The daily gazette., 1876-05-10
Correspondence Of the Delaware Gazette.
PARIS, April 26th 1875.

Il rAhieS Apth Svtny Aio'0'
France has not only Catholic, but
a protestant question to solve, aud il
the latter be less prominent, 1t is NOT
the less burning or unimportant. Up
wards of 300,0 900 Orthodox, aim TO
starve the same number of Liberal
Protestants into the acceptance of a
creed. Guizot. who was the most toll
Grant of men in uniting and speechify
ing, but the exact contrary in acts, re-
duced tho Reformed Church of France
TO its present condition. 1t was his
last act of naughty craftsmanship be-
fore his happy release, He was sue
cessful in compromising what he had
most at heart; after sending Louis
Philippe out of the country in hack
ney cab, he would not hesitate to get
rid of the moiety of French protestants
in cellular van. Since his death, his
relatives and disciples have pursued
his doctrinism, and have had every.
thing in their favor, thanks to the
moral srdor policy of Orleanism,
which intrigued the overthrow OF
Theirs, but gave up the ghost with M.
Buffet. The election of the republican
Chamber of Deputies has completely
changed the aspect OF the Protestant
difficulty; both sides will now have a
fair hearing, and the shameful partiali-
ty extended to tie OrthoGo OK moiety
will cease, 1t is not a question of re.
ligious belief, but of religious tolera-
tion that is involved, and the deputies
are resolved to favor no one creed or
sect more than another. Fortunately
no religious dispute can ever in this
country, assume the magnitude of
compromising the homogeneity of the
State or involving the patriotism of the
people.
The Catholic question is but fainter
echo of !he crisis that the Vatican is
passing through elsewhere. The most
fatal blow for rultramountanism was not
that delivered by Gladstone, Dallinger,
Hyacinthe, and tuRi qudnt, it was the
foundation of the French Republic,
or its conclusive affirmation by uni-
veIsal suffrage last February. Twelve
months ago, the clerical party-such
as is popularity descrised that which
aims at domination in religious and
civil matters through France, if full of
liberal Catholics not the less-was
jubilant; it had in Minister Buffet, q
creature after its own heart, and In the
Assembly, a majority after its own
Image; sectarian laws were voted as
matter OF course. The present cham
ber Is new King that does not know
Joseph, and the Cabinet is pledged to
exerise the partial. Legislation OF its pre-
decessor, so as to place all interests on
the same footing of equality before
the institutions OF the State, and of
equality in presence OF the law. At
this dire prospect the recent episcopal
Congress has surpassed jeremiah in
lamentations, and perceive only the
commencement OF the abomination OF
desolation. The Archbishop of Bans
even goes the length OF Ira pism, by
asserting, we are in "brother it is
necessary to die cataclysm. The best
testimony In favor of the liberality of
the Republic is, that the bishops can
thus assemble in Congress contrary to
the text of the Code, and indulge in
language whose violence cannot be
justified. The Republicans are more
engrossed with plans for making heads
by obligatory education, than chop
ping them OFF. But there is this pos
sibility to be dreaded, that If the
| clergy persist in misrepresentlng the
legislation, and Drawing the Code, the
French people might swing round in
t~enty-four hours to demand the i'm
mediate severance between Church
and State, for the Church has no hold
on the towns, and is fast losing its 10.
litical influepce on the provincials.
may be excused finishing with
matters theological, and the apology
can be the more boldly offered, since
the present is the meeting of religi-
Gus pariiaments generally. A great
many ''goodly books" are now appear
| ing, as France, free from political
| cares, has time to read them. She has
no longer revolutions to dread, nor
the tempests following the fall OF
thrones, to fear she works with cour.
age, and prepares actively for the
Exhibition of 1878, which is not the
less curious, as defeated parlizans re-
peat with the monatony of litany,
that we dance on volcano, walk on a
mixed soil, pass over sewers full of
petrele, and across pavements beneath
every stone of which is petard. 1t
is very singular, but not the less a
fact, that the political '-ants. parade
the spectre rsuge with "see- saw, mar.
gerry iaw" repetition, while the books
published by the clergy, and treating
OF Satan's biography, never were more
numerous, 1t is strange this commun-
ity OF appeal to fear, and the desire to
dominate the ignorant through their
cowardice,