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Show PROTESTANT UNEASINESS IN FRANCE. It seems to many members of the 'Reformed (Calvanistic) and Lutheran communions in France, says The Interior, as if the impending legislation leg-islation were framed as much for their extermination extermi-nation as for the discomfiture of Roman, clericalism. clerical-ism. Some months ago the general council of the Reformed Church addressed a petition to the prime minister, asking for a real separation of church and state, a separation which shall leave the church master of its own life and work. The bill now under un-der discussion, according to the petitioners, "threatens their existence, and certainly will forbid for-bid their progress." The definite grounds of their uneasiness appear in the following statements in The Interior: - "In the 86 'departments' of France there were at the time of the last census 650,000 Protestants very equally distributed, however, in different parts of the country. In 35 of these divisions there are less than 1,000 Protestants to each ; in 23 others the numbers ranged from 1,000 to 3,000, and in only one were there as many as 100,000. It will thus be understood that most of the congregations are small and financially feeble. Under the present laws j of France no church can change, its creed or re-model re-model its policy or even issue a pastoral letter without permission from the state. The Reformed church has therefore held few general synods for many years, being unwilling to submit to the government's gov-ernment's stipulations for such a body. All the Protestant pastors receive a certain assistance from j the state, in no case exceeding $600. a year, and in most cases ranging about or below $350. This de- , nomination, Presbyterian in creed and govern- j ment, occupies 887 chapels, of which it possesses complete title to only 444. The remainder belong to the state or to the 'commune' or to private individuals. in-dividuals. It has also in use 162 manses. Of these only 95 are under control of the church itself. X6v the proposed law for' 'separating' church and state would wipe out at a blow all assistance in the matter mat-ter of salaries, and at the end of two years would withdraw from free congregational use all the properties prop-erties belonging to the state or the commune, although, al-though, in most such cases the title was vested in the state .simply because "the commune furnished the site while the congregation built the chapel or manse, or both. At the end of two years the congregations con-gregations are to pay a fixed rent, and at the end 1 of five years in the case of manses, or of ten I years in the case of chapels, the property is to belong be-long to the state or the commune without reserve. Moreover, the new law creates a bureau of worship which shall have control of all Protestant chapels and manses, receive the pew rents and even all offerings of-ferings on Sunday, all marriage and burial fees and other revenues. The powers of the synods are loccrt-nnrl -f Tnm tlic -firat anrl rliinftl timI! Kn nti- able to carry on home missions in neighborhoods where local support is insufficient. The ministers of these churches are not recognized as having vested rights in their professions, although those who have preached for twenty-five years may be retired upon half pay, provided the stipend is in no case to exceed $250. If engaged in the work of the ministry for less than twenty-five years, a graded system of meager doles is permitted for the first, three or four years, after which even this ceases." That such a law can be proposed, especially that such a law is likely to be passed, remarks the same paper, makes plain that France, no more than Russia Rus-sia or Turkey, understands what is meant by liberty lib-erty of worship. Literary Digest. |