has always responded the body of the faithful. From time to time in the future the Bulletin will treat in greater detail some of the more pervasive and perilous errors condemned by these solemn pontifical utterances.

THE EDITOR.

A BRIGHTER OUTLOOK FOR THE CHURCH

IN FRANCE.

FIRST LETTER.

The recent elections for the renewal of the general councils, have proved that the gravity of the religious situation is not taken into account by the majority of French voters on election day. Certain parties had hoped that the innumerable incidents resulting from the application of the Law of Separation might impel the people to return to another policy, but such was not the case. When voting, the Radical elector is wont to exclude religious interests. In all the great events of his life he has recourse to the priest and, now and then, may even attend mass on Sunday; but, if asked to vote for a candidate who stands for religious liberty, he immediately becomes suspicious of such a man because the candidate who introduces religious claims into his electoral platform courts notice as a reactionist and, in many of the departments, incurs the disfavour of voters. Moreover, the founding of a Catholic political party—a strictly religious party-would justly antagonize many fair-minded men and it is to be feared that, a priori, such an organization would be doomed to defeat.

The opposition has too long flattered itself with the idea that there are in France thirty-six millions of Catholics. The electors who, in the midst of their civic activity, are capable of interesting themselves in religious claims are precious few and, because thirty-six millions have been baptized, it does not follow that there is a corresponding number of practical Catholics. Even in those departments where most of the men perform their Easter duty it is not at all astonishing to witness the triumph of anti-religious candidates. For instance, from 65 to 70 per cent. of the men in the Department of Lot communicate at Easter and yet, one of the politicians whom they sent to the Senate is M. Cocula, famous for opposing freedom of instruction.

Now whether this bespeaks inconsistency, carelessness, ignorance or an utter lack of reason we shall be in no haste to say— the question is too complex to be lightly treated. The deputy or senator whose chief aim in Parliament is to further an antireligious policy poses, during his electoral campaign, as a partisan of liberty for all, and when charged with intolerance, turns the reproach against his opponent in whose electoral platform defense of religious interests holds the foremost place and who is therefore accused of seeking to restore "the power of the curés" and of being "the curés' man." Hence the discouragement that lays hold of certain men in the opposition: all their efforts to bring to light the competitor's sectarian and masonic radicalism are taken by the voter as a proof of their own individual "clericalism."

The opposition has always given the religious question first place a proceeding easily understood from a rational viewpoint-but in electoral matters we are dealing with the irrational. In many of our villages the Radical candidate who decries feudalism and demands fiscal reform, passes for the candidate of the people whereas his opponent is considered the candidate of the country squire. Hence the electoral struggle is often a social one and, in electing the Radical candidate, the people vent all their petty jealousies against the neighbouring country squires. For the furtherance of religious interests it is therefore absolutely necessary to separate one's self from a certain social class and only at the price of this separation can these interests triumph. However, as long as the bill demanding religious freedom is signed by the candidate supposed to be in favour at the country-seat, the bulk of our Southern electors forming the Radical majority in our Chamber seem utterly indifferent to this freedom when casting their vote.

All honour, then, to those Catholics who, despite these extremely disagreeable conditions, persist in wishing to render the Church political services in parliamentary assemblies. But fortunately there are other and more rapidly effective ways of serving her.

The immediate, urgent work to be achieved is not the gaining of political victories: the finest and surest of such victories are

those that sanction a long, preparatory course of civil action. The task to be immediately undertaken is that of training our French people to adopt a habit of Christian thought and this result once obtained, the rest will follow. The burning question is not: "When shall we have the majority in Parliament?" because, if we were to be surprised with such a majority, we would be winning only a superficial victory and we have too long been content with superficialities. The truly momentous question is this: "How long will the first communion of so many of our children continue to be their last, and the happy day on which they receive it the last on which they set foot in a church? How long will so many nominal Catholics turn to the Church for her blessing upon the great undertakings of life and yet banish from their daily program all consideration of religion? How long will there continue to exist that class of supposedly practical Christians who perform acts of worship on Sunday and yet never pause to ask themselves whither their lives are tending?" Naught save a revival of the Christian spirit can remedy this deplorable condition and if at present we have reason to hope, it is because in all parts of France efforts are being made toward such a revival.

I.

One good effect produced by the separation of Church and State is that the diocesan administration need no longer seek permission to re-organize parishes and that there is now no directeur des cultes to be consulted. At present it is only necessary to consider the wants of the people. Under the Concordatory régime the difficulty of erecting new parishes had resulted in entire faubourgs, recently sprung into existence, remaining without religious aid, Paris itself being surrounded by suburbs which, owing to the progress of industry, were very thickly settled, a part of the population being outside the orbit of the Church. Certain districts, fortunate enough to be within parish limits, were so densely populated that no less than 750 children would assemble for first communion instructions and it was impossible for two priests to manage so large a number,

ascertain how much of the catechism they knew or indeed, even learn their names. To-day, however, the diocesan administration of Paris is creating new parishes and multiplying parish chapels, the clergy being thus enabled to reach hitherto unknown multitudes. Initiatives such as those taken by M. le Curé de Soulange-Bodin and M. l'abbé Boyreau in the Parisian faubourg of Plaisance, show by their results that, from the time that the priest first appears in these virgin fields, the word of God finds an echo. Some day I shall give you the history of these Oeuvres de Plaisance-Works of the Rosary, as they are called-which are characteristic of the present methods employed in our religious apostolate.

II.

Once the people are gathered into a congregation it is sought to forge a link between them and their pastor and at present, in some localities, it is by means of a weekly bulletin that he gets into close touch with his people. A bulletin written in popular style and containing interesting stories, news in moderation and a short commentary on the gospel of the Sunday, gives delinquents an insight into parish life and, by degrees, opens up to the great mass of other inhabitants a world entirely new to them. After what I have stated it may not surprise you to learn that the only really successful parish bulletins, those inspiring any confidence, are the ones which, at election times, omit all mention of politics. Finally, these periodicals develop in their readers a spirit of Christian unity. Among our more aristocratic Catholics the parish idea was too often lost to view. Their piety attracted them either to a church or chapel more comfortably appointed and more select than their own, or perhaps to one in which the pulpit was occupied by some popular preacher. Gradually these good people ignored the confines of their own parish, confines of apostolic origin and demanding the recognition and respect of the faithful residing within them, and forgot that for the man who would lead a serious Christian life, it is best to frequent the society of his own parish as he will thus meet Christians of various