The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1907-11-15
6uard ding Against Fraud.


make few reina rks through ita
columns to the weIl-meaning PEG.
pie OF Virginia which will make
easy to handle a Somewhat diftic ult
problem and avert what might be
termed source of dishonesty and
scandal.
From time to time some. under
the mask Of religion. parade them
selves amongst us here and in the
surrounding towns begging aims
ana contributions tor charities til. t
90 not exist. In outward appear
ance they stand in an honest light,
ana generous hearts are ever will
ing to help the needy, but when il
- learned that they are bona fide
fakes" naturally the man who has
been deceived is rightly indignant,
and a solid argument is esta blished
which would cause him to close his
heart and his purse even against
mer'torio"s cause. Very few in
America are stingy when there is
question of helping the needy; but
no American feels happy when he
is deceived
1t is easy to don d religious man
tie; anyone can buy a sisters veil
tor couple of dollars. A sympa
thet'c story of half starving orphans
or number Of sick in Il hospital
will go great distance down the
heart OF human nature, and men
who are in such position that they
may need such help at any time
lind it hard to refuse their dollar
A means of graft is instituted and
!, lite of crime is created in on,
midst which is repulsive to every
honest citizen. .
! We had two practical examples OF
this shouldered onto ia here with.
in the past year. One is known to
everybody because of the publicity
given to it-nameIy, the self-styled
"Sister Margaret" who to aid her in
her work of dishonesty told some
she was good sister charitably en-
gaged~in taking care of a large
number of sick who had not tht
means wherewith to pay and told
others that she was the superiores>
II large orphan asylum where
more than one hundred helpless,
homeless children received due care
at her hands. The sympathetic tale
was told as it was thought it bes,
worked. or course her sworn testi-
mony proved the bogus article hon.
st men had to deal with. Yet there
we're those who stoutly advocated
her campaign of wholesale decep.
ZION and cunning theft. but like be
gets like and birds Of a feather floch
ogether.
10 throw some Zig t on your path
in future l wish 10 state that the
Church Is corporate body incor-
porated according to the laws OF
the state wherein it exists. aud has
therefore right to projection,
through the application of the laws
of the state. The~State will not al.
low man to gOarO. nd in the name
If the State and act fraudulently.
'ither in public or private. Any
hrm incorporated in the state will
forbid another firm or even an in
dividual to represent it without it's
sanction. The law is called INTO ac-
ton and the guilty punished
Now the Church, as an incorpor
Ated actually and protected by the
state law, necessarily has its con-
stitution and bylaws sanctioned
reads:
"Any person representing him OF
herself in the name Of the Church,
wearing the Church garb or insign
ia characteristic OF the Church,
without the sanction of the Church,
is deceiver and menace to the
common good and therefore sub
ject to civil punishment"
Moreover, so that honest people
may not be deceived and to reveal
the deceit beneath the mark and to
| protect mems rights: the law direct
ly says that anyone who presents
himself or herself under the garb
of religion without letters from the
authorities in the ChurCh-ttat is,
the Bishop Of the Diocese where the
cri me is committed and the pastor
in the particular parish, and pre-
tends to collect money tor the
Church or charitable purposes be-
cause he or she has on the mask OF
religion is to be treated as a fraud
and a violator of the state law,
whether he or she is bona tide or
mala fide.
The reason for the Church's &C
ton is obvious. Sweet Charity has
such an influence over the hearts of
many that they will give their mite,
earned with the sweat of their brow.
[ will admit their generous action
may be recorded in Heaven just the
same, but no one of any account
will say it is the correct thing to
support the gamblers, swindlers,
frauds, crooks, thieves, robbers and
criminals that present themselves
occasionally. And no just or hon.
est man will say it is wrong to put