The Natchitoches enterprise., 1899-03-02
PASTORAL LETTER OF BIShOP
DURIER
On the Blessings of Labor and the
curse of Debts.

Dearly Beloved: Labor is as old as
man, At his creation the first man was
welcomed 10 Il beautiful earthly para
dIse. 10 work IT. Ito dress it, says the
B,ble. Behold God would no: endure
idlenrss even IN :hc earthly paradise!
Yet that labor was all u pleasure as Inc
labor Of tie bird that sings its song to
The rising sam all pleasure as the labor
Of the child AT play.
SIN came into the world. and with sln
the terrible sentence: In the sweat Of
thy face shalt thou cut bread" Tie
whole beautiful creation was cursed vet
labor wAs not cursed Labo: ceased TO
be all u pleasure but ala not cease 10 be
a blessing. Thanks TO our All mcrciful
and All bounieoGs heavenly Father. the
sunlight uf Eden still shines on US. the
Iose and lily of Eden still bloom for ~;
and tue Heavenly Father Who looked
on labor with compiacency and love in
the Golden Age OF innocence still looks
on labor with com2Iacencv and lOYe il
this iron aye Of Ours. when His Door
children are sinners all the world over.
HONOR TO COMMON MANUAL LABOR.
The first blessing of labor is to give
US our daily bread-a competence ana
honor. If not wealth and fame. Christ
the "Son Of God was \ labOrer. COM
mon l4borer, would say the Nazareth
people. his bother ''ihe blessed
snTUnga at women = rp&a-- a. lsauReksePsE--
common housckeeper, would they say.
Behold The Divine Carpenter Of Naza-
reth. ana His Mother 1t work with Il
ready hand and willing heart; and so
honorable he common manual labor that
II has been an honor 10 JeEus ChITst
himself ard His all noble mother! No
wonder that in this ChristiSn land of
ours one Of our principles il
this "all honest work Ia honorable"
Now. thanks to the Heavenly Father. |
Whose first love Is for the poor and low
ly. common manual labor can be well |
relied upon for Il living just As well as
labor, If not better. SAYS |
our kecn>ightcd land so very practical
Cardinal Gibbons: Remember that |
" bile fhe learned professions ate over
there is always demand for |
skilled and unskllIed labor. :" The hobby
If the day 10 high instruction; people
Forship high Instruction more than
hey do God. NV friends let us appre-
,iaie high instruction for what 1t is
worth. a. an accomplishment and
)ower; but as we Americans 5luntlv say
That IT Is fools knowledge to know
except how 10 make liY
n.y." To be man of knowledge worth
nythlng you must first be = man; and
hat one il no man who. though be may
now all about the man in the moon,
'adly lacks either common sense to I'm
erstand or moral courage to obey the
nipple law of working for a living.
here Is true education ami false
ne. A man has ibeen made worthless
y false education If he has not been
rought mp anv time to accept common
manual labor when necessary for a liY-
Dg. st. Panl SAYS: ''If any man will
OF work, neither let him eat The
ecassily of Working for living is one
I those facts. called 1.-The hari facts of
fe''; the sooner our educated lOafers
eIIiZe that fact, the better fer them
lives, their families and the commu-
Itv. Ia
THE SLAVERY OF DEBTS.
The second blessing of labor Is TO ,
eep man free from debts. IndepeEd-