LASALLIAN STUDIES 9 AN INTRODUCTION TO THE HISTORY OF THE INSTITUTE OF THE BROTHERS OF THE CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS THE 19TH CENTURY (1805 - 1875) Brother Henri Bédel, FSC English translation by Br. Aidan Marron, FSC Brothers of the Christian Schools Via Aurelia, 476 00165 ROME Italy 2 0 0 6 French edition: March 2003 English version: April 2006 Suplemento al n. 1 del 2006 della Rivista lasalliana Trimestrale di cultura e formazione pedagogica della Associazione Culturale Lasalliana Via Ludovica 14 – 10131 TORINO – Tel. 011/819 51 39 / 819 52 55 0150 http://www.lasalle.it e-mail: [email protected] CONTENTS Introduction: General historical context ..................................................................... 1 Sources and reference works ........................................................................... 13 A. RESTORATION (1805 – 1830) ......................................................................... 20 Chap. 1 - Official re-establishment of the institute in France ................................... 23 1. The Brothers and mutual teaching ............................................................. 35 Chap. 2 - The Restoration of the Institute ............................................................... 47 2. Efforts to reintegrate former Brothers ........................................................ 59 Chap. 3 - Rebirth of school works ........................................................................... 71 3. New Congregations of Teaching Brothers .................................................. 81 B. PROGRESS (1830 – 1850) ................................................................................. 93 Chap. 4 - The Institute in the European context ..................................................... 99 4. The Conquest of Freedom of Education .................................................. 109 Chap. 5 - At the time of Br. Anaclet and the beginning of Br. Philippe’s Generalate ................................ 119 5. Aspects of the Internal Life of the Institute .............................................. 131 Chap. 6 - Advances in the works of the Brothers .................................................... 143 6. Diversification in the activities of the Brothers ......................................... 153 C. DEVELOPMENT (1850 - 1875) .................................................................... 163 Chap. 7 - The Institute in a phase of rapid development ....................................... 167 7. The work of Brother Philippe .................................................................. 177 Chap. 8 - The Institute within the framework of continental Europe .................... 189 8. The Question of Gratuity ........................................................................ 201 Chap. 9 - Presence of the Institute across the world ............................................... 213 9. The works of the Brothers in the Third Quarter of the 19th Century ........ 229 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 239 Glossary .................................................................................................................. 247 List of illustrations ................................................................................................... 249 Bibliography ........................................................................................................... 250 FOREWORD i FOREWORD The present volume (LS 9) {1805-1875} is the continuation of those which appeared in 1994 (LS 5) {1651-1726}, and in 1997 (LS 6) {1726-1804}.The collection Lasallian Studies numbers these volumes in the order in which they were published. Nevertheless the Introduction to the History of the Institute forms a whole which pursues a well-defined objective which was explained at the beginning of LS 5 and which we recall here. As the title indicates, it consists of placing at the disposal of a public interested in the History of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, a solid basis, while at the same time help- ing us to see the limits of our knowledge. It is the Institute, under diverse aspects, which is the object of this History and not primarily the various establishments run by the Brothers. When we speak of these establishments, it is merely by way of giving examples. For each of these volumes, the break-up into large periods takes account of the gaps to be found in the History of the Institute, placing them within the evolution of the soci- eties to which they belong. The different chapters follow the historical development, while the ‘complements’ after each chapter develop one or other aspect, often in a more synthetic perspective. If some of the ‘complements’ seem difficult to certain readers it is possible to avoid dwelling on them during a first reading. These studies are given by way of examples: others more in keeping with the expectations of the readers involved, could be proposed in the various Regions. The period studied here is limited to the years 1805-1875. This is on the one hand to avoid making the volume too ‘heavy’ and on the other hand because this period consti- tutes for the Institute a fairly homogenous ‘block’, coming before a period which will see notable change in the life of the Brothers, mainly in France - a change which will have a profound effect on the entire Institute. For the next stage the project will be the study of a period which will take in the last quarter of the 19th Century as well as the first years of the 20th, then the part of that cen- tury which is directly related to the preceding 30 years. In ending this introduction, the author and myself would like to thank the Brothers of many Districts who contributed to bringing about this volume by replying to a ques- tionnaire about the beginnings of the Institute in their country, and those who agreed to read over the paragraphs concerning their country. In anticipation we would also like to thank those Brothers who would like to contribute in the same way to the next volume. Br. Alain Houry, Director of Lasallian Studies ii EXPLANATIONS Explanations In the text: – The sign * sends the reader to the glossary (p. 234). – Double quotation marks “ ” are used when the expression comes from documents contemporary to the facts reported. – Single quotation marks ‘ ’ indicate an expression or quotation from a historian of another period. The family name and Christian name of Brothers is given in general the first time they are mentioned. – The word “Brother” when used on its own refers to a Brother of the Christian Schools. Whenever it refers to a Brother of another congregation, this is indicated. – The names of cities are given in the language of the country except in the case of large cities whose names are normally translated into other languages. – For French cities, the Départment to which they belong can be found by consulting the map on p. 69. – When books are quoted or given in reference merely under the name of the author, the title of the book has been given above but more complete information on these works can be found at the end of this volume. – Some maps have been intro- duced into the text by reason of their special character. LS: Indicates the Lasallian studies in English followed by the number of the volume and the page. CL: Indicates the volumes of the collection Cahiers Lasalliens. GENERAL HISTORICAL CONTEXT 1 INTRODUCTION: GENERAL HISTORICAL CONTEXT It is impossible to give a complete outline of the History of the 19th Century for the whole world. Here, therefore, we will confine ourselves to certain aspects which have influenced the History of the Institute during the first three quarters of the Century, lim- iting ourselves to Europe and its former dependencies on the American continent. Two major facts influenced the 19th Century. On the one hand there was the progress and the spreading of the principles which had inspired the American and French Revolutions at the end of the 18th Century; and on the other hand, industrial develop- ment. A certain number of consequences of these facts have a bearing on the study we wish to carry out in the present work. Repercussions of the spreading of the revolutionary principles Those involved in the American and French Revolutions found their inspiration in the philosophy of the Enlightenment (“les Lumières”). The principles on which their work was based called into question the very basis of political, social and religious order which constituted what has been called the “Ancien Regime” *, notably: – they substituted for dynastic principles that of popular sovereignty; – in the name of the primacy of individual freedom they suppressed the ‘intermediary bod- ies’ between the individual and the State: trade guilds, Religious Orders; – in recognizing that everyone had a right to follow the religion of his choice and in freeing political power from ecclesiastical authority they went against the notion of a State religion. The concrete application of these principles brought about the union of the citizens of the United States. In France, the way in which the Revolution evolved brought it into conflict with determined adversaries, especially among those who had been its chief victims - nobles, Catholics. In contrast to this there were also many, who, after the Revolution, remained attached either to its attainments or to its principles, notably among the members of the bourgeoisie for whom the new order of things allowed them to accede to