BIGOTRY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10404, 31 March 1897, Page 6

BIGOTRY.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,— he strictures of "The General" on the Ciutha Presbytery may be deserved; but, his sweeping statement—"That, apparently, in these colonies, there is far more bigotry shown by Protestants than Roman Catholics"—is mauvain gout, and at the same time hardly gospel. It is far from my thoughts to open up a discussion on this matter, but I would like to state, " so far as my memory serves me," that here, in Auckland, in ti;e days of Bishop Luck, a subscription list was preferred to the community, for the purpose of raising"enou<rhfunds to re-build St. Benedict's, or the adding a new wing to St. Patrick's, I forget which, but your_ files at the time gave full publicity to the object, A great many Protestant gentlemen and ladies subscribed, and their subscriptions were accepted. As time rolled ou a church was acquired (in Ponsonby, I believe)— I think, but that does not really matter; it was without doubt intended to be a Protestant place of worship, as your files will show. Bishop. Luck was approached by some of those Protestants who had subscribed to his object for a subscription in aid of the heretical edifice, but, lo 1 the tolerance of the head of the Roman Catholic See was exhausted ere the request was well-nigh submitted. He refused point blank, and gave reasons which even "The General" would in calm moments have thought highly intolerant. Sir, this is one case in point, and it is only quoted in order that "The General's" statement should not go without comment. The action of the Presbyterian clergyman at the Bluff, iu going on board the steamer on Saturday night to avoid the sin of breaking the Sabbath, reminds me of Hall Caine's old Dutch skipper in "The Manxman,'' who was too pious to fish for a lost anchor on the Sunday, and starting at twelve p.m. found it in a few minutes, but upon comparing the time afterwards, found his watch was twenty minutes fast!— am, etc., Supplejack.