Page 102 - La Société canadienne d'histoire de l'Église catholique - Rapport 1961

The Talilel's 1 ine uf rcascrning, especially aIter March 1880, seerns
faiily ~traightforivard : that is to sa)-. Repnbliçanisrn and Radicalism
wcre the ctiicf rnemv riI itie Clt~rcli:'~~' Gamhetta revrcscnted al1 the
prcitagcinists of that- villain?; tliere 'was a deplorahlL proces ui de-
Chrisiianization in Fraiiee, caused largely hj an equally deplorable
uuenrrre [il Cornutism. aitic:iarn. and anticlericalism. which Iristered overt
1 Lm
attacks on religion and ~athAlicism. Bui tliere Las a rvarm bon11 of
sympaihy for the religious life of the French lieople."" Al1 these were
variation on ~he main tkiertiè : a defence of al1 inanifesiatiuns ol Catlio-
licism, theolngical and secular, aicnirtiirig irorn the uiiquestionable spirit
of I!ltramuutauism, wi~h whicli al1 the Tolilet's wriiings were irispired.
dur in^ the period undei crinsideration, tlie Table1 iiever had a
harslt word for tlic Catliolies of France. lav or clergv. Ir appcars that
ikie TaLIet failed to recognizi: the FrenrIi Catholics' share of the guilt.
The 1s-ritings cf this periodical were constantly piti.!ied in the 3ame key,
uritil ita rtioricitririous [mie acquired the quaIity of a clichf. AII(iwing die
Tali!et the right to a padienn attiiiide on the political reality of Frauce,
objectively speakinn. it isas pu] ely ilefen~iir. 1t.i H ritiiigs laeked
origirialitj and hrcatki and iti editorials senirueci to lollo~, never ~u lead.
The stereutyped attitude in thece partirhular i+rititigs tiever represenied
a thesis. hut irivariablv an antithe~js : thev errire~srti a reaetiori to ihe
. -,
events, and ncvcr c:oniriliuted to the action itself.
In lhis manncr, ~a!i'ngitig ficiin otlizi. publications, the Tablet was
prone to borrow the sniallzst utttLranc.z friirn diber= sources, ii the7
corifornicd to iis o~vii opinioii. It pave promiiiznce in its editcirials to an)-
hripefi~i ~igu frcim olliers riot curisiderzd pro-~lerical."~' Jiiles Sirtion
was tieated sympatheiically when he atlar-klbcl Article Sev~u.[~" At tlie
sarnc ti trie seeirig Tlie Ti~nes and other Engliaki pu tilicatiriris sidc rnore
wiih the Frcnch grirernrnent, the Tahlcl deploi ed t hzse oceurences time
and tirne an ai^^.'^^)
Iti the goverumeiit'a drive to suppiess the religioua ordera, the
Jesuits primarily, gaincd a great rkiampiun iii the Teblei. Ji wrotc that
uo eivil or political offeucc was alle~etl agairiet tlte Jesuits arid other
orders : their unly erirnes were iheir religion, thcir devotirin. and the

[d:' C!. i.o. Editoriala '-The Ferry Ediira tion llill" ; "Frrnch Radicnlism and [lie
Cntholic Cliurch". "Thc Frrnt-h Dpcrers ri[ ihr 30rh of hlarcli". 7'atd~t. Lkr
(Fcliriiary 28, 3larch 20, .4pril 3, 1880, respeciively 1.
1 Cj. i.a. Ediiurinla, "A Purthcoiiiing Frcnch Conprrss" ; '-Tli~ Frrnch Clnnnril~.
Geiicrd and Liberly or Eduraiion", Tolilei, LlV O\ugn,i 23 ririd Srpieiriher
6, 1H79, rrspectively); aiid "Tlie Ferry Educaiion niIl", ibid., LV (l'rhriiary
2%. iasoj.
(44 ) Ediiorisl ".4n Englisli Free-tliiiiker Upon ihe Frenrli F.dui.stionnl Crisis".
Toliler, LIII (Muy 10. 1879) citing an arriclr \,y Jrih \iurlr~- in trceiii
ihsue tif Fo~lni;h~Iy Revieiu.
(451 Tutlet, LI11 lJune 7. 18791,,p. 706.
(4ü) Edi~orialo "Tlip I.aicsi Suhsriiuie for Lliri~tinniry", TuLlrt, [.IV iSc.piriiiher
6. 1879) and "Fnoli.*li Ynlilic Opinion and Articlc Scvrn". iLid.. 1.V ( hiarch
13, 1R80).
For ~ynipathy rv~kpd in Englaud, sec Ediiorial "English Opinion an
ihr Frmrh Ediiration Que~lion". ihid., LI11 (May 24, 1879).