, 1880-04-24
THE DEGREES AGAINST THE
JESUITS.
(From tho Times. J

JeSultS and other .unrecOgnlzed religious
bodies in France were published in the
Journal O.ficiel on TuesdaJ 80 March). An
accompanying report, signed by NJ.
Cazot and M. Lepere, explains the rea-
son why they are issued. They were
not published Immediately after the
adverse vote of~the Senator during
Holy Week, as some ardent members
of the Extreme Left desired. AS a
sensible st%ateeman. M. de Freycinet did
not wish, no doubt, to make the DEGREES
needlessly exasperating, or the text of
.infamatOry sermons in all the pulpits of
France. He was well aware that when
everthey were published they must cause
excitement and give deep offence to multi
tudes. Neither friends nor foes disguise
their real object. They have nothing to
DO with public teaching. They are not
part and parcel of the new Act with res
pect to education; they form no substitute
for Article z. But, the Senate having
rejected NJ. Jules Ferry's project, it was
necessary to satisfy the feelings of the foes
of the Church. A little political rancour
mingled with zeal for carrying out existing
laws. An old score had to be wiped off.
NJ. de Freycipet could not resist the deter.
mination in a'section of the supporters of
his Ministry that if Article Z could not be
passed, vengeance should be taken in some
other way IN the clerical friends of the
Due de Broglie. The mild measures at
first proposed were defeated and the
Government at once announced that they
must apply the harsh existing laws. This
is not exactly the mOLive avOwed in the
Ministerial report but all parties under
stand that the facts are so. There is no
longer much hypocrisy about the nature of
the contest. 1t is admitted to be not a
fight for a new system of education, but
an episode in the war against clericalism.
The Government are acting within the
letter of the law. The report leaves no
doubt as to.the legality of their conduct.
The JeSuits have been long the subjects of
penal legislation III France, which is still
unrepealed. 1t is noticed by the historians
Of the Order that none of it's Generals nave
been Frenchmen, and this falls in with the
diSfavour shown to it in that country in
modern times. For more than a century
the Society of Jesus has been outlawed
there. No Government, however much
under clerical influence, has yentured to
propose that it should be recognized. The
JesuitS were placed under the ban of de-
crees as far back as 1854. Not much later
they were ordered to quit France, accord
ing to D'Alembert's account in his prema-
ture work on their destruction, because the
Government wished to turn away the
thoughts Of the people from the loss of one
of their finest colonies. The Revolution
swept away religious orders in which mon
aStic VOWS were taken, and it soon put
the finishing touch to the work of
destruction by abolishing all religious
orders indiscriminately. The Concordat
procured their recognition but the little
favour which they regained was controlled
by the condition that no religious orders
could exist without special permission.
Not content with these prohibitions, tho
trainers of the Criminal Code took care to
make it an offence punishable by fine to
establish religious associations without the
assent of the Government. NJ. CazOt and
M. Lepere can refer to all these laws and
ordinances, and say, with truth, that it is
a principle of the public flaw Of France
that no religious corporation may be estab-
liShed there without authorization. Bnt
these laws have long fallen into disuse,
Scarcely~were they passed when they were
disregarded. Many members of the dis
banded religious orders came back to
France and resumed under new names
their work after the Restoration. Circum-
stances then favoured them their infu-
ence steadily grew. They were among the
evil couisellOrs of Charles x. They shar-
ed in the hatred which overwhelmed him,
and a common cry of the mob when his
throne was overturned was +" A baS les
J6suites ia bas les Calotins ct la Congf6ga-
ton w They survived, however, the fall
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