New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-05-10
TOPICS IN Paris.
Church and State ISsue-LOurdes-
Arbitration Treaties.

.s,.cs, to The New-york Tribune by French Cableo
copyright Ieo3 By The Tribune Associhti0h'
Paris. May e-The separation of church ana
state is already broad issue upon winch 'n'
future general elections Of all home poilios Al
France must turn The conflict between CAP
met and clergy may now fairly be oescInoeu a.
| unayowed warfare. fight between Clericai-
| ism and the republic has begun and must De
fought to the bitter end unless the Holy 0ee'
which has already been approached on the SUD-
ject by NJ Combes himself, and by cooi heaoeu
men In both CO mps sees fit formally ana cate
gorically to enjoln the French bishops TO aeslSl
from their protestations against the government
and to comply scrupulousiy Win the ProV4S4oi'
Of the Concordat. NJ de Pressenses OH Ior 'i0
separation of church and state ano the aooh-
ton of the Concordat has already the unquah-
fed support of all Radicals and Radical Social
fists while the violence of the Gallican clergy
end the bishops only tends TO increase anu
soIidify the anti-CIerical majority in the French
Parliament Meanwhile the Gallican bishops,
with hotheaded and impolitic violence, continue
TO launch anathemas against the Ca b1net ara
even sought to make the trial of the sixteen
Capuchin monks at the Paris police court on
Thursday an occasion for Clerical ana anti
ministerial demonstration and disorder IN the
nublic streets. The manifestation. however, sig
naIly failed to stir up excitement or disorder
for when the monks left the courthouse III d
body escorted and cheered by some two nun
dred men and women frantically shouting VlVe
Ia Ifberte! the populace of Paris merely looked
on with apparent indifference, and the monks
and their partsans were now and then greeted
with the words: you were fined % francs
apiece for refusing to comply with the laws 1t
served you right If you don't like it, clear out
of French territory. and good riddance.' A
large police force was held in hand, but nowhere
did the manifestations assume violent charac-
ter All the indications so far are that in the
impending battle between the republic and the
Church the majority of the nation will be with
the republic. AT all events, the attitude OF M
Conbes becomes more rigid and unbendng in
proportion as the hostility of the Sacred College
and the Gafcan clergy increases. and the only
! hope of saving the Concordat is In the hands OF
the Pope. who still may be able to avert the
logical conclusions and obtain a compromise, II
his holiness forthwith enjoins the French clergy
to obey the laws of their own country.
Meanwhile floods of letters have arrived In
Paris from devout Catholics in the United
States. Great Britain. South Germany and other
countries asking whether the famous grotto OF
Lourdes is to be closed. Calling at the Ministry
Of the Interior for information on the subject,
was referred by the chief OF NJ. Combes's Cab
met 10 a high functionary in the Ministry Of
tention to Lourdes. and from this source 1 was
supplied with the following information:
Iourdes is considered by the government as a
fourishing local industry. rather than as re-
Igious question although the monks called the
Holy Fathers OF the Guerison or of the cure,
popularity known Les Peres du Grotte, or
Fathers of the Grotto, belong to an association
that has not seen fit to comply with the re-
ouirenents of the Association laws The monks
who look after the chapel at Lourdes also be-
long to an unauthorized congregation. Never
| theess, the government at present has no in
| tention of closing the grotto. because doing so
| would be a terrible blow to the whole Bearnaise
| region which has for twenty years thrived and
| become prosperous by the intelligent, active,
| businesslike development of the thousand and
one Industries that have sprung from the
miraculous fountain. The Fathers of the Grotto
| have started tramways all over the region and
| set up hundreds Of shops in the villages, where
| thousands of young Bearnaise women and chill
| dren and old men work away day and night
/ making religious trinkets and sacred toys which
is the handspring Of the prosperity of the region
4 The railways and hotels also come in for mag
nificent profits in the enterprise. The grotto
itself is on land belonging to the episcopate see
| of Tarbes and there are intricate legal qulD-
| bles and techncalities In regard to establishing
| securing the government is only too GLAD to md
an excuse for making an exception in favor OF
| Iourdes and letting the Bearnaise industry OF
! miracles relics and toys flourish for the oeneht
| of all in France the United States or elsewhere
| who wish to benefit by it. The Fathers or the
Crotto have got the whole institution OF the foun-
| tain and its miracles and tranway and hotels
and relic industry as completely in their hands
as Tammany once held New-York, but they are
| working the scheme intelligently and honestly
| and even should the Fathers Of the Grotto re-
| fuse TO become secularized the good work at the
| miraculous grotto will not be hindered OF
| trannelled by the Cabinet which is ready 10 &c
all in it's power to give the local industry OF the
| Bearnais helping hand
The international arbitration group in the
| French Chamber is making marked progress
! Several governments, notably Holland and SWe-
| den and Norway, have already expressed de-
sire to conclude with France arbitration treaties
in accordance with Article 10 of The Hague
| Convention Baron D'Estourneles de Con-
| slant president Of the group, is no visionary
| but a practical diplomat His views have the
| cordial Endorsement of President Loubet and the
| strong support Of Leon Bourgeois, President
| of the Chamber King Edward, in course Of his
recent visit, expressed in general principles his
! personal approval Of the scheme Of arbitrator
| treaties. and the active efforts Of the British
| and French chambers of commerce and OF the
| British trade unions seem to, justify the con-
| hdence Of Baron D Estournelles that the pro-
| nosed Anglo-French arbitration treaty will be-
| come an accomplished fact The idea OF such
| q treaty was proposed by Golden as long ago
| as 1919 but never has the feeling IN Eu-
rope. especially in France. been SO favorable for
1 ,la,, int i'm at