The Irish standard., 1891-04-18

; poses as the support of orphan asylums
the Indian and negro missions in th
United States, the reclaiming of chill
dren in industrial schools, the suppl
bV DOrcas societies of clothing to need
applicants, the personal visitation 0
tha sick or destitute by that most bene
fic@nt body known as the Society Of st
Vincent de Paul. Year in and yea
out the appeal from the pulpit is made
and for the most part cheerfully re
sponded tc.
It is not rhetorical exaggeration, bu
the naked truth, to say that the Churct
provides homes fer those vet On the
threshold of life aud furnishes retreats
for those on the threshold of death. She
has asviums, in which che aged, both
men and women. find at one and the
same time refuge in their declining
days from the storms Of life and q no
yitiate to prepare them for eternity,
She rocks her children III the cradle OF
infancy; she soothes them to rest Oh the
coucn of death.
| She begins with the orphan asylum;
follows up the erring girl till a safe re-
treat is provided in a House OF the Good
Shepherd; takes the lncorrigible boy
and In an Industrial school or protector
ate. teaches HIM a useful trade; seeks
out destitute fathers and mothers, with
their helpless children, and without
noise or parade extends the needed aid;
provides uustlutinglY for elementary
Catholic training. even after tha en-
forced payment Of chs school tax to tins
! stats of municipal treasury; ministers
freely TO higher intellectual craving in
the college, aud in these latter days,
aided by the princaIY offerings Of her
children, laws down the lines Of great
university and goes forward in her SUBJ
lime task of imparbing the highest and
hollest in culture and morals to iler
more gifted sons.
In the state OF Maryland and the Dis
trict OF ColumbiaI speak OF these be-"
cause [ happen to ba officially con-
nected with them--theye are under
Catholic auspices, aud in a total Catilo.
lie population of 250, 900, two founding
asylunlns. two asvlunls for colorsd
children and ten for white orphans.
housing and educating 1906 little ones,
al OF whom are admitted regardless Of
creed, together with six hospitals and a
large number of reformatory lnstitn-
tlons. In the more pOpulOus centres.
such as New York, Philadelphia, B U.s.
ton and Chicago, the statistics of Catho
lie benevolence swell in the ratio of the
population. The maintenance and SUP
port of these institutions would b. a
manifest imposslbllity but for reasons
to which shall advert later ON.
And here a number OF objections may
be urged. Mr. Carnegie boldly asserts
tue probability that nineteen TWEEN
tieths Of the so called charity of TO day
is unwlsely spent so spent, indeed, al
TO produce the very evils which it pro-
poses to mitigate or cure" Surely this
is a statement which he Will, upon
further experience and reflection,
cheerfully retract. No matter what Of
forts may be made by pnilanthropists
and social economists for the removal
Of poverty, we must make up our minds
that poverty in one shape or another
will alwas exist among us. The words
of Christ will be ever Yerifed-"T
poor We have always With You." AS
we'll attempt to legislats vice out Of ex-
istence as to legislate poverty and suf
ferlng out Of the world. London is TO-
day the richest city in the world; it is
also the poorest. Berlin, with q pop
nlation of 1900 900, has 200. 600 living
from hand to mouth and verging on
destitution. 1t is in accordance with
the economy of Divine Providence that
men should exist in unequal conditions
in society in order to the exercise of be-
nevoient virtues. Moreover, sickness
and death will come upon the bread
winner and wife and child have
their whole support suddenly
snatched away. Disasters like those of
Johnstown and the recent shocking
losses of life in PENNSYLVANIA mines will
leave hundreds Of widows and orphans
no alternative but charity.
There remains an objection which it
is instructive to notice, inasmuch as its
answer will present the Catholic Church
in light which, submit, diff erentiates
her from all other Christian bodies. It
is urged, then, that Catholics by no
means enjoy monopoly of Christian
benevolence. Millions of dollars are
annually contributed bv those who de-
cline to yield to that Church submis.
sion. Episcopalians, Methodists, BAp-
lists. Q takers, Jaws ana all other de.
nominations of Christians or non
Christians have too, their hospitals,
asvlums, Industrial homes. Innumer-
able hearts feel the pang of pity for woe
and countless willing hands are
L