LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1648, 15 January 1913, Page 8

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

BISHOP CLEARY'S ACCUSAT.ION.

Sir,—Bishop Cleary, the Roman .Catholic Bishop of Auckland, wno is' recognised as tho leader of tho opposition against our movement, brought mi ac-' cusation of dishbnourablo'.coriuuc.t against the' leaders 'of tho' Bible-in-State-Schools League; one which, if true, should have been followed by their retirement in disgrace and discredit lrom all public life. In a'pamphlet issued by the league, tho Director of Education, Tasmania,' was quoted as saying—

"So far as 1 can' ascertain, no difficulty, arose from tho system . adopted in' 1868. The system existing •' in Tasmania is regarded by all denominations as a riuppy to the religious, difficulty." - .'. --.

Under date November 12 last, Bishop Cleary printed and published ttioi'oHowiug statement— . .; ""- "From information received • from Tasmania, it appears that tho Director of Education there;' Mr. Neale, never mado tho foolish statement at- ' tributed to him; Whether the remaining three wrote as asserted; I know not." . ,' ~■' '■ . '-, ' In a sermon preached at his rathedral at an earlier date, tho Bishop e? pressed himself in soinewnat similar terms. In other quarters, I believe, he also indusr triously circulated the same charge. The accusation amounted to; one of forgery, and that,of the grossest possible kind, deliberately, intended to mislead the public. The accusation also suggested that this was'not the only case of forgery, but that there were others in addition. Could a more serious, charge ba brought against men leading. a'public movement? •' -'.'-.'-'■ ! ■".'"■ '/.;

Tho day after Bishop; Cleary's printed statement appeared, 1 publicly -repudiated the accusation, producing in'.a public gathering tho original : i of tho Tasmhninn statemrtit; an incident • duly reported in the press. I repeated'the repudiation in.the Bishop's cathedral city of Auckland on. December' 9, again pro-: ducing the original document for I ' public examination, d had the-'hope rliat-tliis would have.led to the publication of tho "information received'' by 'BisliopjCloary; or to a diroct' inquiry .from him,to me; when, with pleasure;;'. I / would - have met him; and produced the original;'or to his acceptance -of my - statement thus publicly made. • My ; . hope 'prove)d None of these, reasonable- course^.: was adopted by the Bishop;.'" 'V' .',' V" On December 2 a cablegram was'dis- ■ patched by' the present Director of Education, - Tasmania,. to •., Bishop '.Cloary, which showed, that the "dbcuMenf alleged to be forged was genuine and authentic. Tho following day tho Director; of'Educa'tion sent tho'.B.ishop a;copy not only of ;Cominuhicati6n' addressed .to me, containing the then Director'S HpP'nion, but also' sent' him • an- earlier communication not hitherto published,-/from the same Director;' addressed to the Education' Department, ■' Brisbane, both' of which contained a statement'-.which-' had been published in our -pamphlet. '"■ It would' have 'been : thought' that Bishop Cleary, having'-inndp such a serious, .'accusation" against' his brother bishops of another communion, the' Moderator of the Presbyterian ' Church, the president of tho Methodist"■ Church, the Commissioiaer of the Salvation; Army, and tho leading ministers,' andlayiiien of these' churches,in New' Zealand combined, in tho league, would' have hastened/ alter the above'conclusive-', proofs, to let the truth bo .known. • Moreover, his accusation involved the archbishops and bishops, the moderators and presidents, and the leading ministers and laymen of churches in. Australia which "had/published . the same statement'. .Nothing, However, was done."by Bishop "Cleary'.-' to make, "known, the truth; notwithstanding tho fact that ho continued to make, pronouncements against the league, notably tin, the, Wellington Town Hall'on December 13., Also subsequently in his own'cathedral-ho attacked th'3,ieague, ,but,nofc : iOne j v;prd,.'\vas uttered by" tho .bishupr&tk>Utf;thu;Vtiible- ; gram or;;letter ho'had' ! rCceived,';'credrihg our character from: his baseless charge'of forgery. - .■ On Januaiy i 3 the' Rav. Isaac Jolly, who. regarded his honour,as involved by the Bishop's;accUsationi'published a copy of the .letter .'addressed, to Bishop Cleary by the Director/ of Education oh-Dccembor 3;' .Then;" and not till then, did Bishop Cleary make-known: tho fact that he knew'his chargo" to bo false, and then, in the'course': of-'-a long letter dealing., with' other points, he merely inserted an ingenious, if not ingenuous '■-.:■",'

"The present Director now definitely states in his letter to my friend, the Rev. .Mr. * Jolly, that t'ho-cxtra-

ordinary statement quoted abovCwas written by his-predecessor, and bigncd by his secretary. This;quite, sets at rest the question of disposes of what seemed to some'people in Tasmania to "bo ground for understanding that the statement,' in question was not a forgery,", but. the declaration of its sender 0n1y."..

■■. I have had public controversy on our movement with H-oman; Catholic 'bishopsbefore, but this is the iifst time:l'have had .such an/unhappy experience.' It saddens mo to think-.that oho whom I recognise as a Christian- Bishop, -'whom 1 looked'upon at least as able.land .clever, should yiot only make this .'accusation, < but also should for 6ho ; ' singlo < .minute wittingly withhold the refutation,' of it . <which ho had received from'tho official source of tho original statement. Had Bishop Cleary at onco'lnade known the fact that he had rcceived'the refutation, I 'should, have been only; too eager to accept' his' 'apology, and an expression of regret at his blunder. '■ I dq:notj r ihtond to'make" any severe Comment upon' his conduct, which so sufficiently, condemns itself that it becomes a matter of, much more concern to him. than,': to'-.ine.'- It would, Jiowever, interest'nio very.much, to know whether those allies though not .members',. of bis'.owri / communion, yet ,'aro' supporting 1 - liiiii, are, proud of their leader—l'am, etc.,*' ■ ■ DAVID J.'GARLAND, Organising. Secretary. Dominion Executive Offico, Wellington, January. 14, 1913. :