in the Universities of Münster, Bonn, Breslau, Freiburg in Baden and Würzburg. They are a voluntary burden assumed by distinguished Professors of Theology who are zealous to strengthen the faith of Catholic students which is endangered by the constant and systematic attacks of Protestants and infidels. The Volksverein has also lately

founded a monthly magazine for Popular Apologetics.

Our Holy Father's Encyclical Providentissimus Deus led some of the most distinguished Biblical scholars in Germany to form an association and establish an organ for scientific "Bible Studies." Seven volumes of between 500-600 pp. each have already appeared. It is a splendid collection of learned monographs on various interesting and important questions in the Old and New Testament. The need has since been felt of founding a regular periodical in which Biblical questions shall be treated, with reviews, criticisms, notices, etc., of Biblical publications. The guiding-star of the new Review will be, of course, the Holy Father's above-mentioned Encyclical. More than sixty University Professors and learned members of religious orders Jesuits, Benedictines and others, have already promised their cooperation to the "Biblical Quarterly." The first number will appear next January. Herder, the devoted and self-sacrificing Catholic publisher, who publishes "Bible Studies," has also consented to undertake this new enterprise.

Alsace-Lorraine and the Centre-Party.-The Reverend Canon Joseph Guerber, a veteran leader of the Alsatians who has sat in the Reichstag for twenty-four years, writes in the leading Alsatian Catholic paper: "The representatives of the Catholic majority are to hold a meeting on the question of joining the Centre-party. If they decide to join it, we recommend to them one thing that they imitate the virtues of the Centre-party. The Centre-party was not always the ruling party in the Reichstag. One must have witnessed how in the seventies its members used to retire from the House in the evening hard-pressed and out-voted by the 170 National Liberals, their deadly enemies, but neither bent nor broken. It is otherwise to-day! But the change is the fruit of the wisdom and steadfastness, not of Windhorst alone, but also of all his fellows in the struggles and sufferings of those days. They made themselves worthy of victory by their invincible courage and perseverance."

The discussion about joining the Centre-party is the leading subject in the press of Alsace-Lorraine. The most prominent Catholic paper in Lorraine in closing a series of articles on the subject says: "This momentous affair can only be settled by the people themselves. In the meantime it is the duty of our political leaders and of the press to enlighten the people on the advantages and advisability of the action.

The Socialists and the Centre-Party.-The Socialists have held their annual Congress at Munich. The discussions turned mainly on two points the healing of discussions in the bosom of the party and in this the congress was unsuccessful; and the devising of ways and means to destroy "the invincible tower" of the Centre-party. The Centre, they admit, is their one great foe and they deplore the fact that they have, so far, captured only one Catholic district (one of the two seats in Munich). In the coming elections, therefore, renewed and greater efforts must be made to win Catholic votes and wrest seats from the Centre-party. One member, an ex-Protestant Minister, a veritable enfant terrible, in a violent and passionate speech, insisted that it was perfectly useless for them to attempt anything against the Centre, until they had undermined the faith of the Catholic people, weaned them from superstitition and made them Atheists. He was howled down and silenced by the foxy old leaders, who at heart, of course, quite agreed with him, but emphatically declared that this would be a fatal policy; that they must not attack religion openly but stick to their old programme according to which religion is a private affair.

war.

The Gustav Adolf-Verein is an aggressive association, which has for its object the collection and distribution of money for the spread of Protestantism. The name itself is a provocation, being that of the Swedish conqueror who laid Germany waste during the thirty years Their annual meeting was held this year at Cassel in the latter part of September. Reports were read of the moneys expended and the progress made in Austria, Belgium, France, Italy, Spain, Brazil, Alsace-Lorraine and other Catholic sections of the Empire. The reports, stripped of the flowers of rhetoric and brought down to bottomfacts, plainly tell the tale of much money spent and small fruit reaped, except perhaps in Austria, where the movement, as all the world knows, is political and anti-dynastic rather than religious, and even here it has come to a stand-still. In the financial report complaint is made of the shrinking of the contributions, whereas it is stated that the collections of the Catholic Bonifatius-Verein have increased and

surpass their own by half a million marks. A preacher from Lorraine spoke of the duty of the clergy in that province to make the people Protestant. "The era Benzler has begun in Lorraine," he said, "this Benedictine bishop, who possesses the confidence of the emperor, is our most dangerous enemy." The French apostate exAbbé Bourrier was one of the speakers at the gathering. This man,

it appears, finds his frequent trips to Germany quite profitable and is a welcome guest in such assemblies, notwithstanding that the German Catholic papers have proved him to be a vulgar swindler. The time

will come when the German Protestants will have to drop him as they have been forced to shake off Hoensbroech whom at first they greatly petted. Two years ago Bourrier at a meeting of the "Evangelische Bund" publicly asserted that within five years two hundred French priests had by his means abandoned the Church. A reward of 3,000 marks was offered to him by a German Catholic Journalist if he could prove his assertion. He has not attempted to do so, yet at this last meeting at Cassel he went further and stated that he had on his lists the names of 800 apostate priests. The same Catholic Journalist, Dr. Mock, wrote to all the French bishops for authentic information and has ascertained that there are not in all France as many as sixty apostate priests, not a large number, when we remember that there are over 50,000 priests in the eighty French dioceses. "The Combes ministry," says Bourrier in his speech, "is heart and soul with us. Combes himself is an ex-Abbé, he is my personal friend, the cause of his ministry is our cause, and vice versa. The Free-Masons, too, are firm friends of ours, for our common cause is the destruction of Rome!" The European papers just to hand announce that Bourrier is about to take a wife to his bosom.-cherchez la femme! About the activity of the Gustav Adolf-Verein in Brazil we quote this sen"In many places large and flourishing congregations of German Protestants have been founded to the terror of the Jesuits. our Mission is being hard pressed at present by the North-Americans who are endeavoring to cripple or kill the German congregations with the watch word 'America for the Americans.''

tence:

But

Two Important Social Congresses.-In the last week of September were held in Cologne two Congresses which, though not exclusively Catholic, were attended by many distinguished Catholics, and largely under the influence of Catholic principles, as outlined in the Encyclical Rerum Novarum. The one was the Congress of the "German Society for Social Reform," presided over by the well known Catholic parliamentarian, Trimborn. The chief aim of this society is to perfect the legislation of the Empire for the protection of workingmen and for their greater liberty of association and coalition. The other was the Congress of the "International Association to Promote Legislation for the Protection of Workingmen." In this latter Congress the German and most of the other European governments were officially represented. The president of the association having begged the Holy Father to send a representative to the Congress, a letter was read written in the name of Pope Leo by Cardinal Rampolla, in which the Holy Father informs the Congress that he had heard with the greatest satisfaction of the forthcoming meeting, that he blesses

their labors, in which he is deeply interested, and sends the Count Soderini as his official representative.

Count Hoensbroech.-This gentleman has traveled far afield since he left the Society of Jesus and apostatized from the Catholic religion. He was greeted with shouts of exultation by the Protestants when he was formally received into the bosom of the Protestant State Church, and was petted by them for several years. Harnack himself was reported to have said that Hoensbroech's apostasy was the greatest religious event since the Reformation! Well, he has become a thorn in their side. They were really very naive to think that an educated Catholic who apostatizes would become a sincere Protestant Christian. He is more likely to drift into infidelity, which is Hoensbroech's case. He has just founded a new monthly-" Deutschland "'—of which the Pantheist and author of the "Philosophy of the Unconscious," Eduard von Hartmann, is a regular contributor. In one point, however, Hoensbroech is a good Protestant, as Protestantism manifests itself, at least in Germany: he hates the Catholic Church with all his heart.

Annual Meeting of the Görresgesellschaft.-We have repeatedly sketched in these pages the labors and aims of this noble society founded in 1875 "for the promotion of science in Catholic Germany.' (Messenger, 1901, p. 377, seqq, p. 666, seqq.) Its annual meeting, the 26th, was held this year for the first time in Breslau, on October 7 and 8. The congress was opened with a solemn Pontifical Mass, celebrated by the Prince-Bishop of Breslau, Cardinal Kopp. At the first public meeting the revered president of the society, Baron von Hertling, Professor at the University of Munich, delivered one of his finished, suggestive and stimulating discourses on "Catholicism and Science." The speech touched on many important topics, but mainly turned on the burning subject of the day, the right of Catholic science to exist. Materialistic naturalism," he said, "denies the liberty of the will, the existence of God, a world beyond the grave, moral responsibility; denies these truths not upon solid proofs, but upon undemonstrated and undemonstrable assumptions; yet this same science intolerantly denies the right of existence to Catholic science on the ground of the Voraussetzungslosigkeit of science (science without assumption). However, here we are, and we will not let our adversaries push us into a corner. Let it be, if you will, in the first instance, a question of political power. Our universities exist not only for scientific research, they are also educational institutions; and the Catholic people demand, and have a right to demand, that men of Catholic principles be not excluded from the chairs. Of course, as a conse

quence, we must be prepared to furnish the necessary professors in biology, in the science of languages, the legal disciplines, history, art," etc. After him rose Cardinal Kopp to read a telegram from the Holy Father sending his blessing to the society. His Eminence thanked the speaker for his noble discourse, assuring him that he heartily agreed with his views on the many questions he had touched upon. "The teaching authority of the Church," he said, "is no hindrance to the Catholic scientist, but rather his strongest prop and support. I also agree with the speaker in his demand of the duty of absolute truthfulness on the part of Catholic scholars and scientists. They are, however," he beautifully added, "not only investigators, but also teachers; hence the conduct of Cham toward his father, Noe, is not to be imitated by them, but due regard must be had for the maturity of judgment in hearers and readers." His Eminence was, amid hearty applause, elected honorary president of the society.

Dr. Julius Bachem made the annual report at the business meeting. "The tasks and duties of the society," he said, "are growing apace. At its foundation one could have cried out: A kingdom for a PrivatDocent, who will work in our spirit and whom we can financially assist!' And to day? The application of young, eminently able and scientifically qualified men are so numerous that we hardly know where to find the means to satisfy at least the most deserving petitions. Yet, though we have had a deficit the last two years, we have not hesitated this year to grant 7,000 marks more. Such generosity is Catholic, but it is also reckless; we count, however, on our friends. Since its foundation the society has spent more than a million for scientific objects; its capital at present is 50,000 marks." Dr. Bachem's address produced the desired effect: several new life-members and about a hundred new members were received into the society.

We have space only for a few words on the meeting of the section for legal and political sciences. Dr. Spahn, member of the Supreme Court of the Empire, and one of the makers of the new civil code, delivered an address on that great achievement. "But," he concluded, "what has the Görresgesellschaft to do with the civil code ? This is my answer: We are well aware that all science exists only as a means to enable the individual man to fulfill the purpose for which he has been placed into this world, viz., preparation for the hereafter. Now jurisprudence is also a means to this end, and consequently the Görresgesellschaft, which embraces all the sciences, must needs take up the science of law and endeavor to make the principles of the Christian religion prevail in civil society."

Dr. Bachem reported on the progress of the Staatslexicon, of which