The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1877-09-02
GERMANY.
PRINCE BISMARCK ON THE RELIGIOUS STU
ATOM

IOWaTuB the emu OI JUNO WIN DID
marck, at Kisspgen. 1t would appear
that five Lutheran clergy men who are sta
toned in that part of Franconia which is
within the Wurtemberg territory conceiv-
ed a great desire to see Germsny's "Great
Man" They wrote to his con. Count Her
bert, to inquire when ne would leave kis-
singeD, and having learned that his depar-
ture was impending, they set out for the
watering place. Arrived at ktssingen
they called st the Chancellor's lodgings,
left cards for his BOD, and then set ont for
Tamble, expecting to sec the Prlnce while
taking his constitutional walk some time in
the course of the day. Messengers were dis
patched in all directions to look for them
but q local policeman, strnck probably by
a certain country cousin" air about them,
accosted them, and conducted them to
Count Herbert. Presently the Chancellor
himself eUtered1 accompanied by his Ts=
doubtable Danish dog. He saluted the
party in friendly manner, asked them to
sit down, and plunged at once in medias res
They had introduced themselves as Sua
bians, the province of their birth /; five Of
them were clergymen and one layman.
They were headed by Herr Bockheler, the
rural dean from Kunzelsan, who made him
self the spokesman of tue occasion, express
ing to the Prince their warm feelings of
admiration for his character and conduct,
and confidence in him. The Prince asked
them some questions abont their own
neighborhood, referring TO the fact that no
religious quarrels have broken out in Wur-
temberg between Catholics and Pr0testants,
although laws existed in that kingdom sim
liar to- the Prassian Legislation.
This is AN old sophism, used and reiterat
ed when the anti Jesuit la was introduced,
and again at the time of the May Laws in
1873 and 1874. Reference used also to be
made To the pow ers exercised by the French
Government in ecclesiastical affairs. But it
was then shown concluslvely that no aggre-
gate of Legislation existed anywhere of the
type now proposed for Prussia; and that
further, the laws which did exist in any
other state checking the liberty of action of
the Church, were administered in q totally
different spirit from that which was avow
ed as animating the Prussian policy. We
may be sure that the Imperial Chancellor
knows better than to believe such fallacies,
but he probably felt it we'll to press them
homo on the inexperience of his Suabian
auditors.
He proceeded to give them a picture of
"Prussa in the olden time" in which,
to him, the State had supreme |
control over Catholic affairs, more even |
than the Bismarkian legislation would |
give it. In 1S45 the Catholics of Westpha-
lia and the Rhine Province stood by the |
Government, and sent to the legislative |
assemble representatives of a strongly |
Conservative character. Frederick Will |
liam w., in the exuberance of his gratitude, |
changed the arrangements re-
specting Catholicism, allowing the Bishops !
free intercourse with Rome, aud constitu
ting special department Of State for the
of affairs connected with
the Catholic Church. In these proceedings
the influence of very wealthy family be-
longing to the highest ranks of the aristoc-
racy (Radziwill y made itself felt. This
family was able to push Catholicty into
-. 4, l. =,
irtluence in all Catholic mat
ters. TIE Jesuits were then able to insert |
themse, wee aud to get into their hands the
secret management of Catholic affAirs. |
g rad aAily the Catholic Church gained |
g-ourd, Acd obtained footing such as it |
{ E1i enjoy anywhere else. Nuncio |
To9lt -ATe been far preferable. For one
Sgs--d E-9E with whom one bad to deal 10
'.sI e,s,s.s- AID one could employ measures
.. ts,:'..:e tle Eeq1iesceDce 10 desirable ar
Il.I r.,ra,s- Ia which were impossible 10 the
tytJ. Il S14et tad gradually grown up in
Pruee!A
il u o- = necessary to observe that the
c. ;rtr' IIeit for Catholic affairs was created
OF F.,nrLkry II, le3I long before tue events
Of ! -As AID with tbe honest intention OF
str1vlrg 70 carry 1870 effect the provisions
Of the CaDcurda; with the Eoiy See and of
restoring peace within the Rhenish pro
yJpceE. The rest of the Princes story is g
highly colnTed picture, which won'd scarce
iy have been drawn tad not the Prince felt
assured of the unbOuuded creduiity of the
Susban clergymeu. The "mysterious in
tluence of the Jesuits " is always u safe che
rGl de bdtdiiie in such cases.
Having impressed his auditors with the
conviction that Prussia was being under
mined by a secret Catholic conspiracy, the
Chancellor descended to modern times,
sketched the occurrences at Posen which
precipitate the enactment of the May Laws,
aud they psssed to speak of the introduc-
tion of civil marriage. This, he admitted, i,
was " doubtful instrument of warfere,"
and he protested with emphasis that it was
with great reluctance he consented to it's
adoption Creddt Jud0uSl and he ac-
knowledged that many persons had been
led astray, regarding it as an attack on an
sold ecclesiastical usage"
So marriage ia only an cold ecclesiasti-
cal usage :" However, the Prince has be-
fore now shown that there is nothing con
nected with Christianity, as it is under
stood in Protestant Germany, which is
higher or more sacred than an "old eccle-
siastical usage" Ho |ever, there cannot
be any question as to whether civil mar
riage is or ia not doubtful weapon"
The protestations of the Protestant Synods