Dr Grimes on Woman Suffrage.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 4763, 2 October 1893, Page 1

Dr Grimes on Woman Suffrage.

The Roman Catholic Bishop of Chriatchurch, Dr Grimes, addressed a public meeting of ladies yesterday afternoon at St Patrick's schoolroom, South belt. There were 350 to 400 ladifis present. The Bishop eaid: "During the last few days we have passed through a great constitutional revolution. It has . been a bloodless one, it is true, yet it has been a most important one. By a mere stroke of his pßn tbe representative of our Gracious Majesty the Queen has enfranchised all the qualified women of New Zealand. What makeß this revolution niora.striking is the fact that those in whose favour it is wrought had little, if anything, to do with its bringing about. It waa brought about by a few men whose motives it is not for us to speak of or attempt to penetrate. I repeat, a great constitutional revolution has been paßsed through, and I suppose that the voting power of New Zealand has thereby been doubled. The women of the Colony not only have the right now of voting, bat it ia their duty to do so. They have not desired it, but now they have it, willing or unwilling, they mustruse it. It is in your power, to wield a great influence. lam not going to say what my views are on the matter, as I am reluctant to approach purely political subjects. I consider that it does not behove any religious preacher to approach such questions, in the pulpit or otherwise, and I l^ave been sedulously guarded in the expression of my opinions and views. I have invited you here to-day to point out the great danger of thiß revolution, and tell you your line of conduct thereon. Are the women of New Zealand going to have their children brought up atheists, agnostics and freethinkers ? Will they be satisfied with the Godle.s education ; satisfied to have religion ignored by their children, whom the Creator has given to them as pledges of his love, to faßhion and to mould them to his own likeness, to be made citizens worthy of time and worthy of eternity ? I have come here to-day at the suggestion of a party of influential residents who wanted to know what their Bishop and clergy thought of the question of Women's Franchise. I therefore accepted because of the great question ,which I have just now told you is mixed up with the great political question brought about through your enfranchisement. Whatever was your wish you have now been thrust into the political arena, and you must now act therein. I know that Catholic women and the most respectable portion of those outside our Church, to speak in plain English, don't care a straw about having women's rights, or rather I should say don't wish for them. But wished for or not, they are now thrust upon you. Believe me as your Bishop and guide to your conscience, you have now a religious duty devolved upon you to register and to vote." Dr Grimes then mentioned the pastoral issued by Dr Julius, and said that the views set forth there were shared by himself thoroughly. The women must- use the power now placed in their hands; the eyes of the civilised world were upon them, and they must act. It was their duty now to sacrifice any personal' considerations. Thoy must not, of course, give up modesty, but they would have to go forward" and not let others triumph over them. It waß a grave duty incumbent upon them to register, and they would have to answer for it if they did not st once do so. He then referred to the education question, saying that no Government had a right to impose upon any scot the quality and quantity of the education they were to impart to their children. The Catholics rightly resented the action of the Government with regard to schools wherein instruction was given that drove away morality, and failed to impart any knowledge of .the great things of God. It was instruction that ignored the nobler ends of life, and told not of man's destiny, or why he lived, and how he should live. The right to teach their children the highest things of their religion was a Catholic's invaluable ' right that he could not be robbed of. If the children were, robbed of their faith and the knowledge of their immortal destiny, wb at had they left? The women should, therefore, look upon the use of their power as a solemn duty to uae as a meanß of gaining proper education for their children. They had been labouring i lately under a great wrong— a gross injustice — and now it was in their power to put into. Parliament men who would prove to them that they would uphold the first claims of tho Catholics and obtain from an enlightened Govemt_eut the rights, they aeked for 1 . If the women demanded and insisted upon the right of proper education fqr their children they would obtain it. The Bishop then urged every -woman

to register her name, and Baid he would feel grieved and humiliated if there waa one woman who declined to do ao. He knew he had only to intimate his wish, as they gave him credit fof sufficient wisdom to guide them right ; but this was not only a question of hiß wish, but it was a right they owed to themselves. When the time came to vote the course of action to be followed would be pointed out to them. The questions involved in the franchise extension to women were the vast ones of the morality and religion of the children. The Catholics wanted their children brought up Christians, and wanted them educated in schools where they knew the name of God would not be absent, and wherein they could control the morality of the teachers and know that the children were taught what was right and God-like. =_====