The St. Louis Republic., 1903-11-15
FATE OF CABINET
HANGS IN BALANCE.
Question of Religious Teaching in
France Is No Nearer
Solution.
NATION STIRRED TO CENTER.
Combes Receives Right to With
draw Privilege of Giving
Instruction From All
Celibates.
RYL coRNELY.

HERALD AND THE ST. LOUIS REPUBLIC
Paris. Nov 14.-(Copyright 1903)-Ths
abrogation of the Falloux law is for the
| French political world a veritable web oi
| Penelope. 1t Is found every week in al
| most the same condition in which 1t was
| left the previous week and it continues tc
shake up the political world and to hold In
| suspense the destiny of the Cabinet and
| that of the majority. ,.,,. ION. -,. .l
The Senate has at last begun to vote on
| the famous bill. introduced by the Govern
| ment. At once the reporter OF the com
mittee. NJ. Thesard. author of rival bill
explained the latter's advantages 1t has
not been forgotten that the Minister OF
Public INSTRUCTION demands in his bill
that private teachers should have the
same diplomas as teachers of the univer-
sity. and that he asks the same eXamina-
tion. Nor has 1t either been for
gotten that the committees bill compels
private institutions to seek authorization
by the State
A Senator from the Department of the
Nord. named Alfred Girard, thought he
would solve the difficulty by. reasoning
thus: What Is wanted, that the members
well. Let us introduce in the first article
clause forbidding. from teaching any
person who has taken vows Of celibacy
and obedience"
This amendment has made a great deal
Of noise. 1t was pointed out that it affect
ed not only the members of religious or
ders, but also the entire Catholic clergy,
while 1t exempted rabbis and Protestant
State. not recognizing ecclesiastical vows,
had no right to take away any liberty
from those who assume them.
CABINETS ATTITUDE.
The Cabinet, asked to give its advice,
held it's weekly sitting earlier and on
Tuesday Mr.. Combes declared to the
Senate that the Girard amendment was
not couched in legal terms but that the
Cabinet reserved the right to carry out
the main idea by means of another text.
and that, for the rest, he sought to re-
main in accord with the present majority
majority. This speech had for It's object
the restoration of peace In the miniSte-
rial camp, and the Minister seems to
have succeeded.
People abroad will not see without as
tonishment the whole life of the public
thus depending upon an education law
which in other nations would be passed
by almost unperceived.
The Importance which the political
world of France accords to the abrogation
of the Falloux law is due to two causes:
First. questions of teaching always hold,
with military questions, which they re-
semble, n leading place in our thoughts;
secondly, the Republic attributes the ir-
reducible opposition which 1t meets with
among the middle classes to the anti-Re-
publican teaching of the religious orders.
Finally, here is found one of the most
important episodes of the great struggle
between monarchical Catholicism and the
modern spirit This is why the FalIoux
law excited our fathers fifty years ago
and why its abrogation excites us to-day.
The Republicans and danti-Republicans un-
derstand that here is a decisive struggle