The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1902-08-23
THE WAR ON THE
CHURCH IN FRANCE
Cardinal Richards Earnest and Eloquent Letter of Protest
to President Loubet

TRANSLATED for the Freeman's Journal
To the President OF the French Re.
oublic.-Sir: profound and painf1l
impression has been created through.
out an France by the decree which has
closed l25 schools and by the minis
terial circular which has shut up $500
additional schools.
It is oul duty to communicate to the
Official head OF the state the solicitude
We feel on this occasion. on religious
as well as patriotic grounds.
The first question which suggests
itself is: What are the motives which
have called for this sudden and violent
measure? There has been no scandal.
10 disorder IN these educational estab-
IshmeHts, which are under the direc-
ton of teachers holding certificates as
the law requires. The only reason tba,,o
can be advanced is that the instruction.
given in these schools is i'm l5eeninp
with the principles of the Catholic
faith, and that tn teachers belong ia
religious congregations An additional
reason IS that the Freemasons openly
declare that every Christian idea shall
be eliminated from the education of the
young.
] his is violent attack unon con
science directed against families Ae a
bishop, il is our duty and our rigbt m
protest in the name of these families
against this sort of tyranny which Is
the most cruel of all tyrannies II is
10 be noted that these attacks have
been systematically planned Inv the
antl-Chr1Stlan SectS. In 1886 a law deal
ing with schools eliminated RELIGIOUS
instruction from the school curriculum
-Four years later teachers who were
members Of religious congregations
were excluded from the public schools
on the grounds that these teachers he
ing Cathollcs, taught things the state
refer to-
Families. by way of reply To tbasa
laws. established schools AT The cost ,of
many sacrifices frequently renewed
Great crowds of children fiocked into
these schools AS a counter stroke ia
lnls CONTINUOUS manifestation of the
WISHES OF families, the Freema sons
enacted the law of association. which
AIMS at making the establishment ne
free schools impossible. The sin,,,I-
taneous closing Of about 5000 schools
mas no other object in view than tbe
dong away with religious Instruction
III lhe Iree schools after it had been
exc uded from the public schools.
-AIuer the statement of these self-evf
uent Iacts, we deem it useless to stop
10 DISCUSS in detail the measures adopt-
ed for the closing of the schoools after
ne declaration made by Premier Wal
deck Rousseau, a great number of he
OF these schools felt they
We're safe. Their sincerity cannot he
caIied IN question. The ministerial cir
eular closing $500 schools had not made
US appearance, and. besides. a minis
leriaI circular cannot order the closing
u educational establishments. IF the
authorities desired to afford. we shall
not say in a spirit of kindness. bl1t IN
spirit of equity, to the teachers
no had not done so an opportunity
u complying with legal formalities.
hey could have manifested this desire
0y granting reasonable delays. The
granting of such delays was rendered
more necessary by the fact that per
'oIis Nersed in knowledge of the laws
mo of administrative regulations
question the necessity and the legality
u the foTmalities required of the teach
RS. The measures adopted manifest
N evident desire to close the schools
'Iter every means had been employed !
q bring this about.
These measures are the more. regret
lble because France needs an era of
GOD feeling. You yourself. Mr. Presf-
ent have given expression to this
lew on more than one occasion. We
III share il. Now, there can be no har-
nony of feeling unless due regard be
lad for religious and civil liberty. The
history Of the past teaches this lesson.
the dawn Of the century just closed
rance demanded a cessation of the
granny which the anti-C Christian sects
.ad imposed upon her Very instructive
10 ,,.T- e ..
emblies studying in 1902 the essential