We fear that the Pope has done another very ill
thing for Roman Catholicism in France by suppressing in its present form the Roman Catholic democratic organisation known as Le Salon. Le Salon is almost entirely the creation of one man, M. Sangnier, who during the life of Leo XTTY. founded this society to win men of liberal political thought from rationalism. Leo XIII. encouraged the work of Le Salon, which conducts a fortnightly review, and recently has founded a daily paper, La Democratic As an illustration of the devotion of the members of Le Salon it may be said that they—mostly poor men as they are—have subscribed funds for the daily paper by denying themselves small luxuries. It is said that the staff of the paper are paid at equal rates on a communal system. This is not good business, but it is at least a harm- less experiment. The Vatican, however, having denounced Modernism, proceeded to denounce the "Social Modernism" which it discovered in Le Sillon. H. Sangnier, who is a devout son of his Church, and no Modernist in the intellectual sense, has bowed to the will of the Pope. In future Le Salon is to be controlled by the Bishops,—in other words, to cease its characteristic and effectual work We are very sorry indeed. M. Sangnier's undertaking was surely one of the finest in France,—to recognise that democracy is in successful occupa- tion of the French mind and to invest it with the religious spirit.
