THE ORANGE DEMONSTRATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIII, Issue 7786, 4 November 1886, Page 3

THE ORANGE DEMONSTRATION.

TO THE EDITOR. Sib,—lt is to be hoped that the Orange party in this city will not be successful is their efforts in obtaining any respectable Protestant clergyman to preach the sermon they so much long to hear anent Guy Fawkes on the sth of this month. Why this institution will persist in their determination to make a demonstration on this day is a mystery which no one with a grain of common sense can find out. At first it was thought by many that the secretary for that body, when he wrote to the Bishop, had got his ideas a little mixed up, probably by the recent eruption of Tarawera, or the appearance of the "saurian monster" in the Waikato, or Captain Edwin's last electric storm. As the Bishop very rightly pointed out, in his refuaal to lend his aid to any suoh childish and senseless scheme, it would be an insult to the feelings of our neighbours who happen to belong to the Catholio religion, and who, at least in this part of the world, are just as loyal subjeots as the Orange party. Have not many hundreds of Catholics fought with equal bravery as the Protestants in almost every campaign Great Britain has been engaged in since the day of Guy Fawkee ? It is a pity that these party demonstrations, which have no political significance, should be perpetuated, when their only object seems to be to cause ill-will between two parties who are living peaceably together. We shall no doubt be reminded of this plot for ever by the youngsters of both sides, who no donbt will make use of a liberal amount of crackers and fireworks, but beyond this the matter should not go; or else before long we may have a repetition of those disgraceful riots which lately have been taking place in a certain part of the British Islen, and where many women, and even children, have been shot down. The Orange institution is a good and gre»t one, has done good work in the past, aud may do so again in the future, but I cannot think that a childish demonstration of this sort will do their cause any good. It is sincerely to be hoped that in these lands beneath the Southern Cross the orange and green will be blended together for the future as they have been in the past, and that the members of all Christian denominations will oontinue to live in peace and harmony with each other. —I am, &c, Lalla Kookh. Auckland, November 1, 18S6.