The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1906-12-29

trade of highway robbers, with this
difference, between the two sets of
men that the first mentioned do the
robbing by law, under the protection
of the police force whilst the latter
run the risk of many odds.
The Catholic church instituted by
Christ for the spiritual welfare of hui
mainly, is a perfect society. 1t has
a perfect organization, is able to live
and maintain itself independently of
any other human society. By the will
of it's founder it will exist forever and
in the same manner and form as es-
tablished by him, that is to say, it
cannot give up, change or modify it's
organization, its constitution or fun
damental law Being composed in it's
members of human beings, it must
partake of human conditions, it must
therefore necessarily have a right to
own and administer material property,
as much as any legal society or any
individual. Christian governments are
known to have exempted the church.
property from the common charges the
government levies on all properties
for the defrayment of the public
church exists and acts entirely for the
public benefit.
Those governments that do not be-
lieve in Christianity, may well not re-
cognize the work done by the church
for the public welfare, and may de-
cline to exempt the clergy and this
church property from charges common
to all citizens. But what must we
say if a government makes the Ca
tholic church the object of oppressive
laws and prosecutions?
Such is the nature of the so-called
French Separation Law. What does
it mean? In all honesty it should
mean this: We, the State and you the
church, we will agree to travel on
separately; you mind your business
and we ours without any interference
with one another. Unfortunately it
has by no means this fair meaning.
If it had we would have proposed
only one point for discussion before
subscribing to it, viz: What were the
conditions of the bargain that brought
us together? Is there any agreement
or a contract in VICAR, made by the
two parties with due knowledge and
free consent of them, and is it bind
ing yet? Now there is indeed such
contract, the Concordat of 1901 made
by and between the French state and
the Catholic church. And however
much it may resemble that of the wolf
and the lamb on account Of it's unfair
ness to the latter, it is nevertheless
given and accepted, subscribed and
sworn to, and therefore binding in all
human and divine law, so that neither
party can withdraw from the agree
ment without the consent of the other
contracting party. BY this bargain
the church consents to convey to the
state the enormous amount of prop
erty robbed from it by the latter dur
ing the French revolution. This prop
erty had enabled the church in the
past centuries to build and entertain
churches, hospitals, orphanages, schools
academies, universities, mbnasteries,
all manner of charitable institutions.
In return the church should receive
from the state for all future time a
small salary for the maintenance of
the diocesan clergy. But as true chill
dren of the world, who are more pru-
| dent in their business than the chill
dren Of the light-Napoleon and Ohis
friends who made the concordat with
the Pope, looked out for it, that whilst