Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-01-01
FRANCE.

France has enjoyed the prosperity that
seems to be the natural sequence of the most
tremendous suffering. 1t is only when
nations have been ground into the very dust
that they are so driven to sober and pru-
dent ways as to command their well being for
many years to come. France, that is to say
the French people, has been growing strong
and rich, and they have shown themselves
content with very prosaic careers. France
the nation has been engaged in preliminary
struggle with Ultramontanism. But for the
premature taking off of the young Prince
Eugene Napoleon it is possible that the I'm
perialists would have made trouble this year.
Thatevent, however, paralyzed them, and will
probably in the end destroy their organiza-
ton. The young Republic, still mex
perienced and full of crudities, has been called
upon to determine what the character of the
popular education shall be. The United
States policy should have taught France
the wisdom of making a broad separation
between Church and State, but unfortunately
the leaven of Catholicism was still too power
full to be ignored, and so the effort to make
education entirely secular has been resisted
not only strenuously, but with measure of
success anything but reassuring. The priests,
of course, are very reluctant to abandon their
hold upon the schools. 1t is true that religion
has ceased to possess a vigorous existence
in France The men are for the most part
skeptics, and the women are alone tools of
the priests. But there is quite enough of
ceremonialism left to feed bigotry. and to
give the Ultramontanes some expectation of
ultimately controlling the republic. And
this is the greatest danger that confronts
France to-day. Neither her people nor her
statesmen appear to realize the Importance of
keeping the public educational system free
from all sectarian influence. This is no doubt
due in great measure to the fact that France
has never abandoned Rome, and that although
during the Revolution she flung religion over
board altogether, she never became Protest
ant. The Huguenot movement which the
Massacre of ST. Bartholomew stihed, has
never been revived, and therefore it is
that the instructive avoidance of
sectarian interference with state education is
wanting in the French people. Their skepti-
cism is not intelligent. They despise the
creed which they retain, but that does not
hinder them from permitting its priesthood to
control the education of their children. Some
day they may have reason to regret their
apathy in this regard. Meantime they are
spending much surplus energy in Cabinet
quarrels and intrigues and parliamentary |
crises, which after all mean little or nothing,
or which ought not to mean anything. The |
people have shown some dangerous indiffer- |
ence to their political duties. This is bad |
symptom. When man like Banqui is nearly |
elected because four out of five electors refrain
from voting it is evident that the people need |
stimulating. or that they lack the genius for |
self-government. And it must be remem. !
berei that the French Republic Is quite an |
experiment, despite its nine years. Whether !
the Gallo character is fitted for free institu.
tons cannot yet be ascertained. 1t is indeed |
somewhat remarkable that the same political |
apathy noted among the French voters has |
been observed also among the Italians. |
Whether these races are naturally inspt to
exercise political rights remains to be seen,