OUR COMMON SCHOOLS AND THE LIQUOR TRADE.
WITH reterence to tnese Auctiana schools, a very severe remark was made by the Resident Magistrate, Captain Beckham, the other day on the occasion of a poor Catholic child of ll years of age being brought before him drunk. He said that the Proviacial Government by their flchool system had begun at the wrong end in their attempts to educate the people. They were raising public money to be expended on educating the children of those who could very well afford to support their own schools ; while the poorest class — the gutter children such as the unfortunate child before him— were permitted to grow up un educated. He added that a case like this was a disgrace not merely to
anyone individual particularly, but to the entire community, the town i of. Auckland, . Ha, w&b right. As a Catholic I feel that, not the least portion of th^t disgrace, attaches to as of the Catholic community. The mother of this unhappy child it a drunkard, and the boon com* panion of men as dissipated, and shameless as herself. The town is overrun with public houses, and Mr Beckham himself may well feel some strong qualms of conscience to think that he, as a licensing Justice, is responsible fpr this state of things in no slight degree. But for the multitude of the grog-shops the community of this town would nqt be scandlized by the appearance of so many drunken m<fn and women — not a few of them Catholics— as we now see brought before him .every day of the week. The Catholic Bishop, clergy, and schoolmasters are laboring with unwearied pains to promote religion and morality among the Catholic people, old and young, in this place -i but their efforts are being in a great measure rendered futile by the power of the liquor trader. He reigns sapreme over all classes. Tha power which he possesses now far exceeds that which he possessed in Father Mathew's time, and it is growing in strength every year, as the increase of the excise revenue and many other circumstances incontestibly prove. Where are we to look for a remedy f In popular {Temperance societies by whatever name they may be called T feat we can place but small confidence, and still less in any legislative remedy against intemperance-; any good they do now can be but partial and temporary ; for this reason that to a great extent so many of both Catholic and Protestant people have lost their conscience, and are possessed with a spirit of religious indifference totally incompatible with any lvgh moral tone. If a remedy is to be found at all it must be found in the power of religion ; and if religion anywhere be powerful, it ought to be in the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church possesses in itself a moral power great beyond all calculation when Church and people work in concert. Did we not see this in the case of father Mathew? It was not merely as a patriot, philanthropist, and enthusiast, but as a priest of the Catholic Church that he succeeded as he did in putting down the power of drink, in a manner that appeared superhuman or miraculous. But Father Mathew had a " tail," a following worthy of himself and his great causey and who were they? for the most part, poor Irish Catholics. What a spiritless and degenerate race of Irish Catholic laity hare we in this province at this moment, compared with their generous and noblehearted fathers and grandfathers who strengthened the hands of Father Mathew hi his terrible war again** King Drink. But they are not all degenerate ; there is a remnant left, and it may yet increase, small though it be. We have seen of late among Aucklund Catholics some of the first signs of a reviv il of the heroic spirit which, animated Father Mathew and his disciples in days gone by. • If the Cat'iolic people of Auckland would only muster strong in this cause tney would not long want a leader well qualified to head them. But what can a leader do without sufficient followers? A Father Mathew society is already established in Auckland, and in working order. But it is working like the Church of which it is a sort of emblem against fearful odd 9 ; and if it were supported as it ought to be, the means of strengthening the hands of our clergy, and wiping off that foul blot which drink is daily rendering more damaging to the character of the Catholic laity in this town and province. That we are not worse than our Protestant neighbours is a small consolation to us. We ought to be much better than any of them, and would be so too if we were even moderately true to our religion. The Catholic Church is the legitimate source of " all power," not only in the religious, but in the moral and civil or political order of society ; that is when Catholics act an honest part, and are loyal to their principles, but not otherwise. We often rail at our enemies of other creeds, but seme of our worst enemies are to be found among our own community. — Correspondent.
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New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 33, 13 December 1873, Page 9
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876OUR COMMON SCHOOLS AND THE LIQUOR TRADE. New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 33, 13 December 1873, Page 9
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