FALK, ADALBERT (1827-1900). A Prussian statesman. He was born at Metschkau, Silesia, August 10, 1827. lie was the son of a Protestant clergyman, and studied law at Breslau and Ber lin. In 1847 he entered the State service of Prussia; in 1850 he was appointed As sistant State Attorney at Breslau, and in 1853 State Attorney at Lyek. In 1853 he was elected to the Prussian Chamber of Depu ties, and served as a member of the com mittee on petitions, budget, and military affairs, 1858-61. In 1862 he was appointed counselor of the Court of Appeals in Mogan. Silesia, and in 1867 was elected to represent that district in the Provisional Parliament of the North German Confederation. In 1868 he was permanently as signed as counselor of the Ministry of Justice, and devoted himself zealously to the new codifica tion of laws for the North German Confederation, performing a similar work afterwards for the German Empire. In 1871 the Emperor appointed Dr. 'Falk one of the representatives of Prussia in the Federal Council. In 1872 he' succeeded Von as Prussian Minister for Ecclesiastical Educational Affairs KnItusminister). He in troduced a law, passed March 11, 1S72, ac cording to which the• supervision of all schools was declared to be the exclusive prerogative of the State. It was carried against the united efforts of the Roman Catholic and con servative Protestant parties of the Prussian Par liament. Palk continued by a number of meas ures to assert further the exclusive right of the State to legislate in all school affairs. A reseript of June 15, IS72, excluded members of ecclesias tical orders and congregations from positions in the public schools. in May, 1873, an act was
passed conferring upon the State the right of supervising Roman Catholic seminaries. It was required also that candidates for the clerical office should undergo a .certain amount of secular training at the universities, and that every ecclesiastical appointment should receive the sanction of the secular authorities. A royal tribunal for ecclesiastical matters was also set up. This legislation, which the Pope denounced as invalid, February 15, 1875, was disregarded by the Roman Catholic bishops, and Bismarck, sup ported by Falk, imposed penalty after penalty in order to establish the supremacy of the State. Refractory bishops were imprisoned, deposed, and banished : the contributions of the Government were withdrawn from the clergy who incurred its displeasure; religious orders were dissolved; and the administration of Church property was taken from the clergy and invested in bodies of laymen. Dr. Falk's policy was no more accept able to the orthodox Protestant party than to the Roman Catholics, and the difficulties of his position led him to resign in July, 1879. The Falk laws were modified by his successors. Von Puttkamer and Gossler• despite the opposition of Falk as member of Parliament. In 1882 he ac cepted a high judicial appointment at Hamm, and died there July 7, 1900. His Rcden gehalten in den Jghren 1872-79 appeared at Berlin in ISSO. Consult Fischer. Adalbert Falk (Hamm, 1900).
See KULTITRKA AIDE.