Page:SermonsFromTheLatins.djvu/301

 arts and  sciences — with  no  man  sure  of  his  possessions, even  for  a  day  and,  therefore,  all  grown  careless in  the  industrial  pursuits — with  the  very would-be reformers  themselves  turned  into  the  most merciless oppressors  of  the  poor — in  a  word,  it  would find itself  surrounded  by  all  the  horrors  and  all  the unspeakable miseries  of  the  French  Commune.

Now, while  the  Church  thus  exhorts  the  poor  to bear  their  miseries  with  Christian  patience  and  fortitude, she  does  not  forget  to  remind  the  rich  of  their duties in  relieving  those  miseries. First, she  teaches that there  may  arise  circumstances  under  which  one may take  and  use  the  property  of  another  without breaking the  seventh  commandment. Suppose one of those  unfortunates  whom  we  call  tramps — but who, poor  fellows,  very  often  deserve  a  better  name — suppose one  of  them  should  find  himself  an  outcast, friendless  and  alone,  dying  of  hunger  with  no hope  of  relief. If that  man  can  only  drag  himself  to the  nearest  bakeshop,  he  is  allowed  to  take  as  much as will  relieve  his  present  necessity,  and  if  the  owner objects he  commits  a  sin. Oh, but,  you  say,  the  vagrant steals  what  he  takes! No, for  theft  is  the taking of  what  belongs  to  another  against  his  knowledge and  reasonable  consent. Now, I  say,  it  is  unreasonable to  deny  a  man  dying  of  hunger  the  morsel  he craves,  and  so  if  the  outcast  takes  it  he  commits  no theft,  but  the  baker,  if  he  prevents  him,  is  guilty  of sin. Again, suppose  the  city  or  the  whole  country to be  visited  by  a  famine,  and  imagine  that  a  dozen men or  so  have  plenty  of  provisions  stored  up  for  a