ROMAN CATHOLIC AND FRIENDLY SOCIETIES.

Press, Volume XLVI, Issue 7421, 21 September 1889, Page 5

ROMAN CATHOLIC AND FRIENDLY SOCIETIES.

CARDIKAB MORAN?S IVTEWS CR-THHSi-D, WHAT THE iilJ_-BERS OP SdMeTIES '~.■'. ,v ■ SAY. ; .- ~. .". '■"• ■> _____ ' -"' *■ ''* * ■'Recently we republished from • the Sydney Daily Telegrapheome sweeping remarks made by Cardinal Moran in relation to Friendly Societies, and to the attitude which his Church holds in regard to them. The Cardinal's remarks attracted a good deal of attention.especially among member" pf Friendly Societies In Sydney, and the Telegraph followed up the matter by interviewing prominent representatives ot the various orders. We reprlnc below* the substance of the criticisms (.passed on Cardinal Moran's statements:— , AN ODDFELLOW OF THIRTY-FOUR YEARS' STANDING. . j Mr Alex. Kethel, of Market Wharf, was the first to be Interviewed on the subject, " Neither religious nor political matters are allowed to be discussed in the lodges of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows',*'

said Mr Ketliel. "Yes, I Rhould know something about it. for I have been an Oddfellow for tnirty-foivr years, and daring that time have held the offices of Chief Sacretary, Deputy Grand Master, and Grand Master Qf the Order. For twenty years I was a member of the Executive in New South Wales, and I can say -without fear bf denial that in every Lodge polities and religion are entirely excluded. Members of any denomination" can take pfirt 1n the proceedings ot jOJufellowship without ill any way interfering with their religious scruples. I may say that among those who have been most industrious in furthering Oddfellowship in the paeb have been" many Catholics. In fact our Society is a Catholic Society ia the widest interpretation of the term. In reference to this Mr Collins, who is said to have written to Cardinal Moran on the subject of approval of the Order, 1 1 know BQtning of it, but; I do know that it is more than any member of the Manchester Unity would dare to dOiSbn his own responsibility, and I never heard of his being authorised. We are certainly not a secret Society. The only thing secret i 9 the password, and, of course, it is necessary to keep that secret to prevent Imposition. Members travelling are given a password that introduces them to, any district, and, as anyone can see, it Is necessary to keep this secret,. $6 tbjit lodges may be satisfied of the bonafiaes of the. visiting member. This is all the secrecy there is, if that can be called secrecy, and I Jiardly think it can. at least not in the objectionable

sense implied. -k,!The so-called v religious service is%ive_y simple matter, aud can be read in five minutes., ,It-,is entirely and altogether unsectarlah, and, ,in dealing with tl-jf death of the brother over whom It is read/Inculcates s lesson of general piety and resignation. -Veinbodies no religions-dogma whatever, 'and can be read by a [clergyman of any denomination without violation of his religious scruples. I have known instance where the families of Catholic memberahave specially requested that this short service should be read over the deceased, but have desisted at the wish of < the officiating priest. If the service is desired by relatives it is read, but if there is any objection raised it is not persisted in. Catholics, would certainly be placed at a dlaadvantagectlf compelled to transfer themselves from, the Oddfellows' Societies to one of the private societies alluded to by the Cardinal* <Of these latter there are only, branches here -and there, In the principal centres.whereaa there are Lodges of Oddfellows every, where. A member of one of these'private Societies spoken of by the dardlual would, if he transferred, himself ri'fo .a district where there was no branch, fib-d that his connection with the Society, was : -profitless. On the other hand, a member of the Oddfellows could be transferred anywhere and need not'find, himself thrown ont of his Society after being in jb for a number of years. It had also, bean broadly stated that these Societies alluded to by the Cardinal have nob been bo wall managed as they might have been, and that cannot), be urged against the Oddfellows' Society, Into which the fullest scrutiny may without fear, be invited. As a consistent Christian and'a member of another branch qf the Christian Church, I say that there is nothing in the constitution or practice of Oddfellowahfp to prevent the most devout member of any denomination from being.a fnll and -active member of our Society.. Oq. the contrary, all its works tend to tbe aid* vancement of the highest Christian principles, namely, brotherly love, benavo_ence, and self-denial. As to our singing Wesleyan hymns and saying Wesleyan •prayers,; it' is entirely Incorrect.; Neither •prayers nor hymns, Wesleyan or otherwise, are used in opening or dosing: an Oddfellows' Lodge, or during the proceedings. It is quite a misstatement so we are concerned. ■•-■■ - COMBINED TESTIMONY OF ODDFELLOWS. The three Grand the different constitutions of Oddfellows havinz branches in this colony were Interviewed together. Mr E. Schofleld, Grand Secretary of the Manchester Unity of Oddfellows, Mr J. A. M'Cubbln, Grand Secretary of the Grand United Order oPOadfellows, and MrH. H. Greene. Grand Secretary of the L0.0.F, American ■Constitution, were the gentlemen Bpomsti to on the matter, and they were unaniruou's in their denial of the various .statements . made by Cardinal J-toxan-. ikp, reference to their Order. In all three constitutions .members upon InltLaAifltwere distinctly, given; to understand that discussion of religious .tophs woold on : no account be ■<■'. toleracnd. Neither Wesleyan nor any other wdescription of hymns or prayers werei «AKi in any of the Lodges, and in eaeh<it-_B funeral service was declared by theSefiretaries to be quite unsectarian. Moreover, this service; of ritual was never used except by request. They had never hej-rd of inconvenience at funerals arising. a«£ of the reading of this service, wblote yvrea read by consent of, the officiating minisW4. There was no secrecy in any of the Lodges, except in the:matter of the pas_---_"*dir''B"_ explained by Mr KetheL . ... =>A.ll rf , WHAT THE DRUIDS' J; 1 "Decidedly incorrect," was the o)smtm of Mr J. H. Peat, Grand Secretary ,Of wp United Ancient Order of Druids, "whp If also Secretary of the Friendly Association. "No Wesleyan prayew.lQP •hymns, or any others, are used 'w Jh& Druids' Lodges, and weforbidthe IhtKiade* tion of religion or politics. Oh, yes, we have a funeral service which we, read over a departed brother, but it is entirely unsectarian. It is simply a moral oration and is not intended to be religion, a* s""!-. If relatives, of a deceased brother do hot wish it the servfee is hot read. But asa matter of fact there is nothing in:-the service that any member of any- <den'6___nattonican take exception to." '-■•} ,"' tH -'l E-ROM A FORESTER'S B&X^jf^ .'■ '■: '. view.. ■;•; ' ::,'YYrY ; ' Mr W. 0. Fox, District said—?* The Cardinal's remarks :• in -jrsjerence to the Foresters are quite nnjjwt*flable and arc not, borne out by facts. We are not ,a secret ; society. t We havf the password, grip, and sign, bnt, the possession of these can hardly brand us as a secret society in the accepted meaning of the term. NO one who knows,.anything about us would think of designating the Foresters a secret society. No, we don't sing Wesleyan hymns or.-«ay WeSleyah prayers. We $oh?t mna hymns of any kind and prayers Vv° hot form part of bur proceedings. There is nothing in the Foresters'funeral service to;which anyone could take s exception. We have a great many CathbHe members. I remember a somewhat similar ukase to this, if I may term It a t*kasß, which was Issued about eight or nihe years ago, but I don't think It had any very noticeable effect. I may say in regard tb'thi-t service,, it is never read without the -permission of the presiding minister, whoever he may be. The Foresters axe quite ah unsectarian body." ;: THE TEMPERANCE VIBW. Mr G. D. Clarke, Grand Electoral Superintendent of tee Independent: Order of Good Templars, said their Order could not be designated a religious body. True they sang; but they sang unsectarian temperance songs,. which were quite distinct from Wesleyan hymns.' Tney had prayers also, bat they were likewise ansectarian. The only thing secret - About about their Lodges was the password, and that could not be held to count in a charge of; being a secret Society when backed up by nothing else. The Order was decidedly unsectarian. "We simply fight diink,** said Mr Clarke, " and wo have helped many men out of the gutter and into good positions, and not a few of these have been Catholics. We have a number of Catholic members;.and several nave held prominent positions on sxiA'm the mission field. Th© :&&s£_.. plar funeral service might Stybody, whether Presbyterian is, likethe prayeta A »»i3v