Show r FOR BLASPHEMY countries Coun trie where th the e law regards farda it as a crime among the measures with which the imperial german parliament will be called upon to deal in the course of the present session is it a bill for the abolition of paragraph of the penal code which makes blasphemy punishable by three years imprisonment with hard labor neither in belgium italy holland nor france is it considered necessary to make blasphemy a penal offense and indeed the only three countries of any importance where the offense is still regarded as a crime crime are austria great britain and ge germany rm any in england the acts of 1061 1661 and of have never till this day been repealed and an d the I 1 new ne w yo york r k tribune tr iaun c says that prosecutions for bazl blasphemy ph emy have been pretty numerous during the present presen t c century it is however impossible to deny that the time has gope gone when blasphemy could be regarded as a penal offense the question has become more one of public order and decency than of right of judgment in germany where the present political maneuvers on the part of the emperor in connection with the military bill m may ay lead to the possible ashenden ase enden y of of the ultramontane party the cepe repeal a 1 of the law is particularly urgent F for r when once the ultra montanes are in in power there is nothing as the law now stands to prevent them from sending to prison for three years with hard labor any person who should venture to speak ironically of the latter day miracles of the roman catholic church |