The Absolute at Large · Chapter
XVIII: In the Night Editor’s Room explained
Bishop Linda berates Father Jost and the night editor Kostal for publishing a leader that attacks the Absolute, as other groups have claimed the Absolute as their own.
What happens
Bishop Linda berates Father Jost and the night editor Kostal for publishing a leader that attacks the Absolute, as other groups have claimed the Absolute as their own. He orders a reversal of policy, instructing Jost to write a new article welcoming the Absolute into the Church, and announces that G. H. Bondy will be baptized.
Themes in this chapter
Religious Conflict and War
Bishop Linda's fury and the competition among churches, monists, Masons, and socialists to claim the Absolute highlight religious and ideological conflict.
Skepticism and Faith
Father Jost's initial skeptical leader is overturned by the Bishop's pragmatic embrace of the Absolute, illustrating the tension between doubt and institutional faith.
Characters to notice
- Bishop Linda
Arrives at the night editor's room, furious about the morning's leader, and dictates a new editorial policy embracing the Absolute.
- Father Jost
The writer of the morning's leader, humiliated by the Bishop and ordered to write a retraction and a new article.
- G. H. Bondy
Mentioned as the subject of a local news item announcing his upcoming baptism.
- Novotny
The printer who brings proofs and is questioned by the Bishop about setting the morning's leader.
Key passages
“It has been scientifically demonstrated that I, Father Jost, am a jackass, a dolt and an idiot.”
Bishop Linda sarcastically dictates a retraction, forcing Jost to admit his own foolishness.
The Bishop uses mockery to humiliate Jost and reverse the newspaper's stance.
“The Absolute must work for us; He must be ours, i.e. He must be ours alone.”
Bishop Linda insists that the Church must co-opt the Absolute for its own benefit.
Reflects the theme of institutional appropriation of religious phenomena.