The Washington herald., 1906-12-14

Baltimore. Nd, Dec. 13.-"The American
public does not understand the present
crisis In France" said his eminence, Car
dinal Gibbons, when asked this evening
Tor his opinion on the French situation.
I am getting to be an old man now and
/ think know my countrymen.
They love fair play; they love liberty;
they love to see human dealings of man
with man. And the late years have shown
how cordially they hate injustice, tyranny
and inhumanity. And yet. France has
treated her nOblest citizens with injustice
and inhumanity. and America. which has
sympathy for the oppressed of all nations,
has raised no protest nor uttered a word
of sympathy.
II I believed that my coUntrymen
would knowingly see thousands and thou
sands Of honest men and noble women
robbed Of their just income and means of
support; would knowingly see hundreds of
thousands and even several million Of
people brutally wounded in what they
hold dearest and most sacred; would
knowingly see a majority in the Cham
bers utterly disregarding and trampling
on the rights Of the minority and the
rights of millions Of their countrymen.
in the name Of liberty; would knowingly
see tens of thousands of men and women.
who happen to be priests and nuns,
turned out Of their homes for no crime
but that of loving God and serving their
neighbors-serving their neighbor / say
If my countTymen can see and recognize
all this injustice and tyranny and cruelty,
ard refuse genuine sympathy to those
who suffer by them. because of their reli-
gious belief. then I viii leave life without
that faith in American love of justice and
liberty and humanity which have been a
comfort and support and hope during a
long career
Americans Not Rightly Informed.
But the American people have not had /
these things put fairly before them. Our /
own press has been TO q considerable ex-
tent the reflex of the Partisan anti-cler- /
Zeal press. Most people over here have /
little conception Of 'the French anti-cler- /
icals They look on leaders OF this par
~ as enlightened statesmen, seeking to |
preserve the republic from the attacks /
of an aggressive clergy. There have /
been honest and sincere lovers Of repub- |
liean government among anti-clericals, /
admit; but the majority of them have
far less love Of the repulic than they 1
have hatred of religion
Il am Weighing my words and say with /
deliberate conviction that the leaders OF /
the present French government are actu-
ated by nothing less than hatred Of re-
ligion. We have no spirit akin TO these |
in this country We have here much /
Indifference to religion, but we have no |
body of men, no great party that makes
il a chief aim TO weaken the power Of |
religion, and, If possible. utterly to destroy
1t out OF the land.
JacObin Party Not Dead.
But in France the Jacobin party is
not dead. Their spirit is as living to-
day as it was in the last decade Of the
eighteenth century. They hate God. they
hate Christ; they hate His religion as
much as ever their fathers hated it, But,
they have learned a more prudent and
measured method of attacking. They
are almost scientific in the means they
take TO suppress Christianity. And yet.
the utterances Of such men are received
as unsuspectingly by many Americans
as would be a discourse by Mr.. Cleveland, !
recognize the powerful influence religion
has in promoting the welfare of society.
Anti-CIericaIs Hate Christianity.
1T is easy to show that am not mis-
representing the spirit of anti-Clericals
They make no secret Of their hatred OF
Christianity They avow il in the press
and IN the chambers. Let me give You
few examples OF the language Of these
men and you can judge if the American
people have ever heard anything similar
from their own leaders. or if anv .Aneri-
can statesmen would dare to utter such
statements. In the course OF Il long speech
in the Chamber Of Deputies the we'll
known Socialist leader, Jaures, said: If
God Himself appeared before the multi
tudes in palpable form. the first duty of
man would be to refuse Him obedience
and to consider Him not as a Master n
whom men should submit but as an equal
with whom men may argue
m Viviani the new minister of labor
speaking also in the Chamber of Deputies
gave utterance to these sentiments. ,AU
OF US together. first by our fOrefathers
then by our fathers, and now by our
selves. have been attached to the work of
anti-clericalism and irreligiOn. We have
snatched the human conscience from he
lief In future life. Do you think that
the work is at an end? Nc, it is but be-
ginning
The Chamber decreed that the dis
course from which this extract is taken
should be placaTded in every town and
village Of France.
BRAND says Superstition Must Go,
In the same strain the present min
lister Of public worship and the most
strenuous advocate OF the law Of separa-
ton said in an address 10 school teach
ers; The time has come to root up from
the minds of French children the ancient
faith which has served its purpose and
replace it with the light Of free thought:
IL is time to get rid of the Christian idea
." We have hunted Jesus Christ out of
the army, the navy. the schools. the hos
pitals. and orphan asylums, and law
courts, and now we must hunt Him out of
the state altogether
What would We Americans say. If
Cabinet officer were TO propose this as
CONTINUED on THIRD PAGE.