Bitter Victory

The Fifth Republic of Charles de Gaulle sounded last week like the unmourned Fourth Republic. At passionate issue in the National Assembly was a bill to give state aid to church schools, the touchiest of all domestic questions in France for a century and a half. It is an issue that echoes in almost every village, where unrelenting antagonism exists between priest and public schoolmaster, who is usually a Socialist or a Communist. At first the leftist anticlerical wing in the Cabinet seemed to be having its way (TIME, Dec. 28), and would put over its proposal that churches must accept state supervision if they took the $60 million. But at the last moment, Premier Michel Debre, under pressure from the Catholic church and Catholic legislators, removed the strings. In high indignation, Education Minister Andre Boulloche resigned. After 13 straight hours of debate, the heavily Catholic Assembly voted 427 to 71 for Debre's bill.

But when the tally was announced, Socialist. ex-Premier Guy Mollet, who was the first important leader of the left to rally to General de Gaulle 18 months ago, solemnly warned Premier Debre: "When great tasks--the Franco-African community, Algeria, international affairs--require the greatest national unity, you choose at that very moment to introduce the most terrible element of discord. You triumph, but I do not envy you."

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