" PIOUS FRAUD."

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 27, 1 November 1873, Page 10

" PIOUS FRAUD."

Ik a letter in a recent number of the 'Wellington Indeneudent' it was stated that Bishop Williams (the Anglican Bi»hop of Waipau ) had in a published work •• Christianity of New Zealandera," stated that a Catholic priest carried with him in the old days of the colony a statue of the " Blessed Virgin," which he (the crafty priest) filled with water. He would then make his disciples go on their knees before the image and say, " Mary loves you, children, and presently tears of love and compassion will come from her eyes." A correspondent of the • Independent," " Scribe," wrote describing this " as one of the thousand tricks practiced from time immemorial " " A Catholic Missionary " wrote criticising « Scribe," and in hia letter he stated » 8 toUowa— - The point at issue for him was— Whether Bishop Williams had not slandered the Catholic Priest of New Zealand about the tale of his Virgin shedding tears. Against the defence of Bishoo Williams we have more than arguments aud presumption. We have the very words of the above Bishop in the following letter : <c T . ' . . . . ," Na P ier > January 30, 1866. "I received a short time back a letter from yourself, under date December 9, 1861, in which you refer to a statement made in a book entitled ' Christianity among New Zeaianders.' The passage is found in pages 339 and 340. [In those pages is described all the°process of the cunning priest with his fraudulent image.] The account was given to me by Hawiri Taniairiao, who had at that time attached himself to you. I have just returned from Poverty Bay, where I saw Takataka, who was also one of your followers. I mentioned the case to him, and he at once said tha.t it was not true. I have therefore no hesitation in receiving your own disclaimer, and acknowledge that I was misled, by Rawiri's statement. At the same time I much regret that, while wishing to give a truthful account of what took place at the time, I should have stated anything which was without foundation. In the event of another edition being called for, I shall not fail to correit the error. ' "Yours faithfully, " WnxtAM WaxapV." It was to prevent legal steps being taken Against his Lordship that, after a warning, Bishop Williams sent this pale recantation, lie says he has been deceived by a certain Rawiri. As for me, I cannot believe a Maori capable of an invention of that kind. The manufactory of those tales is elsewhere and among different people. [The letter following the Bishop of Waiapu was written in answer to a communication calling on him to retract the slander, under threat of a prosecution.— Ed. N. Z. T>3