The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1875-04-25

under the new law, an occasion
and temptation for most arbitrary and
peror-that is the Minister of War and a
Jortiori the Imperial Chancellor-may
order the embodiment of only portions of
the reserve. He may call out parts of q
division, emitting the other parts he may
even call ont one or two battaliOns of u
regiment, leaving the rest at home. What
a grand opportunity and means of punish
ing refractory district If the Alsa-
tians are Troublesome, all their male pop
puiation capable of bearing arms can be
called out and cent to the farthest extrem-
ICY of the Empire, to encamp amidst, the
SHOWS of winter on the shores OF the Baltic.
Is this fanciful picture At this moment,
tie recruits and soldiers who have been
raised in AIsace are serving on the Russian
frontier. although we are aaked to believe
that domestic army centres are OF the
essence OF, Prussian military organization.
Nay, more, SO scanty ia the pay, SO harsh
and miserable the treatment to which
those lads and young men are subjected,
that, were it not for the compassion of
their friends at home, they would be
literally starving. Or-tO take another
view of the case, and borrow an illustra-
ton from o process with which our grand
fathers here in Ireland were familiar
what is to prevent the Berlin War Office
from calling out their Pomeranian Reserves,
aud quartering them on Alsace Z The ira
ditions of their predatory expeditions
during the French war will tell them how
to harass an unfrieDdly population with
out causing too great an uproar while the
present hardships of their military life and
the wretchedness of their lot in their pro-
vincat home will stimulate them to make
the most of the golden opportunity placed
at their disposal. There is surely some
thing to be said for the view of those who
do not consider that the working of this
La xvil an AS
looks on paper.
But the question of the hour in Germany,
and especially in Prussia, is undoubtedly
the mutual attitude of the State and the
Church. To one who has followed the
history of the last eighteen months, it is
not difficult to see hoao the crisis has been
brought about, although he may not un
derstand aohy it should have occurred at
all. The fret batch of the now famous
"May Laws" was passed in May, 1873.
Two or three days after, the whole of the
Prussian episcoPaey met at Fuida, ana q
addressed to the King of Prussia and the
| two houses of the Prussian Parliament. In
| this document they pointed out that those
laws were utterly subversive of the Divine
constitution of the Church; that they
| were in contradiction to the whole line of
conduct held towards the Church in all
| Christian lands ever since the conversion
of Constantine that they were re-asser=
ton of the Pagan principle, that the State
was the sole source of right, SO that what
ever it forbade must be wrong; that the
bishops could not obey those laws without
! denying the Divine origin of the Church,
I and betraying the doctrines and institu-
tions of Christ and that therefore they
| begged to intimate respectfully that they
| could be no parties to carrying those laws
into effect. This, surely, was ample notice
to the Prussian government of the judg-
j Of fhNn0
laws which the Prussian bishops had
| formed.
The legislation of 1873 was fortified by
fresh legislation in May, 1874. The sub
| stance of this new ecclesiastical code, con-
| stituted by both these "May Laws
amounted to this, 30 far, at least, as the
present condition OF affairs is concerned.
| secular courts for purely eccleslastIcal
acts, which the law has, under certain cir
cumstances, declared to be unlawful. Such
tribunals, and especially a supreme court
established at Berlin, may sentence the
| eccesiastlc for such offences to fine, impris-
Onment, deprivation of office, Punishment
from the district, or even the country.
! When, g., a parish priest is declared by
the lay tribunal to be deprived of his
parish, the bishop is required to appoint
another clergyman to the "Odcant" place.
| Should the bishop refuse to appoint, he
| IL llaDi0 TO INC puuIsuoenLS JuSU epcCi-
fed. Further, the bishop cannot appoint
anyone to any ecclesiastical position.
or authorize any clergy man to exercise
ecclesiastical functions, without having first
received written authorization from the
district authority concerned. Any de-
parture rom this provision subjects both
the bishop and the priest to the punish
ments above specified.
Let as understand this legislation. A
| bishop in Prussia cannot legally give h
priest faculties to hear confessions, or
authorize him to say Mass, without the
permission of the lay authorities. Could
any Catholic bishop obey such a lawf No
parish priest can legally allow another
priest, who is not furnished with legal
authorization, however much he may Oe
authorized by his bishop, to say Mass,
preach, hear confession, catechise, or
/ visit the sick. If be act otherwise, he is
liable to all those punishments, including
deprivation of his parish. Now, let us
suppose that parish priest has been SEN