The Daily Missoulian., 1911-07-14

| Lisbon, Portugal.--Tangled prob
lens presented themselves to tie
members of the provisional govern
ment OF Portugal when they found
themselves In power. Ii was a com
paratively easy task 10 cast out a
| backboneless boy king. II was hard
er one to say how the country was to
be run after he was cast out.
| The problem of church and state
as old In Portugal as in Spain, bobbed
up, of course, among the first OF the
problems. The state church In Portu-
gal is of course, the Roman Catholic.
1t Is claimed In this country, as In
Spain. that the clergy have been
guilty of laxity and many abuses.
Whether or not this Is true is a mat :
ter determined In the minds OF most
persons In accordance with the degree
OF their fealty to the church or their
lack of II. Laying aside all questions
OF religious learning or prejudice. the
fact that remains Is that there is n
large element of population hotly an
tagonistic toward the Roman Catholic
church and the various religious or
ders. The latter. II is asserted. have
IL
ular clergy have left undone. Their
manner of proceeding has caused end
less friction. The friction has bred
gossip. and doubtless scandal
The highly colored, and doubtless
exaggerated, accounts OF the wrong
doing of the members of religious or
ders are implicitly believed by many
Portuguese and have affected the
course of events In the country. 1t
may also be added that In many par
ish churches ceremonies are conduct
ed in the most casual manner The
want of reverence In most noticeable.
The practice of confession IL rarely
seen and sermon iS the exception to
the rule.
The Roman Catholic clergy never
wore their cossocks before the revo-
luton and since the revolution most
OF them have worn the ordinary dress
of laymen. even to the collar opening
In front. The ambitions of hotel
walters to be mistaken for priests has
led them to the device of cultivatlng
mustaches. and various amusing mis-
takes have been made. A London
newspaper man. soon after the revolu-
tion, was arrested as n priest and cast
into prison. lie happened to be wear
ing mourning for the death of rel
atiye and his somber garb convinced
the authorities that he was Il prelate
and not reporter.
After the proclamation of the re-
public, several priests wrote, or de-
clared. against the celibacy of the
clergy and upon the advantages of
matrimony. disregarding the teachings
of their church. Bishop Antonio Bar
roso was an exception. He, as bishop
OF oporto, invited the reading OF the
pastoral by the clergy. This pastoral.
although It enjoined respect for the
| laws of the government, still except
ed obedience where they differed from
the commands of the church and tho
conscience OF the faithful. The Bishop
OF oporto was promptly arrested for
taking this action. He was carried
off to prison. tried and condemned to
be deprived OF his office without any
reference to the Holy See or his flock.
He was. as n result of the trial, PEN
stoned as an old army chaplain, but
exiled from his province.
Although II is hardly necessary to
comment upon additional indignlties
and humiiations in the case OF n
! bishop thus summarily kicked out, 1t
may be said that the Portuguese ex-
He'd from his province feels exiled
from his country, because the sense
of local attachment is peculiarly
strong, rising In most cases above ma
tional feeling. This Is an example OF
the intemperate zeal with which the
provisional government set about. In
the days OF Its first rawness, correct
ing abuses in the church. 1t was such
| high -handedness that caused the
spreading of the report that the min
listers We're all atheists
| The religious orders practiced n
! great amount of charity and labored,
more sincerely perhaps than effective
I ly, for the advancement of education
In all parts of the country. They were,
as they are In Spain, the principal
props of both religion and monarchy,
despite the diverseness of the sup
posed aims of kings and churches, or
course they We're, as result of the
alliance with the monarchy, cordially
| hated by its opponents. II was easy
| for reckless leaders to convince the
lower classes in country noted for
its illiteracy, that every priest or mem
ber of a religious order was n mon-
ster of hideous mien. While it will
strike the enlightened American as
being remarkable that many ignorant
Portuguese actually believed that the