REGIS
721
REGISTERS
Fr. Jartoux, who with Frs. R(5gis and Fridelli had
the largest share in it, sent a copy to France, where it
was published by Fr. Du Halde with the assistance of
the celebrated geographer d'Anville in the "Descrip-
tion de la Chine" (1735). Fr. Regis composed a
short commentary on it under the name of "Nou veils
geographic de la Chine et de la Tartarie orientale",
which is preserved in the Bibliotheque Nationale,
Paris, fr. MS. 17, 242; Fr. Du Halde availed himself
of the writing to a great extent but would have done
better to publish it entire. Fr. Regis also turned his
attention to the ancient Chinese books iking) . Father
Gaubil praises his "sane criticism" on the subject,
and the English sinologist James Legge writes: "Regis
is known as the interpreter of the Yih-king. His
work was edited at Stuttgart, in 18.34, by Julius
Mohl. One part of the first volume is occupied with
Prolegomena which contain the most valuable intro-
duction to the Chinese higher classics that has yet
been published" ("Notions of the Chinese concerning
God and the spirits", 18.52, 69). Father Gaubil de-
scribes his great virtues as humility and modesty, and
says: "he was universally esteemed and loved by the
missionaries of various bodies. Christians, and the
people of the court who associated with him".
De Backer-Sommervogel, Bib. de la Comp, de Jesus, VI (1596-7); COHDIER, Bibliotheca Sinica (Paris, 1904), I, 183-7, 562; II, 1089. 1372; Br0cker in Revue des questions hisloriques (1 April, 1881), 497; (1 April, 1885), 512; Idem in Revue du monde calholique (1 Dec, 1883), 711-2; for the map ot China see Du Halde, Description giograpkique . . . de la Chine et de la Tartarie. I, IV (Paris, 1735); Lettres idifiantes (Paris. 1720), 14" Rec, 3" sq.; d'Anville, Memoire sut les Cartes geographigues inserees dans Vouvrage compose par te P. Du Halde sur la Chine (Peking and Paris, 1776); Brucker. Sur Vex^cution des cartes de la Chine par les missionaires du X VIII' siecle, d'aprks des docu- ments inedits in IV' Congres international des sciences geograph- igues tenu a Paris en 18S9, I (Paris, 1890), 378-96.
Joseph Brucker.
Regis, Pierre Sylvain, b. at La Salvetat de Blanquefort, near Agen, in 1632; d. in Paris, in 1707. After his classical studies, he came to Paris, followed the lectures of Rohault at the Sorbonne and be- came a warm admirer and partisan of the philosophy of Descartes. He then, with great success, taught the principles of Cartesianism at Toulouse (1665), Aigues-Mortes, MontpeUier (1671), and Paris (1680). The prohibition issued about that time against the teaching of Cartesianism (cf. Cousin, "Fragments philosophiques", 5th ed., Paris, 1866, III) put an end to his lectures. He was elected a member of the Academy of Sciences in 1699. His chief work is his "Cours entier de philosophic ou Systeme general selon les principes de Descartes" (3 vols., Paris, 1690), where he presented in a systematic way the principles of the Cartesian philosophy. Strongly opposed to Malebranche's idealism, against which he wrote several articles in the "Journal des Savants" (1693 and 1694), Regis modified the system of i)escartes on various points in the direction of empiricism. He denied that the human soul has innate and eternal ideas, maintained that all our ideas are modifications of the soul united to the body and that we can know our body and extension as immediately as our soul and thought. His book having been criticized by Huet and Duhamel, he then wrote his "Reponse au livre qui a pour titre Censura philosophiis Cartesianae" (Paris, 1691), and "Reponse aux reflexions critiques de M. Du-' harael sur le systeme cartesian de M. Regis" (Paris, 1692). Among his other works we may also mention his "Usage de la raison et de la foi, ou I'accord de la raison et de la foi", with a "Refutation de I'opinion de Spinoza, touchant I'existence et la nature de Dieu".
Fonteselle, Eloge de Regis in (Euvres, VI (Paris, 1790); BoRDAS-DuMouLiN, Le CartSsianisme ou la veritable renovation des sciences, I (Paris. 1843) ; Damiron. Essai sur Vhistoire de la philosophic caritsienne au XVII' siicle, XI (Paris, 1846); BouiL- LIER, Histoiredela philosophic cartisienne, I (3rded., Paris, 1868);
XII.— 46
Franck in Dictionnaire des
tract from the preceding work.
George M. Sauvage.
Registers, Parochial. — One having the cure of
souls is commanded by Divine precept to know his
subjects (Cone. Trid., sess. XXIII, c. 1, "De Ref.").
The better to fulfil this obligation, and because, more-
over, of the historical importance and probatory force
of public records, a pastor must have five distinct
parish registers: one each of baptisms, confirmations,
marriages, and deaths; and a fifth containing a census
or general account of the state of souls in the parish.
Definite forms for entries in these books are prescribed
by the Ritual. Every public document should bear
the place, date, and nature of the act inscribed, the
name of the one officiating, the names of the parties
concerned and the witnesses present, and the signa-
ture of the proper official. The Church prescribes
that in her parochial registers all persons be designated
not only by name, but likewise by parentage and
parish; that the office, e. g. rector, curate, of the one
officiating be mentioned; that the record be complete,
i. e. giving every necessary detail to remove all doubt
and uncertainty, regarding the validity of the act in
question, or the observance of prescribed formal-
ities.
A baptismal registry, consequently, will also record the fact of legitimacy, date of birth, and name or names imposed. If the sacrament is conferred pri- vately, conditionally, or the ceremonies are merely supplied, such should appear in the record. The en- try will show when, where, and by whom a foundling was discovered, and the age, presumably, of the child. The baptism of one born out of wedlock is recorded with the name of either known (not reputed) parent. In no public register however is any derogatory or defamatory note allowed. To safeguard reputation, records at times, particularly of certain marriages, are preserved in a secret register. A new feature (" Ne temere", can. ix, § 2) in baptismal records is a mar- ginal note of the subsequent marriage of the baptized person. Future legislation may make this obligatory also, when one receives Holy Orders or enters re- hgion.
In the registration of confirmation, as well as of baptism, sponsors are to be carefully noted, owing to the spiritual relationship which arises. A matrimonial record should state whether the banns (q. V.) were published; what dispensation, if any, was obtained and applied; that the priest officiating was duly delegated, if such be the case; that the consent of the parties was asked and given ("Ne temere", can. iv, § 3). If later a recorded marriage is declared null by the Church, or, having been found to be invalid, has been rendered valid in the external forum, a marginal note, duly attested, will contain this infor- mation. Death records state what sacraments the deceased received in preparation for death, by whom they were administered, and place of burial. Lastly an official registration of all parishioners is kept, giving name, family, age, residence, whether they have made their First Communion, been confirmed, made their Easter duty, etc.
All entries in parochial registers are to be made in Latin and by the pastor, even though he may not have officiated. Practice however tolerates in the vernacu- lar records of deaths (Cone. Bait. Plen., II, n. 223) and of the general state of the parish. To the pastor belongs the custody of these books; every possible care must be taken to preserve them from destruction, injury, or falsification. These records are public in- struments, and as such constitute perfect proof of the fact, which they record. Such proof would naturally be sought in the parish: parochial registers consequently should record baptisms, rnarriages, etc. of parishioners, though the event chronicled take place elsewhere.
