

Serge at once summoned all the adults and the boys with responsibilities
and presented the problem to them. They all were mobilized to revise all
the material, the writings, the notes, and the books. The boys, who
after the soldiers left the Charterhouse had resumed doing physical
education in total nakedness, used again undershirts and shorts. But
above all it was explained to all the boys and mainly to the youngest
ones who were also the most na•ve, what was normally already explained
them - that the people from outside can't understand and don't share
their choices about their life, therefore they had absolutely not to
tell the strangers, and especially those of the commission, who would
certainly cover them with questions...

In each family the older boys went on asking questions to the youngest
ones, to correct their answers, to get them used to giving the "right"
answers. The children were amused, to them was like a game. Besides
that, they thoroughly cleaned all the rooms, so that everything was
tidy, shining and in perfect order.

Finally one day three big black cars came and nine inspectors got off,
six men and three women, who showed their credentials. Amongst them
there were three school inspectors, two doctors, a psychologist, a
sociologist, an expert in administration and a lawyer. The youngest of
them was about forty years old and the oldest about sixty. All were
showing an air of self-importance, but falsely affable and kind.

Serge, in his role of dean, bid them welcome and offered them
hospitality on the top floor of the Abbott's Tower, where five bedrooms
were available.

"If you would adapt yourselves to share two to a room... we can host all
of you. If we knew beforehand about your visit, we could have provided
better accommodations... But we never have had so many visitors stopping
here for more than a day; you should forgive us..."

"It's not important, sir the dean, thank you. The Ministry already
provided to book our rooms at the Hotel Terre de Gaule, downtown. First
of all we would like to be shown all around, to get an idea of the
general organization of this orphanage... after that each of us will
execute his tasks according to his competence."

"Certainly. Please let me, anyway, point out that we, even though
technically and legally this is an orphanage, we never use this label,
and neither the word orphan, but we call this the institute, and the
boys... simply boys or pupils. Also downtown, on our suggestion, nobody
uses those terms any more, and you will normally hear them call our
institute the Charterhouse, and the boys, the Cartusians..."

"Well, this is just a question of nomenclature... but we will remember it.
Would you please lead us for a first general visit?"

"I would do it with real pleasure, but if you don't mind, I would rather
prefer that our President lead you on the visit..."

"As far as we know we never heard about a president in your...
institution. Aren't you the one responsible for this place?"

Serge smiled, "Legally that is so, no doubt. But, you see, we are trying
to educate our boys to democracy and social life... Later we will have the
time to illustrate to you how we try to obtain this... For the moment...
just know that here all of us adults is assisted by one of the boys,
elected by the same boys, with an equivalent role. Therefore the boy
assisting the dean, that is me, is the highest level representative of
the boys, that is a boy having the role of president. If you please, I
would like the president to lead you in your visit of our institution..."

"That's interesting... so, then introduce us to this... president, and ask
him to be our guide..."

So started the first "Explorative tour" of the whole Charterhouse. The
president was priceless, he had at the same time the deferent attitude
that adults expect from a boy, and the determined way a responsible one
should have. This first tour made rather an impression on all the nine
inspectors who evidently were thinking to see one of the usual
orphanages or boarding schools that were more like barracks or prisons
than small industrious towns.

In the following days the inspectors got on their tracks, following
their competencies, to examine in detail all the aspects of the life in
the Charterhouse. Each of them was assisted by the boy who was
responsible for that sector, who was their guide and answered to all
their questions, always joined by the corresponding adult who anyway was
there only to assist and grant that everything was carried on without
problems.

At the end the inspectors were, to say the least, enthusiastic;
everything went on smoothly, they appreciated the atmosphere they
breathed in the institute and how everything was organised, included the
system of internal democracy, including the internal currency and the
bank. The only criticism was that it was suggested to organise also an
infirmary with a small isolation ward in case of infectious illness, a
suggestion which was immediately accepted.

Everything went smoothly... by the skin of the teeth. In fact there was a
moment when they feared that came to light what must not.

While he was visiting one of the family-houses, one of the inspectors
asked to a ten year old child, whose name was Mathieu, a rather innocent
question.

"Tell me, little one, what do you like best amongst what they teach you
here?"

"I like everything well enough, sir. But above all I like when they
explain to me that when I grow up like him (and he pointed towards a boy
of fourteen) I can also try the things that the older people do outside
of here."

"What do they do, the grown up people, out there?" the man asked,
curious.

Uselessly the family-head, at the back of the inspector, threw a black
glance to the boy.

Mathieu, angelically, answered, "I cannot tell you, sir, because they
are things that are done outside here, but are never told."

The family-head was desperate and was asking himself what should he do,
then intervened, "If you would please follow me, sir, I would like to
show you what we call the family album..."

The inspector interrupted him, "No, wait. I want to better understand
what this child is saying. How did you say your name is, little one?"

"Mathieu, sir. And what's your name?"

"My name is not important... so, then we were saying..."

"Oh, so your name is also one of the things outside here that can't be
said, sir?" Mathieu asked, made curious.

"No, what's that got to do with it? Which are the things that outside
here are done but are never told?" the man insisted, trying to
understand what the boy was referring to.

"Oh, as you come from outside here, you should know better than me,
sir." Mathieu answered, angelically.

An older boy quickly intervened, "Oh yes, for instance outside of here
there are military secrets, industrial ones... things that are done but
one doesn't talk about... isn't that right?"

Mathieu then asked the inspector, widening his eyes, "You, sir, you know
military secrets?"

"Of course not, I am not in the army. But, YOU answer me, Mathieu, what
are the things that you learned here, that are done outside but one
shouldn't tell?"

"Well... for instance... they taught us that when one goes to cast his vote,
he should not tell everybody who he voted for... Here I can't yet cast a
vote, but he can. But he shouldn't tell everybody who he chose... Isn't it
so, sir?"

"Of course, in a true democracy the vote has to be secret. This is what
they taught you?"

"Yes... and then... they also taught me..."

The family-head was desperately giving him the sign to shut up, but
Mathieu was not looking at him, so he imperturbably went on.

"Then they taught me... You, sir, are you able to perform magic?"

"Magic?" the man asked confounded.

"Yes... there also, he who performs them should not tell how he does them,
or else all the fun ends. We children are not yet skilled, but he is
very, very skilled, do you know? And he never tells how he does it. When
I am grown up, possibly I too will learn, sir..."

"Yes, yes, I understand..." the man said and with great relief of the
family-head, he passed to ask questions to the other boys.

When, after the inspection was over, that poor family-head told Serge
and the others about that episode, everybody laughed and said that they
had been lucky.

From the Education ministry came all the needed authorizations for the
official recognition of all the studies carried out at the Charterhouse,
and also some funds, not very much but useful, in proportion to the
number of boys.

In the Pilgrims Hall, on the second floor, they prepared the infirmary
by annexing two rooms, one for isolation, and the other for the long
periods in bed, adequately equipped.

They then also decided to start the Charterhouse alumni association,
thinking that the various competencies of the most affectionate alumni
could result to be useful, as had been the telephone call they got about
the inspection, or like now to find a doctor and a nurse for the
Charterhouse.

Inspiring themselves on the Charterhouse coat of arms, that was carved
above the great stone gate of the former church, and that consisted of
four horizontal light blue stripes alternated with four white ones, and
on them five red balls put in a cross and each astride two stripes, the
made the arms of the "Society for the Assistance to the Institute of the
Charterhouse" or SAIC, that was a bipartite blue and white shield with a
red ball in its centre.

A great number of alumni, amongst which many were already in touch
thanks to the magazine called "Montsabot Charterhouse", readily adhered
to the initiative, declaring their competencies and availability, and
also sending a single donations or monthly money transfers. With a
postal referendum organized by the magazine, the alumni decided that
they would not be called Montsabot alumni nor former Cartusians as some
proposed, but... the "Ancestors"... in fact each of them was still feeling a
member, deep in their heart, of the House-family where he lived.

Therefore the Charterhouse, thank to the initial capital of the
Laforests, to the state funds and the private donations of the
Ancestors, as well of other private institutions, gained a certain
economic prosperity and could further improve its structures.

First of all they restored all the remaining small houses and built
seven more, perfectly identical to the old ones, so that in all there
were twenty-six family-houses, in the three rows up the slope behind the
church. They renovated all the toilet and bath facilities in all the
houses. Finally they moved the movie theatre on the ground floor of the
library, which now had forty thousand books, then the second floor was
also restored in order to enlarge the library in the future.

All was completed in 1950 and that same year was held the first plenary
meeting of all the Ancestors of the SAIC. It was a great family
festivity, and the boys were all very excited; each family competed to
know all their Ancestors and be known by them. The strong affection that
bound the ancient pupils with the new ones was something moving...
especially for Roland, to whom on that occasion was presented a collar
with the Charterhouse coat of arms and a beautiful artistic parchment
where he was declared "the real Dad of us all"...

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

In 1954 the Institution of Monsabot Charterhouse, was at its thirtieth
anniversary! They decided to held great celebrations.

Serge for that occasion simplified the old uniforms of the boys, taking
away the starched collar and the spats, and replacing the short mantle
with a light blue overcoat. For the first time it was also decided on a
uniform for all the adult personnel working in the Charterhouse, in fact
they thought that it was not fair asking the boys to wear a uniform if
the adults didn't set the "good example".

They also decided to restore the stone baroque fountain that was on the
square, connecting it directly with the spring that feeds the small lake
near Saint Bruno chapel.

The SAIC organised a full month of celebrations to which took part
personalities of politics, of show business, reporters... This was also
the occasion for starting a campaign of funds gathering, involving banks
and privates, to renovate the Charterhouse facilities. The kitchens were
renovated, the three sheds that the German and American armies left were
demolished and in their place were erected new buildings in style with
the old Charterhouse, the laboratories for the boys were modernized and
expanded. But above all now the institution was able to receive more
orphans.

So the printing plant now could also print in four-colour process and
the weekly magazine "The Montsabot Charterhouse" became a nice colour
magazine. Their private radio, "The Voice of Montsabot" had good success
among the youths of the region, and was named by the readers of the most
prestigious French magazines the "Radio of the Year" to the great joy
and pride of all the boys.

The SAIC showed on many occasions to be a powerful means to support,
help and protect the institution; in fact a high percentage of the
Charterhouse alumni, thanks to the wonderful preparation, not only
technical but also social and moral, had very good careers and several
of them held important positions. Amongst them there were politicians, a
general director of a bank, lawyers, a juvenile judge, a writer,
journalists, three show business stars, administrators, a prefect, two
mayors, army officers...

It was thanks to one of the Ancestors of the SAIC, who was an inspector
of the state schools, that Joseph became one of the teachers of the
Charterhouse.

It was 1956. Joseph, who was then twenty-six, was a physical education
teacher in a Lyon high school, just behind Perrache. Among his pupils
there was a seventeen year old boy, shy and reserved, orphan of mother
and with a father almost absent. Joseph took to heart that boy, often
unfairly the subject of rude jokes by his school-mates, so the boy
opened his heart to him.

Soon between them affection was born, and this lead the boy to feel an
increasingly stronger desire to push his relation with Joseph further,
until he succeeded in seducing him, so that the boy and the teacher,
both gay, ended in each other's arms. So started a secret, warm and
tender relationship between the teacher and his student.

But unhappily, a letter that the boy was writing to Joseph fell into the
hands of the boy's father. The letter was explicit enough to not leave
room for doubt about the nature of their relationship. The boy's father
took the letter to the school headmaster. Joseph and the boy were
summoned at once. They could not deny their "guilt" but the boy tried
with all his strength to exculpate Joseph, telling it was he who had
seduced his teacher, because in Joseph he found the love that nobody
gave him in all his life...

The boy's father didn't want a scandal, because, as he was a rather
famous psychologist, that would greatly endanger his professional
reputation; but he demanded that Josef had to be chased not only from
his son's school but from all the public education. When the headmaster
informed his superiors, the inquiry was assigned to a departmental
inspector who was, by chance, an Ancestor of Montsabot.

The man questioned Joseph.

"Tell me, monsieur Baronet, did you always have this drive towards the
boys?"

Joseph moved ill at ease on his chair and answered in a low voice, "For
what I can remember... I never felt attraction towards the gentle sex,
sir."

"And... always to minor boys?"

"No... sincerely... just at times, if they are physically and mentally
developed, but usually toward older boys... and anyway... this is the first
time I... with one of my students... I always avoided to..."

"It seems that the boy swore and insisted very much that it was he who...
who seduced you."

"But I let him seduce me... and willingly, sir. And I am an adult, it was
up to me to keep my head in place, sir. But I pray you to believe me, it
was not just desire that made me accept his advances... but rather the
affection I have for him..."

"Legally... you could be charged with corruption of a minor, are you
aware?"

"Of course, mister inspector."

"For your luck... the boy's father doesn't intend to report you to the
law, to avoid a scandal, but he demands you to be barred from teaching,
and not just in this school. But without a legal charge... the only means
we have to bar you from teaching, we would need to demonstrate that you
have not enough skills to be a good teacher... And this would be anything
but easy, as you, as an athlete, also won several prizes, from what I
know."

"I like teaching very much, sir... and I always respected my students, I
can swear it. I always tried to help them to grow up, not only
physically but also morally... even though after what I did you can doubt
about that. But I pray you to believe me, even if between Dourier and me
there has been... a physical relationship... it has been as a consequence of
our previous spiritual relationship... not its preamble, and even less the
goal... I know that people like us..."

"Monsieur Baronnet, to be attracted towards his own sex, or the opposite
one, or both, doesn't give to anybody a license of morality or of
immorality. There can be morality or immorality in all the three types
of relationship I just mentioned. At least, this is what I firmly
believe and what as I child I was taught. Now, in my opinion, what
happened between you and your student, if on one hand is clearly
illegal, on the other hand seems to me absolutely... moral, believe me."

Joseph looked at him extremely astounded, and remained to look at him
his mouth agape, almost unbelieving.

The inspector smiled, "I well know that ninety percent of my colleagues
wouldn't see it in this way... But in my opinion immoral is violence,
deceit, dishonesty and not how one lives his sexuality... But let's come
back to us... So, to you, teaching is above all a mission, if I well
understood."

Joseph hinted a shy smile, "I don't feel like being a missionary... but...
it's above all to do one's best to help the boys to grow up sound,
honest and happy... I think. Of course, any teacher has to follow a
curriculum with precise contents, but if we limited ourselves to just
that... books would be enough, I think; there would not be need of
teachers of flesh and blood."

"Tell me, Monsieur Baronnet, do you have family, here?"

"No, I live by myself."

"You would therefore have no difficulties in moving, in going to work in
another town?"

"There wouldn't be the least problem..."

The inspector nodded. "Listen, young man, I have to confess to you that,
after hearing the boy's testimony and his passionate defence of you, and
after talking with you... I like you. I therefore would like to give you a
hand to get out of this problem in the best possible way. If I can give
you a bit of advice, resign from your post as a state teacher. But then,
go to this address," the man said checking his pocket diary and writing
down something on a sheet, "introducing yourself with my name, and ask
there if they can give you a teaching position. If you assure me you
will go, I will call them announcing your visit and explaining to them
your problem..."

"You mean... telling about my student and me?" Joseph asked, worried.

"Of course. But this, you will see, will not at all be prejudicial to
your candidacy... So, then do you accept?"

"I can hence go on being a teacher?"

"Yes, if they hire you. It isn't a state school but an officially
recognized one, therefore they are free to hire who they please."

"In spite of what... what I did?"

"Excuse me, young man, but possibly I didn't explain myself clearly
enough. What you did, in my opinion, is not immoral, at least as much as
it isn't immoral the fact that... that you and I are French. Therefore,
don't you think it would be a weird question if you asked me if they
would hire you in spite of the fact that you are French?"

Joseph for the second time smiled and nodded, then justified himself,
"You are the first person ever to tell me to think in this way... I'm not
used to it, can you see? I had to always carefully hide my... my
inclinations, and everybody always did so that I had to feel ashamed of
them... So you can understand my... my astonishment."

"Good. This means that possibly your setback, after all, is proving to
be less bad than you feared... Please, write down and give me your
resignation letter as I asked you and I will settle all the rest. When
do you think you can present yourself at this institution?"

"Even next week..."

"Good, therefore before Sunday I will talk about you with those
responsible. My best wishes, Monsieur Baronnet."

So Joseph went to the Charterhouse. Serge received him.

"Monsieur Baronnet, I was waiting for you. Have a seat, please. I
received a warm introduction about you, therefore, if we can, we will
try to help you."

"You therefore know why... why I had to give my resignation from the state
school. The real reason, I mean."

"Yes, of course. Tell me, Joseph... I can call you by your name, can't I?
My name is Serge... Tell me, in your opinion a physical relationship with
a person of your same sex is against nature, sinful, normal, bad, good...
or what?"

"It is against the laws of our nation and of the church..."

"But for you..."

"If I deemed it to be bad, unnatural, I would do all in my means to
avoid it... But in my opinion... when it is dictated by love, or at least
affection, and when there is mutual respect... it could even be good,
beautiful, right..." the young man said and blushed.

"Good. And your relationship with your student... what dictated it?"

"A deep affection, believe me. I know that as he was still a minor... I
should not have... but... I could have told him no, I could have refused his
need only because... I could have told him no, to wait some years... Of
course there was also my desire, I can't deny it. But I swear that more
than a physical desire, it was my desire to give him affection, support,
love that pushed me towards him. I felt desire also towards other boys,
as I am what I am, but not for that I ever allowed myself to... to try to
attract them to me... to use them to soothe my need... I am not trying to
justify myself, but more than for my sake, it has been for him that I..."

"Yes, I know what that boy declared and it corresponds to what you are
saying. You don't need to insist, you are explaining what is obvious...
Changing to a technical level, and to your value as a teacher, I know
that you won several medals and cups in sport competitions..."

"Yes, here is my curriculum..."

"I personally think that you would be a good acquisition for our
institution. But here the decisions are always taken collectively.
Therefore I will now summon the college of teachers and students and if,
as I think, you will be deemed suitable, starting from next month you
will become one of our teachers. And as soon as the college will give
its approval, I will also explain to you in detail our educational
principles, our organization; we will give you a room in the Old Guest
House, that is used as the residence of the adult members in this
Charterhouse, and you will be one of us..."

So Joseph met the college of teachers and students who examined him and
in the end gave its assent. Joseph was thus hired. When they explained
to him the principles that ruled the Charterhouse, Joseph passed from
incredulity to amazement to enthusiasm. So he became one of the physical
education instructors, revealing to be a skilled and valuable teacher
who was really able to understand, lead and spur the enthusiasm of the
boys.

One day Joseph said to Serge, "I passed through a nightmare to wake up
in heaven!"

Serge smiled, "It could be... so then do your best so that you can leave
this... heaven a little better than how you found it. Only with hard and
serious work from us all, both boys and adults, will this be possible."

"Of course I will do my best!" the young man joyfully exclaimed.

In that same year it was also decided that the twenty-six family-houses
would be called in alphabetical order from A to Z, painting over the
entrance door of each of them a coat of arms representing the family
name. So for instance, a boy said that he was Marc Bosse of the Flower,
as he lived in the house F, or Jules Creyx of the Eagle as he lived in
the house E.

Another new thing introduced in the Charterhouse's life, so that the
life in the little houses became much nearer to that of a true family,
was that each house got a refrigerator and a washing machine, the gift
of an ancestor, the owner of a household appliances factory. Such gifts
from the Ancestors were everything but uncommon. Anyway, even though
each Ancestor had a strong bond with his old family-house, the rule was
that, except for some small things of little value or of particular
sentimental value, the gift had to be given to all the institution and
not to a single family, to avoid differences and discriminations.

The Charterhouse could also buy a small bus and three service cars, to
use besides the two old military jeeps that the American army left them
as a gift, old and anyway working perfectly. Near the garage for all
these cars, they also built a small maintenance shop, completely
equipped by another of the Ancestors, so that the boys who liked could
learn that work.

Maurice, working hard with the boys, transformed all the land between
the little houses into a beautiful English style garden, and the area at
the east of the church and behind the laboratories, into a vegetable
garden so that they could always have fresh vegetables. Also the small
vineyard was producing a good wine, just in part used in the
Charterhouse and in great part sold in the shop they had downtown that
was still managed by Michel Laforest-Brout.

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CONTINUES IN CHAPTER 12

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In my home page I've put some more of my stories. If someone wants to
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---------------------------