120 ITALY 



experienced persons, and the central federation has not 

 always sufficed to preserve them from errors and disaster. 

 The entire body of the clergy have wished to take part 

 inja course of action that has been altogether precipitate 

 and it will be a heavy task to save in rural co-operation the 

 part that is healthy. 



When one reads that a certain set of model 

 rules lays down that members of a Catholic 

 Village Bank must show " Christian sentiment 

 towards religion, the Church, and the Pope " ; 

 that another insists that members must attend 

 Mass at Easter and belong to no society that is 

 opposed to the Catholic Church ; and that a large 

 number of the Catholic banks are of distinctly 

 mushroom growth — it is no wonder that a certain 

 degree of criticism should have been aroused. 

 But, after allowance has been made for all short- 

 comings, there is left a sufficient percentage of 

 clerical as well as of non-clerical institutions to 

 represent a steady growth of agricultural organ- 

 izations which is undoubtedly having a powerful 

 effect on the general conditions of Italy, while 

 Catholics and non-Catholics alike are now show- 

 ing a greater disposition to find a common plat- 

 form on which they can unite for securing the 

 further material progress of the people. 



Complete and trustworthy statistics on the 

 present position of the movement in Italy are 



