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of the district; in the same manner shall the deans
meet once a year with their bishops. Every year the
bishop shall call a meeting of his chapter, some pro-
fessors of the diocesan seminary, and some pastors.
This meeting shall take the place of the diocesan synod
and shall therefore be called a pro-synodal meeting.
The bishops shall meet at least once a year. This
meeting shall replace the provincial synod".
Strong proof of the flourishing condition of the Church in the Netherlands is offered by the struggle for Catholic education, .lifter 1.S57 every state school was neutral and without religious instruction. There were but few private schools. The danger was great. The bishops issued the famous joint pastoral letter of 22 July, 1868, on education, which forbade parents to send their children to neutral schools wherever there was a Catholic school. This caused the establish- ment of a large number of private schools. Another great blessing was the closer relations with Rome. This was shown not only by the increased Peter's- pence, but also by the thousands of Zouaves who left Holland for Rome to fight for the pope. It was further manifested by the Park Meeting of 4000 Catholics at Amsterdam on 21 June, 1871, and the meetings of 17 December, 1SS8, at Utrecht and 22 September, 1895, at Bois-le-Duc. The St. Vincent de Paul Society was flourishing by 1845.
Moreover, since 185.3, fully one hundred and fifty churches have been restored and enlarged and about five hundred new ones ha\-e been erected at an ex- pense of at least 50,000,000 florins, Besides, many magnificent monasteries, seminaries, and colleges have been established. To ensure these ecclesiastical buildings the St. Donatus Ecclesiastical Insurance Society was founded in 1852. For the promotion of religion and learning societies of "Faith and Science" have been formed. There is a central organization with twelve branches. The "Peter Canisius Apolo- getic Association" proclaims its object by its title. So also the association for the study of science among Catholics of the Netherlands, with sections for juris- prudence, medicine, the natural sciences, and litera- ture, which has in all three hundred and thirty members. With the object of founding a Catholic high school the "St. Radbond-Stichting" was organ- ized a few years ago. In the meantime, great efforts have been made since 1880 to diffuse Catholic knowl- edge and promote Catholic life among Catholic stu- dents. Among themselves they have formed asso- ciations of "Faith and Science" in the cities of Amsterdam, Lcyden, Groningen, and Delft. Since 1901 the Catholic students have published a year-book.
Catholic social action has been flourishing now for ten years. There is a Catholic "People's Union"; every diocese has a union of different workingmen's societies which, in turn, are formed into federations. There are branches wherever a numljer of working- men are to be found. In addition, there are twelve or thirteen professional associations with a member- ship extendmg over all the country. Their meetings are productiv'e of good by their useful resolutions. The middle cla.sses of the citizens have also organized and in each diocese number many associations under the old name of "Hanse". But it is the protectories, with a central board of direction in every diocese and an establishment in everj' city and in many villages, which have prospered the most. The a.s.sociation "Sobrietas" is a federation of Catholic societies for the promotion of Christian temperance. Associated with this are the Society of the Cross, for men, the vSociety of Marj', for women, and the St. Ann's Society for parents who bring up their children without the use of alcohol. Associations for the moral welfare of sol- diers exist in twenty-four cities, kept alive ami fostered by diocesan congresses which take place frequently — in the Diocese of Roermond annvially.
The Catholic pariiamentary party has continued
its alliance with the Liberals, who have assisted it
even after the restoration of the hierarchy, until about
1869-70. For a time, the attitude of the members of
the chambers was wavering; but it liecame gradually
apparent that the Catholics and l)elieviiig Protestants
had the same interests. The baleful educational law
of 1879 confirmed the Catholics in this position. In
1883, Schaepman substituted the draft of his pro-
gramme, which led to the union between the Catholics
and the Christian National Party. The credit for the
formation of this alliance is due to Dr. Schaepman,
the celebrated priest, statesman, and jMH't, and to Dr.
Kurper, the leader of the anti-Revolutionists. The
Catholic Party and, later, the united parties have
obtained many rights. The law of ISGl provided
that clergymen and theological students should be
exempt from active military service. A law of 1869
accorded to parish authorities the right to establish
their own burial-places. The law of 1.S09, vesting in
the civil authorities the right of interference in Church
government, was repealed in 1876. But they could
not prevent the abolition, after 1870, of the ambas-
sadorship to the papal court. A law enacted in 1889
provides for a subsidy from the State for private ele-
mentary schools. In 1901 education was made
compulsory. In 1905 the private intermediate
schools were subsidized. The University of Amster-
dam maintains two professors, who are priests,
especially for Catholics. In general, however. Cath-
olic professors arc excluded from the universities;
hence there are only three or four in all at the four
state institutions. They are also ignored in the
Royal Academy and in the examining commissions.
IV. St.\tistics. — The population of Holland at the beginning of 1908, according to calculations, amounted to 5,747,269 souls, which number is greatlv on the increase. Of the.se fully 2,000.000 are Catholics, 104,- 500 Jews, and almost all the re.*t Protestants. The Catholics have fallen from ;38.99 per cent in 1839, to 35 per cent in 1909. The relatixe decrease is at- tributed principally to the le.'Js favourable economic conditions in the southern (Catholic) provinces, which conditions cause a very large infant mortality. The number of Catholic parishes in the five dioceses has reached almost 1030, groupetl in 70 deaneries; each diocese has its seminary and preparatory semi- nary, with a total of about 130 professors and 1500 students. There are in Holland about 2400 secular priests, and 140 religious houses of men and 510 of women. Of the former a goodly projiortion, and a still greater number of the latter devote themselves to the education of youth. There are nearly 730 private schools and 1 25,000 pupils. Besides the seminaries there are 21 colleges and high schools, almost all of which are under the control of regulars. Then there are 28 mission houses where religious, both men and women, receive their training as missicmaries. Not fewer than 13 mi.ssions in Borneo, lirazil. the Dutch West Indies, Porto Rico, the Dutch East Indies, and the Philippines are maintained by Dutch missionaries. The number of hospitals is about 160, while the hos- pices, orphanages, reformatories, and poorhouses are very numerous. Of the 105 Catholic journals and periodicals, the following are the most important: "De Katholiek", "Studien", "Van Onzen Tijd", "Katholieke Nederlandsclie Stemmen", " De Tyd", "De Maa.sbode", " Het Centrum", " De Residentie- bode", "De Voorhoede", " De Limburger Koerier", "Het Huisgezin", and the " Geldcnlander". A majority, both of the Upper and the Lower Chamber, is Christian. Out of 50 memliers of the Upper House 16 are Catholics, while 25 of the 100 members compos- ing the Lower House are of the Faith. Three of the nine cabinet ministers are Catholics. Except in cer- tain processions, no religious service or religious garb, is permitted outside of church buildings or enclosed grounds. Civil marriage must precede the religious
