THE CATHOLIC CLAIMS.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 15063, 9 February 1911, Page 8

THE CATHOLIC CLAIMS.

Sm,—Seeing that tho question of religious instruction in the schools is a very burning topic, I deem it my duty to say something in favour of our present secular system, seeing that I was taught under it. First of all, the pircsent system seems moro national than, ono under which tho population would bo divided into sections hero and there, liko so many different spsoies of creatures, as they would inevitably bo were State-aid conceded to Catholic- schools; for surely wo cannot conceive that other denominations would be so pusillanimous as not in such an event to claim State-aid for schools of their own. Moreover, what about the largo number of Agnostics, Freethinkers, etc., who would just as lustily, and with as good a conscience as the best Catholic in Christendom, oppose tho teaching of religion? Surely, every lover of unity and brotherly feeling must regard it as a shame and disgrace that Christians should bo separated for ono day in tho week (to Sabbath), let alone tho monstrous shame of a selfish claranishness during tho rest of the week. It would be a strange world of chaos wore every little whim of belief in the religions and non-religions of mankind to bo supported by tho public purse. Now that the first Christian Church, the Catholic, has failed to keep- her (lock together in ono groat fold of brotherhood, her only rccourso is to pay tho penalty. To bring about this glorious brotherhood, of man is the aim of (he present supporters of our secular system of education, and suircly no unbiassed individual can condemn a system so noble in its ideals. Thoso who wish to propagate Christian doctrine have one whoio day in seven, whilst there are only five days of thto week for all tho dozens of other subjects. I lately road nn account in j'our paper stating that the Marist Brothers, of Auckland, had passed a, resolution that Catholics should form a political party to assert their claims concerning 'education. But such a party must inevitably bring public opinion out strongly against tho statesmen who would employ the public funds to propagate any form of religion.—l am, etc., Lovnn of Sociability. Kakiraui, February 6.

RAILWAY AND STEAMERS v.

TRAVELLING PUBLIC.

Sir,— Arriving at Wellington last Friday night from the Auckland express, en route for Dunedin. I went on board tho Maori. Having got a rctunr ticket and srourcd my berth previously, I was right—but not so others. Lees fortunate, they came to the gangway prepared to pay their fares, but they wore not allowed to do so, and woro directed to go to some other part of the wharf to get tickets. This was about fiva minutes before tho sailing hour, and you

can imagine the confusion and haste. Why in the name of commonsonse is not the ticket box alongside tho gangway? I understand that many people who had ticket; and berth secured paid an entrance fee of 3d to get on to tho wharf, quite in ignoranco, as this charge is levied on friends seeing passengers off only. Wo were told in Wellington that the Maori would, certainly conneot with the first express. After a bit of a southerly blow, however, wo reached the wharf at Lyttclton at 7.40 a.m. Now, tho point is, that had' a couple of carriages with the through passengers got right away, they would just have been in time for the express, and tiho Invercargill passengers would haw got home on Saturday night; but no, tho train was kept waiting until all the Christchurfh passengers and luggage had embarked, consequently wo got to Christchurch at 8.30 a.m., half an hour too late, and tho Invercargill passengers were left lamenting. Thero £ccm3 no management: if the stoamors arrive early, fch<m all is ■well, but if they arrive with just a chance all is confusion. The steamer people said, " Get your luggage all ready and hurry into tho train, as there is a chance." This done, the railway people say, "No chance." It seems to me iis i* done to do the passengers out of any breakfast, and so wo came hungry to Christerrarch.

Why did not the Union Steam Ship Company people say thore was no chance of catching the cvxpross, so that breakfast would bo given. This meal is charged for in the fare. The present arrangement seems altogether too grasping. It would be much better if a lower fare wore charjed and meals were charged extra. It would then be fair to both sides, and if the railway people despatched the through passengers right away there would be some sense in_it; the Christclvurch peoplo could have their breakfast ,arcd follow by the irext train. The Minister of 'Railways was aboard_ the Maori, so he should know something of this. Had ihe been going through instead of stopping at Christchurch I have no doubt things would have boon different, and the express would have been oaught.-I am, etc., DisArronjTED Travelled. * Duncdin, February 6. MINISTERIAL MISREPRESENTATION. t,,? 1 ?' - * SM i» report of the Prime Minister's speech at Auckland, which appears in this morning's paper, that uiJoseph Ward is still at his old game of distorting and misrepresenting facts. He says: "One of the alleged instances of extravagance was the building of the Dunedin Railway Station. . . . The foundation stone of this building had been laid some 25 years ago by a previous Government." Now, no one knows better than Sir Joseph himself that that foundation —not stone, but concrete-has no connection whatever with the present building, which is on a different site altogether. Furthermore, the old foundation would not have supported a building d.alf the sim of the present one. Then he talks of "an extra £500 or £600" being spent upon it. It would be interesting to know the difference between the actual cost of the present building and that gormcrly proposed. And that is the sort of "(lapdoodlo" the first Minister of the Crown puts before the public. Towards the close of the last session of Parliament that word ■" Qapdoodlo" was used, but no one seemed to know what it meant. If they had read " Peter Simple," by the ' late Captain Marryatt, they would have learned that "flapdoodlo is the stulF they feed fools on." And the people of this country must bo fools to be gulled by such pernicious nonsense as Sir Joseph Ward and hie satellites are so constantly inviting then;, to swallow.—l am, etc., Y. February 7. URBANISATION AND NATIONAL DECAY. SlH,—I have road your report of an address given on the above subject by the Hon. Dr Findlay, and also your leader regarding it. I observe that you both agree about the decay. This, I think, is brought about by the want of the Shorter Catechism and of oatmeal. I also notice that you slightly differ as to the means' for combatting the great evils, but while I am aware of the difficulty of' the matter I feel no ■ 'surprise at it. Kindly let mo.suggest thai all the members of the decaying class be disfranchised in all public elections. Then' representatives would have less motive to pander to their wishes. I allow it to be very hard lines on them, but it is less cruel than the knife. I believe we are a very oharitablc nation, but generally we mako the fnistake of starting at_ the wrong ond, and we forget the old saying that a stitch in time saves nine.—l am, etc., Waihemo, January 28. MR DON'S CAPE-TO-CAIRO RIDE AND SLEEPING SICKNESS. Sib—ln the Otago Daily Times of 26th Maroh last reference was made to the above ride of my nephew, Mr John Baylie Don, of King William's Town, South Africa, and in the issue of the 29th Maroh I inserted part of a letter I received from his sister on the above ride. In yesterday's paper, on page 8, under the heading " Sleeping Sickness," appears a cable message'from. London, January 25, which says: "A conference on sleeping siokness has been held in London. It was resolved that the Cape-to-Uaird railway should be inspected for Gossina palpolis, that the railways _ must cross the fly belt at the narrowest point to stations within the glossina-infected' area, that it should be essential to-clear tho . ground on either side of the railways." I have just received a letter on tho subject of his ridei from my nephew, who at present is staying at Edinburgh, Scotland, which, after mentioning the result of various interviews with the publisher, states: "He said from the first the main, difficulty would bo my liaving no pictures, because photographs of .Central African scenes' are worse than useless—they are misleading, excessively so'.' For one thing, two characteristics of Central Africa are, very occasional, extremely comprehensive, distant vistas, world embracing almost, but with every detail clearly revealed in relief to the eye. By reason of atmospherio dispersion and atomic rays, such scenes do not show at all in even the most skilful photographs. The other feature, most oharacj teristic of all, and universal, not occasional, is the blurr of long grass interposed between your eyes and everything around. Photographs could bo taken from trees, but, as a matter of fact, they are usually taken where the grass has been burnt or artificially cleared, so the misguided Teader gets a totally wrong idea of the surface of the country. If my book is published it ' will-lnost likely be called ' Tsetseland: From' the (Jape to kgypt on a Bicycle.' Tho publisher wanted to call it 'A Wheel Across Afilea,' but this is the psychological moment with regard to tsetse fly, and my claim to bo read at present lies rather in my having seen the fly from an unusual point through its habitat from end to end, and so I put 'Tsetseland' in tho forefront. I dare say you have read all about the Hy and sleeping sickness. At tho time I started sleeping siokness was woll known, to have devastated Uganda, and apparently to bo spreading. Only ono or two doubtful white cases, however, wero recorded. When I got beyond the Zambesi I found tho few white peoplo at Fort Jameson and elsewhere very perturbed because of the discovery just made that 50 per cent, of tho Germans on Tanganyika and many_ officials ill the Congo State wero actually infected, without knowing it. At this time tho official view, both among English and German experts, was that only tho rare palpolis variety of the tsetse could convey the disease, and though the whole country swarms with the commonest varieties as it never swarmed before, yet comfort was taken in the thought that the vicious palpolis was found in only restricted and widely-isolated areas. In common with most people not mad about preserving game, f soon came to the conclusion that ordinary tsetse oarried the sleeping sickesa' as Well as tho palpolis, and that these ordinary teotso were rapidly rendering the country uninhabitable by' reason of their being sown broadcast throughout formerly immune localities by game, especially elephants, now _ legally sacred, wandering whero once swift slaughter at native hands would havo met them. Only wilfully blind officials, who wero first attracted to Africa for- hunting, disbelieve that tsetso haunt game, and now the officials of tho sleeping sickness staff havo themselves become convinoed, oonfcrai-y to their previous contention, that the gamo tsetso carries human sleeping sickness as well as the pall>olis variety. This discovery has followed on the hugo stride southward made by tha disease while I was actually passing through the Tegion in question—many white cases being discovered among people who had not been within hundreds of miles of the nearest known palpolis haunt. Tho admission that Glossina morsitans conveys tho disease, and the fact that native cases mesh tho country from tho Zambesi to the Soudan, together with the- utter unavoidability of tho morsitans, will practically close the country to white peoplo who object to carry (heir lives in their hands till such time as tho game has boon systematically exterminated in areas largo enough to render them immune from fly." Hoping the above information will be interesting to the public.—l am, etc., J. Wycliffe Baylie. Roslyn, Jomrary 27.

JOXAE.