The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-11-26

Church, OF what avail was the blood Of the
| martyrs IN Spain and Portugal. In southern
| Germany and the Rhineland. in the hereditary
possessions Of the House Of Hapsbure and
throughout the italian PENINSULA How are
we TO account for the fact that thcre are next
TO no protestants IN Austria proper. whereas
| Protestants have been strong in Hungary for
more than 300 years. and are 80 strong at this
moment that they have extortsd from Francis
Joseph assent to civil marriaRes7 Ifthe blood
OF the martyrs was the seed OF the Protestant
Church In Hungary, why was IL not in Austrian
Evidently because In the one country perse-
cution was persistent and implacable while IL
was iltiul and inefficient in the other The
question is simply one as to the severity OF the
persecution. This truth. which should be
patent to every student OF history. il recognized
BY MIR. Willert He sees plainly that there is
no creed and no sect which cannot be extir-
pated by force In order that 1t may prevail.
however, persecution must be without respect
OF persons, and 1t must be universal contin-
uous. protracted. Not one OF these conditions
was fulfilled in France. The opinions Of tho
greater mobiles and princes. and OF those who
were their immediate followers were not too
narrowly scanned. nor were the prosecutions
equally severe at all times and places Some
governors and Judges and not a few OF the
higher clergy. inclined to federation. At the
refuge at Geneva or in the domilons OF the
Bourbon Prince or at MontarRis, where Renee
OF France. Duchess OF Ferrara. held her court
What we're the numbers OF the French Prot
estants at the period when they seem to have
been the most numerous. namely. under the
short reign OF Francis ii. and during the first
year or two Of the reign OF his successor2
There are said to have been at this time = 500
Reformed congregations. comprising as II has
been alleged a quarter OF the inhabitants Of
France. Some Of these definite congregations
may have been very email; but, on the other
hand. among tho townspeople and smaller
gentry there must have been many be-
levers who had no opportunity OF organizing
public worship. Mr.. Wlert accepts as the
most probable estimate that at the beginning
OF the wars Of religion the Huguonots. includ-
ing women and children, amounted to some
l.JOUUUU souls out OF population OF between
fifteen and twenty millions. The latter figures
are unquestionably wrong. Prof Thorold
hoEors has demonstrated. from careful cal
culation Of the area of land under cultivation
and the quantity OF food staples produced,
that the population OF England under Eliza
beth could not have exceeded 100000. 1t
seems incredible that France could have had
ut the same epoch population more than four
times greater. seeing that it had only begun
about century before to recover from the
frightiul ravaEes OF the Hundred Years War.
II the population OF France did not exceed
1O.OOO.OOO during the wars OF religion. 1t Is
comparatively easy to account for the sturdy
fight made by the Huguenots although they
may have numbered only 1.5UO 600. because
at the outset thoy were much better organized.
and remained 30 up to the thorough develop
ment OF the rival Catholic organization known
as the League.