The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1921-01-08
SCHOOLS IN GERMANY
sAxohY's SOCIALIST SCHOOL
LAW HELD TO BE INVALID
GERMAN SUPREME COURT "A.
VoRS RELIGIOUS EDUcATIoN-
EFFORTS MADE TO DIsoRGAN-
LIE CENTER PARTY.
(By N. C. VIC. News Service

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The supreme court of4Germany has
handed down decision that the rev.
olutionary school law of Saxony, which
orders that no religious instruction
shall be given in the schools, is I'm.
constitutional.
The decision is great victory for
religious education, as it affects not
only Saxony, where the law prevent
ing religious instruction has been in
effect since April I, but also Hamburg
and Bremen, where the Soldiers and
Workmen's Councils had passed sim
liar measures. 1t is pointed out in
the decision that article thirteen of
the constitution supersedes any state
enactments and that it is impossible
to enforce these state provisions. The
their validity and religious instruction
again becomes part of the schools
curricula.
imperial Child Welfare Law.
The outline of the new child well
fare law, as published by the Minis
ter of the Interior, is hardly such as
Catholics can approve of, despite the
fact that Catholic priest participated
in drawing it up. The whole spirit
of the law seems to be permeated
with the spirit of social democracy,
which considers the child first the
property of the state and only second.
ly as a member of the family. The de.
nominational aspect of guardianship
which was well safeguarded under for.
mer enactments, is endangered by the
provisions of the new law, and Ger
man Catholics are already on their
guard lest they be robbed of impor
tant rights. There is hope that the
law Will never be enacted and this is
likely, as it seems hardly possible to
secure sufficient finances to put it into
effect.
Attempts to Destroy Center Party.
The German-National Peoples Par
ity, formerly the conservative Protes
tant party, has added to itself a Cath
Ollie faction, the members of which
seem to aspire to effect the destruc
tion of the Center Party. 1t is
not the first time that such move
ment has been put afoot, but the Cen
ter Party has withstood many shocks
none more violent than those of con
trary movements within it's own ranks
A large meeting was held by the
conservative Protestants in Hanover
late in October at which it is under
tstood that plans for wrecking the
| Center Party were made. While. this
meeting was held behind carefully
barred doors, the Badische Beobach
ter, a Southern German paper, is all
| thority for many interesting develop
ments that occurred within the cham
Der.
Closed Meeting with Luther's Hymn
According to this paper, it was OBJ
jected at the meeting that too many
Catholic members might come into the
| German-National Peoples Party and
that these elements might easily be
Icome blasting powder" This objec
ton was apparently overruled as de
tailed plans for campaigning in Cath
olic districts were discussed. One O
the methods urged was that war BIZ
waged on the Center Party under the
pretext that, like the Social Democrat
Party, it is subservient to foreign die
tation and receives its orders from
Rome. The meeting closed with thu
singing of Luther's hymn, "a Mighty
Fortress Is Our God"
The reports published show clearly
the plan of campaign for votes among
catholics, but it is hardly believed
that this counting of Catholic votes
will have any success. German Cath
olics know too well by whom their re
iligious and political interests are tax
en- care of and are not likely to b.
deluded by the party which recentl.
raised the slogan: THE Worlt
Healed Through Professionalism.
Z q