How the French Priests Live

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXVI, Issue 18, 7 May 1908, Page 11

How the French Priests Live

A jCorrespondent of a Paris paper has made inquiries as to how many of the priest© of France are managing to make ends meet. The results of his investigation a£e interesting, and the reader' will find that the Apos.froLc zeal cf the priests, is only equalled by their |devotion to the very important duty which they owe themselves, namely, that of making a living. It is clear that the priests are not engaged in their trades and' professions for the purpose of gathering a fortune;, Jon the contrary, every surplus penny earned beyond the sum inece'ssary for meeting domestic expenditure, Roes to the Church Treasury, or, as jin many cases, to the assistance of neighbouring parish-* priests, who may either not be so enterprising, or lactothe opportunity of showing what they can do. It is a great point in favour of several of the prileistrwoijkers that they were engagjed iin professional pursuits befora they felt the call jto serve humanity. Thus Canon Brisacier, of Tours, jwas an arcliitjecfc, Aibfee Shoyez, of Anglers, j a sculptor, others were printers' artists or watchmakers, the last trade ia favourite pursuit formerly among the French clergy, even when ttiear incomes amounted to ten times more than wfia't was. paid them under the Concordat regime. Perhaps, the most interesting performance by a priest in the mattejrtaf (gaininc; a livelihood under the new con-«-r °"!' J?r • tba v + ? Ahhe Ma c rti P, YhoY h0 Polishes the Trait 'd'Umon., * the organ) of the Catholia AliUiafnee of France. The. AMbe has three linotypes in full runningorder, opsrated Iby seminary students. - s Says the Abbe, in speaking of his work) •— « Our subscribers number several thousands, and we count ohem In Canada, in South America, and' in the United States, in Chima, Australia, and India. Our correspondence is dated from every quarter of the globe, and there comes n o mail from any important centre which does 1 not bring its quota of subscriptions. Even lay

editors admit that the whole get-up of the paper is admirable, and It Is" tfven said that one of the actual editors was asked by- the "Matin 1 ' to join its staff.' The Cure of Vaucheres is a mender of ' watohesi, clocks, and ploughs. His workmanship 4s declared to he far above that of the local experts. The old Cure of Roniainvilliers, who is over seventy years of age, makes a prosperous living from the cultivation of his orchard, which contains several bee-hives. Last year's income from both exceeded what the venerable priest would have received under normal civic con>ditftons. - The Abbe Gafooury, parish priest of CVlauvages, has chosen the blacksmith trade as a means of making a livings Ploughing at a hired man's, wage, by the day. or the week, as enabling Father Metais, [of Sadfite Soline, to furnish his larder- and help the needy poor. Vinegrowing is keeping. Father Lecomte out of poverty ; the Abbe Claivel is looked upon as a master watchmaker ; 4he Abbe Cartean is an engraver of merit ; a Father Conturand is an artist of publicly-admitted talent. Another is a designer of postcards, another is an altarbuilder, others have turned their minds to invention, and have done well in their endeavors 1 'to bring the fruits of their ingenuity before the public, the anrtiCatholic portion of humanity not being at [all above apipreoiati'Tiig a good thing when it is shown to them, even by a priest. On the whole the priests of France are unlikie-ly to fare very badly from a merely material point of consideration. Many there are who are either physically incapacitated, or, owing to previous antecedents, unfitted and inept in manual labor. These very soon drift into literary work, and, bit is of interest to note, much of their literary work is finding its. way to the French press of the United States and Canada.