ON THINGS IN GENERAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10404, 31 March 1897, Page 3

ON THINGS IN GENERAL.

BIGOTRY.

A correspondent in another column takes to task bhe statement of the "General" in his last week's effusion to the effect that "Apparently in these colonies there is far more bigotry shown by Protestants than Roman Catholic?," and ho gives an illustration in support of his views. The occasion of the statemenb was the incident of the Clutha Presbytery, endeavouring to stop a particular Sunday train, because it was to run " in connection with the opening of the Catholic Church at Owaka." Now, before discussing tho merits of the case let me ask, wonld'tho Roman Catholics of Auckland bestir themselves to stop the running of a train on Sunday, because of its carrying worshippers to tho""oponine of a Protestant Church at Otahuhu ?" I say without any hesitation tlioy would not, and as one fact is worth a dozen theories I would be content to loare the question at that. What i? bigotry and what i 9 not bigotry in the abstract is beside the question fbut the intolerance which interferes with the freedom of action of another denomination in the exercise of its religious duties, is the class of aggressive bigotry which tho writer of these notes condemned. There is no contention, of course, that Roman Catholics do not firmly and unflinchingly hold by their tenets of belief. It is their duty to do so quite as much as it is the duty ol Protestants to bo unflinching in their adherence to Protestant belief, and latitudinarianism in neither ia to bo considored as particularly meritorious. Bub when ii comes to interfering tho one with the other, I unhesitatingly repeat that in these colonies Protestants are more addicted than Roman Catholics to jealousy of religious movements in the opposite camp, and are mo-e nggrossive in resenting them. Take as illustration tho case of the Salvation Army and its street demonstrations. Could anything be more conciliatory than the attitude of the Roman Catholics towards this, a distinctly Protestant manifestation in the public streets ? WHAT IS IT ? Now what is bigotry ? The best authority I can find describes it as " obstinate and unreasoning attachment to one's own beliefs and opinions, with narrow-minded intolerance of beliefs opposed to thorn." It will be readily noticed that " intolerance" is of the essence ot the quality here described, and it was only 0:1 this "aggressive intolerance in tho Clutha Presbytery that comment was mado when thaS body sought to bring the strong arm of the law to bear, so as to prevent those worshippers from attending the opening of their new church. There was no censure on tho Presbytery for holding by its " own belief and opinions," however "obstinate and unreasoning" or otherwise it might be in doing so, but when it stepped out of its way to an act oi aggressive intolerance, then should its action be condumnod by the libeity-lovin" spirit of colonial life. Coining, then, to the case cited by the correspondent, I fail toseo where tho spirit of aggressive intolerance was shown. If certain Protestants contributed to the building of a Roman Catholic church, they did so, we may assume, because they believed it to bo proper to do so. They had probably no conscientious views that in doing so they woio doing |\vrong. If they had and yefc gave, then it was "a wrongful and dishonorable act on their part. If they had attempted to throw down the walls of the Church it would have been aggreeeivs intolerance; but if they had morely withheld their donations there would have been neither bigotry nor intolerance in tho act. If, on tho other hand, they gave in the expectation or the hope that they would be given to in roturn, on tho Biemarckian principle, Do nt dis, they were nob warranted in assuming a bargain that had nob been struck. Again, if the Bishop refused a donation for the building of a Protestant Church, it may be assumed thab, according to the tenets of his belief, he conscientiously felt he would be doing wrong in so giving. Bub he did nob attempt to tear down the walls of the new church. He simply doclincd to contribute, which ho was perfectly warranted in doing if he believed it to bo wrong ; and I fail to see anything in this that was " highly intolerant." Conscienmaintenance of one's own church is nob bigotry or intolerance, and conscientious refusal to support another church is not intolerance ; but if churches begin to claw at one another's faces, or act as these Clutha Presbyters did when they tried to prevent tho Catholics going to the opening of their new church, then we have a manifestation of bigotry that violates tho spirit of colonial life. But while repeating the assertion thab in those colonies Protestants are more aggressively bigoted 'than Roman Catholics, I assert, from extensive experience, that there is not in all the colonies another place where Protestants and Rouiat; Catholics are so kindly and frank and concb liatory in their bearing towards one another as in the city of Auckland.

AN ASSISTANT TEACHER. Ib is interesting no doubt to know that there were 107 applicants in London for the position of as3istanb master in the Auckland College and Grammar School, and that five of them selected from the crowd, and sitting all in a row, subjected themselves submissively to the keen scrutiny of the gentlemen in the AgentGeneral'e office, who held their fate in thoir hands, Ib is always pleasant to see our posts are of sufficient importance to excite the interest of people far away, but can anyone give a rational ground for such a proceeding as sending sixteen thousand miles away to England to procure an assistant master for one of our schools ? Is this the result of some quarter of a century and more of our boasted educational system", that they are nob yet able to turn out a man capable of taking the comparatively humble position of assistant teacher in one of our secondary schools ? Is ib really from any deficiency in the results of our educational machinery, or is it merely in that spirit of contemptible snobbery which even at this period of our advancement affects to think thab there can be nothing good unless it comes from England ? Looked at in any way you will, this is a deplorable state of things, and the public may well arise indignantly and demand why id should be. Aro we to suppose that among all the graduates thab have been passed out of the New Zealand University, among all the teachers who havoqualified for (heir positions, thore is not one competent to assist in teaching the pupils of tho Grammar School? And if such an ono is to be found, what kind of encouragement is this to our young men to devote themselves to the higher studies if the best prizes are thus flung away to be scrambled for by an unknown crowd of candidates, whose only essential qualification appears to be thac they rau6t not be New Zealanders ? The thin" is such an outrage not only on common sense, but on the rights of the colonists that it should be known who is the genius in the management) of this institution that suggests it and can induco his colleagues to consent to such a preposterous course. It ie utterly inconceivable that such a thing can have any justification except in that silly sense of colonial deficiency, which should bo reeented by everyone thab has a scintilla of spirit of pride in the colony; and one cannot but wonder what our native-born New Zealanders can be thinking of when they allow such an impertinent slur to be cast on the country. THE WEAKER SEX.

It was a daring thing for any man to try to get a separation order in New Zealand againsb his wife, on the grounds of her "persistent cruelty." Ib was "carrying the war into Africa," bub tho suitor must have had bub a poor appreciation of tin spirit of the times if he thought that flinging a boiling eaucepau at him or tearing his shirt or any other little playfulness of the sort constituted any legitimate grounds for his seeking the protection of the courts. Woman is the weaker veisel to be sure, but sometimes it has the stronger spirit in it, and if a man has got his hands tied by the law, and her hands as well as her tongue are free, ho is in a hard case. If he flings a saucepan, at her, or tears her—well, her bodice—he' will catch it, sure; be bound over to keep the peace, to make a provision for her, and be generally taughb thab he is in a country where the gray mare 13 the better horse. It is not often thab our poor sex makes complaint of persistent cruelty ab the hands of. woman, and seeks to escape from its sufferings in the peaceful and orderly way of the Courts. But, soouer or later, the worm will turn, and we aro coming; w the time when ib will be necessary te consider the position, and found an " Association for the Protection of Man." ,\ . The Qen£baii'