SHOULD CLERGYMEN PAY RATES ?

Evening Post, Volume XIII, Issue 38, 15 February 1876, Page 2

SHOULD CLERGYMEN PAY RATES ?

TO THE EDITOR OF THE EVENIKQ POST. Sir, — Permit me once more' to trespass on your valuable ?pace for the purpose of replviug to the letter of " Vindex." Of course, nothing whatever can justify the use of intemperate language, and if that in which my former letter was couched (which, to say the least ofjit, was more forcible than polite) has given offence to "Vindex", or toanvoneelse, I cheerfully make the amende honorable; my excuse must be, " When a man gets riled he is sure to hit'wOd," and I must admit I was just a leetle bit riJed on that occasion. The information imparted %• "Viudex," that "Clergymen are oppressed by the State in every possible way," would have been more instructive had he supplemented it by informing us how they are oppressed. Is it in being exempt from paying rates, and from serving on juries, and a few other like acts of oppression. A cl<rjryman i 3 a citizen, and enjoys a citizen's rights" and privileges, and I maintain should beard, potation of his burthens also, and not enjoy the sweets whilst he is exempt from the sours — simply because he is a clergyman. "Vindex" leaves my position entirely unassniled — he does not give* us even the ghost of a reason why clergymen should not pay rates as well as other people The most charitable view to take of tße parting sneer at Bill Jones and his confreres, perhaps, will be that " Vindex " when he penned this was himself just a " leetle bit riled." hfoe class that is represented by -Bill Jones is really the bone and sinew of the country — the producers, the working bees of the hive, not the

drones: in fact, did our population oonsbt entirely of the Bill Jones' we could poasibly makeavery good shift to get along j but did they consist entirely of clergymen, I scarcely think our position would be nearly so , comf^; able, for however enjoyable a good sermon may be when receeived upon a lull s*"™**; when the want of, the inward man comes mto