CONGRESSKS
248
CONGRESSES
cent de Paul societies has been broached, the societies
for the protection of young girls, and the women's
movement have also received encouragement from
this charitable organization. The United Catholic
Workingnien's Union has its head-quarters at Berlin.
Although the greater number of organized Catholic
workmen are members of trade unions not denomina-
tional in character, an effort has been made, since the
end of the nineteenth century, to unite other Catholic
workmen in a denominational union. This work has
been done chiefly among the East German workmen
and in the Diocese of Trier. Conventions of delegates
have been held annually since 1898, the eleventh hav-
ing taken place in 1908. The Union of the Associa-
tions of Catholic Wage-earning Women and Girls is a
branch of the one just mentioned. Four congresses
have been held, the fourth in 1908. The Catholic As-
sociation for German Yoimg Men was formed to exert
religious influence on boys who have left school and
are apprentices until they are prepared to enter a
workingnien's union. So far, not over twenty per
cent of Catholic apprentices have joined the union.
To remedy this it has been proposed to give a more
social character to the union, and to form diocesan
and a national union, and to convene the presidents of
all the branch unions throughout Germany in a gen-
eral meeting. The first of these general conventions
was held in 1896; followed by four others, up to 1899;
then the assemblies lapsed imtil 1905, when, through
the efforts of the " Arbeiterwohl " (Society for Better-
ing the Condition of the Working-Classes) the union
was reorganized, and a general meeting held at Col-
ogne. Future sessions are to be held triennially.
The " Association of Catholic Women " was founded at the Congress for Charitable Work held at Frankfort, 1903. Two meetings have been held : Frankfort, 1904 ; Munich, 1906. Its weakness, so far, has been a lack of definiteness in its aims, for, although an offshoot of the "Charitasverband" (Charitable Union), it has been influenced, more or less, by the general women's movement in Germany and its tendencies, which deal less with sociological problems than with the general interests of the sex. It works for sociological im- provement through charity; for the education of women; and in the interests of wage-earning women and women outside of the family circle.
The "Catholic Teachers' Union" in Germany, com- prising male teachers of primary and middle schools, was founded in 1899, at Bochum. It numbers 19,000 members, and thirteen conventions, semi-annual as a rule, have been held; latterly it has met at Strasburg, Berlin, and Breslau. The union is made up of sixteen branches which meet, generally, once a year. Wiir- temberg has formed a imion of its own. The "Union of C^atholic Women Teachers of Germany", founded in 1885, developed slowly until 1891. Thirteen conven- tions have been held, the last three in Strasburg, Bochum, and Munich. It is composed of teachers, both of the primary and higher schools for girls; in 1903 it organized a section of the teachers in middle and higher girls' schools which holds special sessions during the meeting of the general convention. The "Union of the Associations of Catholic Merchants", with head-quarters at Essen, founded in 1877, has 20,000 members; its delegates hold a meeting a few days before the General Catholic Congress and at an- other place. The union of the Catholic Students' Corps who do not wear colours, has held regular an- nual conventions since 1866, the sessions convened in a different vmiversity town each year with the exception of 1906, when Wiesbaden was chosen. Some sixty societies are thus imited; as many societies belong to the union of ('atholic Students' Corps in which are included also some Swiss and Austrian organiza- tions. The St. Cecilia Society was founded in 1868 to promote interest in Church music. The eighteenth general assembly took place at Eichstatt in 1908.
Political Congresses. — As political congresses, up
to 1907, should be mentioned the general meetings of
the " Windthorstbund ", the first session of which was
held at Essen, 1895. Their object was to interest young
Catholics in politics so as to insure constant recruits
for the Centre Party. The membership increasing, it
was formed into unions. Since 1897 an annual con-
vention of delegates has met. At Wiesbaden, 1907, it
was decided that, in accordance with its statutes and
the party it represented, the local unions could not
have a denominational character, consequently some
of them withdrew from the association.
Educational Congresses. — The Association of Catholic La\\'yers, held two meetings without achieving success, and was merged, 1907, with the "Gorres Asso- ciation" for the encouragement of science in Catholic Germany, founded 1876, at Coblenz. Since this first general session, the latter society has held annual ses- sions in other cities. Its importance lies in the dis- cussions of its different sections. At first, these treated topics in philosophy and history, only of late other sections have been added for the natural sciences, law, and archaeology. At times, there are two meetings with lectures for larger audiences, which are attended by members and their guests. A general meeting of the "Association for Christian Art "has taken place annually, the object of which is to encourage Catholic artists and develop religious art. .The "Catholic Press Club", largely a Bavarian association, is in- tended to encourage Catholic journals, Catholic popu- lar libraries, and Catholic culture. Its armual meet- ings are held at Munich.
Denmark. — In 1886 various Catholic communities, with delegates from Nonvay and Sweden, imited to celebrate the eight-hundredth anniversary of the mar- tyrdom of King Canute (Knut) by a festival at Odense. Some two hundred persons attended, and the exercises were largely religious. In 1889 a meet- ing was held at Randers to celebrate the seven hun- dredth anniversary of the canonization of St. Kjeld, the attendance being entirely Danish. In 1908 the Catholics of Copenhagen and its vicinity met to dis- cuss questions concerning the Church and schools for all Denmark. Seven conferences of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul have been held since 1885.
Switzerland. — Besides the general assemblies of the nineteenth century mentioned above, two sessions of a General Catholic Congress, in imitation of the German Congress, have been held in Switzerland: Lucerne, 27-29 September, 1903; Freiburg, 22-25 September, 1906. At Lucerne it was resolved to unite all Catholic associations into one organization, of which the Swiss " Volksverein " (People's Union) was to be the nucleus. This arrangement held until 1905. The central committee of the "Volksverein" now forms the standing committee of the Catholic Congresses, and all Catholic societies of Switzerland, charitable, social, and religious, societies to further education, culture, women's, and trades' unions are affiliated with it. The general organization is divided into cantonal unions, of which several meet annually. Special mention slioukl be made of the first Swiss congress of the Sacred Heart of Jesus at Einsiedeln, 20-21 August, 1907. At the suggestion of Bishop Mermillod international conferences of those interested in political movements for social bettennent met annu- ally at Freiburg, Switzerland, 1883-93, to discuss the principles underlying modern political economy. A similar meeting was held here, 20-22 October, 1903; the discussions concerned (Christian Socialism in the different countries, trade unions, women's work, and the international protection of labourers. Practical courses in sociology were held at: Lucerne, lS9(i; Zurich, 1898, and"i904; in 1894 a "Congres d'6tude et de propagande" was hekl at Freiburg for the French Swiss; after this, these assemblies were adopted by the French Catholics.
