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A BISHOP ON SOCIALISM,

At tho conclusion of a confirmation service at Lithgow, New South Wales, recently Dr. Mercer,. Bishop of Tasmania, delivered a leoture on ' social equality. ■ Clearly, said the Bishop, it was' impossible that pooplo could be equal iu a mathematical sonse. Men had differed, would differ, and must differ if the race was to make progress, but thefe was some very real sense m which they must aim at greater social equality thaa existed at tho present, time; in fact, a social equality which should be of a spiritual character. It was said that everyone was equal before tho law; but the law was not exactly as fair as it should be, even in British,lands. A man with a big incomo engaged tb'fe best lawyers and barristers, and a poor man had to put up with anybody he could got'. He thought tho, Crown ought to' employ tho best lawyors and barristers in the community in order to defend those who cculd not pay for tlioir law. In education we wore aiming at equality, but had not yet got it. Artificial barriers iu regard to hereditary privileges wero bad. Ho. conld not see why certain children should- bo born into tho world with ovory possible advantage*, and other children born without any of these advantages, simply becauso one was born the child of a-vis-count or a lord, and the other was the ohild of a poor man. He could not seo j why tho law should not bo modified to bring about the genuine equality of opportunity, and so have tho bcGt at the top, instead of numskulls who wore simply tho born children of', privileged or titled people. There was something wrong with tho system when oiio man had more monoy than ho could reckon, whilo another had 110110. After a reforenco to snobs and snobbory, the Bishop dealt with the servant question. "A girl serving in a shop," ho said, "is called Miss, and a servant ie called Sarah or Susan. For years in my own houso I havo insisted that everybody who comos to, my house calls those who ar« geod enough to do my household work Miss, just the same as anyone else would be .called." The lecturer said ho always took off his hai to every woman, high or low.

Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19080630.2.6

Bibliographic details

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 237, 30 June 1908, Page 2

Word Count
388

A BISHOP ON SOCIALISM, Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 237, 30 June 1908, Page 2

A BISHOP ON SOCIALISM, Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 237, 30 June 1908, Page 2

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