A STING FROM A VIPER.

Cromwell Argus, Volume XVII, Issue 831, 17 March 1885, Page 3

A STING FROM A VIPER.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—ln the last issue of your paper a letter appeared dated from Pembroke and signed "Philadelphia," in which we (the Catholic members of the Hawea School committee) have been grossly accused of endeavoring to prevent the Protestant section of this district from using the school-room for religious purposes. Now, we not only deny this statement, but brand the writer as a base, false, and malicious slanderer. In fact, his whole letter is a tissue of falsehoods from beginning to end. In tne first place he says that a section of. the community obtained leave to use the school for religious purposes. Now, we have been members of the school committee while such a body has been in existence in this district, and no such application has ever come before the committee for the use referred to. •' Philadelphia" goes on to say that Mr Johnson, the minister, went to conduct service in the school, and found the door looked, and a notice upon it intimating that the Hawea school committee had passed a resolution to the effect that in future religious services would not be allowed in the school. To our knowledge no such notice has ever been posted on or about the school, and certainly no such resolution has ever been passed, or even brought before the committee. Any member proposing a resolution that would convey that idea would be stigmatised by us as an intolerant bigot. "Philadelphia " next informs the public that the meeting at which the above resolution was passed was attended by one Protestant, and three Roman Catholics, the Protestant member arguing strongly againstthe resolution, but it was carried by the other three. Can he inform us who this Protestant member is ? Evidently he must be drawing on his imagination, as no such meeting ever took place. One of the three he says is chairman of the committee, and also a member of the Vincent County Council, and certainly in the nineteenth century we had a right to expect something better from him. The member of the Vincent County Council here wishes to inform " Philadelphia" that he never was chairman of the Hawea school committee, and holds no office in the present one. He would also wish to impress on " Philadelphia " that he can always expect feeling and respect for the character of his neighbors from him, no matter what their religious convictions may be, not slander and defamation as set forth in his epistle. " Philadelphia" goes so far as to advise ns to get a boy of the second class to repeat for us the Golden rule. Little did he think when he was cutting the rod, that he would get a thrashing himself. We will simply refer him to the same little boy, and ask him to listen while he reads a word or two on truth,— " For truth both gentle ia and brave, But falsehood is a coward knave, Who vainly tries his faults to screen • By lying words, most base and mean. We invite " Philadelphia " and his friends (if he has any) to examine the minute-book of the Hawea School Committee as to our actions m connection with that body since its formation, and challenge them to find anything therein that could be construed in any way tending to hurt the feelings of our neighbors in their religious convictions or otherwise. They will also find —if so disposed—that we were nearly always in the majority so far as attendance was concerned, aud yet this viper wishes his malicious slander to be circulated through the length and breadth of Christendom. In conclusion, we would ask " Philadelphia," if he has any spark of honor or honesty, to retract the false statements contained in his epistle, though that cannot be expected from a person capable of writing such a letter, as he must have known when sending it to Press that he was giving the he a start and the truth would hardly overtake it. We would also ask that when he next rushes into print for the purpose of slandering his neighbors' characters, to have the courage to subscribe his name and not to try and shelter himself behind an assumed one.—We are, etc., Thos. F. Frewen John Fox John M'Carthy. Hawea Flat, March 7th, 1885.