Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images available at The Internet Archive) THE RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION IN FRANCE 1900-1906 _Nihil Obstat_: JOSEPH WILHELM, S. T. D., CENSOR DEPUTATUS. _Imprimi potest_ ✠ GULIELMUS, EPISCOPUS ARINDELENSIS, VICARIUS GENERALIS. WESTMONASTERII, _Die 6 Aprilis, 1907_. THE RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION IN FRANCE 1900-1906 BY J. NAPIER BRODHEAD AUTHOR OF “SLAV AND MOSLEM” _LONDON_ KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, TRÜBNER & CO., LTD. 43 GERRARD STREET, SOHO, W. 1907 PREFACE These Considerations, written during the last six years’ residence in France, have already appeared in the Press of the United States. They were written from year to year without any thought of republication, which seems justified to-day by the acuity of the conflict between the Church and the French atheocracy, a conflict which cannot but interest Christians everywhere. J. N. B. CONTENTS PAGE FIRST IMPRESSIONS 1 THE TWO CAMPS 7 THE ASSOCIATIONS BILL 13 THE ASSOCIATIONS BILL 18 ARBITRARY INCONSISTENCY 29 A PAGAN RENAISSANCE 33 INCONSISTENT JACOBINISM 40 UNAUTHORISED CONGREGATIONS 46 A COMBES _COUP DE MAIN_ 50 LEGALIZED DESPOTISM 57 DESPOTISM PLUS GUILE 63 UNCHANGING JACOBINISM 71 DEATH OF WALDECK ROUSSEAU 78 LIBERTY AND STATE SERVITUDE 82 THE FRENCH REVOLUTION 91 A PAPAL NOTE 105 FREEMASONRY 112