BISHOP CLEARY.

Otago Witness, Issue 3614, 19 June 1923, Page 26

BISHOP CLEARY.

WELCOME AT AUCKLAND. THE HABIT OF GETTING TOGETHER. AUCKLAND, June 11. Before a crowded congregation at StPatrick’s Cathedral Bishop Cleary was accorded an enthusiastic welcome from the clergy, laity, and representatives of the Maoris. In his address Dr Cleary said he desired on the occasion of these silver jubilee celebrations to put on record his deep appreciation of the general spirit of fair play, friendly feeling, and at times generous treatment extended to him and to others working like him by tlie secular press in various parts of New Zealand. From personal experience, lie would say that, both on the public platform and otherwise, he had found a general readiness among the masses of the people of the dominion to give a fair hearing to tlie Catholic side of any question when placed before them in a courteous and reasonable way; and that, too, no matter how uncompromising the statement of those Catholic principles might have been. A further tribute he desired to pay to many clergy of other faiths with whom it had been his duty to discuss matters of catholic interest. Many of these men had given him the prized advantage of their friendship, expressed at times in striking and generous ways. He bore willing testimony to their high character, freedom from sectarian bitterness, and the handsome manner in which they had recognised, as well as proved, that men may carry on a keen discussion and yet be gentlemen. June 11. Bishop. Cleary was welcomed at a conversazione in the Town Hall to-night. In the course of a speech he referred to tlie lessons of the war, saying that many practical truths, making for good citizenship, were engraved on our minds. “One such truth,” he said, “is this: (hat whatever section of the community we belong to we felt at least for a time that we should ‘brothers be for all that.’ Another is this: that in the course of our work we found very few people in our community with either horns or cloven hoofs, or a double dose of original sin. Our years of work together have, I hope, also taught us this further lesson of mutual forbearance: that widely different—even antagonistic—beliefs and political and economic opinions may be held with complete honesty and good faith. In a give-and-take world we should allow a generous margin for honest error. I am not so simple-minded as to imagine that Ihe practice of getting together will by itself’ alone lead us into a new Utopia or turn New Zealand into a tom-tiddlers ground. I hold that the new spirit will stir when employers and employees will draw nearer to each other, both in and out ol their daily work, and when reasonable leaders on every side will bury the laputan theodolite and acquire a habit of getting together. If there were 10 times as many such fraternisings and busy round tables, one class of our laws might perhaps be advantageously halved in bulk and our peace and progress multiplied by two.”