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XJhloii upon oondition of ber ratifying the Fourteenth tions and chapels; 1 preoaiatory seminary with SO

Amendment to the Federal Constitution. This was students; 11 colleges ana academies for Do^rs with

done on 9 July, 18d8, and on 13 Jul^ the state was 2253 students; 29 academies for young ladies with

transferred from the military to the civil powers. 3519 students; 111 parishes have parochial schools.

Then began the period of reconstruction, which was The Catholic population is 550,431, but no statistiea

prmeticaUy a seven years' orgy. Adventurers from are available to uiow its racial classification; the bap-

the north, oamp-followers left oehind by the Union tisms of 1908 were 15,853. Of the 3935 marriages

armies, and renegade southerners, under the proteo- onlv 472 were mixed.

tion of Federal bayonets, welded the recently emand- Laws affecting Religion and Religious Work. — ^There pftted negro slaves into a political party, and the is, of course, absolute freedom of worship recognized difligraceful scenes, which form that blot upon Amen- by law and practically carried out throughout the ean history known as the "Reconstruction Era ''. cost state. There is a Sunday Law prohibiting the opening Louisiana millions of treasure and himdreds of lives, of any place of business, except of certain classes, such In September, 1874, a revoltoccurred which overthrew as drug-stores, barber-shops, etc. All liquor saloons the state government and placed the intelligent people are kept closed. Theatres, however, are permitted to €i the state in office. Three days afterwaros the open on Sunday. In all the courts the oath is admin- United States troops expelled the popular govern^ istcred on the 6ible to all witnesses. Blasphemv and ment, and replaoect the negroes and adventurers in profanity are prohibited by law. The Legislature office. In the election of 1876, the Democratic party opens each session in each house with prayer, cleigy- oanied the state both for state offices and for presi- men of different denominations officiating. Among dential electors. Then began the national dispute in the 1^1 holidays prescribed by law, on which all pub- Congress which resulted in a compromise being made, lie offices are closed, etc., we find New Year's Day, whereby the vote of Louisiana for President and Vice- Shrove Tuesday, Good Friday, All Saints' Day. Christ- President of the United States was counted for the mas, and of course every Sunday. The Catholic Republican party, and the vote for state offices and churches of the state are not all incorporated. For in- knlatuxe was counted for the Democratic party, stance^ in the northern diocese called the Diocese of The oarr3rmg out of this compromise by the seating of Natchitoches, all parochial property vests in the President Hayes in the White House, and the forming bishop; whereas, in the southern portion of the state, of a Democratic or white man's government in Louis- in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, every church is in- iana, mariced the end of the lon^ period of misrule, corporated. There is a separate corporation for each The great moral movement against the Louisiana church, the directors being the archbishop, the vicar- State Lottery, ending in its abolition in 1892, is prob- general, the pari.^h priest, and two laymen from the ably the most creditable event in the history of the con^gation, and tnis corporation holds title to all state. ^ parish property. Church property used for the pur-

Frinapal Rdigious Denominations. — The latest pose of public worship, the actual residence of the pas- available statistics of religious denominations are tor, the parochial school buildings and ^unds, and, given in the U. S. Census Bulletin for 1906, from which of course, all asylums, hospitals and chantable institu- we take the following table, except that the number of tions are exempt from all taxation. Cemeteries and Jews is taken from the *' Jewish Year Book " for 1907: places of public burial are exempt from all taxes and Catholics^ 477,774; Baptists, 185,554; Methodists, from seizure for debt.

79,4d4; Jews, 12,000; Protestant Episcopalians, 9070; All clergymen are exempt from jury and military

Presbyterians, 8350; Lutherans, 5793; German Evan- service, and in fact from every forced public duty,

gelicals, 4353; Disciples, 2458; Congregationalists, The supreme court has held that, while public funds

1773; all other denominations, 4222. It must be cannot be given to religious institutions, yet the gov-

bome in mind that these figures do not give us a emmcnt may contract with religious institutions for

proper comparative view, because the bases of various the care of the sick or the poor, and for such pay them

denominations are different. For example, most compensation. In all prisons and reformatories cler-

Protestant bodies count as members only those per- gymen of all denominations are welcomed and ^iven

sons officially enrolled as members. And, in counting access to the inmates, and in most of the large insti-

Githolkx, the Census Bureau counts only those over tu tions, where there arc many Catholic inmates, Mass

nine ytm of age;^ whereas, in the figures given else- is celebrated every Sunday. Beouests made to priests

where in this article we count all those who have for Masses have been held as valid, and, although there

been baptised. ~ is an inheritance tax levied on inheritances in Louis-

Caiholieifm. — Because of her Latin origin. Catholics iana, yet legacies, made eo nomine to churches and and Catholic influences have always been predominant charitable institutions, are exempt from this tax, al- io Louisiana. Her first governor, Clairbome, was a though a legacy left to a priest in his own name would Protestant from Virginia, but nearly all his descend- be subject to the inheritance tax. Under the first ants were Catholics. With few exceptions the gover- Constitution of Louisiana (1812) no clergyman could nore of the state were Catholics. Amongst noted hold a public office. The second Constitution (1845) Louisianians of the Catholic Faith we may include cxcludeil them onlv from the legislature. The third F. X. Martin, presiding justice of the Supreme Court Constitution (1852) abolislied tlie restriction, which for forty yean, Bermudez, one of his successors, has not l)ecn re-enacted in the subsequent Constitu- Breaux, the present (1909) incumbent, Thomas J. tions of 1868, 1879, and 1898.

Semmes, the eminent jurist and Confederate sen- Marriage and Divorce. — ^The marriage and divorce

BioT, Alexander Dinutry, who in 1847 oi^anized the laws of Louisiana are not so loose as those of some

pubuc school QTstem of the state, Adricn Ilouquette, other states. Marriage between whites and blacks is

the poet-priest and Indian missionary, Charles Ga- prohibited by law. Any clergyman has the power to

yarre, the historian, Justice E. D. White, now on the perform a marriage ceremony, but, before doing so, he

United States supreme bench, Paul Morphy, the fa- must be handed a license issued by the local secular

nious chess-player, Father Etienne Vial, the first na- authorities authorizing the marriage, and must have

tave-bom GathoUc priest (b. 1736). the marriage registered within ten days after its

The state comprises the Arehdiocese of New Orleans solemnization. Absolute divorce is permissible for the

ithe southern half), and the Diocese of Natchitoches following causes: (1) adultery; (2) condemnation to

the northern half). The ''Catholic Directory" for an infamous punishment; (3) habitual intemperance

1909 gives the following figures: 1 archbishop; 1 or cruelty of such a nature as to render living together

Ushop; 1 abbot; 181 secular and 132 regular pnests; insupportable; (4) public defamation of the other by

152 enuxches with resident priests; 212 missions, sta- husl^nd of wife; (5) desertion; (6) attempt of one