Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-14

of quasi-justice took place twelve years be-
fore the concordat between the holy see
and Napoleon /. The payment, therefore.
of the clerical stipends was not dependant
simply upon a concordat, but was recog-
milton of a just debt owed by the state TO
the church for appropriating funds which
had been producing revenue for the sup.
port of the clergy and the maintenance OF
worship.
Back to 1880.
"The present conflict dates back to the
year 1880, when a large number of religious
houses were closed by order of the govern
ment 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
church-a series of petty acts Of discrimi-
nation that were bound in the long run to
call for a protest The protest came in the
form of a personal letter from Pope Leo
XIII to President Grevy in May, 1888, which
was answered courteously enough indeed,
but the answer was a mere waste of time
and paper so far as results were concerned.
I'm spite of the pontin's reasonable OBJ
jections the injurious laws were passed. AS
far as possible God and religion were pan
ished from the schools and hospitals, the
-
clerics impressed into the military service.
Law of Associations.
Next in 1901, the law of associations
was passed-a law, which, as interpreted
and executed by Combes, caused untold
misery to thousands.
"By it the schools in charge of religious
bodies were forced out of existence. The
members of the different religious congre
Ky 10 h1t foY7Q q a q NJ
were sent forth, cast out upon the world
and obliged either to exc out 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
a lifetime within the convent walls and
were now driven out, no longer able to be-
gin a new career and with no means OF
support.
was dissolved and separation of church and
state proclaimed
at is essential to bear in mind that the
concordat was genuine contract. and that
this contract was annulled by enc OF the
parties the French government, with no re-
gard to the wishes of the other party. The
sovereign pontiff was in nowise consulted,
and utterly ignored in every stage of the
proceedings.
''The Church Despoiled."
PERHAPS 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
despoled of the salaries granted to the
ministers of religion as a compensation for
the funds which the church relinquished
under that express condition.
1--WE say it not in the heat of passion, not
as partisans, but simply as lovers of JUS
tice.
eminent had seized on the friars' lands in
the Philippines without giving any compen-
sation or after having pledged soiemnly
compensation should afterWard refuse to
keep it's part of the contract?
Furthermore, suppose the American gov
eminent had left the Filipinos merely the
use, and not the ownership, OF their
churches, and only under conditions laid
down by itself, and even that their very
use were liable to be revoked at any time.
.'In addition, the provisions of the new
law Qaw Of separation entirely ignore the
constitution and laws Of the church-a stu
alton that has no parallel in our American
method of keeping church and state sepa-
rate Here there is due recognition of the
laws governing every lawful society, While
under the recent French law provisions are
made for organizing Catholic worship with
out any proper reference to the duly au-
thorized officers of the church-the bishops
and priests.
Prospect Of Extinction.
This Is the point to which the holy IA
Their has objected most strenuously. The
provision for associations Of worship (asso-
Citations cultuelles) opens the way for
schismatical organizations which have, in
fact, in a few cases, been already attempt
ed. 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 proc
ess Of law. She has learned by long and sad
experience to place not trust In the prom
iseS of the French government. She knows
the spirit that animates 1t.
.'She remembers that M. Waldeck-Rous-
seau was ready enough to interpret liber-
ally the law Of associations; but his success
sor, M Combes, showed himself by no
means willing to follow in his footsteps. The
law of separation, il accepted, will inevita-
bly, lead to the destruction Of religious lib
erty, just as the law Of associations led to
the destruction of religious congregations.
Situation Is Different.
eff the separation of church and state in
France meant just what 1t means In the
United States. there would have been no
such hue and cry raised against 1t. Very
likely to many 1t would have been by no
means undesirable.
But the situations are not at all anal
ogous In proof Of this we have only to
point to the fact that on several occasions
some of the leading French Catholic depu-
ties bluntly put the question: Why do you
not give us separation Of church and state
such as exists in America?
auise Of Tyranny.
ut is not separation alone, therefore.
that the holy father Is repudiating, but
tyranny in the guise Of separation. Hence
II was imperative upon him to resist.
For the last twenty years and more the