The Washington herald., 1906-12-14
sCATHEs FRENCH REPUBLIC

and that this contract was annulled BIZ
one Of the parties the French govern
ment, with no regard TO the wishes of the
other party The sovereign pOntin was
in no wise consulted and utterly ignored
in every stage of the proceedings Per
haps the feature of the situation that
will surprise us most and call for our
Just indignation as Americans, Is the
French governments absolute disregard
for the property rights of the church.
She has been dispoiled OF salaries granted
to the ministers of religion as a COM
pensation for the funds which the church
relinquished under that express condi-
ton.
Wants Only Justice for the People
Eve say it not in the heat of passion
not as partisans, but simply as lovers of
justice What should we think If our
own government had seized on the friars'
lands in the Philippines without giving
any compensation, or after having
pledged sOlemnly d compensation, should
afterward refuse to keep it's part Of the
contract? Furthermore, suppose the
American government had left TO the Fill
pinos merely the use. and not the owner
ship, Of their churches, and only under
conditions laid down by itself, and even
that their very use was liable tG be re-
vOked at any time.
In addition, the provisions of the new
law 0aw of separation entirely ignore
the constitution and laws Of the church,
situation that has no parallel in our
American method of keeping church and
state separate. Here there is due recog-
milton Of the laws governing every lawful
society, while under the recent French
law provisions are made obligatory for
organizing Catholic worship. without any
preference to the duly authorized officers
Of the church, the bishops. and the
priests.
Pope Objected to No Avail.
''This is the point to which the holy
father has objected most strenuously.
The provision for associations of worship
associations cuItuelles) opens the way
for schismatical organizations, which
have. in fact. in few cases. been al
ready attempted. It places the church at
the mercy of the judgment Of the council
Of state, whose decision in these matters
is final. Should the church accept the
present law. she has before her the very
likely prospect Of gradual extinction by
due process of law. She has learned by
long and sad experience to place no trust
in the promises of the French govern
ment She knows the spirit that ami
mates H.
she remembers that NJ Waldeck Ros-
seau was ready enough to interpret liber-
ally the law Of associations. but his sue
cessor. NJ. Conbes, showed himself by no
means willing to follow in his footsteps.
The law Of separation, If accepted, viii
inevitably lead TO the destruction of re-
ligious liberty just as the law OF associa-
tions led TO the destruction Of religious
congregation.
Would Like 10 See Same Law.
IF the separation Of church and state
in France would mean just what it means
in the United States there would have
been no such hue and cry raised against
it, Very likely. 10 many it world have
been by no means undesirable.
But the situations are not at all an
alagous For proof OF this we have only
10 point to the fact that on several Occa-
sions some Of the leading French Catholic
deputies bluntIy put the question why
do you not give US separation of church
and state such as exists in America?
"The real nature of the separation has
been well expressed in these words Of a
French priest. The concOrdat might be
compared 10 a conjugal union i'm which the
state represented the husband and the
church the wife. To-day they are separ-
ate, but the separation has simply con-
sisted in the husband banishing the wife
from her home, keeping all the fortune
for himself and preventing her from ac-
duiring any other by managing himself
the little income which he allows her TO
gain and likewise in exercising jealous
watch over all her words and actions
1T IS not separation alone. therefore,
that the holy father is repudiating but
tyranny in the guise Of separation Hence
it was imperative upon him 10 resist. For
the past twenty years and more the policy