Abuse always stirs up to revolt the sound, enlightened, intelligent portion of a people.

This inevitably weakens faith, and the weakening of a true religion is far more lamentable than of a false one.

This kind of spoliation, and popular enlightenment, are always in an inverse ratio to one another, for it is in the nature of abuses to go as far as possible.
Not that pure and devoted priests cannot be found in the midst of the most ignorant population, but how can the knave be prevented from donning the cassock and nursing the ambitious hope of wearing the mitre?
Despoilers obey the Malthusian law; they multiply with the means of existence, and the means of existence of knaves is the credulity of their dupes.

Turn whichever way you please, you always find the need of an enlightened public opinion.

There is no other cure-all.
Another species of spoliation is _commercial fraud_, a term which seems to me too limited because the tradesman who changes his weights and measures is not alone culpable, but also the physician who receives a fee for evil counsel, the lawyer who provokes litigation, etc.