第1074章

"The number of curés，" says Napoleon，[95] "must be reduced as much as possible， and the number of assistants (desservans) multiplied who can be changed at will，" not only transferable to another parish， but revocable from day to day， without formalities or delay， without appeal or pleading in any court whatsoever. Henceforth， the sole irremovable curés are the four thousand； the rest， under the name of succursalists， numbering thirty thousand，[96] are ecclesiastical clerks， surrendered to the discretionary power of the bishop. The bishop alone appoints， places and displaces all belonging to his diocese at his pleasure， and with a nod， he transfers the most competent from the best to the worst post， from the large borough or small town， where he was born and has lived at ease near his family， to some wretched parish in this or that village buried in the woods or lost on a mountain， without income or presbytery； and still better， he cuts down his wages， he withdraws the State salary of five hundred francs， he turns him out of the lodgings allowed him by the commune， on foot on the highway， with no viaticum， even temporary， excluded from ecclesiastical ministries， without respect， demeaned， a vagabond in the great lay world whose ways are unknown to him and whose careers are closed to him. Henceforth， and forever， bread is taken out of his mouth； if he has it to-day， it is lacking on the morrow. Now， every three months， the list of succursalists at five hundred francs drawn up by the bishop， must be countersigned by the prefect. In his upper cabinet， near the mantelpiece on which the visiting-cards of every considerable personage in the department are displayed， facing the emperor's bust， the two delegates of the emperor， his two responsible and judicial managers， the two superintended overseers of the conscription， confer together on the ecclesiastical staff of the department. In this as in other matters， they are and feel themselves kept in check from on high， curbed and forced， willingly or not， to come to some agreement. Compulsory collaborators by institution， each an auxiliary of the other in the maintenance of public order， they read over article by article the list of appointments of their common subordinates； should any name have bad notes， should any succursalist be marked as noisy， undesirable， or suspect， should there be any unfavorable report by the mayor， gendarmerie or upper police， the prefect， about to sign， lays down his pen， quotes his instructions and demands of the bishop against the delinquent some repressive measure， either destitution， suspension or displacement， removal to an inferior parish， or， at least， a comminatory reprimand， while the bishop， whom the prefect may denounce to the minister， does not refuse to the prefect this act of complacency.

Some months after the publication of the Concordat，[97] Mademoiselle Chameron， an opera-dancer， dies， and her friends bear her remains to the church of Saint-Roch for internment. They are refused admittance， and the curé， very rigid， "in a fit of ill-humor，" orders the doors of the church to be shut； a crowd gathers around， shouts and launches threats at the curé； an actor makes a speech to appease the tumult， and finally the coffin is borne off to the church of Les Filles-Saint-Thomas， where the assistant priest， "familiar with the moral of the gospel，" performs the funeral service. Incidents of this kind disturb the tranquility of the streets and denote a relaxation of administrative discipline. Consequently the government， doctor in theology and canon law， intervenes and calls the ecclesiastical superior to account. The first Consul， in an article in the Moniteur， haughtily gives the clergy their instructions and explains the course that will be pursued against them by his prelates. "The Archbishop of Paris orders the curé of Saint-Roch into retirement for three months， in order that he may bear in mind the injunction of Jesus Christ to pray for one's enemies， and， made sensible of his duties by meditation， may become aware that these superstitious customs . . . ， which degrade religion by their absurdities， have been done away with by the Concordat and the law of Germinal 18." From now on all priests and curés are prudent， circumspect， obedient， and reserved，[98]

because their spiritual superiors are so as well， and could not be otherwise. Each prelate， posted in his diocese， is maintained there in isolation； a watch is kept on his correspondence； he may communicate with the Pope only through the Minister of Worship； he has no right to act in concert with his colleagues； all the general assemblies of the clergy， all metropolitan councils， all annual synods are suppressed.