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BISHOP MORAN'S DEFENCE OF FATHER HENNEBERY.

The following report, which we have taken from the Otago Dally Times of the Ist inst., should have been inserted in last week's Tablet. It was only discovered as we were about to go to press that it had been overlooked : — The Most Rev, Dr. Morau, Bishop of Dunedin, yesterday morning during the course of some remarks on education, referred to Press cri- f ticisms on Father Heunebery. He said it was a matter of great congratulation to see their schools nourishing as they were. Better' schools did not exist in this or any other country, and he hoped soon to have a Catholic college. Looking back for the last seven years they must acknowledge that a great deal had been done for their spiritual and temporal interests. Were they poorer to-day notwithstanding all they had done for the honour and glory of God and the pror motion of Catholic education ? Was not the congregation far raised above the position it held seven years ago 1 Instead of losing anything they had been the recipients of great temporal favours. His Lordship referred to the churches at South Dunedin and Port Chalmers, which he said would soon be finished. During his absence a considerable amount of excitement was caused in the town by a portion of the Press. He was very sorry for this, and thought that it was not wise in not having confined itself to its legitimate sphere. Excitement had also been caused in other places where Father Hennebery had visited, and they were aware by the statements of the congregation and clergy there that be had been grossly belied and calumniated by the Press. He (the speaker) was also misrepresented by a Press telegram, statements were put into his mouth which he never made, and the reason he did not contradict was, because if a man were to give a contradiction to every separate misrepresentation he would not have time for anything else. Father Hennebery made statements regai&U ing the state of morality in the United States of America as a warning to the congregation, in order that they might be able to see how necessary it was to bring up the rising generation in the knowledge, fear and love of God, and to show how important it was not to allow their children to be subjected to the influence of secular education. The Press took up the matter and made a row about it. He, out of feelings of gratitude for all the missionary had done, wrote a short letter to the Press, and it was said that there was a difference of a million between the figures of Father Hcnnebeiy and his with reference to the number of infanticides. If they did happen to differ it must have been a slip of the memory or of the pen. It was quite clear that he intended to give Father Hennebery's statements as the missionary himself had given them. He also used the word "infanticide." Father Hennebery had used other language, but as he wished to be concise he fixed upou one word to convey the idea substantially that Father Hennebery had in view. The word was used in its literal though not its legal signification. It was endeavoured to be proved by figures purporting to be a true statement of the state of things in Franco, with the intention of disproving the truthfulness of Father Hennebery's statements, but those figures as to France and other countries were not to the purpose. They no more disproved Father Hennebery's statements than they proved the altitude of the mountains in the moon. From the statements in certain newspapers no argument could be drawn and no syllogism could be formed. There was no minor proposition, and the validity of the argument could not be tested. It should be shown that the state of morality in France in reference to this subject was satisfactory, whereas the whole world knew that the contrary was the fact. Reading for many years prepared him to accept the statement of Father Hennebery, and he had read again and again, in the writings of even Protestant clergymen, that the state of morality in the great Republic was appalling, that a hindrance was put to the increase of population, and the only hope for the future of America was the Catholic element and the other element brought up under Catholic influences. For years he had been aware that systematic efforts were being made to teach the rising generation modes of preventing the increase of population, and with horror he had read the statement of a certain popular female lecturer that "If people imagine American women would consent to be the mothers of future Americans they laboured under a grievous mistake." It was with extreme sorrow and feelings of utter disgust that he felt himself called upon to touch upon this subject at all, and if he were placed in the dilemma to choose between lying under the imputation of a story-teller, or of entering into the details of this matter, he would accept the formei position in preference to the latter. It was a remarkable thing that at first the Press ridiculed all Father Hennebery's >talonients, but with his letter it confined itself to the question of inJanticide, and spoke no more of the other three statements. It was TnuposMblc to evade the conclusion that this was done, because it was easy to procure evidence on the three first (statements, but not so easy a.s lo the last, owing to the peculiarity of its nature. Father Hen-, nebevy's statement was made on the authority of competent witnesses and it had not yet been disproved. It was a matter on which they could not make a mathematical calculation as on other subjects. It could only be estimated from, the authority of experienced men. His Lordship said in contention that he still believed Father Hennebery's statement not to be exaggerated. It could be said, no doubt, that it was a terrible charge — almost incredible, and opposed to common sense. He admitted all this, but terrible as it was — incredible as it was, and opposed as it was to common sense, it was, nevertheless, he believed, true, .and it existed because it was the natural outcome of a system of education — in a Christian community — opposed to reason and common sense. It was not a subject upon which he wished to dwell, and it caused him very great pain to lay it before the congregation. He concluded by asking the congregation to persevere with the system of education they had commenced, and to let their success in the past be an encouragement for tho future. — Daily Times, April 1.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/periodicals/NZT18780412.2.41

Bibliographic details

New Zealand Tablet, Volume V, Issue 258, 12 April 1878, Page 17

Word Count
1,124

BISHOP MORAN'S DEFENCE OF FATHER HENNEBERY. New Zealand Tablet, Volume V, Issue 258, 12 April 1878, Page 17

BISHOP MORAN'S DEFENCE OF FATHER HENNEBERY. New Zealand Tablet, Volume V, Issue 258, 12 April 1878, Page 17