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[54] One of these bears the title of "Augustines de l'intérieur de Marie and another is devoted to the "C？uragonisant de Jésus."[55] At Bourron (Seine-et-Marne)， in 1789， which had 600 inhabitants， the number of communicants at Easter amounted to 300； at the present day， out of 1200 inhabitants there are 94[56] Th. W. Allies， "Journal d'un voyage en France，" III.， p. 18： "M.
Dufresne (July 1845) tells us that out of 1，000，000 inhabitants in Paris 300，000 attend mass and 50，000 are practising Christians." - (Aconversation with Abbé Petitot， curé of Saint-Louis d'Antin， July 7.1847.) "2，000，000 out of 32，000，000 French are really Christians and go to confession." - At the present day (April 1890) an eminent and well-informed ecclesiastic writes： "I estimate the number of those who observe Easter at Paris at about 100，000." - "The number of professing Christians varies a great deal according to parishes： Madeleine， 4，500out of 29，000 inhabitants； Saint Augustin， 6，500 out of 29，000； Saint Eustache， 1，750 out of 20，000； Bellancourt， 500 out of 10，000；Grenelle， 1，500 out of 47，500； and Belleville， 1，500 out of 60，000inhabitants."[57] Abbé Bougaud， "Le Grand Péril，" etc.， p.44 ： "I know a bishop who， on reaching his diocese， tried to ascertain how many of the 400，000 souls entrusted to his keeping performed their Easter duties.
He found 37，000. At the present day， owing to twenty years of effort， this number reaches 55，000. Thus， more than 300，000 are practically unbelievers." - "Vie de Mgr. Dupanloup，" by Abbé Lagrange， I.， 5'.
(Pastoral letter by Mgr. Dupanloup， 1851.) "He considers that he is answerable to God for nearly 350，000 souls， of which 200，000 at least do not fulfill their Easter duties； scarcely 45，000 perform this great duty."[58] "The Revolution，" II.，390. (Ed. Laff. I.， p. 177.)[59] Th.-W. Allies， "Journal，" etc.， p.240 (Aug. 2， 1848， conversation with Abbé Petitot)：" In 1830， the priests were obliged for two years to abandon wearing their costume in the street， and only recovered their popularity by their devotion to the sick at the time of the cholera." - In 1848， they had won back respect and sympathy； " the people came and begged them to bless their liberty-poles." - AbbéPetitot adds： "The church gains ground every day， but rather among the upper than the lower classes."[60] émile Keller， "Les Congrégations，" etc.， p.362 (with the figures in relation to Schools). - "Débats" of April 27， 1890 (with the figures in relation to hospitals. Deaths increased in the eighteen secularized hospitals at the rate of four per cent).
[61] Fournier de Flaix， "Journal de la Société de Statistique，" number for Sep. 1890， p.260. (According to registers kept in the archiepiscopal archives in Paris) - "Compte-rendu des operations du Conseil d'administration des pompes funèbres à Paris" (1889)： funerals wholly civil in 1882， 19.33 per cent； in 1888， 19.04 per cent； in 1889， 18.63 per cent. - " Atlas de statistique municipale." ("Débats"of July 10， 1890：) The poorer the arrondissement， the greater the number of civil funerals； Ménilmontant wins hands down， one third of the funerals here being civil.
[62] Abbé Joseph Roux (curé at first of Saint-Silvain， near Tulle， and then in a small town of Corrèze)， "Pensées，" p. 132 (1886)： "There is always something of the pagan in the peasant. He is original sin in all its brutish simplicity." - " The peasant passed from paganism to Christianity mostly through miracles； he would go back at less cost from Christianity to paganism. . . . It is only lately that a monster exists， the impious peasant. . . . The rustic， in spite of school-teachers， even in spite of the curés， believes in sorcerers and in sorcery the same as the Gauls and Romans." - Therefore the means employed against him are wholly external. ("Vie de Mgr. Dupanloup，" by Abbé Lagrange， pastoral notes of Mgr. Dupanloup， I.， 64.) "What has proved of most use to you in behalf of religion in your diocese during the last fifteen years？ Is it through this - is it through that？ No， it is through medals and crosses. Whatever is given to these good people affords them pleasure； they like to have presents of Our Lord and the Blessed Virgin. These objects， with them， stand for religion.
A father who comes with his child in his arms to receive the medal will not die without confessing himself." - The reader will find on the clergy and peasantry in the south of France details and pictures taken from life in the novels of Ferdinand Fabre ("L'abbé Tigrane，""les Courbezons，" "Lucifer，，" "Barnabé，" "Mon Oncle Célestin，""Xavière，" "Ma Vocation").