The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-12-10
Sectaran Aid.
t1'o be continued.l

"In the overwhelming revelations of stu
pendous frauds i'll the management of the city
| finances, and in securing corrupt legislation IN
the State Assembly at Albany, which have
been made during the last ak months, 1t is TO
| be hoped that the attention of the public Will
not be turned aside from great practical sub
iect somewhat involved-a not very credit.
| aby-in these criminal acts. We refer, OF
course, to the question of grants of public
money for sectarian objects These frauds are
temporary, and, when discovered, can be readi-
| ly cured by the election of honest men in the
place of knaves; but the evil consequences of
| perverson of State funds 70 sectarian ends
cannot be so easily healed. 1t has been mat
ter of remark among intelligent observers
| that the Catholic papers generally preserve an
ominous silence in reference to the unveiled
thefts to fabulous amounts of the men who, to
secure the sntfrages of the masses of illitcrate
| voters yielding superstitious reverence to the
Roman Catholic priests have distributed with
lavish hand largesses from the public chest
among Catholic institL t ons of every name and
character. 1t was hardly to be expected that
they could feel an equal horror at public
crime which they had long been condoninS by
| accepting these immense yearly bribes.o-M.
y Christian Adrocatc.
The Methodist organ in this city is great
ly shocked that the State Assembly at AL
bany has now and then granted more or
less aid to certain Catholic schools and in
situations. and regards it as II clear proof
of the corrupt influence exercised over
legislative bodies by Catholic priests. The
Legislature has never been asked to grant,
and has never granted any aid to Catholic
institutions because they are Catholic, but
for public reasons, because it believed the
public good required it, and the State AS
| sembly may be as competent judge as the
Methodist editor.
There are large numbers of children in
this city that will grow up ignorant vaga-
bonds, thieves, robbers. and prostitutes,
unless provided with Catholic schools. No
matter why it is so, but such is undeniably
the fact. Who dare say that the public
good doee not require that such schools
should be provided for them7 So of tie
Catholic Protectorate the public is still
more benefited by it than Catholics as such.
So also of the House of the Good Shepherd
to which girls not Catholic, arrested by the
police, as well as Catholics, are sent to be
placed out of harms way, and reformed if
possible. Will any one who knows any
thing of the institution pretend that the
public good does not require it, or that the
public does not save by 1T large expenses
which it must otherwise incur ? Catholic
institutions do much with little.
Then the aid actually granted to Catho-
lie institutions, all of which have in view
the public good as we'll as the salvation of
the soul, has been greatly exaggerated.
Only week or two since Dr. Bellows pub
lished in the Liberal Christian the we'll
known falsehood, that the new st. Patlick's
Cathedral, now in course of erection, is
built on land leased By the city at nomi
nal rent. 1t is no such thing it is built
on land bought and paid for by Catholics
years ago. Such falsehoods should and
must be corrected, or their authors, if pas
tors, be branded before their congregations
as liars and slanderers. DR.. Bellows knew,
or ought to have known, that he was pub
fishing a falsehood which had been more
than once publicly contradcted.
Then, again, the Adrocdte takes no ac-
count of the aid given by the State or city
to nti-Catholic institutions, which are
really eectaran, which no Catholic institu-
tions are. Yet the so-called Public Schools.
supported at the public expense, are Pro-
testant, or anti-Catholic schools, and sup
ported as such, and therefore sectarian
schools. There are institutions in this CITY
supported by grants from tho State, whose |
very purpose is anti Catholic, and which |
make a business of kidnapping poor Ca
thollc children, sometimes orphans and
sometimes not, concealing them in their
heuses, changing their names, and then
sending them into a distant State, and |
binding them out in Protestant families. |
Yet the AdrOcdte is shocked at all aid to |
Catholics !-NeU York Tablet.