Untitled

Wellington Independent, Volume XXVI, Issue 3308, 21 September 1871, Page 3

to the editor op the independent.

Sic, — In your issue of this morning, a writer, who bravely signs himself "Beta," makes several untrue statements in reference to the Catholic Churoh, and her influence on education. He denies, in tho first place, a statement of your report of my sermon laßt Sunday, to the effect thafc fche Catholic Church had educated the nations of Europe, and founded the great European Universities with few exceptions. This ie a statement, sir, thafc no scholar, no one acquainted with history, will deny. Bufc "Beta" is evidently one of that claes of individuals uot uncommon in this colony at present, whose bigotry arises from fcheir profound ignorance of history. " Beta " grounds his denial of my statement on & report of an Italian minister of the present time. Bufc no one acquainted with the subject will pay any attention fco the unprincipled and usurping Italian ministers of the present day, who are the tools of the secret societies — tho sworn enemies of not only Catholicity, bub oven of Christianity, who deliver panegyrics on the devil whilst they blaspheme God. In order not to trespass too much on your space, I shall content myself with giving, as an answer to " Beta " and his Italian minister, the following extract from tho work of Mr Ray, the " Travelling Bachelor of Cambridge," whose anti-catholic prejudice breathes in every page of hie work. He says, "In Catholic Germany, in France, and even in Italy, the education of the common people in reading, writing, arithmetic, musio, manners, and morale, is afc least. as generally diffused, and as faithfully &oroofed by the clerical body as in Scotland. Ifc is by fcheir advance, and not by keeping back the advance of the people, that the Popish priesthood of the present day seeks to keep ahead of the intellectual progress of the community in Catholic lands ; and they might perhaps retort on our Presbyterian clergy, and ask if they too are, in their countries, afc the head of the intellectual movement of fche age. Education is, in reality, not only not suppressed, but encouraged by the Popish Chz+eh, and it is a mighty instruments in tWr,' hands and ably used." In the di^nd place " Beta" quotes the following passogil from one of Macaulay's Essays : — " To stunt t^e growth of the human mind has been tho chief object of fche Roman Catholic Church. Throughout Christendom, whatever advance haß been made in knowledge, in freedom, in wealth, and in the arts of life has been made in spite of her, and has everywhere been in inverse proportion to her power." This statement of Macaulay's is absolutely untrue. And this can be easily proved. Let ue hear Mr Laing, a Scotchman and a Protestant. He says of Holland, that she remains a country full of capitalists and paupers, her wealth giving little employment, comparatively, to her own population in productive industry, and adding little to their prosperity, well-being, and habits of activity in produoing and enjoying the objects of civilized life, whilst, he represents Catholic Belgium as the freest and most prosperous country in Europe.

Again, speaking of Prussia (pp, 155 and 230---32), he says of the Catholic population of Her Ehenish and Westphalian Provinces : — " This population (the Catholic) is tho very kernel of tho Prussian kingdom — a concentrated population of from threo to four millions, fche most wealthy, commercial, and manufacturing, aud the mosfc enlightened on their rights and wants of any perhaps in Germany. It is from tliis population of about four millions tliafc tho impulse has been given to the greafc movement of fche German peoplo in the German League." As to Prance and Italy and other European countries, I refer you, sir, to Mr Laing's works. From these it will be eeon that Macaulay's statement is simply rhodomontado. " Beta" also appeals to tlie state of education in Ireland. If he is a British subject, as I daresay ho is, and of course a Protestant, he ought fco be ashamed to mako such an appeal. And why ? Because the Protestant Government of England enacted penal laws to prevent tho education of fche Irish peoplo. In fact, the effort fco educate the Irish peoplo was regarded a 6 au overt act of high treason. I regret, sir, timo does nofc permit mo to go more at length into this subject, bufc as wind and tide wait for no man, I suppose the Claud Hamilton would nofc wait for me, and ifc ia necessary I should leave here to-day for Dunodin.—Yours, &c , t P- Moran, Bishop of Dunedin. Wellington, 20th September.