Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-11-04
FRANCE AND RELIGION.


with very many people iAirly wsll
informed on the WORLDS conailion
generally, the idea prevails that
France is decidedly an iffeligiou' M.
ton. The pres generally there is anti.
religious, aud all religious insluolion
hss teen excluded 20 thoroughly from
the public schools that recently In the
5aflhe department q school official
was chafgsd with "a violation Of tho
neutrality Of the public SCHOOL," be-.
cause at a public examination AMI
prize distribution he had stked several
questions concerning the sIisloncs u
3od. Yet upon this tubiroi Of sur.
posed French atheism aGofman Journal,
the Evangsliloh Luthcfischo Kifeheu.
Isilung, Of Lcipsic, declare. that the
people Of France are not casting aside
their religious cslvloliors, hut inst this
church Of Rome 10 more powerful than
ever 10 that country. a translation Of
the article In the Lslpsio paper h
given In tue Literary Digest. AMI
sAyi;
u 10 Incorrect to claim that France IL
becoming irfeligi,us. Even the fac' that
In Paris fully twenty-five per cent Of tho
burial- arc conducted without religious
services 10 no evidence that the people ~
whole are drilling into irreligion. la
tho country sny neglect Of religious
obsoryAnccs IL unknown. All marriages
aud funerals arc under direction u Tho
church. almost without exception all
children are baptized aud are thus official.
| ~ membof. Of Tho church. iiiairno that
tho state schools exclude religious teach.
ings, substituting In their place q mon
religious mofalityi' but then u must DO
remembered that tho religious schools OF
the church arc crowded 10 the utmost.
France Il today, as was the case thirty
years ago, In the hands OF the clergy.
The ariaiocrany Of Paris ~ well a, the
boufgcolsie Ia tho country are Oh the
bost Of terms with the priests, and the
great mass Of people In the rural districts
have never been cstrAngod from the
church. None can deny that hero and
there " me larger Tllie, Troupso OF a.helss
or individual unbalioyura mhnago TO
crosto great deal OF q stir In France,
but this element constitutes phonome-
nally small minority.
The claim "a maIsthAi the charge Of
irrOligion comes chiefly through the
utiofances Of journalists aud poll.
ticisns, who Ate anxious 10 bs olassed
a. independent thinkers, but who
nevertheless are susceptible 10 the In.
huehces OF tho church OF Rome. Evl-
fence u this Ia cited 10 the fact that
the NEST pronounced freethinkefs o
the county unifotmly sntfust tue
training OF their children TO church
schools, aud TO the further TACT that
the proposition OF a severance between
church aud ,taie never has been real.
ned.
30 far M allegiance TO the church Of
Rome Ia concerned, tho Observing
traveller through the country districts
" Fnnee, aud even among the middle
olstsss In such places az Paris. Lyons
aud Msueilss. will coincide with the
Leipsie writer's vieEs VIII tsver there
h VI irteligion. as the Fonch under.
stand n, Ia chiefly IL their effort TO
appeaT rather than 10 be free from
clerical 10 fiuenee. OF course this coo,
dilion tepda generally TO make the
people irfeliglous IN fact when It
cumss to Observance Of those moral
piecepts inoulcatsd In the Bible, and
at tue same lime leads them 10 tutssf.
vienoy 10 priests In all sssoolalion
with tho latter. II obsequlOuentta 10
tho Catholic clergy and ,orupulous
regard for the rules ~ CONDUCT which
locAl representatives Of that church
seem 10 ireulcate Ia religion, then
France Ia far from being itreligious.
but II the broader and higher rule of
devotion TO Chrislisu principle because
oi an Intelligent mptehension OF lie
divinity and tTulh be male the tesi,
thep Fnnes IL oonglomerAtion q
npstl.tion and atheism rather than
ltuly and deeply religious, from a
| Christian standpoint.