El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-07-26


! N every nation of the Christian
world, except the United
states and the Australasian dominions
f! or the British empire, there is per-
) petual conflict between the church and
the statesr In Great Britain. for in
stance, nonconformist Protesrants and
| the Roman Catholics combine TO on
pose the Established Church of Eng
i land. and in Wales the disestablish-
ment OF the church is live issue
/ never mas there been a more ardent
protest against the union of church
and state than was made by the Ro-
| man Catholics of Ireland nor never
was there better reason for protest
In Germany and the Scandinavian
! countries political affairs are continu-
| ally embarrassed by that legacy of
! Luther which placed the landgrave. or
civil ruler at the head of the church
In every political division of the land.
| In france, where there is no longer a
state church, the clerical question is
still most acute. In the countries of
South America there is always the
conflict between the secularists and
the clericals. In Russia the church
dominates civil affairs with cruel alb
solutism- In Italy the quarrel between
the vatican and the quirinal does not
end and the pope still is prisoner
Union Makes Trouble.
w netner II be the Episcopal church
in England. the Presbyte rian church
In Scotland, the orthodox church IN
Russia, the Evangelical church In
northern European countries. or the
Roman church Of the Latin nations
everywhere and under all circum-
stances the union of church and state
by the establishment OF a state church
makes for trouble between church and
state In the United States, and a few
Rrif iSh 00fn
ton Of church and state from the be-
ginning has brought peace. It perhaps
is worthy Of note that the Roman
Catholic church. the Episcopal church,
the Lutheran church, and the Presby-
terian church. four denominations that
are state churches elsewhere are
growing mare rapidly in the United
States, where they have no political
connections, than in any other place
or country on the face of the globe
Spaniards Good Catholics.
But In unhappy Spain the quarrel
between church and state, the contest
between secularists and clericals is
more bitter than anywhere else Spain
is altogether Catholic. so far as 1t is
at all religious. Alfonso bears the
title Of His Most Holy Majesty" and
the history Of modern Spain begins
with the union of CASTLE and Aragon
by the marriage OF Ferdinand the
Catholic and Isabella the Catholic,
those two wise and good rulers who
drove the Moslems from western Eu-
rope and who gave the world q pres
ent OF America In the ardor of faith
that characterized Spain in the day of
its glory. no dissenting believer was
permitted to escape the heavy hand of
the clergy, the Jews were expelled
from the country, and the church of
Rome was made supreme. Until this
day there never has been any hint of
disloyalty to the church on the part
OF the mass Of the, Spanish people
They are. and will be. good Catholics.
But nevertheless they quarrel with
the church as an institution. and
especially as part of the polictfal
institution Of government The wave
Of liberalism that swept over Europe
after the Napoleonic wars reached
even into Spain. and in 1886 law was
passed banishing the religious orders. J
or congrega tions. from the country. OF
course nothing was done then, or at
any subsequent time. looking toward
the divorce of the state from the
church The blow was aimed only at !.
one particular section of the cNergy.
The expulsion of the congr sgations
left the church dependant upon the
administration of the secular clergy.
to its great detriment. So in 1851
the Spanish government executed "a
concordat with the vatican by which |
permission was given for the return !
and establishment in Spain of the con-
gregation of st. Vincent de Paul. the !
order OF st. Philip Nerf and "one 9TH /
err" The phrase lone other" was in I,
terpreted by the bishops to mean one |
other for each diocese instead of one /
other for the whole kingdom, as has /
been the persistent contention of the I
anti-clericals
French Immigration.
As the clerical party has usually |
been in control, the bishops had their |
way and the orders have increased and !
multiplied When the French govern /
that country a few years ago they /
swept over into Spain in a tidal wave
and similar immigration followed the /
expulsion of the monks from Portugal /
after the establishment of the repub-
lie.
In the United States, where religious
orders are engaged almost exclusively
In religious pursuits. 1t may be diff
cult to understand why Spanish peo-
pie who are Catholics in religion so
often oppose the congregations. The
explanation lies in the fact that II is
a question of bread and butter. The
religious orders engage in all sorts Of
Industrial and commercial enterprises,
manufacturing and selling wares in
competition with the laborers and
tradesmen of lay life The congrega-
lions are exempted from taxation. enjoy
other ecclesiastical privileges. and are
thus able to produce and sell wares
at prices that are ruinous to the taxed