CHURCH AND STATE IN FRANCE.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1824, 9 August 1913, Page 9

CHURCH AND STATE IN FRANCE.

"THE GODLESS SCHOOL." . Tho following is a summary of an artiticlo in tlio London "Tablet" 1 (Roman Catholic) on the exclusion of religion Irom the Stato schools.in Franco:—, Tho etarnal school question is still being .debated ifi tho French, Chamber, and a few days ago M., Barthou, tho. Premier, uttered a. declaration which made short work of the pretence of neutrality. Tlio Government has presented Bills, tho real object which" is ; to break down ,tho suiccossful competition which, in spite of tho heaviest handicapping, is boing carried on by tho denominational schools which Catholics still manage to keep going. With this view provisions have been drafted by which it is hoped, that any protests raised by parents against abuses 'of the school neutrality statutorily imposed by the Act of 1882, either in oral teaching or in school 1 manuals, shall be broken down,and suppressed, whilst there are other provision's for harassing the conduct of the private and denominational, schools. . though- they -do | not receivo the value of a centime of uublic money. "Tlio professed view of Jules Ferry, tho author of the Laws of 1882 and 1860, wos that whilst tho Stato school should observe neutrality as between religious denominations, it should tcacli the existence of God and tho spirituality of the soul as philosophical truths, just as from tho poitical point of viow it should stand for the excellence ,oij the. Republican form 5 of government as againit tho monarchial. God was not put into the law, but the "duties towards God", wero placed upon the programmes. . But much water has flowed under tho bridso sinoo Ferry's day. The men ivho havo dominated polities have worked tho' school in the same direction as they lmve administered tho Ropublic-to tho exclusion of religion. In 1911, M. Steeg, then Minister of Public Instruction, committed himself to words which revealed tho real situation: he declared to an assembly of teachers at Bordeaux that, "tho neutral school is a Godless school." And tlio very purpose of these Bills now before the Chamber is to protect the Godlessness of the. ecole laique against tho legitimate complaints of aggrieved parents. Tho debate has evoked a resounding corroboration of M. Steeg's declaration. On June 11 M. Barthou, who is Minister for Public Instruction as well as Premiei', made the following unequivocal ' declaration: "I will not counsel tho teachers .to teach tho scholars what you call the duties towards God." To do so, he went on to explain, would bo the surest way to violate school neutrality. But, objected M. Piou, "tlioso duties are on the programmes. Are you going to change the programmes?" Oh. no," answered M. Barthou, "I am malting no changes." "Npvcr," said M. Piou, "has a more serious declaration than this been made." And evidently tho Government quickly appreciated tho force of this remark, for when tho report of M. Barthou's speech appeared in the "Journal Official" it: was found' that his words had been "doctored" so as to represent him as having said that ho would not counsel the teachers to teach tho duties towards God "dogmatically." When, a day or two later ho was taxed with tho change he had to odmit that ho had not used tho word, but, ho added, "though not in my reply, it was really in my mind." From this it is clair that Catholics in France and the whole French nation are confronted with a most' serious situation.. By'the Law of 1882 and its dependent programmes a formal engagement with the nation was taken. Tlio schools wero to l>e undenominational but not Godless; duties towards God were to be taught. But now, on tho authority of two Ministers of Educa.tion this schools established by the Law of 1882 aro ;to bo Godless. M. Steeg has declared ithom so to be, ami M. Barthou has refused to compel or even to counsel tho teachers to carry out the programme proscribed, whittling it down to mere abstention from attneks on tho existence of God. Tho "Echo de Paris" puts tho, thing squarely and unequivocally: '"Wo do not teach the duties towards God.' says tho politician, and ho thinks ho is generous in proclaiming himself neutral, whereas ho is really declaring himself an Atheist. If God exists, and 110 is tlio beginning and end of all tilings, duty towards Him is tho supreme duty which resumes all other. Not to reoogniso that duty is' at ono swoop to deny God. . . . Thero can bo no escaping from his reasoning. The Godless school is tho school against God,, and the oldest of tho band make no secret of it." There is no getting away from tlie fact , that his words, whether as spoken or as afterwards modified, cons-tituto an official consecration of tho violation of the Law of 1882. The teachers have been relieved of teaching tho duties towards God; they may next seek to bo relieved of teaching the duties towards the Fatherland. Some of them havo already gonp further than that. On such a. slippery slope tlio Ministry cannot stand still.

PROTEST AGAINST DISESTABLISHMENT. 120,000 PEOPLE IN HYDE PAKK. A multitude numbering' 120,000, according to tho returns of special enumerators at tho gates, went to.Hvdo Park, London, on Saturday, Juno 21, To voice their feelings against the Government's Bill disestablishing the Church in Wales. Thousands of London peonlo joined tho representatives of 800 Welsh parishes in a demonstration. In describing tlio demonstration, tho special correspondent of tho "Daily Mail" writes:—From seventeen points a vast army marched to its rendezvous— an army with banners and bands of music. Seventeen divisions, each under its divisional commander, formed into brigades when tho park whs reached, with bishops for brigadicr-gonerals. Tho marshalling and the liming were excellent. Within a few minutes of the anpointed hour every division was iu its placo for tho engagement to begin. Twcntr miles of them! From erory,

part of London and Greater London tliflt procession trampid over hot roadways bo. noath tlio afternoon sun. All differences of doctrine, nil distinctions of class, wero forgotten. Tlio parishioners of a "high" church like St Giles's in tho Fields walked_ behind a crucifix, carried by a surpliced crucifer. No one, not oven tho "lowest" Evangelical, thought of oV jeeting. In tlio, marching ranks ono Baw here and there, alongside of clerks, tradesmen, labourers, dainttjy gowned women, with to]i-hattea, tail-coated men. They, w«ro giving up their "week-ends" to taka their part in tho . battle, just as tha young indn wero sacrificing, their crickct and the girls their lawn tennis, and tlw middle-aged their quiet rambles in tin country. It was not pleasure that dre\f those twenty miles of Church people from their nsual Saturday afternoon recreations. It was a seusa of duty, a feeling of indignation, n. wish to fight against tho 6poiler, nnd to send a messago of oourage to their fellow-worshipccra in Wales.

"Saint' George standß by Saint David," ono banner said. That put tho meaning of tho battle into a crisp, pregnant phrase; but tho most succinct' and pointed motto was also tho - simplest. From a plain ground four words stood boldly out: "Thou slialt not steal." Thero wero hundreds of banners. Many of them. wero skilfully embroidered. Thei* eifoct in the mass was most decorntive.' Looking towards the Marblo Arch as tho northern divisions poured into tho park ono could sco them thick, ono behind tha other, rallying tho processions and inw, pressing upon tho spectators tho 6ignifiV calico of tho day. Tho hugo crowds whicU 1 ' gathered to watch wero ono of the sur* prising features of tho demonstration;

A. buglo rang out. Already skirmished had begun at soino of tho twelve platforms. This was tho sign for tho engagement to become general. iirst eauio the rolling majesty of th<» Welsh hymn, beginning "Jlarchog, Jesu'* (which, oddly enough, is also tiho wnp song of tho lMscstablishers), then tlio-col-lect for tho XVlth Sunday after Trin* ity:- '

"0 Lord, wo ljesoecli Tlice, let Thy continued pity, cleanse and defend Thy Church, and becauso it. cannot contiuuo in safety without Thy succour, preserve it evermore by Thy help and goodness,. through Jesus ■ Christ our Lord." After- that every: voico was raised to: sing; 0 God, our help'in ages past, Our hope for years to como, ..Our shelter from, tho stormy blast, And our Eternal Home. And then' tlio speaking began. Still ;tho processions wcro- arriving. But the latest 0110 reaching' the' M'arblo Arch at ten minutes to six,land by six o'clock nil tho .120,000, protesters, tho twenty miles of Church people, ,hnd found their places. Not nearly all of them heard speeches. But at' such, meetingsthe actual speaking* is not important. It is tho audienea which tolls., All gave tumultuous aswnt to tho resolution proposed at 0.30: "That wo will not havo our Church' dismembered and tour of its dioceses , disestablished and disendowed." And • all joined with warm sincerity in, singing "Tho Church's Ono Foundation." Tho rise and fall of tho melody, at once plaintive and triumphant, had a strange thrill. . Many eyes wcro. full of tears. Many at tho close'of this great battle for unity and freedom realised, tho import of tlioso familiar verses as they had uevor realised it before.