The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1876-07-16
THE CONDITION OF THE CATHOLIC
PRESS.
Baltimore Mirror.l

In all parts of the country the Catholic
| papers are crying for aid, Help, help, or we
perish They are continually nudging their
deit quent 50 bscribers TO pay their bills. iDdi-
yiduaily small but in the aggregate making q
large sum. They asking their friends to
AID them in extending their circulation, and
promise TO make improvements with increased
resources. Week after week these calls for aid
| are issued, and scarcely d single Catholic jour-
nal in the country does not join in the request.
The condition of the Catholic press unveiled
| by these repeated and universal appeals for
support is q sh anne to the Catholics of the land
For every Catholic 10 cognizant of this wretched
have been started in his in terest that they are
fighting for his sake. for the cause of his reli-
RiQn. for the cause of truth, that they aye de.
Tending the Chnrch against the attacks of its
enemies. that they are unwilling the sopbistries
and falseboods of the sectarian press, that
they are as seutinels on q watch tower, ever
on the alert, ever ready to sally forth and at.
tack the sssailants of the causs of Christ, and
to defend His spouse, the Church.
the reason why Catholic papers do not re-
celVe better support mnst it is true, be partly
found in the hard times that for three years
have overshadowed the land bat must, in
great measure be ascribsd to the negligence
and indifference of well to, do Catholics. The
poor are always ready to give their mite to the
canse of God in whatever shape it appeals to
their generosity. Bat the moderately rich or
wealthy Catholic sees unmoved the struggle of
his religious paper to exist and do good, and
never thinks of coming to the rescue. He con-
siders the paper dry, unnteresting and behind
the times. and he says, in fact, he can't afford
to take it, although several magazines and
story papers find their way regularly to his
fireside.
But, besides thes ind ference of the laty.
contemporary affir rms that the struggling con-
dltion of the Catholic press for existence must
be laid to the door of the clergy. He says they
are ready enough to fiud fsnlJ should any thing
go wrong, that they censnre this OMISSION or
That oversight, but take good that they
do nothing to prevent such missteps. He says
that the maj GRITTY of them take NO interest IN |
extending the circulation and influence of
Catholic papers, which he declares to be their |
duty, and which he says he calls upon them to !
do. not as favor but a right.
The cost of a Catholic paper varies from 81 SO |
to SO 80 year. Now there is not a Catholic
family in the country that cannot give from
three to six cents a week for Catholic paper,
and there is not Catholic family that should |
not subscribe. Were Catholics as ready to
support their journals the mem bers of the
sects are TO maintain their organs, the Catholic
press wonld soon cease their appeals aud lsmeu-
tations. Encouraged by the generosity of their
they would turn their whole atten-
lion 70 the exposition and defence of truth,
and the result would aoon be evident in larger
narvests of good than they now reap.