over the country under M. Pointet, which has already visited fifty departments. There is a Société des Missions at Paris, to sustain foreign missionary work, which is carried on just now with encouragement in Africa. The society was founded in 1822, and had several auxiliaries, scarce any of which now exist. The sum of last year's contributions was 140,000 francs. France has furnished the society thirty-seven missionaries in all. The Journal des missions évangéliques has but seven hundred and fourteen paying subscribers. There is, besides, the Petit Messager, but the missionary literature is extremely limited.*

For religious work at home there are effective popular publications such as, L'ami de la jeunesse, originated by Rev. Mark Wilks, in 1825; L'ami de la maison; and La chambre haute. In this connection the larger journals may be enumerated, which are the organs of some branch or party of the Church. Le Témoiguage, published at Paris, is the Lutheran organ; Le Christianisme au XIX Siècle, (Paris,) M. Doumergue, editor, represents the Orthodox party of the Reformed Church; La Renaissance, (Paris,) M. Etienne Coquerel, editor, the Liberal party; L'Eglise libre, (Nice,) M. Pilatte, editor, the Free Church; L'Evangeliste, (Nismes,)† Wesleyan, M. Lelièvre, editor, naturally favors the Orthodox party, and also the FreeChurch principle. The new Journal du Protestantisme Francais, (Paris,) MM. Byse and Lichtenberger, editors, represents the Left Center. Le Signal, a small weekly established April, 1879, at Paris, in the general interests of Protestantism, M. Réveillaud, editor, is well received. The daily paper, Le Réformateur, established at Paris in April, 1879, from which so much was expected, soon proved a lamentable failure, being injudiciously conducted. The Revue Chrétienne, (Paris,) M. Pressensé, editor, is an able organ of the Orthodox faith and of Free-Church principles. The Revue de Théologie, (Strasburg,) Liberal, long since ceased to appear.

Heretofore some of the most successful gospel workers in France have been foreigners, chiefly from England and Switz

*For a notice of the various other organizations, home and foreign Bible societies, tract, educational, and charitable societies, see the Revue Chrétienne for September, 1878.

L'Evangeliste is to be transferred to Paris.

erland. During the present decade the cause of evangelization in Paris has been greatly indebted to Rev. R. W. M'All, of Scotland, who opened meetings for the working classes in 1871. His labors have attracted great attention, and have been constantly extending. The report of last year gave 22 stations, 4,694 sittings, an aggregate attendance of about 500,000 at both adults' and children's meetings. The appearance of Protestant propagandism is avoided at these gatherings, but those interested are ultimately directed to the Churches. Mr. M'All has recently opened similar meetings in Lyons and Bordeaux, while new workers have followed his example in Marseilles and other cities. Miss De Broen, "an English lady with a French heart," has distinguished herself by systematic work for the common people at Belleville, in Paris, which, begun among the Communists in 1871, has grown to large proportions. The agencies employed are a medical mission, evangelistic meetings, sewing classes, day-schools, night-schools, Sunday-schools, Bible classes, a Sunday library, and house to house visitation. The priests say: "We cannot go into a house in Belleville without finding a Bible, or portion of Scripture, on every chair." New enterprises have been opened in Paris this year. It is an era of increased activity. An evangelical reading-room in the students' quarter, and Prof. Delaunay's meetings, are to be noted. Mr. Weylland, of the London City Mission, went over to Paris, under encouragement from the Earl of Shaftesbury, to organize a like work for the French capital. Truly, "the harvest is . great" in those great cities. The committee to direct this mission consists chiefly of French pastors and laymen, with some English residents.

The caution above referred to as exercised in the case of Mr. M'All's meetings shows what power the law, which might be applied in the interest of Romanism, still has over religious assemblies. M. Gide, of the faculty of law at Bordeaux, has shown in his pamphlet of last year, La défense légale de la liberté religieuse, how all the work of Protestant propagandism stands in peril of legal indictment. He says, "About all Protestant mission work is done in France among man-traps, and spring-guns, and toils and meshes, which, according to the good pleasure of the local administration, may be kept in abeyance or set in motion." This position of things arises from the ex

istence of Articles 291-294 of the Penal Code, and their constructive application to assemblies for religious purposes. Catholic influence has, under this construction of the law, interfered in several instances, since the establishment of the republic, with the work of Protestant evangelization.

We alluded in the former article to the prolonged and able debates conducted in the Chambers upon this point of the law during the reign of Louis Philippe, and to its application under the second empire. We can say but a word here concerning the distinguished efforts of M. Pressensé, while a member of the National Assembly, to secure an abolition or modification of the autorisation préalable; that is, a requirement of official sanction for the opening of new religious assemblies. Such a change in the law is highly essential to any proper development of religious life in France. M. Pressensé pro- . posed his measure early in 1873 to the committee of the Assembly appointed to consider the subject of the "Liberty of Religious Assemblies," and was supported by such able statesmen as MM. Waddington, Bardoux, and D'Haussonville. The committee reported favorably through M. Bardoux in 1874. The speech of M. Pressensé before the committee and that of M. Bardoux before the Assembly ably reviewed the history during the present century of the relations between the State and the Church, and these speeches constitute a very notable passage in the history of French parliamentary debates on the religious question. The liberal law submitted by the committee awaited consideration, but ultimately failed of coming to a decisive vote. Another bill of like character was reported with good prospects early in 1877. Again, in March of the present year, M. Seignobos offered in the Chamber a bill of which the first article runs thus: "Meetings having as their sole object the celebration of religious worship are lawful if held in public, and if a previous declaration has been made to the local municipality."

The Ferry laws have, however, this year absorbed both legislative and popular attention. The leading Protestants seem generally to have favored the proposed limitation of the authority to confer degrees to the State, and the exclusion of the clergy from the Superior Council of public instruction where they had gained so much power under the reactionary law of

1850, while there has been, perhaps, equal agreement in objecting to the principle of Article 7. It is argued that the Jesuits should be allowed equal privileges with other citizens, and that the safeguards deemed necessary should be established rather through additional general laws in respect to religious societies. M. Pressensé, says, in condemnation of Article 7: "We must absolutely reject this scandalous abandonment of the liberal idea of State authority, which annuls its character as a lay institution, and will eventuate in constituting it a pope for the benefit of an official irreligion.'

IV. Concerning THE PROSPECTS OF PROTESTANTISM IN FRANCE our limits allow but a word.

The ability of Protestants, notwithstanding their great numerical inferiority,* to hold many high posts in the government councils; the late notable conversion of eminent men from the ranks of Catholicism and infidelity; the number of able pamphlets lately issued for popular circulation, similar to the work of M. Réveillaud, presented in Professor Wells' article in a recent number of this Review, all urging upon the French people the necessity of a hearty adoption of Protestantism as the only hope of the nation; together with the wide-spread spirit of popular inquiry and desire for Protestant teaching, "an eagerness," it has been said, "which recalls the early days of the Reformation❞—all these signs naturally inspire high hope for the success of Protestantism in France. M. Turquet, the newly converted deputy of Aisne, asserts that France may become Protestant in forty years. The older leaders by no means share such ardent expectation. It is pleasing to observe the patient confidence of so able a man as M. Réveillaud, who says in his late report: "If the result we wish requires long waiting, if it demands the effort of many generations, let us not be discouraged by that. Something has been achieved if we can

*The note in the First Article (October, 1879, p. 661) gives too large an estimate of the general Protestant population. Prof. Baird, author of the carefully written "History of the Rise of the Huguenots of France," thinks 1,000,000 may be taken as the extreme limit in such an estimate, the provinces of Alsace and Lorraine included, and 750,000 exclusive of these provinces; the truth being rather below than above these numbers. The figures given in the text (of the First Article) are more frequently quoted, though doubtless quite too low to express the full strength of Protestantism in France.

FOURTH SERIES, VOL. XXXII.-32

...

arouse the attention of the people.. We must continue to plant like Paul, and water like Apollos, though with God remains the giving of the increase."

1

The new scheme of Père Hyacinthe, who still makes emphatic his adherence to Rome, though charitably received by the Protestants, seems, at present view, likely to be fruitless. Romanism does not meet the deep-felt want of the people, and is insufficient to save France. But at the present hour, above any strife of parties, as such, within the bosom of Protestantism, or any contention with Catholicism as a form of Church life, arises the demand for a firm and united struggle of spiritual faith with the power of unbelief. "A world without God," says Le Témoiguage, "rushes up to the assault of all we love. and all we worship; a generation is rising which believes in naught else but the gross enjoyments of sensual appetites. You are face to face with a moral epidemic such as our age has not previously seen." M. Pressensé uses similar language. "More than ever," says he, "are we struck with the fearful, almost tragic, gravity of the situation, which involves the very existence of Christianity. . . . And all sympathy should be accorded to those who are making any effort whatever to reanimate the trembling flame of a higher life." The peril of the present Republic is certainly as great from the assaults of infidelity as from the schemes of Romanism. We believe that ultimately a thoroughly spiritual and intelligent Protestantism. can alone bring order out of the confusion, solve the riddle so unceasingly presented to the nation, and open the way to that career of moral power so suited to the lofty genius of the French people.

ART. IV.-F. H. JACOBI.

NOTHING is quite so real to an animal as the food he eats and the bed he sleeps upon. We are all animals and something more, but there is a popular tendency among us to cherish the grossness of the animal, and to smother and starve the heavenborn part that struggles for recognition through perceptions more ethereal than the animal knows, and longings that the animal cannot feel and that material things can never satisfy.