and girl in each parish recite this to the vicar or cure after
vespers in their tiny voices as a commandment of God and of the Church,
as a supplementary article of the creed. Meanwhile the officiating
priest in the pulpit gravely comments on this article, already clear
enough, at every morning or evening service;[51109] by order, he
preaches in behalf of the conscription and declares that it is a sin to
try to escape from it, to be refractory; by order, again, he reads the
army bulletins giving accounts of the latest victories; always by order,
he reads the last pastoral letter of his bishop, a document authorized,
inspired and corrected by the police. Not only are the bishops obliged
to submit their pastoral letters and public instructions to the
censorship; not only by way of precaution, are they forbidden to print
anything except on the prefecture presses, but again, for still greater
security, the bureau of public worship is constantly advising them what
they must say. First and foremost, they must laud the Emperor. But in
what terms, and with what epithets, without indiscretion or mistake, in
order not to meddle with politics, not to appear as a party managed from
above, not to pass for megaphones, is not explained, and is therefore
a difficult matter. "You must praise the Emperor more in your pastoral
letters," said Real, prefect of police, to a new bishop. "Tell me in
what measure." "I do not know," was the reply. Since the measure cannot
be prescribed, it must be ample enough. There is no difficulty as
regards other articles.--On every occasion the Paris offices take
care to furnish each bishop with a ready-made draft of his forthcoming
pastoral letter--the canvas on which the customary flowers of
ecclesiastical amplification are to be embroidered. It differs according
to time and place. In La Vendee and in the west, the prelates are to
stigmatize "the odious machinations of perfidious Albion," and explain
to the faithful the persecutions to which the English subject the Irish
Catholics. When Russia is the enemy, the pastoral letter must dwell
on her being schismatic; also on the Russian misunderstanding of the
supremacy of the Pope. Inasmuch as bishops are functionaries of
the empire, their utterances and their acts belong to the Emperor.
Consequently he makes use of them against all enemies, against each
rival, rebel or adversary, against the Bourbons, against the English and
the Russians, and, finally, against