CATHOLIC CENSORSHIP.

NZ Truth, Issue 406, 5 April 1913, Page 7

CATHOLIC CENSORSHIP.

"THE MONK Ai THE WOMAN" PUBLIOY BANNED WHAT IS WRONG WITH "THE WOMAN THOU GAYEST ME"? Drama to be Denounced— Literature to be Leg-ironed— The "New Zealand Times " Backs Down.

If "Truth" is not mistaking the. temper W the Roman Catholic clergy of the Dominion, turbulent times are threatening. In much the same fashion as the Cardinal of Eheims, the good Fathers are calling lor '■ their candles, their bells, and their books, and are proposing, m holy anger end /pious' grief, not: to • curse ; some rascalfy jackdaw who hopped off with the Cardinal's ring, but some "licentious" literature and "disgusting" drama, the effect of which is calculated: to undermine the faith and turn away from Mother Church all good and true Holy Koman Catholics.: Just how touring New Zealand is the^George Marlow Dramatic Company, the trump card of which is eoige weird bellowdrama, the catchy title ■ efj^hich is . - MqNK. AND THE- WOMAN." ■•Tnith'' has not yet witnessed a performance of ..this, modern -"mellow"' drama, but from, what it has gathered it .appears that 'the woman plays the very devil with ■ gome poor weak anchorite, or, it is just possible that it is the; monk who plays /■the devil with the woman. Whatever the plot and the sequel of this highly in- ' tensified and finished dramatic produc- ; tidn, the, ban of Mother Church, has been placed on it, for did ' not V Archbishop Kelly, of Sydney,' denounce the highlyflavored production, and by so doing gave the "drammer" just ':the sort of advertisement' that a grateful management desired. Ever since Archbishop Kelly's stern denunciation. of "The Monk and the Woman" it , has gone big, and because thef various "unfortunate and possibiy indelicate situations' were grossly insulting, or held to be grossly insulting, to ' the Koman Catholic Church; it has since been' favored by the. patronage, of wonderful, monkey-faced Wowserism, "Hell, Oh, Hell". .Lodges, etc., .etc.''; who, naturally, have found nothing to the production ■which is not elevating, ; true to life, and, generally of a character which draws the stage nearer to the Church. Still, notwithstanding Archbishop Kelly's denunciation m; Sydney bf "The Monk and the Woman," the clergy of New Zealand have not ifpllowed suit 'Possibly it has been recognised, that^ to publicly damn, a theatrical ■production is .the best advertisement that possibly could be; given it. Par-, ticulariy d~oes. this 1 'apply to Wellington, Which has not forgotten and is not likely ■ to.) forget,; the 'egregrious asses which Dr. ••Jim" Glbb and the nagging 'Jay .■ Jay North .made of -themselves when, from ' .'. their respective platforms or pulpits, '■'.■' "■ THEY DAMNED AND BLASTED " ■The Girl Prom Rector's" as a production of .Old -Nick himself, •••and put actormanager Hugh Ward on the high, road to fortune, and for . Wellington got the Children's, Hospital.. Truly,' !Gibb and ; North made a hash of things. As a.result of the denunciation of the wickedness of "The .Girl From. Rector's," everybody of Wgh ana low degree 'evinced, an 'unsatisfying • curiosity to fco. ,and .see ,fpr themselves, whether "The Girl" was 'as red as she was painted. { ; '" ;' Circumstances, however, are combining which suggests to "Truth" the possibility of the Roman Catholic clergy not only publicly from their ■ pulpits denouncing the theatrical production "The Monk and ■'■ the Woman," but'also= to put on the Index, Hali-Caine's latest, literary creation *The Woman. Thbu Gayest Me." There Is no connection between the 'dramatic production m question and Hall Caine's latest novel. What; no doubt, ■ the Cath-olics-clergy will complain'of is that both drag the Church, through its Fathers and; the Nuns, into' the mire, and the right of the Holy Fathers: in, warning the faithful against witnessing such a drama or readIng such literature cannot be- denied, though, 4 of course, it will have; to oe admitted that both drama' and book will get & thundering big advertisement, which, of course, .will suit the theatrical people and the publishers of Hall Caine's novel. Hall Caine's novel, "The Woman Thou Gayest Me," has not. yet been, "'Truth" understands, published In book form. At present I© His running' as a " serial m, the Hearst American Magazine In New York, and- the, "Southland Times" also is running a couple of ' Chapters per week, while the Wemngton "New Zealand Times" announced during the week its intention of publishing, the story,, which ."Truth" need hardly remark is likel y . to" prove one of Hall Caine's greatest hits: Apparently, however, the "N.Z. Times" management re-considered the decision to publish the story, as yesterday . (Friday)-; the statement appeared that "it appears that the rights have also been acquired by other newspapers - circulating m this: district and is being published at the present time," and that, therefore, it had been decided to publish another story. Already, the organ of Catholicism m New Zealand, the "New Zealand Tablet," has CENSORED AND CENSURED, the .publication, and from what "Truth" can gather the for ewards. of warning to Catholic parents issued 'by the "Tablet" are likely to be thunderously echoed from Catholic pulpits all over New Zealand, particularly if that piebald organ, trie "New' Zealand Times," had not 'backed down and refrained from publishing a story which is calculated to give rank offence to all decent, clean-minded and even liberal. Roman Catholics. Though the writer has not read the whole fctory. he has the following to say of it:— We have only had. the opportunity' of reading a few disconnected chapters, ' but these are sufficient to show that, from the- Catholic point of view, the story is distinctly objectionable. In the first part of the story we have presented to us, as the central characters J In the plot, an Irish Catholic parent, the .Reverend Mother of a convent, a Catholic Bishop, and the Vatican itself, all In. a conspiracy to force a young Catholic girl, against her will and inclination, to marry a young lord who is Immensely wealthy, but who is a Protestant and a roue. The absurdity of .this picture, when the echoes of Ne Temere are still heard m the land, is patent to all. What will bq said when the whole plot and story' aro unfolded "Truth" dare not venture to think. However, It is not "Truth's" province to anticipate anything which the Holy Fathers of the Church may say or do concerning "The Woman Thou Gayest Me." Moreover, "Truth's" opinion of the book In question is of no moment. It is a strong story, and, judged by a New Zealand standard, a Wowser standard which would leg- iron llteraturo of any kind, it Js not at all impossible that, apart from the Roman' Catholic opinion of the book, the average diseased-niinded Wowser would condemn Hall Came as being "indecent, Immoral^ or obscene." Ho "•might," "Truth" says advisedly, because, on. thoother band, as the Catholic clergy are againsfi the book be-

cause it offends Roman Catholic taste, or the taste of the R.C. clergy, the average Wowser might incline to the opinion that Hall Caine.fias rendered a useful service, particularly as the Pope himself is introduced, hot to say anything of "exposures" of convent life and the. fact that a : priest kisses a nun, who' subsequently attends to him when he Is ill and prays to the "Father of all mankind" to "forgive all sinners who repent of their sins," and who then" breaks down. Possibly to the mind of all Wowsers, this is an exposure of convent iniquity. '"'."' However, the plot of "The Woman Thou Gayest Me" is woven around an unwanted girl, Mary O'Neill; who tells .the' story of her life. It is the story o£ a lather who a son to inherit some title; he is disappointed. He gets a daughter, Mary, • who is bereft of her mother, at the age of, seven. She is ultimately sent to "a convent at Rome,, and Mary ogives her experiences at the convent, and' relates the events leading up to a bargain marriage which she is forced to make with omTLord Raa, and the plot of the story is that Pope, nuns, etc., etc., combine with the father to force this innocent convent girl to become .the wife of Raa, a rascal of rascals, a stoneybroke bad man, with respect for neither his wife .or any other woman.' Mary O'Neill doesn't love him, and prefers a neighboring doctors son. However, the pen of Hall Came deals with many delicate situations, and the scene of A ROW IN. THE BRIDAL CHAMBER on the night of the marriage is one which calls, for a delicate description, and which m New Zealand is apt to be condemned as highly improper. "Truth," however, feels no call to even faintly touch on the yarious scenes, but it .seems to be the object of Hall Came to . dwell with his fantastic peri upon a, subject which no one can idly pass by, dealing as it does with unhappy married life, in high and low classes. YTThat, concerns "Truth" is. the fact that the verY devil of a row seems to be brewing, and as these religious rows always excite everybody it is just as well to know beforehand what the barney is all about We have no desire to give "The Woman Thou Gayest Me" a cheap advertisement, yet it Is needless to remark that sooner or later, if the Roman Catholic priests persist m condemning this ; book,. it will get a' bigger boom triah ever. Of course, this much must be said for the Catholic priests. They will exhort their flocks to shun dramatic pro • ductions and literary ' creations, if those productions and creations have a tendency to drag, the Church into the mire. This the priests have every right to do. With the Wowsers, if a book is "wicked," nobody must read it. None must have it on their library shelves, and, generally, the work is denounced as- ■ V A WORK OF .SATAN. „ , All. the same, m urging the faithful ,to side-step such. dramas as "The Monk and

(Deputy Registrar Births, Deaths, and Marriages, Wellington). If you want tS be married, and the way you don't/know, Go down to the office and there ask for Joe; '...>. He'll fix you up prompt with figures and facts, • And quote all tho penalties prescribed by the Acts.

the Woman" and such books as "The Woman Thou Gayest Me." the priests will create for the play and the book a demand which m the long run will profit those who are out for profit. "Truth" doesn't know how far wrong it is, but the indications are all for a broth of a row, and, as this paper remarked, it is just as well beforehand to let it be known what the row is going to ! be over.