IReligion.in French Schools

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 51, 19 December 1907, Page 30

IReligion.in French Schools

Strange news pushed its way through the submarine •cables from Paris last' week. It runs as .follows :— . c The National Congress of the French Council of JState, which interprets the law, has decided that municipalities must provide religious instruction for those children whose parents desire it.' The Council of State (Conseil d'Efcat) is presided <over by a Minister, and its members are (according to - "* The Statesman's Year-Boo> ") 'all appointed by the President of the Republic. Its duty,' the ' Year-Book ' ;adds, ' is to> give opinion ui:on such questions— chiefly ■^hoso connected with administration — as may be sub-" anitted to it by tlie Government. It is judge in the Jast report in administrative suits, and it prepares the jrules ,for the public administration.' ,-" established by the First Napoleon, the Council <of States w>as intended to be a sort of tribunal" iridepenident of piarty interests and party allegiance. To many, ihowever, its independence under the Third Republic has ■long been regarded as very problematical. If, however, dt "is comjposed of men who. lor/e their country more ' ittian party, there are many things under the atheist aregime to give them food for thought. One of these is iihe wave of crime that is passing- over Prance. The latest issue of the ' Caiholic Times ' to. hand- has the ifollowing editorial note in point :—: — 1 The problem of how to deal with crime is troubling, tthem in France. It" is increasing on every side, but most of all amongst the yo.un>g. M. Peyssonie, the At-torney-General, quoted the olhur day some startling figures indicating its growth, in 18'JU the number of convictions of criminals , under nineteen years of age was not above seven thousand. Though the members of the Government have lost none of their hatred for the Christian, religion, they are asking themselves in the privacy of their homes how they can da without it, and the Attor-ney-General has gone' so far as to confess publicly tliat since its banishment from the schools the question of the supression of crime has become a crucial problem. Dwelling at the Assizes upon the natuie of the crime committed by two young " apaches " or Hooligans, who were tried and found guilty on- the charge of murdering a Catholic named Hippolyte. Itefe^oise without' provocation, he avowed that experience had led him to change his opinion of the value of mental instruction. With others he had believed that by opening a school the Government would be helping to close a prison, but facts proved that this was far from being the case.' Perhaps they should try education instead of instruction. That is just where the defect lies. Instruction wilhout sound moral training is a danger. With sound moral training it is education ; but sound moral training cannot be given without teaching religion.' Circumstances forced upon Napoleon Bonaparte the. conviction that order and good government would be impossible in France without religion. Out of this conviction sprung the Concordat, a bilateral compact or .treaty which the French Government broke without even notifying the other party to it. The French Government,

of all others," has learned that . those who eat of the Pope die of him. Napoleon's puny successors seem to be learning, even thus early in their campaign of aggressive atheism, that war upon religion has ifcs disadvantages, and that it has a way. of producing reprisalsjfrom, awk~ward and unexpected quarters. The French Government" have evoked the ' apache ' demon, and it looks as they .arc appealing to religion to lay it.