The Washington herald., 1906-12-30

sister what the church trouble in France
is all about VIII you help him By giving
a simple explanation
We are glad 10 do so. and no doubt we
shall al the same time meet the wishes Of
other parents Of bright and studious chill
dren.
In this country We have what is called
separation Of church and state Each
rules its own affairs and does not NEEDLE
with the Others affairs. The church finds
its own support by pew rents and collec-
tons. builds and manages its edifces, and
appoints its priests and bishops in its own
way without the state or government hav-
ing a word 10 say.
In France they have had a union Of
church and state" which they are trying
TO change so that they may get "separa-
ton Of church and state" Under 2 uni1u
OF church and state the state pays the
salary Of the clergy and keeps the
churches in repair. This is very good Of
it: but because It does this it wants 10
have much TO say about who are ap-
pointed bishops and 10 make rules about
what the priests must not say In the pull
pit, &c.
Use Unfair Methods.
The French, as we have said, want TO
change to the American style Of ''separa-
ton Of church and state" And the tr0u-
bic in France just now is due TO the rough
and unfair way the politicians there are
going about the task.
Probably If they were giving the church
the real American kind Of separation from
the state the trouble would not have
arisen. But under the sort OF "separa-
ton" that the French politicians are
framing up they want.
J. The state 10 own the churches and
rent them 70 religion.
. And also the state 10 say what kind
Of a body shall manage the parish
finances, pay the priests salary, &c
This body to be lay body and IS 20 re-
port every year 10 the State.
1t is the latter matter ~ particularly
that has caused the present trouble, al
though the first matter is also unjust 70
the church.
The politicians have made a law that
board or committee composed Of seven
10 twenty-five laymen shall manage the
parish affairs Of the church. Now, the
Catholic idea is different We American
Catholics, Tor instance, do not leave the
priest out Of any of the affairs Of re-
ligion. The priest is trained and ordained
to guide the people in all parish affairs.
Opposed to Church Constitution.
Besides. il is the law Of the church that
he shall do so. And religious freedom. as
Americans understand IL, means that the
church is free 20 chose its own form Of
worship and its own form Of regulation
without outside interference OF any sort.
The Pope examined the lay committee
idea that the French politicians had
framed up and he told the French Cath
olics that it was against the constitution
Of the church and advised them TO have
nothing to do with IT,
The French Catholics are following the
/ Pope's advice, because he is the head OF
| the church. and this Is plainly a church
matter. This course angers the French
politicians, many of whom are inhdels,
and they threaten TO shut up the
churches. But the French Catholics dare
them TO do it. And the politicians are
really afraid that II they did try 10 close
/ the churches the people OF France, most
of whom are Catholics Though Of
/ rather sleepy sOrD, would wake up and
vote the politicians out Of Office
Church Robbed by state.
/ For hundreds Of years religion has been
building churches in France. Large
donations and small doles were given by
pious people throughout the ages TO re-
ligion for this purpose, and by the year
/ I7Sg the church in France was rich and
/ prosperous. Then there was political
revolution. and men without any religion
came into power. They robbed religion OF
! the churches and put the title IN the name
/ of the state
I Later. about 1900, when the great Ma
poleon was elected first consul and later
/ supreme ruler of France, he saw the need
/ of religion 70 the good order Of society
/ Tbereupon he made an agreement called
/ q concordaD with the Pope. the object OF
/ which was to get back the church and
1 religion for the people Napoleon recog-
/ nized that the act whereby the state had
stolen the churches and the church lands
was unjust So under the concOrdat he
/ agreed that the state should pay the sal
/ a~v of the clergy. aad devote the churches
/ To the use of religion. and France has
/ been doing this ever since.
/ But under her present scheme Of sepa-
rating the church from the state she pro-
/ poses to stop paying the clergy's salaries
without. however, restoring 20 religion the
!
and the Pope naturally do not think this a
/ fair proceeding. They believe that thu
/ churches should be handed over 10 re-
/ Hgion. and TO the purposes for which they
were built and intended by those who con-
I tributed the money that paid for them
Right Idea of Separation.
You may think of the union of church
and state as a sort of partnership. When
a partnership is dissolved one partner
does not take all the partnership assets
and strip the other partner of his fair
share. The churches in the Philippines
were built under a union of church and
| state
When America succeeded Spain IN the
/ ownership Of the Philippines our govern
ment did not claim the churches as gov
/ eminent property. We put in place of
"a union Of church and state the Amer
lean system Of separation Of church and
I state" But in making the change we rec
I ognized that the church buildings be-
/ longed to the Catholic religion. and We
gave them over at once and cheerfully.
France in making her shift should do
likewise with the French churches