The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1909-01-19
guilty of some wrongdoing, which he
did not wish to rest under
WILL sEABRooK's TRAVELS.
Priests Or Aries, Frances, In Despair
French Governments Enmity
To The Church.
Special to The Herald and News.
(Bv W. B. Seabrook.)

Aries, France The priests OF Ar
les are in despair. The male members
Of their flock are tumbling into per-
dition one by one. The holy fathers
first made heroic efforts to save them
against their will, and succeeded in
dragging one or two refractory souls,
willy-nilly, from the internal pit, but
now these obstinate Arlesians have
carried their case to court and have
established on a legal basis their priv
ilege to be damned. The good wives
Of Aries, disturbed by the prospect Of
an eternal widowhood, are the ardent
allies of the priests, but the head
strong husbands insist on going 70
hell.
Last week I attended the funeral Of
the late Monsieur R ancient
and honorable mayor Of Aries and
member Of the Legion Of Honor. i
was there that I first learned upon
what evil days the local church has
fallen. The funeral cortege was i'm
posing, for Monsieur R had
been widely popular. The procession
was headed by a company Of citizens,
who marched in a hollow square,
grouped around a black velvet banner
on which were inscribed in silver let
ters the legend "Societe de Libre
Pensee.' Six black horses drew the
hearse, and eight or nine hundred
mourners followed on foot, with un-
covered heads. No eulogy had been
pronounced, and no prayer had been
offered at the family mansion where
the body had lain in state, so [ natur-
ally supposed that the ceremony
would take place in the cemetery,
but absolute silence reigned while the
coffin was being lowered into the
grave, and when the president of the
society stepped forward at the last
moment, he simply said,
"Friend and Brother, farewell for
ever.'
That was all.
Ny profound astonishment was in
creased when I learned that eight
tenths of the male inhabitants of Ar
les are members of the Society of
Free Thought, and that these civil
interments are the rule and not fhe
exception. The history of the estab-
lishment of this organization = cur,
ious and interesting. Five years ago,
number Of hardy scepties concluded
inasmuch as they had lived content
without attending mass or going to
the confessional, that they could die
equally content without the services
Of the priests.
When the first member passed
away, his pious confreres took pos
session Of the body and quietly dump
ed, it into a grave, without a single
prayer, without burning a single can
die, and espite the hysterical resis-
tance Of the heart-broken widow, who
was a devout believer and who eonse-
uuently felt that her beloved husband
was lost to her not only for this life
but for all eternity. Naturally she
confided the tragic story to the hor-
rified priests, knowledge Ct the af-
fair reached the ears. Of the general
public and Of the bishop. and ended
by assuming the proportions Of a
scandal. But the Society did not
disband. In fact it was strengthened
By the notoriety. for it is fashionable
in France to scoff- at everything rrll@-
ious. They regard the church as "an
excellent diversion and prop for wo-
men and weaklings.' Soon after
ward another comrade> died and with
in an hour his brethren were at the
door to claim the body. But prompt
as was their action. they were too
late. The widow herself opened the
door and made no effort to deter
them from entering the death cham
Der. She was the picture Of meek
ness and resignation. Silently elat-
ed, the sombre delegation filed into
the little parlcr, but recoiled dumb
founded before the unexpected and
dramatic scene that greeted their
ewes.
The shredded body lay outstretch-
ed upon a bier in the centre Of the
room. candles were burning at the
head and feet. ard the odor of in
cense WAS in the. air. Towering be-
fire them like an avanging angel
stood Monseienor the Bishop. In his
right hand cleaned a naked sword