The Daily News THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15. CURRENT COMMENT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 8051, 15 February 1906, Page 2

The Daily News THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 15. CURRENT COMMENT.

The difficulty experienced by Government officials in taking inventories of the contents of Catholic churchesin France, represents the strenuous objection of at least a section of the Catholic people to the separation of Church from the State. That the resistance ottered does not represent the unanimous opinion of Catholics on the subject is indicated by a letter on December 18 th from the Paris cor respondent of the London " Standard." lie says "As evidence that the Separation Bill, in spite of anything that may be said against it, need not permanently injure the Catholic Church iu France, I may quote the opinion of the Abbe (iayraud, a deputy of Finistere. He says that the Church will be better without the Concordat, and freer to do her work. lie has done what he could do to oppose separation, and he now advises that the law be accepted as it stands, ' lest,' to use his own words, ' worse befall.' The Archbishop of Aix is another of the same school of stalwart churchmen. He says that, the Church must not fold her hands aud complain ; she must be up and doing. Above all, she must remember that her kingdom is not of this world, and must keep clear of politics in the future. The Abbe Odelin, Vicar-General of Paris, takes another view. He says that the law is inapplicable, because the Church cannot iind the money to carry on its work aud keep its edifices in repair. The sum of £50,000, he declares, is wanting now for repairs to churches in l'aris alone, and it will be impossible to get men to join associations saddled with such an enormous responsibility. The Comte de Mmi says that the law is a leap in the dark, not the beginning of a new regime, but of an interregnum of trouble. It is folly to think that the Church can be ignored or persecuted. The time would come wtien those who had passed the Bill would beg on their knees for a new Concordat,"

Mention lias aire idy been made ii> these columns of the new army which China is steadily creating under, it is believed, Japanese supervision. Some mteresti ng particulars of what is be ing done have been supplied to the London " Times " by a correspondent. The present army is comparatively small, but by the end of the year it is expected that it will consist of ten divisions of some 12,000 men each, with over 10,000 men in the reserve. An extensive and apparently a well-considered scheme of organisation has been drawn up for the future, probably under competent Japanese advice. Under this scheme, we are told, it is proposed to increase the number of divisions to thirty-six, and the correspondent seems to think that this may be accomplished in ten years, or even in five. This would give China the truly formidable force of 432,000 men, with a reserve of uquarter of a million, and, if they are true to the sample at the recent uiaweuvres, they will relieve the Poweis vcl y effectually of all further anxiety f°'' the integrity and independence of the Chinese Empire. Not .the least remarkable feature about the orgnnisatiov is that it is national and not provincial. The army, it is also worth noting, is recruited by voluntary enlistment, but, as the pay is high and regular, and the soldiers enjoy certain exemptions from the land tax, there is no difficulty in filling t.lie raider, notwithstanding the high standards of character and physique which are required for admis-ion. Great efforts are being made to dispel the traditional contempt for soldiering which is conspicuous in Chinese civilisation. The highest in the land are taking an active interest in the creation of the national army; two Royal princes attended the manoeuvres, mounted and in uniform, and an Imperial decree has lately ordered all princes, nobles, Chinese, and Mancliu ollioials to nominate one or two of their sous for education in a military school for nobles, which is to be opened in the capital. Officers are already being taught their profession on Wostorn lines in milikiry college, while others are sent abroad to learn on the Continent or in Japan; in fact, as the correspondent says, a .serious attempt is being made to officer the national ai my with well-educated men of good family.