LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume V, Issue 1360, 22 June 1918, Page 8

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.

NOTICE TO CORRESPONDENT. " .V.1)."--Wc arc not sure that you are right. THE F.P.A. To the Editor of THE SUN. Sir, —The short history of the P.P.A. is that no one who supports it need hope for any return. Support it on nine issues. and its members will cheerfully cut your throat on the tenth. By opposing it, however, you establish a strong claim on the Roman Catholic vote. One of your correspondents in his manly independence of creeds, an<l his ignorance of their methods, is so completely, so quaintly, unaware, of this, that I thought I would mention it. —I am, etc., TITYRUS. To the Editor of THE SUN. gi V) —Whilst "Hamlet" is more than holding his own against his opponents in the discussion he so fearlessly opened in Tm Sus, I do not. wish to encroach needlessly on your space, but I notice that "Traveller" in to-night's issue gives passing reference to my humble epistle, and I would like to show that his clumsy bludgeon has not crushed me; also that I am on my feet to give him and his parsonic-like toned correspondent confreres another incisive dig or two from my rapier. He begins by calling me "Our Ashburton friend.'' I don't like that phrasenomen. It savours of some frowsy one practised in Sunday tea-meeting garble. He is annoyed because I speak wholeheartedly of "Hamlet" in a few more sentences than I used in brief reference to the precious—l thank him for his adjective 4is it conies into alliterative line —P.P.A. Perhaps my brevity, when quoting the two defunct celebrities, might have been amplified by the inclusion of someone move modern, and patriotism also might have been pandered to by culling such a one from New Ze'alandcis/ Well, let me name this one now, and I think New Zealanders generally will .not seek to re-enfold the cull. How would Howard Elliott do* This P.P.A. leader comes into his present fame through villifving a dead woman. That "Glorious Defender of the Faith" Henry VIII. also obtained notoriety through women, although he preferred them fat, fair, forty and alive. The German Luther was too coarse to adhere ,to his row of celibacy, and —well there 3 r ou have the trio, Henry "V 111.,' German Luther and Howard Elliott. Does this satisfy "Traveller and C 0.," or shall I remind them that the destinies of the very nation„that floats its flag over the soil they depend upon for existence are now r in the hands of a member of the Roman Catholic Faith and incidentally a member of their Federation. I refer to the Allies' Generalissimo Fodr and in such designation also are .Toffre, Petain and others born of the gallant little nation, France. "Hamlet" speaks of that Martyr, Father Damien. What of the thousands of priests who are daily offering their lives in the service of Christianity at the front. Is Howard Elliott there? No, he prefers to set up this much-discussed topic, the P.P.A., on the lines condoned by "Traveller and C 0.," and, when a decent fair-minded man like "Hamlet," although a Protestant, openly declares his P.P. dissociation, we hate the spectacle of the champions of Elliott rushing to steep themselves in an atmosphere repugnantly nauseating to nine-tenths of Protestantism. —I am, etc., GET OX WITH THE WAP.

To the Editor of THE SUN. Sir, —I am not a member of the protestant Political Association yet, but it seems to me that when it has proved itself as a political association it will be the duty of till civilised lovers of freedom to directly or indirectly approve its objects as members or moral supporters. The association did nof come into existence until after the Roman Catholic Federation was formed, which, as ene of its members recently explained in Dunedin, was getting ready "for the war after this war," whatever that may mean.

Tin" mouthpiece of the". Roman Catholic Federation is the New Zealand "Tablet," which recently had an article congratulating the Kaiser on having ;i Roman Catholic Chancellor in the person of von Hertling, whom ['resident Wilson and others have shown to lie the craftiest and most unscrupulous Chan eellor the Allies have hail to deal with. It also congratulated the Kaiser on hnv. ing dismissed other officials and replaced them with Roman Catholics, and raised the ban against the Jesuits. Have the people of this country then not the right to organise against such a body which has such an organ for its mouthpiece and a paper the policy of which has been publicly approved at meetings of the Roman Catholic clergy? Yet Protestant literature fighting for freedom for all men has been barred by our politicians, mainly, one must suppose, for the same reason which caused the postal facilities in Auckland to lie so grossly abused aw.l the Minister

made the tool of a party too crafty for him. lam not going to approve the contents of the letter which was made public, but it ih now established as a certainty that its publication does not lie at the door of the Protestant Political Association.

Whilst this awful war is raging—a war for the freedom of the human race —what has the Roman Catholic Church been doing to help put down the oppressor? As long as the war was going against the Allies, in vnin was the appeal to the Pope to endeavour to bring peace about. Why he was ever asked is. another matter. In Ireland the Eoman Catholic, clergy were organising the people against the Allies, and particularly against Great Britain. She wanted to be an alien race with a benevolent neutrality towards Germany. Not the Irish people, mark you, but the Irish Reman Catholic party which seized the opportunity to embarrass the Empire when it most needed help. Last April, at the dictation of the bishops, a solemn covenant was placed on a table at the doors of all the Roman Catholic churches to lie signed by the people that they would resist conscription in every possible way, and that they would not light for England. T>o we not need some sort of association here to resist such principles to break up our Empire and which have already shown their heads in New Zealand?

Some, 'politician in England—l cannot remember whom —said that Irish lii.man Catholics who enlisted were sacrificing their very souls for the love of freedom and humanity. If once the Roman Catholic party gets the up-/ per hand in New Zealand wCmay look for trouble, and it behoves every man to prepare to combat any advances of this party in the way of inroads on our educational svstem.

It has taken the Roman Catholic Chtirch :?o<i years to re-established itself in Germany. France lias had to throw it overboard. Italy has had to throw off the Papal yoke. England, which lias never been wholly at the feet of the Pope, finally threw off the political power of the papacy with the accession of Queen Elizabeth, although a few .years previously Henry VIII. hail declared his independence. No Englishman apologises for the life of Henry VIII.; he was born, brc-d, and educated a Koman Catholic; the Church itself should be responsible for him. I have endeavoured in the foregoing to avoid anything in the way of the doctrinal teachings of the Roman Catholic Church; no doubt that will come. later. The duty of all good citizens at the present time is to see that nothing is left undone to help win the 'war. Those who are openly and secretly opposing the war should he brought to explain their position, and everyone shorld see what the motive is behind all this agitation in the Roman Catholic Church, what the Roman Catholic Federation is for, and wtoat effects its aims would have on the political State ol" our country. Why should Protestant Defence Leagues be wanted in Australia and Protestant Political Associations in New Zealand? Why should Australian and New Zealand papers be forced against their policy and against their wills into the position t)f having to protest against the action of the Roman Catholic Church? Verily the word Protestant seems to have, the same meaning to-day as when it was first used hundreds of years ago for the very same purpose.— I am, etc..

LIBERTY. Wellington, June 20. r\Ye have excised two or three passages from the above letter as being unnecessarily provocative. The question at issue is primarily the aim and object of the Protestant Political Association, ana correspondents who desire to discuss It must do so temperately, and without attacking the religion of their opponents.—Ed. The Sun.] WHY IT? To the Edjtor of THE SUN. Sir,—lii these drab days, when there is little diversion from the stern realities of martial strife, we must be grateful to The Sun for opening up its columns to the P.P.A. controversy. Joseph Hamlet, I believe, after all, is really a moderate man, but has been handled severely by some of your anonymous correspondents, and, unfortunately, statements which have been caustic and personal have found expression in the tourney of words —I presume, much to the regret of your readers.

However, as a humble onlooker enjoying the fun, I would suggest, if " Glasgowegian " has run out of material for the time being, concerning the legitimate work of .the P.P.A., it would have Tfeen infinitely better had he not harped on that word ''swine" in your last night's issue, in which he made feeble attempts to justify himself in using a nom de plume. I make a plea now for the champions to lay aside, the pens, which have availed very little up to now, and brace themselves up for a verbal battle iu the Choral Hall. There can be no doubt that, since Joseph Hamlet is, if nothing else, an entertaining debater and generous opponent, and has been game enough to throw down the gauntlet, there should be amongst those who have taken him to ask in your columns, giants with pluck enough to meet him in ope'n fray. - J If it is inconvenient for "Glasgowegian" to come forward, I should have thought the Rev. Howard Elliott would have taken advantage of this opportunity, if he is not like "Peter, who followed afar off."—l am, etc.. FRANK STEWART. Christchurch, June 21.

"INSTRUMENTS OF BARBARISM." To the Editor of THE SUN. Sir, —T agree in the main with the letter of "Hopeful" in to-night's Sux. Councillor Sullivan ami others appear to me to anticipate some after-the-war policy on the part of the military party in New Zealand, who will seek to perpetuate the military spirit, not only by tlnusting instruments of barbarism before the eyes of the young people of New Zealand, but by establishing, if they can, permanent military conscription. 1 am saying absolutely nothing against the ordinary military defence of our country, but 1 am opposed to rfny attempt on the part of those who would, if they dared, turn our land into one large military cam]'. Rveryone knows

that, both among our military officers and among some of our excitable and highly-strung citizens in common life, there is a strong inclination to ropy the Hun in respect to the permanent maintenance, of a huge army, ami this in n little country like ours. The people of this country, I maintain, will have to be on the watch that this military madness, if I might so call it, is not allowed to develop in cur midst.—T am, etc., ANTI-JINGOISM. June 21. [Points in tlie above letter are dealt with editorially.—Ed. The Snn.J

To the Editor of THE SUN. Sir, —I was glad to see the sentiments expressed by "Hopeful." 1 am quite sure that our returned soldiers do not want to be reminded of the horrors through which they have passed by being confronted in the city streets by captured German machineguns. I know many of the returned boys, and not one of them cares to discuss his experiences. They prefer to forget them. Councillor Sullivan and bis friends on the City Conm il are often wrong in their outlook on questions of a patriotic nature, but this time I am sure that they are right. Neither is it desirable to in-til ideas of militarism anil war in the minds of our children and youths by the exhibition of these instruments of barbarism. They are not required as an aid to the development of a patriotic and valorous spirit: our boys at the front have proved that in this war. Let us leave all forms of vainglorious boasting to our Prussian enemies. New Zealand may surely rest content with the simple story of her son*' achievements. I think the City Council would best mei-t the wishes of most of the soldiers and people by adopting Councillor Sullivan's suggestion to send the guns to the Museum.— I am, etc., - SOLDIER'S SISTER. APATHY AMONG UNIONISTS. To the Editor of THE SUN*. Sir, —The conductor of" the Labour column in commenting on my letter regarding union executives buying the '■ Maoriland Worker" in the" name of their unions, introduces the words '•levying of union members for the distribution'" of the paper alluded to, but these words were not used by me. and they convey a meaning which my words will not sustain. To "charge the funds'' of a union, as I put it, is quite a different process from the "levying of union members/' and I am certain the conductor of the Labour column will quite agree with me as to this divergence of meaning.

He asks for the name of a union in which "the funds are charged" (I am retaining my., original wording) with the oost of this paper. Anyone whose business takes him frequently to Lyttelton on Wednesdays or Thursdavs, knows that a big bundle of the "Maoriland Worker'' is delivered weekly at the Coronation Hall, the occupiers of which are the members of the Waterside Workers' Union, and if he cares to inquire he will probably find the facts to be as stated. He admits that this —the charging of the funds—could be done "by the authority of the members," and I freely accept this explanation, my intention having been merely to bring out that the Red Feds had secured the upper hand in some unions. —I am, etc., X. Y. Z. June 21. 191 S.