and you gave me not to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink. I was a stranger, and you took me not in; naked, and you covered me not; sick and in prison, and you did not visit me. Then they also shall answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee? Then he shall answer them, saying: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least," (namely the poor), "neither did you do it to me." (St. Matt. xxv. 34 to 45.) Oh how _strikingly_ does the _first_ part of this sacred passage apply to _our charitable_ Catholic ancestors? But shall I apply the second part to _you_, or _your_ Protestant ancestors? Oh! heaven forbid I should! I say with the great St. Paul, I judge no man; but charity for you, and the poor, induce me to entreat of you, and to ask of God to give you His grace, to commence a real reform in your _church property_, for the _sake_ of the _poor_, and to restore to the _poor_, what your Protestant ancestors so _unjustly_ took from them. But you will perhaps reply, that all this church property, has been _justly_ given to your Protestant Church, by the _law_ of the _land_; for as the law of the land, _justly_ secures _to the landlord, his rents_, so the law of the land, _justly_ secures to _your church, the tithes_. I answer, in the first place, that by no law, either human, or divine, can property be _justly_ applied to any _other_ purpose, than to _that_ for which the _intention_ of the testator left it. Now one-third of this church property, was left by our _Catholic_ ancestors, for the support of the _poor_; and _as long_ as this property, was in the hands of the _Catholic Church_, the poor always received _their just_ share. Hence, among _all_ the calumnies against the _Catholic_ Church, even her _basest_ enemies, could _never_ accuse her of _injustice to the poor_. I answer secondly, the law of the land, as to _landlords_, is a _good_ law, because the landlord gives to his tenant _value_ (viz., the use of the land) for what he (the landlord) receives; whereas the law of tithes is a _bad_ law, because it often exacts tithes, where the payer has never received, _one farthing_ of value from the _parson_. Now in this case, it does appear to me (and I am sure it must to many others) most unjust to demand it _from persons_, who never received a _pin's-worth_ of good, from _your_ ministry in their lives. Nay, perhaps the _only return_ they got, for the payment of their tithes was, to hear their religion _abused_, and to be held up before the public, as guilty of those _very_ crimes, which _these_ reverends _themselves_ were _really_ committing, either by their robbing the poor of their just share, or by unjustly exacting from _others_ money, for which the _payers_ had never received one farthing of value.[H]