Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-09-27
fll WhQo SLOWS 5000.
Despite Separation Law Catholic Churches ir
France Are Growing State Authori-
ties Selling Art Treasures.

separation has been to stimulate the faith
OF those who are with the church in its
struggles. only those who have been in
different for years having dropped away.
From one point of view the French
clergy rejoices that separation has been
brought about 1t means that the priests
are no longer functionaries OF the state.
1t means that the church cannot be longer
regarded by the ambitious peasant as q
comfortable career for his son. The re-
cruiting of the clergy may some time be-
come problem. but not this year. for the
seminarists are as numerous as ever. In
Paris at least.
Financially the church is having q
greater struggle than II likes Three DIS
tinct sources OF income have been cut of,
1t was formerly the custom OF the state
to give certain stipends to the church.
Then there was the renting Of the chairs
in the churches and cathedrals In one
large congregation at a penny a chair this
amounted In q year to over $4,000 This
has been stopped on the theory that the
property Is now that OF the state and
must be used free by the people. third
source OF income was the renting OF
draperies and hangings for hrst-ciass
funerals There Is no more OF this IN
France. for all outward show by the
church has been prevented.
4 Il
The church. therefore, has TO depend
now wholly upon voluntary offerings. In
one way this would be beneficial. but In
France 1t is not. for the reason that tne
people have never had the idea OF free
giving implanted among them. 1t is hard
now, to impress the peasants with the fact
that the priests are not state-paid as they
have been in years past. They require
the offices Of the clergy. but SO far they
have been more or less unwilling to pay
for the work.
Go of No a.
q whole. 1t is dangerous to speak in
generalities. for the characteristics OF
each region are SO varying. Marseille
and its vicinity cannot be compared with
Savoie. for the temperament Of the people
is not the same. A prosperous religious
population attached to the church often
finds II hard to part with its money.
Again. as in the Department OF The
Drome. where the peasants are all poor,
they give freely according to their means.
The church schools are being maintained
as usual They are regarded as the most
important branch Of the work. The gov
ernment has been gradually closing the
primary institutions conducted by the
Christian Brothers, but in every case the
school is reopened with lay teachers who
profess the same principles as the broth
ers. and the work goes on as before
keeping these church schools open. In
the first place, IL would cost q tremendous
sum to suppress them totally, and the
government Is not prepared to make that
outlay But, more than that. the govern
ment is glad to have some counterbalance
for the state-paid teacher who Is a ter
! rible socialist and a tyrant at that. II
the government were to declare for the
monopoly Of primary instruction the
pupils would then be left wholly In the
hands of the state teacher, and IL that
class went on strike the educational ma
chinery Of the country would be utterly
disarranged. The Catholic schools Will
continue to exist to prevent that. II for
nothing else. 80