in
complete dependence on the bishop. All the funds provided for the
secular clergy passed through his hands. If he wished to keep for the
Seminary money which ought to go to the parishes, the habitants were
helpless. It was ridiculous to pamper the Seminary at the expense of
the colonists. It was worse than ridiculous that the French themselves
should go without religious care because the Jesuits chose to give
prior attention to the souls of the savage.

{60}

Laval's argument in reply was that the time had not yet come for the
creation of parishes on a large scale. Doubtless it would prove
possible in the future to have churches and a parochial system of the
normal type. Meanwhile, in view of the general poverty it was
desirable that all the resources of the Church should be conserved. To
this end the habitants were being cared for by itinerant priests at
much less expense than would be entailed by fixing on each parish the
support of its cure.

Here, as in all these contests, a mixture of motives is evident. There
is no reason to doubt Frontenac's sincerity in stating that the
missions and the Seminary absorbed funds of the Church which would be
better employed in ministration to the settlers. At the same time, it
was for him a not unpleasant exercise to support a policy which would
have the incidental effect of narrowing the bishop's power. After some
three years of controversy the king, as usual, stepped in to settle the
matter. By an edict of May 1679 he ordained that the priests should
live in their parishes and have the free disposition of the tithes
which had been established under an order of 1667. Thus on the subject
of the {61} cures Frontenac's views were officially accepted; but his
victory was rendered more nominal than real by the unwillingness or
inability of the habitants to supply sufficient funds for the support
of a resident priesthood.

In Frontenac's dispute with the clergy over the brandy question no new
arguments were brought forward, since all the main points had been
covered already. It was an old quarrel, and there was nothing further
to do than to set forth again the opposing aspects of a very difficult
subject. Religion clashed with business, but that was not all. Upon
the prosecution of business hung the hope of building up for France a
vast empire. The Jesuits urged that the Indians were killing
themselves with brandy, which destroyed their souls and reduced them to