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FRANCE AND SWITZERLAND

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Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 31, 1901

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 78, No. 53.

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FRANCE AND SWITZERLAND.

By JEAN VUILLEUMIER

In our French-European field, everything calls upon us for a speedy proclamation of the message. In France there is a determined struggle between the enemies and the friends of “the Church.” This conflict has come to be so serious that there seems to be a blending of all the old and the new political parties into two leading armies: the clerical and the anti-clerical forces. This situation has been brought out and intensified by the famous law passed this spring against religious orders. The anti-clerical majority in both chambers succeeded in carrying this law in spite of the desperate opposition of the clericals. The “secular clergy” number forty-two thousand priests, paid by the State, directed by eighty-seven bishops. The “regular clergy,” or friars, number one hundred and ninety thousand. Their real estate fortune is estimated at two hundred million dollars. The speakers in favor of the law frankly confessed their fears that they would grow so strong as to form “a State within the State.” One of the designs of the law was to debar some orders from teaching school, which they are doing to a great extent, thus molding the plastic minds of youth against the ideas of liberty and democratic government.
Several orders are to be suppressed, and their estates confiscated. Friars have taken it quite calmly as a rule; but great activity is being exercised by “the Church” in view of the coming elections. Thegovernment is somewhat concerned as to its fate, and has recently shown some favors to Catholic missionaries in Turkey and China. In fact, the main intent and result of the expedition of the French fleet in Turkish waters was to secure some advantages for Catholic orders in Turkey.
Protestants seem to enjoy some favor with the government, and they take advantage of it to successfully sue at law many Catholic papers for slanders against Protestant ministers and their work. This is preparing a harvest of violence by and by.
Thus poor France is oscillating between two parties, one of which favors faith (so called) without liberty, and the other, liberty without faith. Let now the Third Angel’s Message come in quickly, and give the people true faith and true liberty!
Most of the French cantons of Switzerland are called upon to pass Sunday laws just now. In one (Vaud) the law was introduced in the spring, and was just carried. The leading paper of that canton, La Gazette de Lausanne, founded in 1798, printed two articles which I sent it, against this law, and of course criticised our position, and called the law a law of hygiene. This law is quite sweeping, and may be applied to any kind of work done by a Sabbath-keeper, although allowing exceptions for many kinds of business which go to make Sunday holidays enjoyable. Similar laws are being considered at Neuchatel, Berne, and Geneva.
The Sunday movement in France is carried on by Catholic societies, a Protestant society, and an inter-confessional society. In several large cities, of late, the latter society has aroused a mob spirit in favor of Sunday closing, and has carried its point in a way which savors of the Revolution of 1793.
Our field is ripe. May God send us laborers, and give us the power of the Holy Spirit, so that we may successfully warn the people, and invite them to a better country!
I have forgotten to mention a new movement among Protestants. Some years ago it started with a view of studying social questions, and thus coming better in contact with the laboring classes, which are largely involved in the socialistic movement. Now, several pastors are enthusiastic over the idea of preaching, not the old gospel of converting the people for another world, but the coming kingdom of Christ to be established upon this world by means of socialism! Groping in the dark with one ray of light falsely understood and applied!
Again I say, May God help us to bring the Third Angel’s Message before the French people with the power of sanctified lives! JEAN VUILLEUMIER.
Paris, December 10.