CATHOLICISM VERSUS CASH

NZ Truth, Issue 935, 27 October 1923, Page 6

CATHOLICISM VERSUS CASH

£18,000 Or A Creed?

Curious Choice Offered a Youth.

Though the little chap most concerned probably doesn't realise the significance of a word of it just now, there is no doubt that a Supreme Court judgment delivered m Wellington this week is going to cause him some acute worry, if not distress, within the next eight years. For at? the age of 21 — he's 12 now — ho's got to weigh the Catholic faith m which he is being brought up against an inheritance of £18,000.

At^2l, or before he attains that age, his mind must endure the struggle of conscience v. pocket, for as he is being educated m the Catholic faith his conscience must assert itself m renouncing the faith and taking the money or clinging to it and relinquishing his claim. It is i-elated m history that John Knox and Martin ■ Luther both renounced Catholicism, but neither did so at the age of 20 nor did either have any considerations of money to sway their judgments. The little chap on whose destiny the Supreme Court deliberated at the request of a puzzled Public Trustee is William Samuel Gower, who was born m February, 1911, the only son of the late- Samuel Gower, a well-to-do farmer, of Whenuakura, near Patea. In 19J0 the father married the wife of his deceased brother. ' She was a

Catholic and he a Protestant, The. boy was born, and dad consented tT Ms baptism by a Catholic priest when the youngster didn't know much about wbat 4 was going oh. He was only three days old. The father became a Catholic, too, but not until 1920, and he remained so until his death last year, when the will was. opened, and it was seen that m 1914^-eight years before — he had directed that on his death the child should become the charge of the Public Trustee and be educated m the Protestant faith, and that 'if on attaining his majority h<? thould still cling to the Catholic faith he would do so at the expense of the estate, amounting to something like £18,000.

The boy was then 11 years old and had received instruction m the Catholic faith all along, believing that such, as his father had died a Catholic, was the will of that parent. It certainly was of the mother, who had always been and is a devout Catholic. The Public Trustee didn't know what to do about it, and sought the judgment of the Supreme Court as to whether the boy should be removed from Catholic instruction and educated henceforth m Protestant schools. His Honor the Chief Justice had the matter argued before him. and m his reserved judgment settled the matter by asking and nnswering the question as under: "What are the duties of the Public Trustee as testamentary guardian m regard to the education and religious upbringing of William Samuel Gower, and m particular, m view of the nature of his religious upbringing during the testator's lifetime and of the testator's own conversion to Roman Catholicism, is it the Public Trustee's duty as such testamentary guardian to. carry out the directions of the will to bring such son up m fhe Protestant religion and have him educated at Protestant schools? — No." The import of this is that the Public. Trustee may allow the boy's education to proceed as hitherto and that at his majority he will have had 21 years' instruction m the Catholic faith to aid him m weighing the creed cpalnst £18,000. In regard to this point his Honor asked and answered this question:

Has the son on his attaining the age of twenty-ono years, notwithstanding tho nature of his religious upbringing during minority, the power to eleot whether he will thenceforth cease to bo a Roman Catholic?— Yes.

It Is understood, however, that tho boy, at his mother's instigation. Is appealing to tost tho validity of the clause dealing wifli tho lad's renunciation of the Catholic faith with tho hope that it may be declared invalid and the lad be allowed to accept the inheritance, whatever his religion may be.

At the hearing there was a large nnd learned assembly oC counsel. Mr. O. G. Rose appeared for the Public Trustee, Mr. M. Myers. X.C.. with hJm Mr. H. H. Cornish, for the son (William Samuel Gowor). Mr. A. Gr.iy, K.C., with him Mr. 11. F. O'Leary. for the nephews and nlees. and Mr. .7. Houston, of Hawera, for the widow (Nora Gower).