It will be interesting to see what will be the
effect of the Pope's threats. We hope and believe that some compromise in regard to the Bill will be arrived at, as we hold the policy of harrying the Orders to be utterly illiberal and unsound, and also quite ineffective. We do not., however, feel sure the Pope's threats will seem as serious at the Quai D'Orsay as they would have seemed in former times. Chinese relations are in the melting-pot, and when they emerge France's posi- tion will be based, not on the claim to protect Catholics, but on a specific treaty. Again, in the Levant French influence has already sunk so low that it is difficult to think it would fall further even if the Maronites and other Latins were no longer under French protection. The course of events has discounted the threatened blow. Lastly, the Rallied have not been of any great use to the Republic, and their withdrawal would hardly shake it. Still, these may be used as excuses by the Ministry for withdrawing a bad and oppressive Bill, and we hope they will be. Meantime it is curious to reflect with how much greater force the Pope would have spoken if during the Dreyfus crisis the Vatican had need its legitimate influence to prevent the French clericals and their outrageous public prints preaching an Anti-Semite crusade, and defaming as anti-patriots and Anti-Christians all who dared to take a particular side in a great trial. That would have been an act of Christian pacification worthy of the Pope, and one for which be might rightly have claimed the gratitude of the Republic and its Ministers.
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