ACTION OF THE CLERICALS 119 



territorial associations of landowners and peasants 

 to raise morally, intellectually, and economically 

 the conditions of agriculturists." The direct 

 object in view was, however, as in the case of 

 Belgium, to combat the Socialist propaganda in 

 the country districts, while a bulletin issued by 

 the Catholic Agricultural Union of Lombardy 

 pointed to the facilities which that institution 

 offered to a priest " for getting into closer touch 

 with the people, and the powerful means it affords 

 for giving activity and life to Catholic societies." 

 With such zeal was the movement taken up by 

 the Roman Catholic priesthood that of the 904 

 Milage Banks in existence in Italy in 1897 (as 

 shown by the Statist tea dcllc Societa Cooperative 

 It a Ha tie, issued by the Lega Nazionale delle Co- 

 operative Italiane) no fewer than 779 had been 

 formed by the Catholics during the preceding 

 five years. In fact, the official organ of the co- 

 operative banks in Italy, Credit o e Cooper azione, 

 said in its issue of August 16th, 1903 : — 



The rural banks have undergone a development and a 

 diffusion altogether extraordinary; but the exuberance of 

 that growth has been to their detriment. It has been 

 sought to do too much in too short a time, and that, also, 

 with a certain emulation — not to speak of hostility — 

 towards Liberal co-operation {hi cooperazione liberate). In 

 some places the institutions are perfectly sound ; but in 

 several they have fallen into the hands of rash and in- 



