Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1906-12-14

They are taken as the expression OF
wisdom end fair play. For spinner OF
beautiful discourses, breathing human
ity and justice, the French demigod
Cannot b" surpassed. These men and
7, those who inherit their spirit can talk
more Divinity and act more diaboli-
| cally than any other on earth.
"In order 10 understand the present
situation ii must be borne in mind that
before the French revolution all
| churches. all celestial lands and all
properties belonging to the church an
just as property is owned in their own
country by the Catholic. Methodist or
any other religious denomination. At
the revolution all buildings. land prop
| critics. funds. etc, We're confiscated by
| the r"volutionists. But the injustice OF
| this was soon recognized and the Con.
stitu"nt Assembly publicly and solemn
| ~ pledged itself to render some sort
Of aid by giving its support to the
| clergy and the maintenance Of an an
| nu2l budget. This amounted to a 1T.
tie more than per cent. on the val.
| ucs appropriated by the state.
"Thc present conflict dates back to
| the year 1880. when large number q
of :hc government and their occupants
dispersed and forced TO seek religious
| liberty in the land of the stranger.
From that time scarcely year has
passed without some annoyance to the
churcfl--a series Of petty acts OF dis
examination. The protest came In tho
form Of personal letter from Pope
Leo XIII to President Grevy in May,
c1Np
enough indeed, but the answer was a
mere waste Of time and paper so far
a.; results were concerned. In spite OF
tire Pcntin'S reasonable objections the
INJURIOUS laws were passed. AS far as
possible, God and religion were BAN
ished from the schools and hospitals,
the oath deprived Of its religious char
icler and clericaIs impressed into the
military service.
Next in 1901, the law Of assOcia-
lions was passed-a law which as in
trrprcted and executed by the govern
m,-nt causes untold misery TO thous-
ands BY il the schools in charge Of re-
ligiouS authorities We're forced out OF
existence. The members Of the different
religious congregations not only male
but female as well, We're sent forth,
cast out upon the world and obliged
either to exc an existence as best they
could in their own native France or to
go into exile. Many Of these were old
men or old women who had spent q
lifetime within the convent walls, and
We're now driven out, no longer able to
begin new career and with no means
of support FINALLY, in December.
1905, the concOrdat was dissolved and
separation of church and state pro-
claimed.
1T is essential to bear in mind that
the concOrdat was a genuine contract,
and that this contract was annulled
by one of the parties, the French gov
eminent. with no regard to the wishes
Of the other party. The sovereign Pom
tiff was in no wise consulted and ut
terly ignored in every stage Of the
proceedings.
perhaps the feature Of the sltua-
ton that will surprise us most and
call for our just Indignation as Ameri-
cans is the French governments abb
rupt disregard of the property rights
Of the church. She has been despoil-
I'd of salaries granted to the ministers
II religion as compensation for the
FUNDS which the church relinquished
under that express condition We say
it not in the heat of passion. not as
partsans. but simply as lovers Of JUS
tice. What should we think if our own
government had seized on the friars'
lands i'll the Philippines without Civ
ing any compensation or after having
pledged Solemnly n COMPENSATION
should afterwards refuse to keep it's
part of the contract?
IN addition, the provisions of the
new law Claw of separation) entirely
| ignore the executive and the laws of
the church. This is the point to which
| the HOLY Father has objected mostly
s1rehuousiy. The provision for asso-
citation Of worship opens the way for
Schismatical organizations which have
IN TACT IN Few cases been already at
! tempted. 1t places the church at the
mercy of the judgement Of the Coun-
Gil 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 grad
ual extinction by due process of law.
She has learned by long and sad ex-
perlence to place no trust in the prom.
lses OF the French government. She
KNOWS the spirit that animates It. "The
law of separation if accepted will en-
IeVltably lead to the destruction OF re-
iigious congregations.
II the separation OF church and state
n IN Franco meant just VIVA. dt means in
the United States. there would have bAen
no such hue and cry raised against II.
Very likely to many it would have been
by no means undesirable But the sftlIo-
tons are not at all analogous. In proof
Of this we have only to point to the fact
that on several occasions some Sf tI,e
leading French Catholic deputies biun4iv
put the question: Why do you not kfvA
us separation OF church and state r,ch
as exists in America
IT IS no. separation alone. therefore
that the Holy Father is reo,diatine. m.
tyranny in the guise Of separation. Hence
was impc rativc upon him to resist.
For tn" past 20 years and more the mi.
Icy OF the Holy See and the French hier-
hrchy has been one of patience and con-
cihation. 1T YVES With the deepest regret
ana only after all his conciiiatory meth.