, 1873-11-02
RELIGIOUS DEADHEADING,
James Parton on the Taxing Of
0huroh-Property.
" Whatever Property tho Stnto Protects
Should Contribute Tia Quota 10
tho Stato's Support.v


fei' FORK Tribune Report Of Proceedinos af the Ere
Religion association.
AZ tho evening eoaBion, James Parton read d tht
following paper:
Taxing ooolosiastical property is tho Bubjco
proposed for consideration at tho proaont tilno
III this State, and, I bolioge, in most Of tho
ssate6 OF tho Union, churches, oo1ogoB, Bchools,
m1soums, nbrnrics hospitals, 1ro-ongiuo-
houses, comotcries, charitable institutions gon,
orally, md tho lands Of agricultural sociotios,
aro exempt from taxation. I mn opposed
to au exemptions. Whatevcr property tho
State protects ought, think, to con-
tribute it's proportion to tho stato'a sup.
port. But It Is church property with which
NC arc to occupy oursolvos this ovoning, kind
OF property which nowhere In tho world con-
tributoa aught to tho Govornment that protocts
It. America 10 the land Of experiment aud au
dacity. It is right aud becoming tint hero, for
tho first limo, tho proposition should bo dolibor-
ntely discussed, to
DISCONTINUE THIS EXEMPTION,
Aud lot no ono suppose TINT tAis 1noasuro ia
Advocated hero in spirit Of hostility to
churohos. large proportion Of tho virtuous
people Of Christondom. aud certainly d very
large proportion Of nil tho porsona to whom
I have boon most warmly attached In the
course Of my lilo, have boon members
or froquontors Of churches. know the in,-
portance Of the part whioh olnrc1oa play In
our modern world, and how much nolace, atmo-
milton, closati ion, and entertainment thoy afford
TO multitudes Of most worthy pooplo In every
land. But you do not strengthen an institution
by pauperizing 1t, and you do not Btrongthon It
By making 1t fractional part Of paupor, oyon
to the extent Of relieving 1t Of its taxoa. An ILL.,
stitution exempt from taxation may bo = very
good fungus, but it comes short Of being liv-
ing branch. Taxing occloBinstical property, so
far from bolng m injury to tho church, should
be ono Of thoso just, wiao, and timely measures
which
BENErIT EVERYBODY AND HURT NOBODY.
It would sond tho sap circulating through tor
pid members; 1t would oxtinguia ah so1uo fooble
lifo, but 1t would strengthen and viyify tho tlt-
toBt, which would survive. Aud this, I nm in.
formed, is the opinion of aomo Of tho most infu-
ontial members of tho late Evangel ical Alliance.
Consider the state OF things now existing in any
representative country town in the United StatcB.
Lot mo select one in New England Of 10000 or
$1,000 inhabitants, and endcavor to 800 ow .
fair taxation Of tho churches would work
III practice. In this town aro soyou-
teen Protestant churches struggling for life.
The moral md benevolent aotiyity Of
tho p1aco-that nobIcst part Of human
toll which is dedicated to tho general good, or
to some object in which others sharo beside our
solves--thla most precious oYorplus of human
enoryy, strictly limited. as it IL in amount, is
chiefly expended in keeping the breath Of lie in
these
BEvESTEEN FEEBLE ORGANIZATIONS,
For this tho ladies' SOW, coutrivo, beg cook.
sing, hold fairs, give entertainments, get up
pcnics drum for tho sunlay-scl.oo!, aud move
hcavon and GARTH For this aeventeon anxious
clergyman toll, scheme, aud woar out their
souls. For this seventeen soxtons pull tho awful
boil, making tue day hideons with horrid noisc.
This strain upon tho bost activity Of tho place IL
duo to tho s1mplo fact that one.half Of these
somo months ago, a fine day in winter, 1t was do
tormincd by actual count that tho whole number
Of porsons attending these churchea during the
day, including tho two services, WAS $500. Tho
Homoly accommodated in one-Aalf the existing
edfioes. Why, then, do thoy not unite It is
because mono Of thom can quite succeed in dying.
While thore 10 life thero il hope. They hold on,
and will hold on as long a. 1t is possible for the
survival Of tho httost hungers for tho oxtiuc-
tion Of half OF them but that Inv ia balkcd
and frustrated BY tho exemption from taxation.
THAT blessed bankruptcy which Mr. Carlyle 80
justly oxtols as naturo's remedy for Buperlluous
and mismanaged aotiyitloa lungs over thom,
throatening but powcrlcss, because tloy do not
have to benr their share of tho public burdens.
Macbeth WAS nationally alarmed when observ.
ing that Ddnquo, though lis brains were out,
would not die. 1t WAB a dreadful thing,
indeed: Nothing is more necessary for th1oa
general good than TINT institutions should die
when they hAvo not lifo enough to live, In
the midst Of these seventeen weak and atruE-
Cling organizations, tlero is ono which is
abonndlug III life, vigor. enterprise, and resolu-
THE B0IAN CATHOLIC CHURCH,
usually tho largest and handsomost in the town,
and tho only one Which Aas full congregation.
My, It accommoaates soyon congregations on
each Sunday. From In tho morning until in
tile evening it ia always occupied, ofton crowded,
and once crammod. On that Sunday, whom
$500 pcraons wero counted in the seventeen
Protestant churches, in this ono Catholic church
the number Was 1890. And OF whom arc
composed chiefly Of tho only oassos III tho
United States TINT can spare one-half Of their
income domestic Beryauts aud operatives in
cotton mlllH. And they do sparo ono-half, AZ
~1y ssss % sy 1pead osoan l5 9s0 se op ss obS Il yS
i'll Amorica second, in bringing over to Amorica
moro Catholics. Honco the rapid growth OF tho
Catholic Church and Catholic institutions In tho
United States. In tho manufacturing cities OF
NoM GublA4Q, L4ot AAu El4uIlH 10 EAuEcu Gul1lC0
to ediaco, field to fold. To-day 4 monastery is
begun; now ~ 1t H., ia ,4 a nn4nnory ne1t yoar
cathedral begins slowly to RHO at,oyo tho l,olscs
OF tho town. And they know we'll tho yirtuo Of
holding land. At tho yory bcSinulng OF y new
enterprise, they nre apt to
GO Fob IA1Hik PIECE or LAND,
with room enough, homctlnen, for centuliosfof
growth. Ihe hoyenteen Protestant churches
look On and Hhako their heads, and growl, a,lt
forebode OWL In tho future but wllio tLoy are
doing 80 tho priests keop On quietly converting
servant girls pennies and dollarH into vol ST.
ua.cd lots and solid 1naaonry. Already In aolne
c ct our fi si!o5 tho RTopory belonging - The Gath
computed at twenty millions, aud in Now York,
Boy within ten miloB Of tito City IIall, /
should snpposo their property would DO valued
by just Tax CommisaonorB at not loss than eighty
millions. Far be II from mo to blame tho
Catholics for publishing tho interosts Of their
Church with 80 much enterprise, energy, and
tact. THOR conduct is just what their belief do
snan1s Of them. They could not bo good Catho-
lies If they did not regard tho Aproad Of tic
Catholic Church as tho chiof in!oreat Of p,a,l,
Mt