New-York tribune., 1876-05-06
THE FRENCH REPUBLIC.
SOCIAL AND POLITICAL ASPECTS.

| socIALLY-THE MARRIAGE QUESTION.
| FRoM REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF TIE TRIDuSE.l
PARIS, April 14.-Moderation and wisdom are not
being shown by the clergy in the great struggle
which is now underlying all things. In the arsto-
| cratic and usually quiet Province of ADjou the
| Bishop has chosen to excommunicate n0minatively
of the greatest champions of the Catholic Church
in France! This incredible act of arbitrary power
which took place about ten days ago. and has only
! been made public since the day before yesterday,
| has, an bound to say, scandalized and shocked
| every sincere Christian and every intelligent
Catholic. The facts seem TO be these: In the AT
minisration of a hospital founded By the Count de
Faoux, with funds left 20 him for that purpose by
| his celebrated friend the venerable Madame Swet-
chine, NJ. de Falloux had with the consent OF the
| Mayor and Municipal COunciD taken somo measures
concerning chiefly the kitchen service for the sichj
| which did not meet the appreciation OF the Bishop
| The latter peremptOrly ordered these to be an
nulled; NJ dc Fa!loux lirnly refused; the Bishop
turned the sisters out of the hospial NJ dc Falloux
| and the Municipal Council openly took their part
Whereupon the Bishop, neither more nor less than
modern st. Thomas Beckett, hurled nomlnative
| accommodation at the heads of Al. de tailouA ana
| Of the Mayor and his Council!
You may easily conceive the sensation pToducedlh
provincial center and the eXultatlon OF tle anu
| clerical party at such unieard-0f unJlsihaoie,
| upoitic proceeding. The choice of the stancAcst
Of Catholics as its victim by Episcopal bigotTy Was
highly gratifying to the vast mass OF frenchheh'
who declare that the clergy only aspire to revive
the customs of the darkest Middle Ages However,
the secret was kept for several days and since tie
details have become public il is most remarkable
with what moderation the Republican journals have
recoanted the incident There has been absolutely
no politca capital made out of il, and the f'tting
behavior has been entirely the side oi the rec
Thinkers As TO what viii be the result OF the aitii
in itself no one 20 know or mGch to care vi
course appeal has been made to Rome, ana there
would b. nothing very marvellous in the Popcs nav
ING TO send a rcprimand TO the Bishop of Angcrs
though the majority of the faithful say His llo-
| ness Will not venture t. take this STEP
The rage for moderation with the Republicans IL
sncI that "A Senator of a rather conservative tint
said IN my hearing yesterday: Depend upon it
they viii rather now commit an omission than
deflult Of patience" Gambcttas inaugural speech
as Prc,ilen! of the Budget Committee was con-
elusive proof of this. Nothing more modest, moro
veiit.biy unprcsuu.ing can be imagined than tins
short address or more fuil OF practical truth. Gam
beta fays therein what no impartial person can
d,uv namely that il tho Republicans are To become
ca,abc OF government they mus. achieve knoNl-
c.ge, and that, above all, tLcy must be initiated
into the mysteries of finance and political economy
Here | ak leave To open q parcnthcsis. Ayste-
re" Is word rcquirin- explanation. IL II Is certain
tiat the most ordinary economical aud financial
urolcrrs have been neglected or ignored by the pre-
pondcrnt mas, OF the middle class in France, it is
also cgaa'Iy certain that in what have hitherto
been termed the governing classcs' there las
been lingering belief in tho old world
theory Of the mysteries OF finance.
While on the orc hand nothing was known
on The other the so-cacd KNOWLEDGE va7 fa',e one
and prct; ;v much on a level with the medical science
Of tie days Of Sloli,re. In the rapid lifting OF all
walls from the science Of National lious' keeping
for il H. after all but tliat Oh an enormous scale
which has been rapidly gong on all over the
world for the la.t - yclrs-thc governing or edu-
Gated classes in Frsncs have taken no part. In the
movement, OF the last II or 20 years they haye. Gs
a mass. not participated. They have seen iudlvidu-
ais hike the leaders Of the Empire grow rich aud
| have thought IL Was chance. They have shared in
TIE increased general prosperity of TIC country, but
/ If .nc il,in practical facts OF modern finance they
have no, nnd TODD the value and they still fancy
I.at Gnauc, is closed Temple Of which people like
the Rothschild4 must alone be the llgl. Priests.
Hence thc misunderstanding. On the one hand
! Gainnctta expressing the modern theory says
tllat ~ the Republican party has not yet acquired
! t!,r practice Of business in Enancial sense AZ
viii apply itself thereto hcnceforth. and will master
Tie Oh iisIah't ~ u '"t'iA '''tNi '' ''
science that might be named. At this, the denzen5
Of ,lc Old World shrug their sonldcrs and, smiling
disdainlully declare that finance cannot be learnt
| bv any outsider" least of all by n Republican,
INIT is tie privilege of Huan,.cr. born inancicr.,
only. However, with the genuine pubc tho srn'i-
ble and unassiming tone OF Gambctta's late speech
has produced quite an extraordinary effect. what
| \ strsuge thing" exclaimed RJyalist lady on
Tuesday last amid circle af fashionable people at
| thc fiorse show, "Nhat strange thing! IL at tlis
time last year any one had mentioned the name OF
Gunbctta i'm a salon, he she would have bccn out
| lavcd on The SPOT; and people listen to his
name without making any outcry. and even discuss
| his merits or defects as if lie really existed"
I invite your attention TO the concluding
phrase because il is tho formula of
sect the password of what constitutes large
social organization in France. " Ccl1 HCssie pas!
is the phrase by which all political eXolusiyisIn
! is manifested IA the O!d World ceutcrs; and to
measure the frightful degree of narrowncss and
sclfsInc,s which il represents, you must have heard
il drop from the lips Of man or wonfn belonging TO
| Royasin Of 10 matter what shade, IN this country.
| France is terribly old country, in which
| hotitious and conventional society has been moro
dangerously powerful than anywhere else. Many
thing. have contributed to this: Religion and the
Jcsuiis, the division Of property, and the way in
which marriages are made, besides the dislike TO
travel which is general aud the consequent isnor-
ance of the foreigner and of progress in other
countries The question of marriage in France lies
at the very root of all the evil. Al property being
divided. and female births predomnating over male
ones. the sale Of the man is the basis Of ciyililI
ton in France. Boys arc brought up by their own
motL.rs 10 be sold 10 tho highest bidder,
| o,J tbis L,a since the great Revolution corrupted