The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1874-06-21
MISCELLANEOUS FOREIGN NEWS.
RELIGION IN THE FRENCH ARMY.
ITO May 30.l

chaplains for the army, and the debate was
signalized by remarkably forcible and
eloquent speech by the Bishop of Orleans.
Speaking of the. revival of religion in
france, specially amongst men. and in the
population of the towns as well as of the
country. he mentioned the efforts which
the Cardinal Archbishop of Paris has been
making to supply the great want of church
accommodation in Paris. Cardinal Guibert
is about to build several new churches by
the help of voluntary subscriptions, and
the Bishop of Orleans adduced as proof of
the need of the present bill the fact that it
was impossible to find room in the existing
churches for the crowds of people who
came TO them, still less for the troops At
this the Left speered their disbelief, but
effectually put them down by turning to
them and saying: eff you ever went
there yourselves, you would know that
what I say is true" He proceeded in the
most vivid language to contrast the con-
duct of the soldier who acted under the
constraint of discipline. and the soldier
whom the principle Of abnegaton and
Christian hope move to the ready sacrifice
of his life. There was no question. he ar
gncd. of forcing religion upon soldiers
but they owed it to the families who had
given these young men q religious educa
ton, and followed them with anxiety
through the trials and temptations of a
soldiers life, to provide them with the
means of practicing their religion if they
wished. and he knew enough of soldiers to
he certain that half if not three quarters
of the army would avail themselves of that
provision. A member on the Left here
exclaimed: "Believe that and thon drink
some water; 5" an indecently brutal piece
of disconrtesy, which drew from the Presi-
dent a well merited and crushing rebuke.
I will not notice." he said, " so improper
an expression, which proves nothing but
an absolute want of breeding in the person
who uttered it." They owed it also, argued
Mgr. DupanlOup, to their country, which
had gone through such misfortunes, to
bring religious discipline to the aid of her
military and there could not have been q
truer observation. For, by all accounts,
the discipline of the French army, which
was in so deplorable a etate during the
late war, is still susceptible of no little
improvement, and nothing but the help of
religion can effect it. Those who acknow-
ledge no higher principle of action than
pagan ideas of duty, and have already lost
the class feeling of respect for their officers
which the modern French military system
has effectualy destroyed, cannot be ex-
pected to display either subordnation or a
| self-sacrifcipg spirit; aud, as a matter of
fact, in both these qualities, of course with
| many noble exceptions, the ranks of the
present army are reported to be conspicu-
| ously deficient. Two Generals, Saussier
| ness than the former, combatted the pfopo-
| sition, m maintaining that everything neces-
| sary had been done when the soldiers were
permitted to go to church with the rest of
| the population, and raised the objection
that the chaplains might act as spies among
the men and report them to the officers
an argument of which Admiral Fourchon
effectually disposed by stating "upon his
honor" that in the navy, where there were
already chaplains, none of the " encroach-
ments which were apprehended, had ever
been known to have been committed. The
bill was then carried by 384 votes against
23I.
THE NIEvRE ELECTIONS.
The tide of Republican successes seems
to be turning, for in the Nievre, where the
Republican DR.. Thurigny, in February last,
beat his Conservative opponent by 1000
votes, the Baron de Bourgoing, a Bona
partist, has obtained 81, 600 against 80 800
recorded in favor of the Republican candi-
date. And what makes his victory more
remarkable is that the Conservative inter-
est was divided, a Legitimist, NJ. de Pazzis,
having gone to the poll, and obtained 4527
votes. Nj. de Bourgoing is stated to have
set out immed lately after his election for
Chiseihurst, in order to pay his respects to
the Empress Eugene and the Prince I'm
peral. He is brother of the diplomatist
who represented France at the Vatican
and whose resignation of his post was so
creditaole Co him and was himself one of
the late Emperor's equerries.
MASSACRE OF CHRISTIANS IN CHINA.
The terrible massacres in Tonkin are
appalling. We find the Univers full of
details. 1t states now that, ain recent
impression we stated the number OF victims
to be ten thousand, hoping there was some
exaggeratlon in the account furnished to
us. But We can no longer indulge in auy
such hopes. as in the last number of the
Catholic M'sSSons We read az followe:
1--WE recorded with certain misgivinp
some seven days ago, the announcement
of massacre in Tonkin of several thou
sand Christians. More recent accounts
unfortunately forbid our longer doubling
the authenticity of this deplorable intelli.
gence. Between the 25th of February and
the l3sh of March, 10000 Christians have
been massacred in the single VIcarate APP
ostolic of Southern Tonkin !"
The silence of our Home Government.
though frequently called on to explain, and
Its emitting even to make known the trea-
V Sst.H,S lEa1 itl, ~