The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1904-06-14
CHURCH AND STATE IN FRANCE.

The probability increases that, as we have al
ready intimated, next year will see one of the nos
important political controversies in France that the
republic has known since its foundation, says the
New York Tribune This will concern nothing less
than the complete separation of church and state and
the abolition of the elaborate system of subventions
which the government has long been paying to var
ious religious denominations It is well known that
at the present time the French government con-
tributes to the support not only of the Roman Catho-
lie church, but also of Protestant churches. Jewish
synagogues and Mahometan mosques, under the di-
rection of minister of public worship. Under this
system the government enjoys some advantages from
the supervision and control which it is thus enabled
to exercise over the churches and their work-for
every clergyman is now practically government
official and subject to the state. Nevertheless, there
are many grave objections to the scheme in practical
detail as well as on general principle.
We printed in our Paris dispatches the other day
the text of the law which has been formulated for
presentation to parliament in January next Itis
not to be understood that the government is commit
ted to the policy of bringing up the whole subject in
January and Of considering the complete separation
of church and state the abolition Of the ecclestica
subsidies and the abrogaton of the concordat. There
the things provided to be done in the formulated
bill, to which is added the abolition of the ministry
of public works and of the embassy at the vatican.
From what has already occurred, it does not seem
rash to expect that DR.. Combes and his colleagues
will accept for adoption the proposed measure, or one
much like it. and that they will be supported in 50
doing by the chamber In three cases-the Dreyfus
case the contest with the religious orders and this
latest clash with the vatican-the government has
Enthusiastically shown its spirit of independence of
cericalism and its desire to make as steadily and as
rapidly as possible toward the ideal of free church
IN free state. Beyond doubt, too, the chamber has
shown strong and increasingly strong disposition to
support that policy.
What the French nation will say to such pro-
posal may also be forecast with some degree of as
surance 1t is a question whether it is, as whole,
growing more or less religious. That it is growing I
less eccesiasticalif the expression may be used7is
not to be doubted. The whole trend Of thought has
for years been toward independence of clerical in
fuence in political affairs and toward complete secu
larization Of schools army and the whole govern
mental and social system. The alliance with Russia
and the approachment with Great Britain both popu-
lar things, have promoted rather than impeded the
movement. For, while each Of those powers main.
tainS state church, it is purely domestic and ma
tional church that it maintains and it is thus quite
free from external clerical influence. The French
people want to enjoy the same freedom so as to stand
with their neighbors on equal ground 1t is within
their power to do So and it seems probable that they
will do So to their own advantage and to the real
benefit of all the churches