The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-12-18

were made at Auch, in the Department OF
Gers, fourteen at Havre and its suburbs,
most OF these having been made by mayors
Tor thirty OF the forty churches at Remire-
mont. besides for innumerable single
churches, including the Rennes Cathedral.
All these declarations were made under the
Law OF 1881.
Many b~ishoprics and seminaries were
evacuated to-day without serious incidents.
The Bishop of st. Brieuc made a verbal
protest. The Archbishop of Reims COM
PEELED the commlssary Of police to place his
band upon his shoulder and then desired
TO walk out of his palace. The police,
however, would not allow this but thrust
MIN into a carriage, in which he was driven
to Count Werl's mansion. Soldiers were
forced to break into some of the seninaries.
A detachment of lbs soldiers has been
sent from Avignon to B~arbentane to pro-
tect the judicial inquiry which il being held
INTO Fridays incident there. The Magis-
trate previously charged with the inquiry
refused TO act and resigned.
The Rome correspondent of the Liberte
says that France intends to turn out the
nuns from the convent of Trinite des Monts
and to transform the building for the use of
the French Ambassador to the Quirinal.
The church and convent of Trinite DIES Monts
are the property of France, and as they over
look the PLACE d'Espagne and the neighbour
ing Villa de Medicis the correspondent
thinks that such action would certainly
offend the Vatican.
The committee of the Chamber of Depu-
ties which is considering the new religious
bill asked M. BRAND, Minister OF Public
worship, TO explain certain points of the
measure. The committee wanted to know
whether the articles concerning the attribu-
ton OF church property to departments
and might not form a separate
Dill and whether il was not necessary to
reserve the receipt of property from yes
tries and ~episcopacies to associations formed
before December II.
The Minister said that the Government
wanted the bill presented TO the Chamber
as a whole, but he would consult the Cabinet
on other points at a special meeting.
An orf1cial return shows that at midday
to-day there had been vacated eight arch
~blshoprics, seventeen b~ishoprics, twenty
SIX large seminaries and sixteen small ones.
NJ. Harduin gives in the Matin a typical
Parisian's view of the Church question.
He contends that a modern Frenchman's
religion consists entirely Of certain sacra-
ments' which appear to him as formalities
from which there is no escape without be-
coming singular and shocking his relations.
A Frenchman wants a priest 10 baptize
his children and to put them through their
first communion. He believes in marrying
in church. His wife believes in these
things even more than he does. Finally,
whether he dies fortified with the sacra-
ments or not, he does not consider himself
sufficiently dead without priests for his
burial.
These are ritual, not religious. needs.
This is why the question Of separation leaves
the masses Indifferent. The writer thinks
that a complete strike by the clergy might
arouse the population, but he doubts ever
that, as the public is 80 used to strikes. He
thinks that Paris would endure a strike OF
the clergy far more easily than il the cab
men. subway employees and bus conductors
struck.