FATHER HENNEBERRY AT AUCKLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 1421, 15 February 1879, Page 8

FATHER HENNEBERRY AT AUCKLAND.

(FROM OtJR OWN CORRESPONDENT.) Auckland, February 10th. Father Henneberry gave a valedictory address last night in the new Catholic High School to 2000 people. He would first, he said, answer some objections which had been made in regard to the building of schools. He called on them to give contributions for L2OOO. He handed Father Fyans a builder's receipt for L7OO which he had paid. He (Father Hennebery) had himself gone security for the amount, for he believed in the men, and considered it a pity that they had been maligned. They were fine Catholic people here, and he risked L7OO, and gave an order to the builder to go on with the school, and yesterday evening he had told the builder to proceed with work to the value of LSOO more, as he 'knew they would not let him stick. He had been told by influential men here to gather money, put it in the bank, and keep it there till the Bishop came ; but they had already too much money in the bank for the church proposed. Very soon he was going to Dunedin, and would tell Bishop Moran what they had done, and that he ought to come up and start the cathedral at once. They wanted it as means to have sittings to support their schools. The pernicious sy&tem ot secular education now existing was leading children to perdition. They must have Christian schools to maintain the faith of their children. They wanted 1200 more sittings than they had, making 2260 in all, and with these they could have their schools free. Some said the schools would fall through unless they got Christian Brothers. He had written to two archbishops and one bishop to select such teachers as they needed, and, more than that, he had sent petitions to Chriatchurcb and to Brothers in Sydney to send a detachment here. They should get the best teachers they could in the meantime. He had tried to get them, and he had no doubt they would be ready when the school was ready, and the teachers fully equal or superior to those in secular schools. On the question of how to support schools for the first 12

month?, his proposition was that 10 person ß should each contribute L 10;1 0; 20 persons, L 5 each ; 100 persons, L 2 10s each ; 100, LI each; 200 persons, 103 each; and select schools would bring in L2OO, making LBSO, and if there was any deficiency a bazaar could be got up. He recommended the Vicar General and the clergy not to open the schools until promises were given for these amounts. He then called on all those in favour of this plan to stand up. A great number rose^ Father Hennebery gave a brief account of his mission in Auckland, Thames, Waikato, and other places. In this province 6355 persons had taken tho pledge, which, added to other parts of the Colony, make a total of 20,520. This, he said, showed L 205.200 a year saved to the Catholics of the Colony, and in Auckland L 60,000. If they gave a little of this to support their educational establishments they would not miss it. Father Hennebery intimated that he was going to Dunedin, remaining there for two months, and thence to Australia. Some remarks had been made as to his being afraid to meet a certain gentleman now in Australia, who had threatened him with prosecution for libfll. Perhaps he would meet him in Australia. He had only done his duty in warning them against him, and if the gentleman wanted to prosecute him for libel, why did he not prosecute Mrs Constable, who was hounding him from place to place, and exposing him ? or why did he not prosecute the newspapers which had spoken out regarding him ?