

FRANCE. 



261 



per cent, of the face value of the old ones or in 

 cash. The conversion was expected by the hold- 

 ers, since the price of the 3J per cents, has re- 

 ceded from nearly 101) almost down to par, and 

 the impending operation depressed the price of 

 the perpetual 3 per cents. The bonus represents 

 an interest of 3J per cent, for the first four years. 

 After 1910 a conversion of French rentes into 2|- 

 or 2i-per-cent. stock at par may be possible, but 

 at present these rates are not sufficiently accli- 

 matized in France. The conversion bill contains 

 a clause allowing treasury bonds to reach a 

 limit of 500,000,000 francs, 100,000,000 francs 

 above the existing legal maximum. The session 

 ended on July 12. 



Enforcement of the Associations Law. 

 Before the close of the session M. Combes first 

 ordered 135 Roman Catholic schools closed, some 

 of them conducted by 130 newly constituted re- 

 ligious associations which unsoundly contended 

 that the associations law did not require new 

 schools or societies to apply for authorization, 

 others by members of unauthorized communities 

 who claimed exemption as salaried teachers em- 

 ployed by lay school proprietors. Since the as- 

 sociations law of July 1, 1901, went into force 

 64 male and 085 female communities had applied 

 for authorization. Authorization has been re- 

 quired by law since 1825, but before the new act 

 was passed many establishments were founded 

 that neglected to conform to the law. The Pre- 

 mier's speech defending the forcible closing of 

 schools and declaring that the first act would be 

 followed by others, since Republican France had 

 elected a majority of representatives resolved on 

 securing the victory of lay society over monastic 

 disobedience, was by 309 votes to 218 ordered to be 

 placarded throughout the country. There were 

 3,000 schools, mostly for girls and conducted 

 by nuns, which still defied the law. Three days 

 before the close of the session a decree was issued 

 ordering all these to close on a week's notice, 

 otherwise they would be closed by the police. 

 If they obeyed they could apply for authoriza- 

 tion and be reopened as new establishments. 

 Asylums and hospitals were left undisturbed 

 until accommodation could be found for their 

 inmates. M. Combes was denounced in the 

 Chamber as a proscriber, and Deputies of the 

 Right threatened the President and nearly came 

 to blows with friends of the Government. After 

 the close of the session 450 religious communi- 

 ties applied for authorization. On July 16 no- 

 tices were served on 76 schools in Paris, and 

 some of the schools in the provinces received 

 thefr warning. The schools were those of the 

 unauthorized religious communities, taught by 

 the same teachers and occupying the same build- 

 ings, the only change having been that the prop- 

 erty was now in the name of laymen. This de- 

 vice was regarded by its authors as sufficient to 

 get around the law. The Government, however, 

 was resolved to treat the pretext that these al- 

 leged proprietors and employers of the teachers 

 had opened new schools, when they were in all 

 respects the same conventual schools as before, 

 as a quibble not worthy of consideration. The 

 Council of State decided on Jan. 23, 1902, that 



I the law did apply to the conventiial schools, 

 old and new. There were two months in which 

 the schools could be either converted into secu- 

 lar schools or legalized as religious schools of 

 authorized orders before the compulsory educa- 

 tion law would require the parents to send their 

 children to school ; but they could not be legal- 

 ized without a new act of the Legislature, which 

 would not meet before Oct. 15, and in case these 



schools were not reopened before the new school 

 year there would not be room for so many children 

 in the public schools; most of the parents, more- 

 over, would endure penalties rather than let their 

 children attend the secular schools. A'fter secu- 

 lar education was enacted in 1882 and monastic 

 teachers were excluded from the common schools, 

 Catholics throughout the country contributed 

 and sent their children to the schools founded 

 by the monastic orders in which religious in- 

 struction was continued. There were 160,000 

 children in these Church schools in Paris; in the 

 provinces they were more numerously attended. 

 Thousands of teachers were trained in the con- 

 vents. To provide education for the pupils of 

 these schools would add greatly to the public 

 expenses. The bishops deolared that they would 

 defend the liberty of Christian families to deter- 

 mine how their children should be educated, and 

 nearly all of them sent protests against the de- 

 crees, although they have had constant difficul- 

 ties with these teaching orders in exercising their 

 hierarchical authority. The circular of M. 

 Combes came as a surprise because it was now 

 too late for the orders to apply for authorization. 

 The law gave them only three months, which ex- 

 pired on Oct. 1, 1901. M. Waldeck-Rousseau de- 

 creed an extension till Jan. 15, 1902, and when 

 he said that elementary schools came under the 

 education law of 1886 it was assumed or argued 

 by some of the Clericals that his language ex- 

 empted the Church schools. It was contended, 

 moreover, that since he threatened to close them 

 after a final summons his successor was bound 

 to allow an opportunity to obtain authorization. 

 The Progressives and Moderate Republicans con- 

 demned the policy of suppressing the sisters' 

 schools, and Protestants as well as Clericals 

 and Reactionaries called it an attack on liberty 

 and a manifestation of hatred and intolerance. 

 Even Radicals, like ex-Premier Goblet, deprecated 

 violence in combating clericalism, though others 

 called for the total suppression of the recalcitrant 

 orders or advocated the denunication of the con- 

 cordat. When the police began to carry out the 

 decree, first in the departments of the Seine and 

 the RhOne, the Clerical politicians and the clergy 

 led demonstrations. In Paris the Nationalists 

 sought conflicts with the police, and some of the 

 agitators were arrested. In provincial towns 

 and villages, where the action of the Government 

 produced real hardship and profoundly exasper- 

 ated the people, serious conflicts occurred, not- 

 withstanding the endeavors of the authorities to 

 avoid encounters. Many of the officials carried 

 out the expulsions with extreme repugnance; 

 some would not enforce the decree; none treated 

 the sisters with harshness. Departmental and mu- 

 nicipal councils in Catholic sections passed reso- 

 lutions condemning the Government, and the 

 municipal councils of the industrial cities re- 

 torted with resolutions of commendation. Cler- 

 ical leaders appealed to M. Loubet, who forward- 

 ed their communications to the ministers. Ladies 

 of society sought the intercession of Mme. Loubet, 

 but propriety forbade her to receive them. Leav- 

 ing a message that women's blood would be shed 

 in the streets if the w r omen of the poor were de- 

 nied the privilege of giving a Clmstian education 

 to their children, some days later, at the head 

 of a demonstration of mothers of France, they 

 attempted to present a petition to the Prime 

 Minister, but found the avenues leading to the 

 ministry blocked by the police. Some of the noti- 

 fications in the provinces were withdrawn for 

 the reason that the establishments affected were 

 virtually authorized by having been allowed to 



