CLOISTER AND POLITICS

Evening Star, Issue 15554, 25 July 1914, Page 2

CLOISTER AND POLITICS

A BISHOP IN A BATTLE. AN IMPRESSION. [By Abe Are.] WELLINGTON, .My 33. He has a philosophy that makes on? marvel why one should have to vote M the men who gave him the privilege tq bring from the cloister to a political court tho hammered gold of logic. That was one's first, last, and abiding impression of Bishop deary's interesting appearance before the Education Committee of the House of Representatives yesterday afternoon advance reason's why the Government should (to; paraphrase his own cold words) give short shrift to a Bill that would, if made law, rend the population of the Dominion into opposing interests. Then there was the thoroughness of the man, and after that his controlled enthusiasm for a scholarly fight—an enthusiasm which was revealed most clearly in a bright light in the eyes and & tenseness in the eager face offer* ing an easv study of its bone formation. The'flesh whittled till tho souj shone through. One saw at its best thft disciplined alertness of the cloister. It is not within my purpose or my privilege to measure tho value of his glacial logic; the ''solemn league" will attend to. that, and adequately, no doubt. But one. may speak of the learned Bishop's bearing and the momentary effect of his exhausting argu H>ut. He read for over two hours, and took it as a labor of love—as something higher than that: as a compelling duty. It is certainly doubtful whether his passionate exposition of the " controversial concealments" and ''contradictions " of the Bible-in-Schools 'League and of the reasons for the Cat hi lies' opposition to the legislative proposal for a Referendum on Religious Instructi 11 in the State Schools will appreciably affect the ultimate fate of the Dill before Parliament, but that aspect; of his share in the hitter battle does not affect the scholarly value of his efforts. Doubtless tho spirit of His Lordship's Irish anoestry is with him as a guiding force, and enables him to find pleasure in the fight. Culture may mellow a. man's individuality, but it does not weaken his spirit; that is the unchanged able heritage of man. Bo we only b«vw* a different mode of fighting—poliahed words instead of polished blackthorns thank God for the power of them."

It was clear to all sane persons that the good Bishop had com© to administer what John Galsworthy would call "a timely flogging to salvation." , His purpose was to smite, and smite hard; and occasionally in his great zeal ha showed a. spirit that (as it seemed) recalled, the polished blackthorn rathe* than the polished word. With calm, cold deliberateness he asserted that the request for the plebiscite (he would not accept the more imposing title "Referendum ") was sought by grave and persistent misrepresentation. There was a touch of sarcasm in his amusement at the fact that the league's petition from 140,000 electors for a, " Referendum " had not yet been presented to Parliament. Here, to be sure; was an Irish hint at Govern* mental favor to a mighty voting force. Thou, with disconcerting insistence, His Lordship argued that "the present system of State school education—this •"pagan,' 'barbarous.' 'atheist,' and ' morally degrading' System waa created by the direct votes of the league denominations and.fostered by the vast bulk of its clergy." And there was a note of contempt in his voice when he pointed out, in sharp . contrast against the self-sacrifice of thi Roman Catholic Church, how ' her* and there small and elect bodia* of, devoted Protestant clergy and Jas\ helpers had faithfully done what them could to bring religion and its oW«§§ influences to children in the pobuc schools." , , , , j He despised the ifl of tbepaganiwf and so on, and. noted fc a curio - & trati( that, " even since the beginning of th/ present agitation, no case had been tj corded of even one league removing his children from the ( de«oc la tine blight J of schools which they_#<*# discover to be seed-plots of 'barbarians, ■ ' heathenism,' ' atheism,' and'' degradation.' " As for the league's jMiaf the success of the fcew Sou'ti Wales system, he contended that a study of the "evidence" soon revealed what a nipekery—what a ludicrous delusion—it was as " proof "of sucwjsb. There w« no need to point out the gravity ol those various forms of em fgftuw p&l**science and of violation of God-g*v©a, rights chargeable to the IVew fouth Wales system- " The caw of rwigiOO nan never be served by denanoa of religious and religious-moraJ pnnraples In this fundamental respect the Kw . South Wale* system must be adjudged a radical failure." Unbiased men \aocepted His l*rdJiip'a splendid effort as a triumph of argument. Wh_n the cloister comes into politics, *he nun who know Hot the • *■* >ureo Of disciplined cnlturf. .