THE PROTESTANT ASSOCIATION.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16895, 6 July 1918, Page 9

THE PROTESTANT ASSOCIATION.

Sir.-Tho letters of the Rev. Mr. Mason and others imply a charge against the association of which I have the honour to be president of carrying on their work with a view to the discussion of sectarian i?'.ues. With the intention of finally refuting any such charge, either implied or otherwise, I would ask space to icply to the letters mentioned. We willingly concede to Mr. Mason the right to hold his opinion regarding, the advisability of restraining Protestant political activities in this time of the nation's distress, and assure him that no member of the Protestant Political Association would desire to do anything that would hinder the national efforts to carry the war to a. successful conclusion. Ours is a loyal association, and no evidence exists to show it otherwise. He overlooks, however, the fact that it was brought into being because of the efforts of a sectarian organisation to press claims and operations distinctly agains'i the national well-being, and inimical to the national prosecution of the war. These matters, and not religious controversy, engage the attention of the P.P.A., and nothing more clearly shows the effective check it has imposed on such anti-national effort* than the persistent attempts to divert the public mind from the true issues by laying against it the charge of religious bigotry. Our attention is given wholly "to the civic aggressions already made, and being attempted, upon our national education system ; the over-riding of New Zealand law, and against a system .which injures our civic unity. This is a citizens' question quite apart from any form of religion. If, in our endeavour to "safeguard the State against tho aggressions of sectarian interests" we are to go forward without the assistance of Mr. Mason and those who will not see this view, we shall regret the restricted outlook, but must still keep before us as a worthy objective the conservation of our and their civic rights. J. Slingsby Reekie, President of _ the Auckland - Protestant Political Association.

Sir,-Tho letter of Father Cahill's, which appeared in the Herald on Thursday, calls for immediate comment. Most emphatically do I deny the two charges it appears to imply. In the first place, the P.P.A. does not attack the religious beliefs of Roman Catholics. The Roman Catholic has as much right to his beliefs as a Protestant, and that is conceded in our motto, " Equal rights for all." The pulpit is justified in dealing with religious teaching, but it does not lie within the province of a Political Association to do so. In the next place, we are no* attacking the characters of Roman Catholic priests or nuns. A campaign ot calumny would be utterly abhorrent to me and to every member of the association I know. Personally, I havo neither uttered nor heard a word from our platform that .has reflected upon the honour of a New Zealand priest or nun. The pain caused by the one regrettable reference which I can recall, and to which Father Cahill's letter refers, we all deplore, and Mr. Elliott has publicly expressed apology and regret.

H. Knowlks Kempton.