Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1902-07-26

Paris, July 24.-The agitation pro-
voked by the order Of Prime Minister
COmbes to close the congregatlonalist
schools recalls to some extent the
scenes enacted when NJ. Ferry, then
premier, expelled the Jesuits in 1850.
Demonstrations In favor Of. the nuns
and teaching friars are taking place in
Paris and many places in the provinces,
where the projects presented them
selves at the schools and ordered that
the Institutions be closed.
The NatiOnalists have Joined the
Clericals In engineering the agitation,
and their leaders are In the forefront
Of the etfervescence In Paris. Con-
siderable sympathy has been worked
up on behalf Of the nuns, and their
schools have been made the particular
objects Of demonstrations. The Cler
icals called upon their sympathizer. to
meet outside Of the school conducted
by the sisters Of st. Vincent de Paul,
In the northeast quarter of Paris, which
was closed yesterday afternoon. and
considerable crowd gathered there,
compelling a large body Of police and
mounted municipal guards to form
Gordon In the streets leading to the
school. A few trifiing collisions oc-
CURED between the Clercals and
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. who replied to
the Clericals' cries Of "LOng live the
good sisters" and "Vive In liberte"
with Down with the priests and
Long live the republic"
Anti-Clerical meetings In the latin
quarter last evening led to some Ct
fervescence, but no noteworthy dis
order. A few students, followed by q
crowd composed of the rOugher Gle
ment, marched up and down the
Boulevard st. Michel till late hour,
chanting anti-Clerical refrnins and
shouting Down with the priests and
the pope" but these fled ut the sight
Of the mounted guards and patrols.
The greatest excitement in the PROV
inces is displayed in the Clerical
stronghold Of Brittany, where the
peasants have gathered in front of the
nuns schools In several places and de-
clared they will not allow the nuns to
be expelled. At I.anderneau a crowd
Of farmers and women have mounted
guard before the schools Of the white
sisters, awaiting the arrival of tn b., po-
lice. The inhabitants of rlOutlnniel,
who also are guarding the sisters
school, seized lay schOOlmaster and
thrshed him with nettlcs. A. La
Bresse, the commissary Of police, ac-
cOmpanied by gendarmes, thrice tried
to approach the list
school In order to effect its closure. but
was obliged to abandon the attempt
because Of the threateMng attitude of
the population. At st. Ambroix. near
Mines, the demonstrators detacned the
horses from carriages which We're con-
veying the sisters to the railway sta
tion and dragged the vehicles with their
occupants back to the convent, shout
ing Down with the tyrants." The
gendarmes We're poweriess to prevent
the demonstrators from carrying out
their plans, and relnfOrcaments had to
be summoned. Against these and
similar incidents. however. must be set
of the addresses In support of the
government voted by many municipal
councils.
While considerable sympathy is felt
with the sisters personally Prime Min
lister COmbes feels that he is supported
by the mass Of the country and Is not
likely to recede from the position he
has taken up. The trouble IL caused
mainly by the ambiguity of the word
ing Of the law Of associations, which
has led branches Of the congregations,
such as the schools now closed, to SUP
pose that their position was lcgalized
by the request for authorization made
by headquarters. This was even the
Interpretation Of the matter accepted
by M. Waldeck- Rousseau, the former
premier, but Prime Minister Combes
takes n contrary view