St. Landry democrat., 1881-12-24

CHURCHES
3apflSt %
Roman Catholic ic.-....---.-.- ----.--.--..----- "a
Christian ---..-------
al.----.-..----- ---.-.-----
II
Evangelical Protestant .-.-.- .---.-.-
t1reek = r----..----.
teW1Sn
yethodist Episcopal .----:.-- ..---..--....-. p
ethonist Episcopal South -..----..-----. II
tESterian ..--..- IL
titariall 1
Slnms, Converts, etc.. .---..-.-..---.- 30
ligiOuS Schools .----------. r---..----.--- 5o
Total $50
separate domicile is Yet apart for
e:a of these two hunded and fifty
ahes and manufactorps of piety.
Thchurches, asylums an schools all
staa upon untaxed real etate, and are
theselyes not only exempt from tax,
but Ame of the societies dyn valuable
busihss properties whic have, until
latelybeen on the free Lit. Some OF
the buildings are very lake and fine,
and haze lost the poor peole who have
been umercifully taxed fe their con-
structie, adornment and iaintenance,
enormos sums of hard eah hed money.
A very low estimate OF te value OF
church Foperty in this ely which is
exempt rom taxation onacc0unt OF
its sO-caed religious charater puts it
at thirtea millions Of dolls, or about
ten per ent of the total eal estate.
Think of /, We creditors! has been
suggestedand, we submit, 18th reason,
that this il too much. 1t unjust to
release so great value fro, the bur-
dens of txation and thI Nv all the
waIObf nnnt nfhar npOnlrtV.t
There might, with manifespropriety,
be concentration and consolation, es-
.pecialiy amoig the asylums, 'hich prey
upon helpless community. Aims are
daily gathered in the nameof a few
poor orphans, huddled togetlr in one
of the small rooms of a greatlnd pre-
tentious looking building. 1e cream
is taken by the stewards whilthe poor,
in whose name. the demands made,
generally come in for the skinned milk.
private contributions to thestinstitu-
tions, the City Council distribes every
month more than $4,000 apng the
orphan asylums alone. Thiss done,
too, OH trust. No account is Ger rem
dered OF the immense sums inhsted to
these self-constituted almonel Who
ever heard OF public offici over
looking the accounts of the trealrer Of
an orphan asylum to find out ,w the
public money is applied?
We believe that One-half the lumber
OF churches and One-tenth of te asy-
lums would be sufficient forlll the
legitimate requirements of th city.
1t is wicked waste to give up inn
mense building, large enough t, serve
for Hernsheim's cigar factory Wh its
seven or eight hundred young me and
girls for the housing of ten ordozen
poor old women whose keeping des not
probably cost the managers tenents
a day. All the orphans in the cit, for
whom the public money is so geneDusly
voted by the City Council every lonth
should be got together in one lace.
Several hundred of their attenants
should be dismissed all the ortlans
above twelve years of age prOided
with employment where they, andthey
alone, could receive the benefit of heir
earnings, and the smaller ones dred
for on business principles. As at les-
ent conducted, this trade in orphan, in
the name of religion, is a crying shane.
They are reared in ignorance, SO fat as
any practical knowledge Of the wrld
is concerned. When they reach aMlt
age, their intellect is stunted, and t1ey
are turned adrift with no better stick
in trade than few old maxims, de
half of which are false and the ote1
, half useless.
Charity and religion, like other tradIs
professions and callings are subject tn
the well known and accepted rules II
political economy. 1t does not folldg
that because a person has no capacit
for practical business nor appetite ia
hard work that the Lord has need q
him to make pastor of, or of her q
rear small breed of orphans in listless
ness and idleness. is, moreover, YER
bad management on the part of tax
payers to permit SO much valuabl
property escape assessment while th
United States District Court is ever
day adding its tax judgments to th
rolls. As stated by The Item yesterda,
these judgments are legally impregna
bile. The whole property of the cit
is fast bound for them, and there
no power in the tongue of man to Der
suade the foreign creditors = to rela
their grip. But with so much valuabl
property rendered useless and unpro
ductive it is small wonder our peonl
are getting into the hands of the Unite
States Marshal.
BE SENsIBLE.-YOu have aIlowe
your bowels to become habitually cos
tive, your liver has become torpid, tn
same thing ails yonr kidneys, and 70
\ n 4