The Religious Persecution in France 1900-1906Brodhead, J. Napier (Jane Napier)
History
The Religious Persecution in France 1900-1906
Brodhead, J. Napier (Jane Napier)
Catholic Church -- France; Church and state -- France
There is nothing more tragically pathetic than the last appearance in
the Senate of M. Wallon. This veteran republican, called the “Father of
the Constitution,” and now a hoary octogenarian, raised his quavering
voice in one last eloquent denunciation of the laws of 1901, 1902, and
1904. Condemning the shameless violation of property rights, he boldly
applied to the Government the Article of the Code which debars the
assassin of the testator from inheriting his property. “Messieurs,” he
cried, “on n’hérite pas de ceux qu’on a assassinés.” “Gentlemen, it is
not permitted to inherit from those we have destroyed.”
Equally tragical was the last appearance in the Senate of M. Waldeck
Rousseau, so near his last hour.
He had risen from his bed of sickness to unburden his conscience by
protesting against the anti-clerical fury of his ci-devant supporters
and instruments. In vain he denounced the violations of his law of 1901,
travestied by that of 1904 suppressing even authorized Congregations.
The verve of the great tribune had abandoned him. His speech was but a
hollow echo of its former eloquence. Twice he reeled and was forced to
steady himself by clinging to the railing. When he rose for the second
time, to reply to the sarcasms of M. Combes, he suddenly lost the thread
of his discourse, and before he had ended, many benches were vacated;
the forum, where his words had so often been greeted with wild applause,
was almost empty.
“He threw down the thirty pieces of silver, saying, I have sinned. And
they said, What is that to us? See thou to it. And he went forth.”
It is needless to inquire whether the story of attempted suicide be true
or not; to-day he is no more. The last two years of his life were a long
agony, of which the last two hours were passed on the operating table.
While he was dying under the surgeon’s knife the minions of his
successor, M. Combes, were invading a convent of Notre Dame Sisters.
They even insisted on going into the infirmary to inventory beds and
blankets. A sick nun was so shaken by the emotion caused by this
unwonted intrusion, that she had a seizure and died before the minions
of the law had left the convent.
And thus persecutor and persecuted met on the threshold of eternity.
This sister is only one of the many hundreds of infirm and aged who have
been literally killed by this infamous legislation of 1901 and 1904, and
only one of the thousands who are dying of hardships and privations.
Many of them are living on four sous a day.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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