Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-14

That Is undoubtedly a great hardship to
many good and faithful priests as well as
to the bishops and archbishops. Let us see,
however, Just what 1t amounts to. Under
the organic articles of 1902. archbishops
were to receive $1,000 per annum, from the
budget of the state: bishops $1,000 and
Of this income. will. no doubt. be serious
hardship, but obviously this could not
have been the whole and only support
of the clergy. What is called the "casuef
must usually have amounted to much more
than this Will it strain the liberality OF
the French parishioners very seriously to
make up to their clergy 500 or $500 per
annum? and will 1t be a heavy burden on
the dioceses to raise each $1,000 for their
bishops?
"a very we'll informed Protestant min
lister in France Informed me last summer
that the Protestant congregations, though
usually very small in membership, had al
ready determined to make up to their
pastors what they would lose by the separa-
ton law. incidentally l may remark that
we hear nothing from the Protestants or
France of the persecution and spoliation
of which our Roman Catholic friends SO
vehemently complain, and which they ask
all decent American citizens to denounce!
Yet Protestant churches dixie the large and
handsome Oratoire in Paris are declared
the property of the French government
and Protestant ministers will lose their
stipends by this law, and they are just as
large those of the priests of the Roman
church.
Mitigated by the Grant.
But the hardship is much mitgated by
the grant, under the new law, of life PEN
sions to clergymen who have been thirty
years in service and who are sixty years
of age, a pension Of three-quarters Of their
salaries; to those who have served twenty
years and are forty-five years of age, a
pension of one-half of their salaries. Others
are granted subsidies, the first year the
whole of their salaries, the second year
two-thrds, the third year one-half and
the fourth year one-third. And in weak
and poor parishes these periods are to be
doubled. -.
II can only say that this government
which we asked to view as a band of
highwaymen and brigands have dealt far
more generously with the French clergy
than the state of Virginia dealt with the
Episcopal clergy in 1776. In conclusion
let me say that but for the public appeals
to the citizens of our beloved country to
condemn, to denounce, and In fact, to in
suit the government of France, a country
bound to us in cordial relations of friend
ship, 1 should not have undertaken to dis
cuss this question in this pulpit.
True Issue Involved.
But in view of those appeals and Of
much that has been said on this subject
by Protestants well as by Roman &C.
clesiastics, 1 have deemed it my duty to
set before you what l believe to be the
true issue involved in this whole matter
and to guard you against some serious
misrepresentation of the facts which have
gained currency. / deplore the bitter con-
flict between the church and the govern
ment of France, but 1 cannot shut my
eyes to the fact that it has been unneces-
sarly precipitated by the papal court at
Rome in pursuance of that policy of alb
solutsm crystalized in the Vatican decree
of 1870
Il mourn over the scenes of violence and
disorder that have accompanied in some
cases the execution of the law, but to
the law itself, I deny that 1t violates in
the most brutal way the sacred liberty Of
conscience
"All this I say not as a Protestant, but
as an impartial observer of the course of
events, and in saying 1t 1 find myself at
one with some of the most illustrious citi-
zens and churchmen Of France