The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-08-29
WAR ON TIE CHURCH
DAY or CHOOSING BETWEEN POPE
AND STATE NEAR.

PARIS, Aug. 22.-Since the publication
.Hf the Pope's encyclical last week no other
Dubject has occupied so much space or
Mad 30 much attention In the Paris news
Aapers as the question OF State and Church.
Il can scarcely be said that this Journalistic
Notation has been reflected IN the general
bo~uversation Of the people. In Paris, at
BEAST, the people seem to be content to
%swait events and dispatches to the Paris
Sress from tho provinces contain rot the
host part merely announcements b
ME Bishops have informed their congrega-
Mons that Rome has spoken n Ii to DO
Abeyed. 49,,
: whether the subject would have been
written about 30 continuously at another
Season or Il due to the dearth OF topics
Partisan just now as Is freely ntimate
5n some quarters. It is'dinicult to say. No
body has been in Paris this month who
could possibly leave it-none Of those,
that is to say, who make Paris life. The
city Is filed with visitors and the greater
Number Of them are Americans. On the
boulsyards, on the Avenue de rOpera,
on tho Rue de Rivoli. about the Louvre,
che Palais Royal, the S%orbonne. the Ciuny,
Che Champs Elysees, one hears more English
spoken than French, and 1t Is the English
OF the United States. 1t Is the same In
aeyeraI Of the largest hotels and the most
oonsp'cuous amusement places, where one
almost has to search for Frenchmen among
che foreigners.
II has been declared openly that It was
this condition Of want Of the usual ines OF
subject matter which led the Paris writers
TO devote 80 much space TO tbs enoyclical
after the first series Of Ministerial inter-
Sieys and the session Of the. Council OF
Ministers, from which no news Game.
And vet the en- cyclical is fraught with
great possibilities for France, and by next
December, when the separation law Will
take effect, the republic may be torn IN a
bitter religious controversy. Every pos
sibls shade Of opinion as to the outcome
of the Pope's pronounoement Is to be found
In some thirty daily newspapers OF Paris,
In their editorial articles, their interviews
and their dispatches. The religious week
lies seem for the most part to have printed
the encyclical without much comment.
The one thing certain Is that no one at
.this date knows what course events may
take.
q. There Is a persistent expression OF the
belief that the Pope has sent or will send
secfet instructions to the e~piscopate which
viii enable the continuance of religious
worship after December II under the law
OF the land. Members OF the Government
are represented as holding to this belief.
Ardent devotees Of the Church resent this
suggestion and scout the imputation that
the Holy See has played under the table.
Each reads the Pope's words for himself
M. BRAND quotes the Pope's injunction to
the faithful to 'employ all means which the
law recognizes as within the rights Of all
citizens to organize public worship and
saws that the answer Of many French Catho-
lies TO that will be that those means were
BET forth in the law Of last December. One
ecclesiastio who has been quoted as wholly
satisfied with the encyolical and pleased at
the Pope's firmness has expressed himself
also as believing that ways will be found
through legal organizations not forbidden
BY the encyclical to continue the affairs OF
the Church. No one has pointed out such
ways specifically.
No one knows what the Catholics are
going to do; no one knows what the Govern
ment is going to do. What concerted &C
ton the Church may take may become
k1ONu d1UcI ~ dDoOIlDly - WIG ~ EoLioHo
and Bishops next month. It is expected
that the meeting will take place early next
month, but even that has not been an
>nounoed authoritatively.
1t Is not certain, however, that action will
be Uniform In the churches throughout
France. Although most Of the French
women belong to the Church, the Roman
Catholic religion is professed only by q
large minority Of the men Of France, 40
oording to the statements Of public men.
1t is pointed out In Government circles that
In some communities where faith Ia. weak
and tho national habit Of thrift strong the
temptation Of the local authorities to get
possession Of the Church property under
the law will not be Light, in the event of the
Church not protecting herself and he r
property by conforming to the law and
forming associations as prescribed. ~
The belief has been expressed that the
Government would scarcely dare close the
doors Of the houses Of worship Of 20 many
OF It's citizens In case the Church refused
TO form the associations. To that the
answer IL made to-day that not only have
members Of the Government declared that
the law would be enforced. but in the nature
OF things the Government VIII feel much
more. eonadent Of its power and Of It's sup
port than could have been the case before
Shs Last elections, which showed the pom
viction OF q large majority Of Frenchmen
that the separation law was sound policy.
Thess elections having taken place since
the law was passed. the same argument
is put forth as applying TO the Chamber,
where, It Is said, members who were
hesitant last year are likely to be holder at
the next session, In view OF the verdict OF
tho country. In any case the matter is to
be brought up when the Parliament recon-
venes, the Government having been notified
already OF Eve interpretations.
The leader Of the Ministry, M. Clemenoeau;
has spoken freely and said that the church
doors need not be closed; that new oon-
ditions require new Laws; also that the law
win be enforced with prudence. He has
been challenged In the press for assuming
to speak for the Ministry, but doesn't seem
to mind it, suggesting that as the law must
be obeyed 1t Is for the bishops to find q way
to obey it and conform to the enoyolioal at
the same time, complicated as sach O prob
lem may be. In common with other Minis
Nara. he draws attention to the fact that