Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1895-08-08
ARE NOT FOR RICHES.
Heads Of the Catholic Church Are
Not Wealthy Men.
Few of Them Have Paid Much Attention
to the Accumulation of Money
Some Who Have an Eye
to Business.

oo"o VINO nave An Eyo
to Business.
The late Cardinal Manning was won't
to say that the proper way for a priest
or bishop to die was without money
and without debts. The great English
prelate followed out his own teachings
in this respect, and it has been the
usual rule with American bishops also.
Few, If any, of them have died pos
sessed of any personal fortune, al
though the opportunity to amass
wealth was often present. Here in
New York, says the Herald, for in
stance, the late Archbishop Hughes
and Cardinal McCloskey could, if they
had been so disposed, have easily ac-
cumulated fortunes through specula-
tions or investments. Neither had any
thing to bother him at his demise. The
late Archbishop Wood, of Philadelphia,
was noted for his ability as a fnancier,
having large experience in business be-
fore he entered the ministry. All his
talent in this direction was exercised to
improve the diocesan property. He
left nothing of his own. The pioneer
bishop of Brooklyn, Rt. Rev. John
Loughlin, was famous for his shrewd
foresight of real estate values. He Sc
cured property all over the city in the
best sites long before the city limits en-
HANGED their va lue. With the resources
at his command he could have easily
been millionaire. All he disposed Of
in his will was his watch and set of
old spoons, which he gave to his sister.
A year before his death the people of
brooklyn gave him a purse of twenty
five thousand dollars at the celebration
of his sacerdotal jubilee. With this
money he paid off the debts of some of
the charitable institutions.
The only modern prelate on record
who tried to make money was the
late Archbishop Purcell, of Cincinnati,
who started banking annex to the
Episcopal palace. What disastrous
failure it was need not be recapitulated
here. Yet it was his brother more than
the archbishop that was to blame in the
matter, and the object of the scheme
was not for personal gain. 1t was
means adopted to better the resources
of the diocese to meet the demands of
the increasing population for churches
and priests.
OF the present members of the hier-
archy of the United States Archbishop
Ireland, "the consecrated blizzard" of
st. Paul, is probably the wealthiest.
His personal fortune comes from land
investments made before the marvellous
growth of the western cities near his
home and from railroad enterprises in
which he had been included by the in
innate and powS"ful friends he has
among the western trunk line mag
mates. According to his admirers, the
bulk of his income goes to the poor mis-
sions and churches that form no incon-
siderable part of his province. Arch
bishop Corrigan has a modest patri-
mony from his fathers estate. 1t is
doubtful if he has increased it from the
salary of his office, which, as has al
ready been explained, is well balanced
by the demands continually made on
it. He Is now much interested in the
completion of the new diocesan SEM
mary near Yonlsers. His personal con-
tribution to it is the erection of the
chapel of the institution. This will
probably cost him sevcnty-five thou
sand dollars. Cardinal Gibbons does
not get very large income from the
small diocese of Baltimore. 1t is well
known that he hesitated for some time
about accepting the red hat, for the
reason that he was too poor to incur
the very considerable expense that ac-
companied such an honor.
Archbishop Williams, of Boston. whose
name has more than once been men
toned for second hat, has also given
this reason for refusal. The other
day he commemorated his sacerdotal
jubilee, and one of the gifts from his
admiring subjects was check for
fifty thousand dollars. Perhaps he
may now see his way to an acceptance
of a seat in the senate of the church,
where, it is said, the pope desires to
have him. Archbishops Feehan, of
Chicago; Riordan, of San Francisco;
Gross, of Oregon; Ryan, of Philadel-
phia Chapelle, of Santa Fe; Katzer, of
Milwaukee; Janssens, of New Orleans,
and Hennessy, of Dubuque, are all
comparatively poor men. There is not
a money spinner among them. Arch
bishop Elder, of Cincinnati, has con-
siderable reputation as financial ex-
ecutive, but all his energies have been
spent in getting the diocese out of the
tangle into which the Purcell disaster
threw its affairs.