Evening star., 1925-02-13
CURLEY ASSA|LS
PUNCH-BOARDPLAN
Archbishop Says Carmelite
Fathers Made innocent
Dupes of Graft.

Charging that the Carmelite Fathers
Of Washington have been made the
unknowing dupes OF "a combination
OF graft, gambling and deception
Archbishop Curley, through the ofi-
cial Baltimore Catholic Review, to-
day exposed commercial scheme to
raise money supposedly to pay for
a national shrine here in honor of
the Little Flower that the order does
not even contemplate building.
In the same statement Archbish op
Curley declared many schemes are in
progress in this archdiocese which
are obtaining money from the people
under the pretense of representing re-
ligious authority. So bold have the
authors of these movements become,
he declared, that they have even mis-
represented themselves to be priests
and sisters, begging help for some
missionary or religious movement
that never existed.
Use OAciaIs' Names.
statement continued. these fake priests
and sisters have used the names OF
duly ordained officials Of the Catholic
Church in ap. ealing to members OF
that faith for money. 1t is such a
plot, he said, that has been used
in the name of the Carmelite Fathers
of Washington.
The schemers, Archbishop Curley
said. are operating a punch card sup
poSedly to pay a debt on the Car
melite Fathers property here. declared
to have been contracted to raise money
for the building OF shrine in honor oil
the Little Flower and to assist mis-
sionary enterprises in Zuzuland. The
monastery Is at $50 Rhode Island ave-
nue. northeast.
The archbishop declared that the
Carme1ite Fathers are not going to
build such a shrine, and added there
Is only one shrine in the course OF
construction in this city-the Shrine
of the Immaculate Conception. The
archdfocesan head said he had no OBJ
lection to charitably minded persons
contributing donations to the Fa-
theirs. but objected to persons beine
asked to take a chance on paving as
much as $2.42 for a 10-cent shavine
brush.
In a general condemnation of the
schemes Archbishop Curley urges that
he is not issuing any warning against
the we'll known and proper Catholic
charities.
Archbishop's Statement.
The official statement of Arch.
bishop Curley reads as follows:
The Catholic people of the arch
diocese have been imposed on many
times in recent years by money-get-
ting schemes put into operation
mostly by shrewd and dishonest Law
agents, who make religion a cloak
for graft.
We have had fake priests and
make believe sisters collecting from
house to house. The magazine agent
peddling his worthless sheet, talks
prospective buyers into considerins
It's perusal sine qua non of saliva.
ton. There are a hundred and one
ways in which unsuspectinE people
are heeced almost every day. Time
and again We have called the atten.
ton of readers of the Baltimore
Catholic Review to the existence OF
such schemes in our midst, and we
have reminded them that they are
not to give money to any collector
nor to subscribe to papers or maea
zines unless the agent, male or fe.
male. comes with two letters of per-
mission and Endorsement, one signed
by the archbishop and the other b,
the pastor of the parish in which tn,
agent is at work. II such letters are
not produced by agents and collec.
tors who state they are working TO,
Cathollc causes, then such agents OF
colectors are not to receive any con-
sioeration whatever, but should b.
turned away from the doors of Cath.
olic homes.
Worked Through Mail.
FOR the most part, however, tn,
money-getting scheme is worked
through the mails, and by this mean,
frauds of all kinds are. perpetuatef
on the credulous and good-heartet
public. We have in our city monev
Continued on Page 4. Column y