Evening star., 1925-09-15
CHARITY PRICELESS,
CARDINAL DECLARES
Hayes Warns Catholics
Against Putting Economic
Value on Good Works.

Religion must combat the growing
tendency to evaluate all human re-
latfonS economically and insist that
love be not displaced by statistics
Cardinal Patrick j. Hayes of New
York told the National Conference on
Catholic Charities at its closing meet
ing at Catholic University last night.
He appealed for more individual
charity to overcome the increasing
paternalism of the state and for more
realization of the dignity of man.
Cardinal Hayes said in part:
There is a pronounced tendency at
the present hour" to test nearly every
human relation, from the cradle to
the grave, by a purely economic
valuation. 1t is, of course, the result
of materialism, pure and simple. No
more reactionary stop, in the light OF
history, could be imagined. Religion
must combat this tendency by culti-
waiting the spiritual sense of the divine
and the human.
More Than Mere Science.
THE universe and man himself, owe
their creation to the infinite love of our
Heavenly Father. The creation Is
more than a merely scientific prUpost-
ton. Scientific research alone, as to
mans origin, life and destiny, ID
doomed 10 failure. The love of God
has been a more determining factor in
creation than His omniscience and
His omnipotence. The purely and
coldly scientific theory of our exist
ence holds no remedy for our tears,
our sorrows and our offenses. Divine
love must enter primarily into sue
cessful solution, and a wholesome
remedy for human ills and social dis
orders. 1t is this very thing that
Christian charity girds itself to ac-
complish.
Our successes in church, school
and institutions would be marred and
offset. in a measure, if we failed to
provide for Gods poor in untouched
highways and byways in the streets
and lanes of our cities and towns.
Surely it is our duty to erect taber-
nacles of divine mercy in the desert
places of sin, shame and sorrow. We
must pitch tents of healing and COM
passion by the running waters of
eternal life. We must make 1t pos
sible for the shepherd to comfort the
poor, to roof the homeless, to heal the
sick, to save the boy and to protect
the girl.
Worst Worth Saving.
THE charity of Christ gives to
human sympathy and help a heavenly
touoA and a spiritual power that re-
veal the Savior so wonderfully human
and men SO sublimely divine. Chris
tian charity is vitally concerned with
the eternal as well as the temporal
welfare of the Northumberland as
a creature of God, made to His image
and redeemed by the precious blood
of His own divine son. The more
miSshapen the human form, the more
loathsome the disease, the more dis
torted the mind and the more outcast
the criminal, the more reason for
loving and saving the immortal soul
so unfortunately housed in so
wretched a prison of clay. To such
as they Christ yearns to come as
their father and friend if they only
desire Him.
"Communistic experiments invari-
ably lead to terrorism because of class
hatred, which drives out charity.
Tyranny and injustice cannot live
where charity abounds. The humblest
and the poorest in a real democracy
enjoy not a man-made, but a God
given, dignity, which no power but
personal degradation can take from
them. 1t is the exercise of charity by
the multitude that will prevent pater-
naliSm of the State which might pau
perize and that will save us from the
over bounty of philanthropy which
might paralyze. When the wage
Garner of limited means practices char
ity because he sees in his fellowman
Christ the Lord, he reaches a stature
Of dignifled and splendid citizenship.
Charity Beyond Price.
Let US not lose sight of the work
of beneficence we do for America in
the service of charity toward our fell
bowman. There is a pronounced tend
ency, at the present hour, to test
nearly every human relation, from
the cradle to the grave, by a purely
economic valuation. 1t is, of course,
the result of materialism, pure and
simple. No more reactionary step, in
the light of history, could be imagined.
+'Religion must combat this tenden-
h1. cultiNa ing the Sniritllal