People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1897-01-22

Ole Church, the Church Of the i'm
mense majority Of the French. How
ever, I cannot bsgin without enron
ioling q Protestant event which is
making date in our chisto'y.
Your readers doubtless know that
when, in 1902, Napoleon l, concluded
his famous Concordat with the Ro-
man Church, he took up an analo-
gcus position towards other forms OF
worship, and, in The name of the
State, reorganizsd the Reformed
and the Lutheran churches.
One easily comprehends how pow
erfuny this measure might contribute
to religious pscifcation, but, on ths
other hand, it is clear that by it the
churches lost a part Of their liberty
of action. Some CT the pastors OF
1902, who had lived when it was a
crime punishable by law to bold
meetings in the desert, forgot their
mission little in the joy at taking
rank in official ceremonies, and acted
more as functionaryes Of the Govern
Ynent than as servants Of the Church.
From 1902 10 1872, despite many
feeble desires Of reaction, no one Of
the successive governments in our
country dared to reconsider that
which was done by Napoleon l.; but
neither did any consent to give to
Professionalism Ifs essential vital Or
gans-namely, its provincial and gen.
eral synods q speak here only Of the
Reformed Church, to which four.
ffths Of the Protestant population Of
France belong).
In 1872, on the morrow OF our
national disasters, it seemed as II the
Protestant Church were about to re-
conquer its autonomy. The Govern.
ment authorized the conversation Of
a General Synod, which met at Paris
The result of that sitting was de.
plorable. The two tendencies in tbs
ChuTch-the orthodox and the lib
eral-clashed. The orthodox people
(the Right, being slightly in the
majority, sought to impose a Con
fession of Faith on their brethren o.
the Left. The latter revolted nois.
lily, not SO much because Of tbs doe
tr mes put forth in the Confession o.
Faith as because the others sought
0 impose them. This Synod, which
ought to have given again to the en-,
tire Protestant family Its center and
i.s unity, seemed instead to have
ctystallized the division. The ortho-
dox party organized itself as if it
alone were the entire Church, the
liberal p&Ety did the same; aad some
ehagrined souls prophesied that the
separation wss defnitive and irrem.
a7iabia But out of the excess OF
evil God brought good. On both
sides there has been weakening and
lesseaing; the orthodox soon finding
that the house they had built was
doubtless quieter after the departure
OF the turbulent liberals (who were
wont to receive compromising visits
and to dress unecolesiastically); but,
on the other hand, the house had
become dull; one saw mature men
stray away more and moro in paths
whore they would meet the scape-
grace children of liberalism. The
latter, on their side, grew to mar
hood, and remembered with tear
OF regret those who had once soourg-
ed them. I jgnore-or rather choose
to ignore-the question whether,
from a dogmatio point OF viow, the
Synod OF 1872 was justified; from a
heart-point of view it Yves not. The
heart finally triumphed.
In June, 1895, the General Assem-.
bly, Of Delegates OF The Liberal Re-
formed Churches invited the Right
(the orthodoxy to fraternal confer
encea. In November the Assembly
of the Orthodox accepted the invita-
ton, and it was decided that the
reunions should take place in No
venbor, 1895, 1t Lyons. They have
just occurred, and the result has sur
passed the expectations Of the most
optimistic.
At this time l will not enter into
the details Of the resoluti ons adopted
l want only to Indicate the enthusi-
asm manifested. All the decisions
were unanimously adopted. There
were about two hundred and eight
delegates.