The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1875-11-09
The French PrOtestants.

liO n 4 C1OlA L
In the little Taitbout chapel of th
Rue de Provence, Paris, a gentleman oc
casionally breaches who is one OF tn,
most eloquent orators and one of the los
scholarly divines of the French Reformed
church-M. Edmond dc Pressense H,
is more than fifty years old, but his nam
has already been for quarter of cen
tury before the public in connection will
his authorship of theological works, Borl
in 1924, he was educated first in Paris
then for three years at Lausanne. anC
afterward at the universities of Halle ant
Berlin. On his return to Paris he wal
ordained pastor at the Taitbout chapel
and almost at once drew attention on him
self by the manly vigor and the scholarly
polish Of his sermons. OF strklngly in
tellectual features, and endowed with Il
rich, full voice, he might be said to pos
scss the accessories which contribute
most to success in the pulpit but his
success was not one Of the ophemeral sort
which fashion makes aud fashion can undo
Edmond de Pressense took Il powerful
hold of the minds Of his congregation, and
that hold has been growing 10 strength
week by week ever since so that now,
as live aDd.twentv years ogo, he is the
most popular preacher OF his church.
For be is an earnest worker and knows
how to adapt his lessons to the events OF
the hour. The fault Of Catholic preach
ers is, that they live too much in the
clouds, and think it derog tory to descend
to earth and remark what is passing
there When they do descend, under
pressure Of political or religious storms,
their speech is Ike n whirlxind. over.
throwing and blasting all that is new, and
consequently much of what is true, Plac
ing faith above reason, they deliver ser.
mons which must not be argued against,
but accepted whole, such as they are,
because they have the dogma of infallibi-
ity behind them. No wonder that many
Catholics, finding in these sermons Of
superannuated philosophy so little to
guide them in the path Of modern life and
morals, should complain that religion is
made hard for them. and should. in des.
pair, give up attempting to conform their
lives TO the precrpsa of Ghrie, ,ianitu, The
Na'uu''u .n1,un Is iull Of such p eudo be-
levers, who virtuoliy believe 10 nothing,
but who proiessedly remain within the
pale OF conformity, because ii is the cor.
rect thing TO do
French Protestants are almost all
liberals in politics and devotees in re.
liglon. They are deeply respected com.
munity; but they are not liked. and they
live under tacit social and political dis
abilities such as not very long ago ham
pered dissentera in England. NJ Guizot
became prime minister, through Prot
estant; but bis religion was a great
drawback to him and contributed not a
little to widen the breach between Louis
Philippe and the legitimists. who counted
most on the episcopacy in their ranks.
The fact is, that the French antipathy to-.
ward Protestants, being born of prejudice
and misunderstanding, is almost impossi.
BILE to smooth away. 1t is not quarrel
OF sccts as that between Auglicans and
nonconformists. Leaving out Of account
the small minority Of truly devout Cath
~i;a~ A. ~-.~-~.-~ H. / t----- = -
avowed free.thinker, or a skeptic who
from cxpcdiency makes pretense Of be.
lievng and be connot understand the
position Of a Protestant who rejects Ger.
tain tenets OF the Catholic church without
pushing his dissent to the length OF inf
deity. Most French school girls imagine
that Protestant does not believe in
Cbrist,and even men ,reputed wel.niorm-
ed, will put astonishing questions as to
the points which constitute "heresy" y"-as,
for instance, "Do people pray in the Prot.
estant church pas though supplications
not addressed to the Virgin or saints, and
kneeling, could be no prayers at ALL A
French woman of the Catholic faith would
marry on atheist. because there might be
hope of reclaimng him, but she would
not wed with Protestant, because there
would be small chance of wiling him from
bis church /; and in general way Prot
estants are tabooed from houses where
there are manageable young ladies or
children, because it is believed that they
are not only y obstinate against attempts at
conversion, but are possessed one and all
with mania for proselytiziug. The re.
suit Of this quasi ostracism is that French
Protestants lead by comparison with their
fellow. .countrymen somewhat retired and
austere lives; nor are their habits OF
thought those of ordinary Frenchmen.
They are grave, simple, and, in their
homes, ratriarchal They hold family
prayers, practice long disused in Cath
Ollie households; they mix little in public
amusements, are but chary patrons Of
Partisan literature and the drama as lat.
terly developed: and train their children
by robust, thorough methods OF schooling,
which make men of them at an age when
most French lads, whether educated at
lycees or seminaries, are still, intellectual
ly speaking, almost infants When COL
lected in numbers, as in Alsatian villages,
French Protestants form most exemplary
communities. Edmond About writes iu
one Of his works: "You can tell by the
first sight of an Alsatian village street il
the inhabitants be Catholics or Protest
ants. If the women be slatternly and
thS cottages untidy, having heaps Of re-
fuse before the doors, and broken window.
panes mended with paper-if tho chill.
dren, unwashed and in rags, are seen
playing all the livelong day among the
pigs and fowls, yol have a Catholic vii.
lage. If, on the contrary, you notice
tidiness everywhere around you and per.
ceive not child at large, except at the
hours when, school being over, all the