FRANCE'S THREAT TO ALSACE-LORRAINE Premier's Attack On Catholic Schools

Mad Policy in Militarily and Economically Threatened Country
From Our Paris Correspondent
The possibility of another religious war in Alsace-Lorraine may soon become a probability and then a certainty if M. Blum, the French Premier, continues his present policy of antagonising religious education by threat,.
The events of the last few days show that feeling is running high in these two provinces to whom France promised freedom after the War when they were recovered from Germany.
In 1924 M. Herriot thought to enforce certain laws in Alsace-Lorraine and it was only in the face of a united religious protest, from Catholics, Protestants and Jews. that he was made to realise the folly of such a step.
Blum Takes No Heed
M. Blum is working up to a similar deadlock. He has issued a decree raising the school-leaving age in Alsace-Lorraitte. by one year.
This decree was immediately referred to the Council of State as illegal. Then the Prime Minister—for there is no doubt that the act is illegal—proposed that the legislature should settle legally whether, in spite of these provinces' unwillingness, the school-leaving age should be raised, or whether the school programme which obtains in the rest of France should be enforced in Alsace-Lorraine.
This seems to be quite an innocuous choice. Actually the whole school regime of Alsace-Lorraine, as it was recognised by France when they were re-united, is at stake. Religious knowledge and German are taught in the schools of Alsace-Lorraine; and until just lately, in spite of these two extra subjects the children have shown a definitely higher standard of scholarship compared to schoolchildren in the rest of France (who are taught neither religious knowledge nor German at school).
According to official statistics. the recovered Departments are far ahead of the rest of France, and in them illiteracy is only a sixth of what it is elsewhere.
The great question is whether religion will go on being taught in the schools
BishoP's Second Warnint
The fact of the matter is that the French Chamber may decidelo secularise AlsaceLorraine schools as they have done in the case of schools in the rest of France. This is what the population of Alsace-Lorraine is fighting against.
Mgr. Erich, Bishop of Strasbourg, who, as reported last week, warned his people of the danger of secular education in his pastoral letter, has now issued a further protest, in spite of M. Blunt's threat of proceedings being taken against him, he bluntly states that " whatever be the intentions of M. Blum, his (M. Blum's) promise is not sufficient to reassure him."
It is therefore not astonishing to see Alsace-Lorraine finding support among the bulk of French Catholics.
Prospect of War
The present situation is the same as it was in 1924. If M. Blum insists on going through with his plan, it will be war, and a terrible one, in these provinces . . . only a very short distance away from their old masters, the German Reich.
At the end of last week it seemed that the Prime Minister wished to avoid this danger, and that after a threatening communique to give the impression that he was not going to give in. he would do nothing more to aggravate the situation.
But for the last few days the Popular Front newspapers have become more warlike in tone, and the militant anticlerical members of the Popular Front are strongly in evidence.
It is easy to see the ultimate success of the anti-clericals in the threats embodied in the Government's legislative programme. It is probable, too, that the Radicals who failed in 1924, under M. Heriot, in introducing these laws would not be happy to see M. Blunt try again? This supposition is based on a recent article in Ere Nouvelle, a Radical paper. which states that there are signs of this feeling.
Catholic Moderation
Nevertheless it would be untrue to say that the Catholics are set on fighting the Government for even their most legitimate rights. On the contrary they have just shown that they prefer a policy of moderation and conciliation.
At a meeting on Catholic Action recently held at Metz they decided " provisionally to forego the measures of protest and of defence which had been contemplated." They impose one condition: That " with the least possible delay an acceptable and definite solution be reached."
Will M. Blum relent? We want to believe that unless they intend to commit suicide, the Popular Front Government will look first before throwing the country into confusion, Such a state would be welcomed by the enemy which follows closely from the Rhine frontier anything likely to weaken France. Under these circumstances, to persevere in a course which might split France in two, would be traitorous.