THE CHURCHES AND GAMBLING.

Otago Witness, Issue 2722, 16 May 1906, Page 15

THE CHURCHES AND GAMBLING.

A CHARGE AND A REPLY. GTitoit Oxnt -Own Corespondent.) WELLINGTON, May 8. In the discussion regarding gambling • that has been going on here during the past week or so the practice of the Roman Catholic Church in promoting art unions at bazaars has been severely criticised by j the ministers of some other churches. In j the course of his sermon on Sunday, Mr North, who had previously been somewhat outspoken on this subject, said he had not been moved by animus against the Catholics. He felt that a crusade against gambling was . an urgent duty. No one would be more glad than he on public grounds to 6ee the Roman Catholic Church mend its ways. He had stated that this Church ostentatiously -allied itself with the gambling habits of the community. His reasons' were— first, that -while every other church save one had retired from the art union business at- bazaars, and that _ Church had materially diminished its applications, and constantly denouuce,d them, the Roman Catholic Church was constantly increasing its demands, and raised no voice of protest against the evil. The last year's figures were — Anglican permits, 19; Roman Catholic, 53. Nor was this all. Under cover of art union permits unblushing breaches of the "law had been permitted. Bank notes had been raffled, and what any publican would have been hailed to court for had been done under the sanction of religion. Nor had the authorities of the Church sapped at this. They had deliberately offered spiritual privilege as a reward for those who secured the sale of lottery tickets. Mr North read a letter as follows:— '• Bishop's House, Christchurch. New Zealand, Eastertide, 1900. My Dear Sir,— Allow me to send you these art union tick-els with, the earnest request that you, with your usual generosity, will do all in your power to dispose of them in aid of the Christchurch Catholic Cathedral. The Holy Father gives a special blessing to the undertaking, and to all who contribnte thereto. Ho has graciously sent us a donalion of two beautiful gifts for the art union. The present pro-cathedral is dedicated to the most blessed sacrament, fne future cathodral will be dedicated to thg same adorable sacrament. The altar of one of the chapels wo propose to erect m honour of the holy souls in purgatory. Hie dear departed friends of all contributors will '->c therein continually prayed for. in (he meantime we promise a daily memento ir. our masses and prayers, and. especially .he divine office, and the holy saennce oi the Mass once a week for all generous donors.'— l remain, yours faithfully in Christ, J. J. Grimes, S.M. Bishop of Christchurch/' Mr North said he had not meant to publish this document, and only did so under direct challenge from the Roman Catholics. It grieved him to read it. . It directly implicated the Pope, who claimed lnfalhbilitY in regard to morals, in a vice denounced by all enlightened moralists, and it offered the bribe of spiritual pvivileee m connection with the scheme. Mr North said ho had reason to believe that this was not an isolated document, nor was the attitude o£ the Church in this colony isolated. Questions had been asked m the House of Commons regarding doings m Ireland. Qtioer tilings were reported also from Mexico. The fact seemed to be that the Roman Church was mediaeval in relation to this question, and until it woke up to tho time of day many would be led into "ambling habits under its auspices. A VIGOROUS REPLY. In to-nieht's evening paper there appears a vigorous" reply from father Keogh to the criticisms of the Rev. Mr North. Fatncr Keogh, of St. Patrick's College, writes as follows: -"In his Sunday evening address the Rev. Mr North read a letter from the Rio-ht R«v. Dr Grime?, Bishop of Christchuich, whom he accuses of encouraging .'ambling The letter is dated 1900. The Roy Mr North told hi* congregation ho had 1-ad the letter in his possession for -ome years. The e\ pec ted departure oi Bishop Grimes for Europe was announced in the Wellington papers some 10 days ago. His Lordsiiip sailed from Auckland on Friday last. The Rev. Mr North with indecent haste launched this /so-called damnatory document from his pulpit on bunday " The correct name for such conduct will readily occur to every right-minded member of the community. It was advertised as 'Fighting With the Gloves (lit. 'Back-biting the Absent' would have proved a more appropriate heading. The Bishop's letter is published in full in your paper yesterday. His Lord-hip invites his conespondent to help the bazaar, informs him that the Po^e " co far approves the object of thn bazaar as to 'end two presents for tho >lalls, and promi-s-s his piaycrs to all who as-i&l in thi-, undertaking. Only that and nothing more. It \erily requires a highly-iaundired eye, and an extra strong doso of samblins? on the brain to read gambling into tho Bishop's letter. The Standard Dictionary defines 'bazaar' as "a fancy fair for charity.' No sane man goes to a bzzaar to make money. He ROe3 there to lose money ; to give what lie can spare to the object cf the bazaar. Thefe was no necessity to drag in Papal infallibility. His Holiness no more claim,to be infallible in the choice of his gifts than does Mr North, . I presume, in his charity to the poor. There is no mention in the letter of spiritual privilege. The blessing of the Pope and the prayers oi the Bishop are favours, not privileges, and both are prc-mised to generous donors, nol to money-seeking gamblers. That anj body of men should continue to run bazaars until those bazaars prove consistently and persistently to be financial failures, thai such men should then suddenly find grace and see the iniquity -jf bazaars, that in th< illumination of this \ew light they shoult hold up to public censure those who art able to make bazaars a financial successsuch conduct smacks not of the morality of the Gospel but of the sour-grap"< morality ; of the morality of the fox wh< lost his tail and requested his brother foxei to fall into line. The conduct of thL school of modern clerics lavs* a very £ever< strain on the charitable feelings we ar< bound to entertain for our neighbours, an< for the sincerity of their Teligious views however false or ignorant, until they shov themselves insincere. Before attributini to us beliefs which wo do not hold, an< crimes of .which we are innocent, it woul<

be better for 6uch-minded clergymen to buy I a book of Catholic theoioey and find out 1 A%h*t is our teaching. They would thus j have the satisfaction of crossing swords with, the reality instead of knocking down cockehots of their own upbuilding. If such a caricature- and travesty of religion, suchindictment to religious strife and bigotry, is to be tolerated for the Sabbath entertainment of certain congregations it will be difficult to convince the ordinary commonsense man in the street that theatres and play-houses should be closed on Bnndays. The circus or the bear fight, or even gambling, would be equally entertaining and far lees immoral and decidedly more conducive to the peace and haTmony of the colony.' 1