New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-03-07

is where a church pretends t
care for its poor. Tracts go to tn
suffering az often as cold victuals. Their
is broadness about victuals which make
all the world akin, and the poor wretcl
who is made glad by something to eat a
often thanks God for full stomach
through the donor, as he does the demon
ination instrumental in his relief It i
different with tracts and little picture
papers. They do distributing demon
lnation good by strengthening that same
they all point to Heaven, perhaps, bu
they bias child in deciding which roat
to take. If church, by soliciting indi
viduals, maintains an orphan asylum, it is
expected the inmates will turn out dis
ciples of the particular branch of the
| Christian faith of which it is an adjunct
Such deeds have more of business than
| benevolence.
The church in its solicitations for char
| ity knows no North, South, East or West,
| no politics or religion; nothing but gath
| ering ia the greatest amount from the
greatest number Catholic in it's taking
spirit, it will take any mans money, but
not to relieve every mans necessities. It
gathers from others to feed its own It is
huge tunnel to catch a thousand streams
and run them all into one cask. Broad
and bright as the sunlight in gathering
means, the ditfusive process is more like
a magic lantern, with the focus of light
thrown on particular church. There is
nothing narrow in the machinery of So
Letting aid. A lottery is good if at a
church fair. A poor player may act or
sing for church benefit, but theatres are
an abomination unto the Lord.
Now, as benevolent institutions, if
churches are such, they are of a one-sided
benevolence, and the reasons for allowing
church property to 60 untaxed are not
valid. The exemption of church property
from taxation leads to the aggrandizement
of the church, which is not desirable in
this country. Too much of that is seen
in Italy, where the church grows con-
tinually richer and the people poorer.
The plea of benevolence is not good
one. Even if a church could be con-
sidered benevolent, its property should
not escape tax for such reason. The
principle applied to individual cases
would exempt any charitable man or
woman from paying taxes. A church may |
90 on always begg ing, buying and build
ng, never selling 1t has no deaths or
uccessions to divide and waste its SUBJ
tance. 1t comes in competition, to its
'wn advantage, with real estate owners
truggling under the burden of assess.
nents and trying to do the fair thing. 1t can
ent cheaper because it pays nothing; and,
ecause it pays nothing, it adds to the
mount which liberal men must pay, be-
ause they are not charitable corporations.
t also makes vast difference to the poor,
hose taxes are not their greatest grief
uetc COuiCt Us DetteF SCHOOLS, anu more |
honey for improvements, and that is edu-
alton and employment for all. The poor
hurch in fifteen hundred dollar build
lg would be all the richer if it paid tax
nd made the church occupying a cathe-
raj worth q quarter of a million pay
.xes also. The fact is that all property
lould receive the protection and benefit
government and laws, and all property
lould be taxed for the maintenance of {
lie safeguards. If any privileges accrue
realty owners in having or holding {
'operty they should be shared according t
values; the burdens of government t
lould also be equitably divided, that S
ey may more easily be borne. In any s
Sc. there is no reason why church prop i
ty should be exempt from taxation t