The French Senate passed the Associations Bill on Satur- day
last by 173 votes to 99, after accepting an amendment under which the Government must provide for necessitous members of dissolved religious Orders, or "those who have contributed to the acquisition of the common riches of the Order." That is a philanthropic improvement in the Bill, but it does not, of course, soothe the Church, which desires to utilise the great wealth of these corporations, and not merely to save indi- vidual members from starving. The measure will greatly increase the hatred of all Clericals for the Republic, and therefore of the Nationalist party, which they, in fact, inspire. It is dictated by a just alarm, but it is an unjust measure, which will deepen the fissures that divide French society. It is believed that of the unauthorised Orders some will • be legalised—for instance, the monks of La Chartreuse—while others will retreat to the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg. It is not probable that the State will benefit greatly by the " laifica- tion " of the revenues to be seized, for the Orders have the aid of business men, and their wealth in bonds can much of it be remitted to other countries. It is said, for example, that one of the Orders holds a large stake in the Indian Rupee Debt. How is the French Government to get at that?
