A SERMON ON BANKRUPTCY.

Patea Mail, Volume V, Issue 474, 8 November 1879, Page 2

A SERMON ON BANKRUPTCY.

At the Homan Catholic Church recently (says the Timaru T'elef/raph),. the Rev.Father Ghataigner preached on moral theology,, making bankruptcy the special subject of his sermon. He asked the* question whether a man under any circumstances was justified in filing a declaration of insolvency and becoming abankrupt;. and answered it by saying hewas. If a man’s affairs became so involved that ho could not possibly meet his engagements with creditors, he wasjustified in availing himself of the protection which the law affords him. This,however, would not relieve him from* liability according to the law of God, II over he attained a position whichwould enable him to pay the debts which* he had not then satisfied, ho was bound' , by the law of God to pay the last farthing: of them. When a gentleman by any misfortune became a bankrupt, he redoubled his exertions again until he* obtained sufficient means to pay off his* liabilities. He then felt that he had* redeemed his honor; that he could stand : up in society once more; and that hocould take his place among his equals. He (the rev preacher) was. afraid that ■ that spirit of honor was dying out nowaday, and that most people sunk their" honor in* their purses. The law referring to bankruptcy bad been made to tect honest men when they happened tomeet with misfortunes, but a great many dishonest men availed themselves of it,, and it*was very much abused. People resorted to a great many hlshonest tricks* under operation. He had heard of a* man who bought a dray one day, sold it the next day, and pocketing the proceeds,, went on the third day and filed’a declaration of insolvency, without giving any account of the money he had thus received. Such a man could not be called ‘anything else but a thief and a cheat.He knew very well when he*bought the dray that he was going bankrupt, and could have had no other intention inbuying it than to cheat the owner out of it. This, l.ovever, bad not happened in the parish of Timaru, nor in the next parish to it. Other men settle their property, on their wives, daughters, or some, friend, who kept it safely for them until they had gone through ther Court, and then they began again. Such men were wise according to the world, but the wisdom of the world was folly ip the eyes of (3od. They wer«

bound to pay tbe last farthing of their lawful debts; and no earthly law could relieve them of the *; A-man should not favor the loss of his other creditors,. Fpr'Tnstanee, if a person owedpno .man'. £2o,’ and another £lO, and, had on!y £2O ,t6'- pay them, he should' not -pay " the. £2O to whom it,was due, bitt should ? divide it between his two creditors. This was. a delicate subject’ he had to treat of, and it was with reluctafice that he referred to it, but he Was bound to instruct them congregation), and he he had to do it. He was glad, however, that there were few belonging to his congregation to whom it could refer personally, and that made it easier for him to treat of it.