CATHOLIC EDUCATION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 8863, 22 July 1890, Page 3

CATHOLIC EDUCATION.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir,—ln Saturdaj's issue you have a long epistle under the above heading purporting to be written by a Catholic, or one who adopts the name as his signature. As there are nowadays so maDy different conventicles who claim the right to use the title of Catholic as their distinctive appellation, an ordinary mortal such as I am generally labours under some difficulty to assign each of these pretenders their proper place and value. Howbeit no such difficulty presents itself in the case of this writer, who for the nonce masquerades in the garb of a Catholic in order to have his fling at Bishop Moran and his utterances on the education question. This writer is extremely interested in the temperance movement (oh ! very much so, indeed), lie says the Catholio Church "m'akea no effort in the cause of tempsrauce in this colony. 'He write 6 as if the recent utterance of the bishop qn temperance was a new thing—a departure from the usual course in the bishop's instructions to his flock. Now, if this man were a Catholic (which I say at once he is not) he would know that »he virtue of temperance is on al} suitable occasions earnestly supported and advocated by Bishop Moran in '.his various instructions to the flock placed under his charge. He would also know that in all the various missions held in the Cathedral (I need not detsil them), the religious obligation cf temperance is always kept prominently before the people. Nay, more, if this writer knew anything at all of the Catholio Church aud the "temperance question, he would know that all the Catholic youth of both sexes in this diocese are solemnly pledged before confirmation to abstain from all intoxicating liquors in any shape. Seeing that this writer is totally ignorant of all these things, I have not the least difficulty in detecting what claim he has to subscribe himself "A Catholio." Bah! As the colonial saying goes, it is altogether too thin, my transparent friend. You don't know the shibboleth, and the thing wont work. This tnasquerader says he ia neither a teetotaller noi: a fanatic, | can wejl believe the first proposition, but of thesecond lam very doubtful. Ido not suppose the public will be much interested in these matters. He says he is an Irishman; and so was Pigott, the forger. He claims to be aa thorough a Catholic as Bishop Moran could desire. Not a doubt of it; so, also, said the infamous Talbot, the informer in Ireland, and with as much truth. The whole drift of this writer's epistle is to stir up the mud of sectarian bigotry that ho may wallow in jt for some specific purpose, not just a,t. present apparent. Education with him is nothing; he is on a fresh tack. Temperance is his present theme. He is burning with zeal for it, but his zeal is not sufficient to make him become a teetotaller. No matter, it serves as a peg whereon he may display his wares to the publio; that. is the object just now. He has great faith in Sir Robert; Btout calls him the

leader of the Liberal party; whatever that means I don't know. One thing Ido know is this, Sir Robert Stout was extremely liberal in his dealings with the colonial parse while lie had the ohanoe. If that is what be mean*, them I am with him; on that ground Sir Robert Stout is a very great Liberal indeed, and as such I. bow to him. He further Bays nine-tenths of all the Irishmen in the colony would follow Sir R, Stont, only for this education racket. Well, he' may be an authority on that point; I doubt it, bat if correct I can only pity their lack of intelligence, and may odd that there would be nothing wonderful in that spectaole, should it ever occur, as Irishmen have followed in their time many as queer and slippery politicians as Sir R. Stout, to their serious loss and detriment. And history repeats itself, they say.—l am, &c, joly 21. Lochabbb.