The Sun.
London, England, 1858-01-29 00:00:00

RELIGIOUS LIBERTY IN FRANCE.

The following article appears in the Moniteur
of yesterday ;
For some time past, several foreign journals,
receiving articles composed in France, have under-
taken to represent the Imperial Government as
lending itself to an odious persecution of the Protes-
tants. It would be too painful to reproduce the in-
jurious and almost degrading terms we meet with in
these articles, for we should have to blush for those
fellow-countrymen of ours who have accepted the
sad part of vilifying their country to other na-
tions. It is only political animosity that can allege
the Protestants in France to be " hunted down by
the prefects, priests,
and police agents, . . .
and obliged to assemble in forests like their
ancestors at the time of the Dragonnades." The
cause of religion has nothing to do with these de-
plorable accusations, and all French Protestants,
honest and loyal citizens, reject them utterly. They
know the truth. The mperor has always mani-
fested his sentiments of protection towards all the
religions recognised by the State, and he has just
solemnly alluded to them in his opening speech of
the Legislative session. His Government has
never disobeyed so high and just a will ; but, as
was its duty, has everywhere, and with regard to
everyene, en forced the execution of the lawsby which
the police regulations, with regard to different forms
of public worship, are determined. Thus, it has
felt bound to require that authorisation should be
asked for the opening of temples and formation of
religious meetings ; and when the founding of
schools has been proposed, it has required that the
regulations of the law of March 15, 1850, should be
complied with. But there are always a few men
greedy of innovation who delight iu noise and the
ardour of contentions, and whose exaggerated zeal
impresses on religious doctrines the passion of con-
quest. They have boldly denied the right of the
States and have laid claim to absolute independence
in their outward' acts. When brought before the
tribunals, they have been condemned, because the
one bad violated the other. On the other hand, when
there has been occasion, not to bring citizens back to
the respect due to our; organic laws on religion,
but to decide upon the authorisations required,
there has been sometimes a concession of
these, sometimes a refusal. Why ? Because the
aut orisation can only be granted from a perfect
knowledge of the individual case, and because,
wherever the new foundations attested rather the
invasions of an excessive proselytism than a real
staki of calm mental conviction and sincere conver-
sion to another faith, a wise and enlightened go•
vernment ought to wait. The duty of authority is
not to contribute to agitations by blindly favouring
all the enterprises of religious zeal. Its duty espe-
ginntiasiendingthe public peace by
form of worship that it
assuringcially consists i seachtsinremcoa
shall not be attacked by any other. Every citizen
is free in his belief, and may change it ; but no
one can compel the State to consecrate publicly
the formation of new flocks, se long as the certainty
does not exist that it has to deal with things honour-
ably and irrevocably consummated. Such has been
the rule of the government's conduct, a rule
inscribed in the laws and in toe good sense of the
country. It has been applied with moderation and
good faith. The Minister of the Interior and the
;Minister of Worship have themselves examined,
and most attentively, all the requisitions; they
have obtained repeated information, and made re-
peateda on s w
iinthquailrlitea and have only given their deci-
guarantees of an enlightened con-
science. As to what concerns the free primary
schools, nothing more has been done than what the
existing laws permit. These laws created the right
of opposition, and this was resorted to, when there
were legitimate reasons for believing that the found-
ing of a school in a commune was not so much a
serious want felt by the new religion, as an instru-
ment of disturbance and aggressive propagandism
against the religion of the majority of the inhabi-
tants. Then the departmental councils, con-
sisting of the most respectable inhabitants,
have judged definitively, in virtue of their
right, either rejecting or admitting the oppo-
sition offered by the administrative or judicial
authorities. This is what is called an odious per-
secution, and this is why an equitable and loyal
government has been slandered to foreign coun-
tries. All the wrong it is guilty of is that of keep-
ing to the execution of the fundamental laws, and
these laws, far from admitting an unlimited liberty,
irresponsible in the public performance of worship,
subject it to the guardian superintendence of the
State. Take away this control, and civil society
will soon be delivered up to religions wars of every
kind, nor will there be any respect and security
for any established form of worship. His Ma-
jesty's government is therefore firmly resolved
on exercising this control, as constituted by the
laws. It is equally resolved on repressing the
attacks and violent provocations, which the several
religions make on one another, or mutually undergo
in the press. The constitution wills, that each of
those creeds recognised by the State shall be respected
in its dogmas and usages, because each creed, in
its turn, is bound to respect the dogmas and usages
of the rest. It is needful, therefore, to put au end
to all passionate polemics of a nature to offend the
conscience of the citizens and outrage their belief.
It is by works, and not by disputes, that the spirit
of faith can act and spread in a great nation, which
lives under the shelter of its laws, and suffers no
aggression on the public tranquillity. But if it is
useful to defend the several creeds against the evil
they cause one another by censurable polemical ex-
cesses, it is still more useful to defend society, in
its integrity, against
the s i r t of subversion
revolutionary impiet lid
means
behind religi-
ous discussions and
and profits by them in order to de-
the necessaryi
y. This g p
m eans
for and
de-
stroy all principle of
authority, by inspiring con-
tempt for every principle of religion. The Govern-
meat is armed with
pro-
tecting at the same time both religion and the
State, and it will use them energetically.