True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1856-05-14
Translated from the Journal des Debats; fol
the Evening Post.
Religious Intolerance in France.

Religious Intolerance in France.
Les Archives du Christianlsme, of the
5th of February, gives an account Of a
trial that lately came off before the tribu-
nal of Bellac (Haute Vienne, and in
which the cause of religious liberty is in
terested. For the last ten years the
Evangelical Protestant Church, though
unrecognised, that is to say, unsalaried
by the state, has counted numerous adhe-
rents in the department of Haute Vienne,
all of whom contributed out of their own
monies to the support of public worship.
In the parish of Vile Favard, among 9TH
ers, out of 800 inhabitants, 566 had pro.
lessed this creed; in the parish of THAT
which is more deeply implicated than
any of the rest, more than eighty families
had joined the Protestant Church. There
were churches and schools in the parish,
which had been regularly attended ever
since the year 1s45, under the eyes Of
the authorities, without any ones ever
having thought of moesting them. The
republic took the place of the monarchy
of 1880, but changed nothing in the free
and peaceful exercise of evangelical wor-
ship.
The ministers and communicates o.
these churches regarde d their rights as
firmly established and guaranteed 10 them,
by an official letter from the Minister oil
Public Instruction, dated February 81
ls49, and by decision of the Court o.
Appeals, under date of November l3
1851. But Oil the 25th Of March, 1852
a decree was issued, placing different
construction on the hitherto acknowledge
ed right Of meeting and associatng togelh-
er, by requiring that all public gatherings
of whatsoever nature, should be licensed.
The Court of Appeals, by decision Of
the 9th of December, 1853, was applica-
BILE 10 assemblies of purely religious
character.
The Evangelical Protestants of the de-
partment of Haute Vienne thereupon ask
ed for license to continue their peculiar
form of worship, but did not obtain it,
Their temples were consequently closed,
their schools interdicted, and they them
selves were brought before the tribunal of
Bellac charged with having held religious
assemblies without the authorization of
the law.
The court rendered decision, in which
ii recognised that the assemblies in ques-
tion were exclusively religious in their
character; and yet, in view of their being
unsanctioned by the law, inflicted on the
parties the lowest fine allowed by the stat
ute. Thereupon the Evangelical Prot.
estants Of the department Of Haute Wen.
ne, emboldened by this official, juridical
proof of the nature and objects of their
gatherings, renewed their endeavors 10
obtain the proper license from the author
tiles, but without success the license
was refused as before. They were again
summoned before the court, where they
were defended with great talent and mod
Grafton by their pastor, M. Edmond de
Presence, whose remarkable speech we
are sorry not TO be able to publish.
The Emperor's Attorney sustained the
accusation. The court rendered the fol-
Whereas, from all the facts in the case,
it appears that the defendants, Perron,
Barnaud and Charmasson, have presided
as directors or chiefs over an assembly
composed of more than twenty persons !;
Whereas, the teachers lent their school
houses for this purpose,
Whereas, the accused parties are all
the more to be blamed from the fact, that
they knew they we're acting in violation
Of the law; that the Tribunal, which had
already inflicted divers penalties upon
them, has right to use some severity
on the present occasion-the Tribunal
graduating the penalties, however, in pro-
portion to the guilt Of the accused, de-
clares Perron, Barnaud, Charmassoh.
and Madame Chevalier, .gpilly Of having
held meeting, for re N ious purposes,
without license, and having sconsented to
the use Of their premises for this ,pur-
pose /; $4,000 ,a. s~e.
Therefore, the Tribunal condemns said
Perron, Barnaud, Charmasson and Mad
ade Chevalier to fine Of 1000 francs
each, and the three other parties impIica.
ted TO fine Of 500 francs each. The
sum total Of the fines amounts 10 5000
francs. 5 aaes l,s asS eess ssba sa SO