Year: 1879




The pending discussion in the French
chambers on the public education bill pro-
posed by Mr.. Jules Ferry will, without doubt,
result in the complete separation of the
church from the state in that country. 1t
has long been evident to close observers
that there has been au irrepressible conflict
between the two ever since the establish
ment of the republic, which, sooner OF later,
was bound to come to the surface, and re-
suit in an open rupture. Far-seeing states
men like Ferry perceived the tendency of
the church as being hostile to the true in
terests of the government, and he deter
mined to bring matters to a head without
| unnecessary delay. To that end he intro
duced the pending bill as cabinet measure.
It was apparently harmless, simply forbid
ding persons who were not citizens of
France from teaching the young. The
Jesuits were the first to divine the meaning
of the bill as blow at the educational in
stitutions maintained by them, and therefore
the clerical party made concerted attack
upon it. At first they made some headway,
but the government was determined and
united in support of the bill, while the some
what iniudicious pastoral of Monsignor
Frochard, Archbishop. of AK, has served to
unite the non clericals in favor of the bill.


The archbishop stretches a point when he
claims that tho bill is an attack upon Catho-
lie institutions of learning. 1t was not in
tended as such, but was merely designed to
put stop to the teaching of political and So
cial heresies by Jesuits and others who have
no interest whatever in the maintenance of
the government, but rather an interest in
olcity is not inconsistent with free
government in France or in America
and if some misguided zealots persist in an
tagonizing them, they must be brought to q
realizing sense of the fact that the State can
tolerate no doctrines that threaten its over


flow. Either the state must dominate ove1
the church or the church over the state. Tht
two cannot be CO. ordinate.


We do not share with the eminent ecclesi
astic referred to tho fear that state domino
tions over educational matters and over th,
church will have tendency to destroy re
ligion. History proves that nowhere is tn
church more prosperous, more filled will
zeal, or more aggressive than where it i


separated from the state and can gain NJ


assistance from it, Wherever it is protecte'
and hampered by the.government, religion
loses its aggressiveness, and becomes letha1
gic and worthless. We shall, therefore, loo
to see a renewed activity in the Catholi
church in France if the bill in question sha
become law. The separation of the churc
from the state will prove double bene6
The state will be relieved from many entane


ling alliances that now impede its progress


while the church would be made independ
dependence of governmental control or SUI
q port always gives to any cause.


1t may be said, however, that the separf
ton of the church and state is not the MI
: tive of the bill of Mr.. Ferry. True, br


that will be its result, and results are whf


we should look at, not motives. If it is trr


as alleged in the chambers that the Jesui
) have been teaching political heresy in the
Q schools, they ought to bo suppressed, and
x nothing more is accomplished than this, it
l. a meritorious measure. Nothing antagonist
a to republican government should be permi
n ted to exist, and if the privileges granted
r the clerics are abused in the manner charge
70 those privileges ought to be taken away fro


them.