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Poverty Bay Herald, Volume VI, Issue 628, 17 February 1879, Page 2

Father Hennebery preached on Saturday night, the subject being "Mixed Marriages." Father Hennebery does not approve of any such. In this matter neither do we. We think that it would be better if a Protestant man married a Protestant, woman ; and so a Catholic with a Catholic. But then what is to be done when John Englishman, living under the same roof with Bridget of the Emerald Isle, falls head over shoulders m love with her, and Bridget reciprocates. They never think about the difficulty until it is too late. Love is so all -powerful. Bridget has given her consent, and John Englishman keeps her to her bargain. Children are born, and there is some difficulty aa to what religion they shall be brought up m. There is perhaps a compromise. The girls are to be Roman Catholics ; the boys to lie Protestants. All this is very bad, and does not tend to marital peace. The man, if he is stubborn, has it all his own way. Tlie woman frets, and is uneasy as to the safety of the souls of her offspring. There is division of opinion ; possibly separation. It is better, then, as Father Hennebery says, there should be no mixed marriages. Still, all the preaching m the world will not prevent this happening at times. We do not think mixed marriages are very common m New Zealand. It is only occasionally such undesirable unions occur. We do not think the bo uls of either the man or the woman will be jeopardised ; and of course children cannot be held answerable for what it has been out of their power to prevent. It all comes about even m the long run. We do not want nationalities too much separated. An Irishman marries an Englishwoman, and the woman bears children ; Of what country do they belong ? They are simply Colonial-born, and are New Zealanders, Victorians, or New South Welshmen, as the case may be. Their religion is, m most instances, of that faith m which they were brought up m early youth. Father Hennebery is quite right m declaiming against mixed marrage. We wish Protestant Clergymen would take the same view and urge it. There are many miseries connected with such marriages. Men who do not oare what religion a woman is, or a woman who does not care what religion her future husband is — neither has any religion m them, and when the sense of a religious feeling has departed, there is very little to hope for, m the way of domestic or conjugal happiness.