St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1892-01-30
UMLucKv MONEY.


An Irish supesseitIea Relative to tAo ~.
ings oe Clergymea.
Among Catholics there Is IN intense
/ belief which in some cascs almost
amounts to . superstition, that any
one who inherits priests money will
meet with bad luck. This feeling u
more widely prevalent among Irish
Catholics than among those Of other
pationalities. This is probably due to
the very different circumstances which
surround priests of Irish birth or ex-
traction A distinction is made in re-
gard to the property which may be in
herited. II the money-Or whatever
IL is-came to the priest in the first
place from relatives the idea OF
bad luck does not attach to whoever
may receive it from him. This in
the popular mind is considered perfect
ly legitimate. Should the priest use
money or property received from rela-
tives in business and make profit on
it then . certain ill-reputation Is sure
to cling to his heirs
Implanted in the breast of the Catho-
lie of Irish extraction is strong senti-
Ineut against clergymen engaging in
any sort of money.making. The real
simon-pure bad luck pertains. how
ever. to the savings of priests made
while occupying an ecclesiastical posi-
ton of trust in which there may be op-
portunities of profit. There are priests
occasionally whose savings-perfectly
legitimate in many cases-amOunt in
the course Of years to considerable
sum. But the popular mind will not
admit that such savings can in any case
he considered lawful Among the older
Irish scores of tales circulate about the
fate that happened to persons who in
herited priests money.
At the same time so oddly consti-
tuted is human nature. nobody ever
heard of anyone refusing to accept
such money for fear of the bad luck
that would follow it.
Instances are many where the bad
luck actually followed such inherit
snces, and stories like the one which
en- elderly Irishman told the other day
ere plentiful:
ats rs thrue, sir. as you're standin'
there that . curse goes wild priests
money. ! reminder q case in me own
town that was the talk o. the naybor-
hood for years There was q farmer
livin' close by who was in aisy circum-
stances He was ambishous to get up
in the world and made one Of his sons
q priest The lad was . bright Cos
soon and meant well. but unfortunate
" lie cot his fathers faver for the
money and grew to be . regular skin
flint. The old man died and his prop
crty was divided up among his other
childer. This reduced the family and
the priest saved harder and harder to
lift them mp again.
''To make long story short. he lived
nigh twenty years rs parish priest and
curate and then died himself Every
body d,sliked him. he Was 20 fond o.
the haypense. Forty thousand dollars
he left behind. and II went iviry penny
.sf IL to bis two brothers, Not fsrthin'
of it did he leave to the poor. the worse
luck, since most Of il came from them"
ibid the brothers prosper"
mo. sor. they didn't. The money
few away from them like fairy goold.
In the ind they lost all they had; their
families went to the bad. and to-day il
would be harder TO find one O. them in
the old town than il wud be to pick mp
goold pieces on the city-hall steps.
THAT'S but one Of the many cases
know uf," concluded the old man, ''and
there's hardly . man o. my years but
couldn't tell you more. re."-Chica2o Trib-
Nne