STATE AID TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27267, 19 December 1949, Page 6

STATE AID TO PRIVATE SCHOOLS

Sir, —The letters of ' Free Thinker and *’ Hendry Hadit ” on the above subject merit attention and the writers of them are to be commended. ExProtestant ” appears to charge the Protestant Protection Association with wanting to deter Protestant children ■' from learning too much about religion for the fear of their wanting to seek the truth and, upon finding it, join the Catholic Church.” , „ _ . What, exactly, does he mean? Does he suggest that one must imbibe a preserved dose of the “ dope ’’ of religion before becoming actuated with the cesire to seek the truth? In effect. ExProtestant " tells us, perhaps quite inadvertently, that truth is not to be found in religion. For having declared this truth, I wish to congratulate him. Orthodox religions are the venr negation of truth, and right throughout history the sponsors of them have resorted to persecutions ‘in frantic efforts to stifle truth. State aid to private schools will serve no good purpose. Truth must be taught to all children—” truth the foundation, the superstructure, and the glittering dome of progress."—l am. etc.. Rationalist.

Sir,— Reading •'Ex-Protestant’s ’ letters from time to time, I have been sometimes amused, often irritated, by his specious, naive arguments. To bring forth ’ El Caudillo" as champion of the Catholic faith was at least a tactical error on his .part. Such unreasoning bids w’ould no doubt Include such characters as Cortez, Ponce de Leon, etc., as .pillars of the Church —not forgetting the •" Elect ” themselves. the grand inquisitors. It is an odd yet remarkable truth that there have been no great Christian reformers since Christ. Such men as Wolseley, Cranmer, Latimer, and many others did indeed die for their beliefs, yet none of these had been great humanitarians according to the teachings of Jesus. Such men as Father Damien were great in their lives, but'rather as men than priests of a faith. As “ Henry Hadit ” points out, the unbelievable crueltv and misery of the Industrial Era, inflicted on the people of Europe generally, did not produce any great Church humanitarians, and even to-day, travelling through countries which still enjoy ” a Catholic preponderance, one is continually struck by the disparity in the condition of the inhabitants. Apparently there are only two classes, the very, very rich and the very, very poor, which, to a cynic like myself, speaks louder and clearer than words. To “ Ex-Protestant and other stone-throwers, I would suggest that the pulpits of the world today need more “ practising" Christians and fewer dignitaries.—l am. etc., lanto Bach.

Sir, —A merchant supplies a commodity to the public. A majority of the merchant’s customers, liking the commodity are supplied with it by him. A minority, not liking it because it lacks a vital ingredient, do not take the merchant's commodity, and make their own arrangements to be supplied. Nevertheless, the merchant Insists that: the minority must pay for the commodity, even though he has not incurred the expense of supplying them with it. This has been going on for 70 years. The minority rightly regard this as oppression, a violation of Justice, a violation of freedom, of one of the freedoms for which a great war has been fought—freedom Of religion.—l am, etc.. Snrtout, pas de Zele.