The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-08-14
FRANCES WAR
ON MoNASTICS-THE RELIGIOUS
WORLD INTERESTED.
Silence Of the Denominations Antag-
onistic to the Catholic Church
Significant-Government Sup
precision of the Orders.
Baltimore American.

The suppression of the religious orders
In France by tie Government may be said
| TO be occupying the center of the stage
| in the religious world, and from the sill
| ence with which it is greeted by denom-
| nations antagt nistic to the Catholic
| Church it is evident that the result is
! being awaited with interest by all creeds.
| 1t is difficult in this country, where
church and State are absolutely separate,
| and religion is freer than 1t has ever been
| in the history of the W orld, to understand
| the ferment which the Governments at
titude has awakened in France.
1t is not the first time that French
| Government has for one reason or the
| other attacked. ana even expelled, the
| XIV. expelled the Jesuits for alleged en-
deavors to influe ace the court and people,
| and again, during the French Revolution,
| the religious or irregular clergy were
| prosecuted by the Government and peo-
| pie.
The orders returned with the concordat
| entered into between Napoleon |. and
| Pope Plus VII, and since then have,
with some exceptions, been left undisturb-
| ed until the pres mt.
Alleged interference by the orders in
| the politics of the republic may be re-
! garded as the direct cause of the present
| effort of the Government to gain control
of the schools of the country. To secure
| its ends the orders are required by the
law of associations adopted last year
| to receive authorization from the Gov
| eminent or. to simplify matters, to re-
ceive authority from the Government to
acknowledge the. States power in the
premises.
A Sweeping Law.
The law of associations was framed in
| 1900 and passed last year. Debate upon
| it was at times dignifed. at other pc
RODS bitter. Count de Null, leader of the
opposition to the measure, and one Of
| the foremost of the French Catholic lay |
| men, made a gallant fight against it,
| One of his taunts caused the French !
| Premier. M Waldeck-Rousseau to as
sert that the bill was really test be-
| tween the civil and religious power as
| to supremacy. He denied that the Cath |
ole Church was threatened, and de- |
| clared: THE congregations have not only |
drained the money of the country but have
| drained it's conscience, and the parish |
| priests now only receive the confessions |
of the common people. The Catholic cler- |
gy have nothing to fear from this bill
| The only persons it will hurt are the ir- |
| more dangerous than they are now.
They are trying to gain control of uni |
versal suffrage, and to that end they are
| creating a new electoral congrega- |
| ton; but we are tired of this slavery |
and demand emancipation. We have to |
| choose between the CONGREGATIONS and
| fidelity to the revolution. We hear much
| talk about an open republic. | ask moth |
| ing better, but it must be open for the
people to enter and to leave"
A Bitter Fight.
The bill was fought by most of the re-
| dictionary elements in French politics,
who threw against the Government all of
| their power Everyone of these groups
except the Socialists voted and spoke
! against the measure.
| The secular clergy threw their infiu-
| ence against the Government, but never
| theleSs the measure was successfully car
ried through both Senate and Chamber
| by Waldeck- Rousseau. and was finally
signed by President Loubet with scarcely
a change in it's original phraseology.
| The bill contains twenty clauses. 1t
| declares that no association shall have
| legal standing unless it's object and titles
| are declared at a Government office OF
registration-that Is, at the prefecture
| of each department All associations
| largely composed of foreigners or having
| foreign administrators may be dissolved
| by a decree of the President of the re-
public, and the leaders Of such an asso-
citation fined and imprisoned. This is lev
eied at religious orders whose headquar-
tiers are at Rome or outside Of France.
NO religious congraga tion," the bill de-
| clares may be formed without legal au-
| thority, and no religious congregation
| without being officially authorized. Re
ligious congregations must make annual
| statements of their finances and give IN
| ventories of their effects, real and per-
| sonal Each congregation must keep
| roster of its members, their place OF
| birth, etc, at the headquarters
All congregations not conforming to the
1
J their affairs liquidated by the courts and
| the proceeds after their proper sales,
| placed in the public treasury in trust for
the members of the congregations.
Important Measure.
| This law now being applied so vigor
measure enacted during the third repub-
lie. A Jorge part of the property owned
| by the orders-such as has been received
in gifts and legacies-are not to be af-
/ God Low
| About 1000, 900 900 francs would represent
the total value of all the property owned
| by monks and nuns in France. of which
435. 800, 900 is owned by authorized con-
| gregatIons The real property of unau-
| thorizCd congregations, amounting 10
| about 500, 100000 IF mes, is, therefore, to
| be seized and sold. The law. 1t must also
| he remembered, does not forbid the or
| taught by the Christian Brothers, who
were authorized years ago to do so. Their
schools will not be interfered with.
Foreign Orders.
Article u of the law is the most OBJ
jecuonaDle to the monks and nuns. be-
| cause 1t is aimed at the orders whose
| headquarters are in Rome There Is
| vehement resistance on the part of this
| class of orders. and it is well to remem-
Der that many of them have preferred to
desert their abbeys and converts and
| leave France rather than comply.
| These foreign orders control many OF
the high and intermediate schools OF
France. Thus. tn az conducted last year
14s such schools. The Jesuits alone con-
Quoted 90 colleges. Fhe vast control of
the education OF the better classes of
| chill iren by these foreign orders was what
gave the Government such great CON
Germ.
| NJ. Waldeck- Rousseaus view was that
this condition has caused two classes of
youths to be formed in France-one faith
full to the traditions of liberty and free
inquiry, the other reactionary and cler-
| ical.
Object to Annoy.
1t appears when read between the lines
that the law was framed to force a con-
| dition on this class of orders which they
| would not accept, and a sure way could
| then he found of forcing them out of the
country and destroying their influence
on education.
| Subsequent TO the enactment of the law
the attitude of the Vatican changed from
| vigorous opposition to tacit acceptance,
As the church is not under attack, and
| the secular Catholic clergy of France all
| receive stipends from the Government.
| there has been general silence from the
| Bishops and Priests. The various con-
| gregations have been allowed by the Pope