The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1916-05-06
Continued from IL
FOR GOD AND FRANCE

meath the stronger passion of the
one, his casual disbelief fading
before the radiance of the other.
With slight differences of view.
point, the process of this transforms
ton is seen by all alike. How was
it manifested? l will let two of the
leading ecclesiastics of France, one
Catholic, the other Protestant
EpiscOpalian, answer.
Mgr. 5audrlIart's Testimony.
In his busy Office at the top of an
ancient stone stairway in the Cath
Ollie University in Paris, found Mgr.
A. Baudrillart, Vicar.General of Paris,
removed throughout France for his
scholarship.
This religious revival in France"
] asked, lis it actual, and, if so, how
did it come about?"
1T is actual" he replied; land it
came about in this way: First, be-
fore the war there had been a revival
among the most cultured of the
young people. Among popular classes,
including wOrkingmen and farmers,
Catholic work had produced consider
able results. Catholic associations
had formed among all classes an
elite of the Catholic Church, and also
the society, The Catholic Youth,
which includes young people of the
aristrocracy, the bourgeoisie, and the
children of the people. For instance,
before the war, / have myself heard,
in towns in Brittany, young people
speaking Breton enthuse immense
audiences composed of farmers. ]
have seen old men wearing the Breton
costume weeping with emotion, and
/ have heard them cry: oh, if they
only talked to us like that in other
days. Now, reinforcing this work,
was the circumstance that the clergy,
above all the young Wears, had be-
come, since the separation of the
Church and the state, much more &C.
tive. They mixed more with the
population. The ConcOrdat held
them in check; that is to say, their
zeal as functionaries was checked by
the fear of making trouble for their
SuperiOrs with the Government All
the elements of q religious revival
existed, then, before the war. Then
came the war. An event so moment
Gus stirred a widespread emotion in
all the people. They were stricken
to the depths of their souls by the
declaration"
"Why and how has that emotion
taken religious color?"
First" Mgr. Baudrillart replied,
call French, or nearly all, have at
heart certain spiritual principles and
religious fundamentals. True, many
do not permit themselves to show
this in ordinary times, for many rea
sons: among them an irOnical turn
in French character which urges
Frenchmen to conceal intimate senti
ments. Second, the French have
incontestably profound respect fol
human relations, for the family
Third, there is tho disappearance from
among many Frenchmens efa a great
fear of governmental disfavor be
cause of religious activity. For in
stance, there is, among farmers, 6
feeling that the Government is against
religion as it appertains to the in
dividual activities. Thus know tina
in certain sections notably Catholic
Auvergne among them, one yea
after the separation, half of the mel
of certain villages no longer went t.
Mass on Sunday. Formerly all went
l asked why. They replied: 4
appears the Government doesn't wan
L. 41a,
should fear the Government. I reply
because the Government holds private
interests in it's hands: distribute
places, places of the utmost insignia
canoe which appeal to the either
nevertheless. The Government ais
distributed exemptions from militar
service to it's partisans and withheld
them from it's adversaries. One o
the possible disfavOrs is a governmeT
tai refusal to permit participation il
certain crop monopOlies, as, for in
stance, tobacco. The man who
accounted antagonistic to his govern
ment may be excluded. So certain
men have feared. And this fear j
emphasized by another thing. A YER
profound tradition of the ancien
monarchy remains, politically an
religiously, in the French people: the
believed passionately that scarcel
could the King do wrong. Among tn
peasants the belief persists that tn
Government cannot be wrong. TIL
peasants are always disposed to be
lieve in the Government so long a
the Government does not offend b
disturbing fixed habits. And tn
Government has always had care no
to touch churches and cures in tn
provinces. (The Monsignor turned
paper weight in his hand and smiled.
Even the most radical deputies Civ
money to the support of the villag
Church, and the people of the countr
think the opposition to these deputie
lies when it says that religion is pei
secuted"
And the underlying reason for tn
religious revival?"
AT bottom in the Freedman n
NAMED religious sentiment. Wa
duty, fear of death, awakened it; an
many, many men have come back
the veritable practice of religion
prayer"
And the proof?"
cit NAV he found on every hant