The Donaldsonville chief., 1906-12-22
NO.2().
CRISIS IN FRANCE.
Cardinal Gibbons Discusses the Present
Regrettable Conflict Between
Church and State.

pressed the opinion thu the American
people do not understand the presens
crisis in France, growing out Of the
movement for the separation of church
and state, because OF the fact that the
situation has not been fairly presented
to them by the newspapers Of this
country. Continuing, he said:
II am getting old now, and I thank
my countryllen because they love fair
play, they love liberty, they love to
see humane dealings of man with man,
and the late years have shown how
cordially they hate injustice, tyranny
and inhumanity. And yet France has
throttled her mobiles and citizens with
injustice and inhumanity, and Amer
lea, which has sympathy for the op-
pressed OF all nations, raised no pro-
test or uttered a word of sympathy.
eIf ! believed that my countrymen
would knowingly see q great ana
beneficent organization uniust1y de-
prived of its property and the means
OF continued usefulness: would know
ingly see tens Of thousands OF honest
men and noble women robbed of their
just income and means OF support:
would knowingly see hundreds OF
thousands and even several millions
of people brutally wounded in what
they hold dearest and most sacred;
would knowingly see a majority in
the chambers utterly disregard and
.trample upon the rights Of millions Of
their countrymen, in the name OF lib
erty; 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; say, If my coun-
trymen can see and recognize all this
injustice and Tyranny and cruelty and
refuse sympathy, then / will leave
life without that faith OF American love
OF liberty and humanity which has
been my comfort end special support
and hope.
But the American people have not
had these things put fairly before
them. Our own press has been TO q
considerable extent the reflex of the
Parislan anti-elerical press. Most
people over here have little conception
OF the French anti-clericals. They
look on the leaders OF this party as
enlightened statesmen seeking 10 pre-
serve the republic from the attack Of
an aggressive clergy. There have
been honest and sincere lovers OF re-
publican government among anti
slericals, admit. but the majority OF
hem have far less love of the republic
han they have hatred of religion.
u am weighing my words, and say
With deliberate conviction that the
eaders Of the present French govern
nent are aetuated by nothing less than
hatred of religion. We have no spirit
akin to theirs in this country. We
lave here much indifferenceto religion,
,ut we have no body OF men, no great
oarty that makes it chief aim to
weaken the power OF religion, and If
possible to utterly destroy it out of
he land.
But in France the Jaeobin party
$ not dead. Their spirit is living
oday as 1t was In the last decade
II the eighteenth century. They hate
God; they hate Christ; they hate his
'eligion as much IS ever their fathers
lated it. But they have learned a
more prudent and measured method
# attack. They are almost scientific
q the means they take to suppress
Christianity. And yet the utterances
II such men are received as unsus.
'eetingly by many Americans as would
,e discourse By Mr.. Cleveland or
dr. Roosevelt or Mr.. Taft-mea who
ecognize the powerful influence that
eligion plays in promoting the vel
are of society.
1t is easy to show that am not
nisrepresenting the spirit OF the anti
;lericals. They make no secret of
heir hatred OF Christianity. They
wow 1t in the press and In the cham-
'ers. Let me give you few examples
# the language of these men, and you
an judge if the American people
lave ever heard anything similar
rom their own leaders, or il any
American statesmen would dare utter
uch statements. In the course Of d
ong speech in the chamber of deputies.
he Well-knoWn Socialist leader Juare
aid:
II God himself appeared before
ne multitudes ii palpable form, the
lrst duty OF man would be to refuse
lin obedience and to consider him
lot as Master to whom men should
submit, but as an equal with whom
nen may argue.
NJ. Vivian, the new minister OF
abor, speaking also in the chamber
Il deputies, gave utterance TO these
sentiments:
All Of US together, first By our
orefathers. then BY our fathers, now
u ourselves, have been attached to
be work Of auti.c1eriealien and irre-
igion. We have snatched the human
conscience from belief in future
lie. Do you think the work is at an
,ndg No, it is beginning