The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1906-12-29
JAMES ON
THE HARMLESS"
SEPARATION LAW
Continued from Page Five

Little by little they introduced mea-
sures into their law code to restrict
the liberty of the religious teaching
They prescribe God and the symbols
of religion from the schools, the hos
pitfalls and the law courts They pro-
hibit members of the religious orders,
men and women who had spent their
whole life I'm the work of education,
from teaching first in public schools,
then also i'm private schools Lastly
going a step farther they Danish them
from French soil They were men and
women of the highest moral standing,
none Of them having ever been con-
victed Of breaking the law and they
are banished from their home and their
| country and mind you, these men who
run today the French government, who
vote such unjust laws, call this a Re
! public. They drive out their fellow
| citizens from the schools and the hos
! pitfalls, from the orphanages and homes
/ of the aged-all i'm the name of liberty,
| equality and brotherhood. Yes h.
| of brotherhood they are.
Now, after the French people have
stood these measures for a number Of
years, comes the final stroke in the
so-called Separation Law, a misnomer,
if there ever has been a misnomer. 1t
does not mean that the state after
refusing to pay henccforth the stipulat-
ed salaries according to the bilateral
| contract of 1901, would now at least let
the church work out in peace its own
salvation, as in the United States. BY
no means. Now it enters even into the
sacred buildings, it goes up to the
sanctuary, opens with violence theI
sacred tabernacle, takes and handles
and profanates the most sacred objects
of the Catholic cult, clives out priests
from their presbyterics, bishops from
their mansions, professors from their
seminaries, all in the name of the law,
all in the name of liberty. Oh! the
innocent separation law! Indeed "a,
measure of Cancellation!
But does not the law show the church
people a legal way to continue ia the
practice of their religion? Yes, it does,
but the acceptance of it would at once
disconnect them from the Catholic re-
ligion, it would end their existence as
| Catholics. The cultured associations
|
prescribes to be formed as a condition
of continuing in the use and possession
of the religious edifices, would am
putate those that would try to form
them, from the Catholic body, they
would become schismatics, they would
derive their existence no more from
! Christ but from the French legislature.
However much they would retain of
exterior similarity with the Catholic
church, they would indeed be cut away
from it as much as the church of Eng
land which came into existence by an
! Act of Parliament. After Christ has
established his church, there can be no
| parliament no legislative body of men
commissioned to found or modify a
church or a branch thereof Christ's
church is established on the Apostles
| who continue to live in their successors
the bishops under their chief. the Pope,
| the successor of st. Peter. He 7lone
issues commissions to treat about the
matters of Christ's church Now the
Pope has declared that the said pro-
| vision of thecultuel associations of the
! French Separation Law Is Unacceptable =
j. e., unconstitutional. Indeed, it would
change the constitution of the church.
1t would put into the hands of laymen
an authority which Christ has put into
the hands of the Bishops. Therefore
the acceptance of this condition on the
part of the French people would mean
the foundation of a new sect, French
church established by law a dead car
cass, Notwithstanding any amount of
external apparel. But it's acceptance
on the part of the Pope would be
worse. 1t would mean a change of the
| constitution of the church, an apostacy
from Christ and a victory of hell over
| the church This may be the aim of
the French government and they have
| worked hard for this purpose. But
as so many others who have tried In
vain and wasted their energies at this
undertaking, they will be obliged soon
er of later to realize their disappoint-
ments as Julian the Apostate, who,
when dying cried out in despair CALI
lean Jesus Christi Thou hast con-
| quered,"
JAMES c. BEISSEL.