The New Zealand Tablet. Fiat Justitia. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1882. SOME MORE OBJECTIONS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume X, Issue 499, 3 November 1882, Page 15

The New Zealand Tablet. Fiat Justitia. FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1882. SOME MORE OBJECTIONS.

* E bare thrashed out almost all the objections to our claim for jastice. Only one or two remain, and these present little difficulty. The first arises from the dread that justice to Catholics would result in the destruction of our present system of godless education. To us this of course is a matter of no importance. Jt would give us infinite pleasure to see this godless system annihilated, and as citizens paying our ihare of the taxes, and interested in the general well-being of the State, we have a right to ask for this annihilation if so minded.

But such a demand does not now enter into our programme. Our present purpose is to obtain justice for our Catholic schools »nd the Catholic tax-payer. And we maintain that i this justice could be easily done without weakening in the least the godless schools. In England and Scotland and Wales, for example, not only are Catholic schools aided, but all denominational schools, without destroying or even weakening the Board schools, which are secular, and well nigh as godless as the New Zealand Government schools. Why is it supposed that the concession of justice in .New Zealand should produce an effect not produced by a similar concession in Great Britain ? But it is said if justice were done to Catholic schools, all denominations would follow the example of Catholics, and set up schools for themselves, and then the Government godless schools would be empty. A very good result and much to be desired ; but such is not likely to ensue. All denominations have their own schools in Great Britain, and all are aided out of the public funds, and still' there are room enough and pupils enough for the Board schools. Why should it be feared that all denominations here would set up schools for themselves ? Have they hitherto given any proof, afforded any evidence of such zeal in making sacrifices for religious education as -would warrant such a fear ? Certainly a few Church of England schools might be established. But this need create no alarm. The other denominations are quite in love with the godless system ; their ministers are their most enthusiastic and indefatigable supporters. In fact, it appears that these ministers see a special beauty and sanctity in godless schools, and their flocks nobly second their efforts to fix them permanently in the country. And is it not notorious that the newspapers that lead publio opinion, almost without an exception, declare that our godless system of education is just the most perfect possible, and that it would be akin to sacrilege to touch it ? Where, therefore, are the men to be found who would be likely to make any sacrifices for Christian schools 7 Outside of the Catholic Church few indeed would be found prepared to give up free godless education, and expend even a shilling on Christian schools. In this colony almost all have abandoned' Christianity in schools, as something effete and even injurious. No one need fear, then, that the concession demanded by Catholics, if granted, would in any way impair the efficiency or endanger the existence of the godless schools. The cry of the schools in danger is a spectre, only calculated to frighten children. It is a mere cry and nothing more. Another argument it is thought is derived from the existence of gaols and police, etc. Catholics, it is said, should no more complain of being taxed for godless schools than they should of having to pay for the police, for example. We consider it doubtful if the men who use this police-and-gaol argument themselves think there is really any force in it. It is, at all events, a very silly argument, if indeed it can be called an argument at all. But as it has been put forward so often, we Buppose some fancy it is really an argument. But if so, what is to be said of the powers of reasoning possessed by not a few, who rush into print under the delusion they are enlightening the public. Every one who understands reasoning perceives at once that there is no parity. If, indeed, Catholics were, obliged by reason of the neglect of the Government to provide a police force to protect their lives and property, and pay the expense of such a force whilst paying also for the police provided by Government for the protection of the rest of the community, there would be a parity. But as the public police force suffices for our protection, it is only just and equitable we should pay our share of its expense. In the case of schools, however, it is quite different. We are obliged to provide schools for ourselves. The public schools are not only of no use to us, but positively injurious. To compel us, therefore, to pay for them is a palpable injustice and an intolerable tyranny. But it is said that the public schools are indirectly of use to us, because they educate the community. This, however, is precisely what they do not do ; they do not educate at all, they instruct if you will, in certain things, but they give no education. We think we cannot do better here than give the words of Cardinal Manning, in his sermon at Newcastle on Sunday, the 3rd of last September, on this point. His Eminence said: "To talk about education without Christianity is to err indeed. Do not err therefore, dearest brethren. Do not let any man tell you there can be education without Christianity. You may teach men their letters ; you may teach them to read, you may teach them to cast up numbers ; you may teach them to measure the earth ; you may teach

them geometry and arithmetic. All these things you may teach them, I admit, but I deny that this is education. This is instruction, and instruction is nothing but a part, a detail of education. Education has a multitude of details, but education is the formation of men, the formation of the reason, the formation of the conscience, the formation of the heart,' the formation of the will. This, and nothing less than this' is education .... Christian education, as it created, so it sustains, and so it will perpetuate a Christian people. Instruction without Christianity will deprive that people of (he element which made it what it is, and instruction without Christianity in a little while will issue in a race of people, who, as they have never been taught a knowledge of God in Jesus Christ at school, will certainly when they grow up* not give themselves the trouble to go to worship him in & Church." l We have heard it said that Bishop Mohan demands more than the Church requires. When will our enemies cease to have recourse to subterfuges and tricks. This statement as regards Bishop Moran has no foundation whatever. Bishop Moran only asks for what he is strictly bound to ask for and that is Catholic schools for Catholic children, and as a citizen and the head of a large body of people, he claims justice from the Government of the country, proclaiming that it is tyranny and a grievous injustice to compel Catholics to pay for godless schools and refuse their own aid at least from the taxes they pay for educational purposes. The Bishop knows his duty, but in order to remove all doubt from the mind of even the most obtuse, we subjoin a few sentences to show that Bishop Moran's demand is also the demand of Catholics in England, where they are supposed to be very moderate. In the sermon from which we quoted above Cardinal Manning says : " We have, then, spreading all over the land, an enormous system of education, so-called, without Christianity. It has the entire control of the school taxes which we pay. It is of a kind which excludes from its schools everyone who believes the truths of which I have been speaking. The established Church of England, which has laboured so well, and with so much self-denial in the multiplication of Christian schools, would not allow any child of its own to set foot in these schools without Christianity. Need I speak of our own people ? .No Catholic parent, without sinning against God, could do it. ... That which is raised as a tax from all the people ought to return to all the people, in a syetem of schools into which all the people can enter. There should be nothing sectarian. The most sectarian, schools in the world are secular schools. The most sectarian schools are those which are the most exclusive, and which bnr every threshold of the school against those who believe Christianity to be the only education of man — these I call sectarian schools." These words embody the teaching and the demands of Catholics all the world over ; and from them it will be seen that Bishop Moran, instead of standing alone, is only acting in obedience to Catholic principles, and on principles universally acknowledged. The Bishop of Dunedin was early in the field, and has for many years waged battle for justice to Catholics and Christian schools. But from first to last he has never made an extravagant demand. One word more, and we shall bring this long article to a close. There are many here who think they will escape the heavy responsibility they have incurred and are still incurring through their patronage of the Government schools, by obtaining the reading of the Bible without note or comment in their schools. In the Board schools in England the Bible is \ read ; but this does not remove the objections of Christian men to these schools. And here is Cardinal Manning's estimate of the practice. He says :"It is not enough to say the Bible is read. The Bible is not the Bible except it be reac^ in the true sense of the Bible, as a man's will is not a man's will if it be interpreted otherwise than in the man's own sense. Therefore it is not enough to tell me that the letter of the Bible is read in any school."

It is well to learn that a portion of the English Press has taken a just view of Judge Lawson's conduct towards Mr. Gray, although, another portion of it, comprising the Times, the Saturday Jterictv et omne id genus, have delivered theniseTves concerning' the matter so as to make us beliere they would support any judge on the Irish bench who should even keep a revolver full cocked within reach to execute justice with his own hand were he to think it advisable to do so. The Pall Mall Gazette, then, speaks as follows :— " Mr. Justice Lawson is of course within his right in inflicting any punishment he pleases for contempt of court. He can do as he thinks fit. But we

are much mistaken if such an exercise of the power vested in his hands tends to forward the ends for which the Commission Court was constituted, or contributes so materially to the pacification of Ireland as it pleases some of our contemporaries to profess to believe. Of coarse, the ready reply is that Ireland is not England, and that such things are necessary if government is to be carried on across St. George's Channel. Such haß been the cry for centuries, and the results so far have not been reassuring. It remains to be seen whether the imprisonment of Mr. Gray will contribute more materially to conciliation with the Irish than any of the long list of similar deeds which form so large a part of the sombre annals of our rule in Ireland. We find we were right in our conjecture that it was Mr. Henry George who was the American correspondent arrested at Lousjhrea together with the gentleman who wrote to the Times. The gentle* A&a in question was* Mr. Joynes, of Eton College. Mr. George was again arrested at Athenry, where he was detained in custody for a day—a local magnate and magistrate, whom he calls Major Lobden, refusing to have anything to do with the case as he had private business to occupy him, and could not be distracted by public affairs. Mr. Joynes, although not arrested in this instance, remained to learn thejfate of his travelling companion, and both gentlemen beguiled the weary hours until the arrival in the evening of Mr. Byrnes, who had tried them at Loughrea, by pumping water at the town pump for the women who came to fetch it. Mr. George describes Subinspector Bell, who arrested him, as a " nice little fellow," parting his hair in the middle. He attributes his release to certain telegrams sent from London by Mr. Trevelyan. Mr. Joynes was, subsequently arrested a second time, while engaged in watching an eviction in Limerick. At St. Joseph's Church, Dunedin, last Sunday, His Lordship the Bishop delivered the last of a series of sermons on the Mass. His Lordship gave a very interesting and full explanation of the Holy Communion, and, in concluding, said that two Masses were offered up daily in the church, and, though not desiring to admonish his congregation, he would draw their attention to the small attendance at these Masses, and the duty of at least one member of a family attending. He was aware that many resided too far from the church, and consequently were nnable to attend. Still there were many who could not urge this excuse, and might without inconvenience do so. He deprecated the very bad practice prevailing in the colony of remaining up late at night — wasting both fuel and light. The consequence of this habit being that people slept till late in the morning, and from slothfulness did not make use of the opportunities afforded them by attending daily Mass. There was no reason why, by a little regularity in the household, and particularly by going to bed early, the younger members of the family could not attend, and where this was not practicable owing to the duties of the house, every family might be represented by one, at least, of their number daily— one going this morning, another the next, and so on. A liADIKS' meeting, in connection witii the Dunedin Cathedral Bazaar, will he held on Tuesday next, 7th inst., at half-past three o'clock, at the Dominican Convent. The stall -holders are particularly requested to attend. The following names were omitted from the list of subscribers at Oamaru on Rosary Sunday : — Mrs. J. Power ; Messrs. Thos. Shannon, Michael M'Blhenny, Con. Mannix, Willie Power, 10s each. Mb. A. H. Rose has constructed diagrams of the approaching transit of Venus, which may be seen at the Dunedin Athenaeum. The transit will take place on December 7th, and will be seen, if the morning be clear, at sunrise when almost half the planet's journey across the sun will have been accomplished. Mr. Ross's diagrams are admirally constructed, and furnish the means of a most interesting study, " Picturesque New Zealand," by C. O. Montrose, illustrated by B. Rawlins, is a publication marking a step in the right direction, to bring within reach of the public generally the beauties of New Zealand scenery. The descriptions ot the natural features of the country are interesting, and the illustrations probably as well executed as circumstances would admit of. The work deserves the encouragement that should reward a praiseworthy undertaking, and lead to better tb4ngß hereafter. The latest European excitement is the report of an approaching outbreak of the Socialists in France. French society, however, is rotten enough for anything, and in the present condition of the towns it is impossible but that pome upheaval or another must ere long occur. In Paris, for example, the other day a mob of men belonging to an inexpressibly vile section of the inhabitants, and who had already come into disgraceful notoriety, took possession of Mentmartre in the broad day-light, and ill-tre ited the passers-by, and at Monceau-les-Mines a mob ran riot for more than a week, blowing up part of the church, breaking dewn the road-side crosses, sacking the nuns school, and savagely assaulting the members of religious Orders, both male and female. Again, a new . species of 'rough has appeared generally upon the scene, of whom a secular paper gives the follow-

ing picture : — " At one time in the correctional police, but of tenet before the court of assise, you may see a young man from sixteen to twenty affiliated to a kind of free masonry of crime, depraved and withered by excesses, rotten to the marrow, living by vice and theft, a wretch with his mind made up to consume all he can and produce nothing, devoted to incurable idleness, and laughing at courts and judges." And the atmosphere is admirably suited to foßter the growth of this voytnt, an he is called. The secular teachers are asserting themselves to some purpose, their nights are often spent in the cafes, where- they loudly toast the republic, and outrages committed by them en the persons of religious people, or the emblems of religion, are of frequent occurrence. Whether the revolution break out, then, immediately, or be for a time repressed by force, it is certain matters are ripe and still ripening, for an onslaught of the furies, and everything promises that when it comes it will be terrible indeed. Some more Englishmen have seriously hurt an Irishman, attacked by four of them together who broke his jaw and covered his head with wounds reaching to the bone. This took place near Chester, and had no connection with the attacks on Irishmen in Wales and Cornwall. On the whole, then, it would seem that even John Bull himself can occasionally attempt his neighbour's life— and that without any very special provocation or ill-treatment. But John has a loud voice, and has given himself a good name and his neighbour a bad one, and even in this there is a good deal. A Parliamentary committee has been appointed to consider I Judge Latvson's treatment of Mr. Gray. It is better late than never, but still it is late for our Evan* gelical friends to begin to find out how matters stand with regard to religion— that is so far as it is possible for them see anything besides their own false vision of the Catholic Church. They, however, begin to discover that all those who oppose the Church aTe not ipsofact* saved on the spot. Hete is what the Rev. Dr. Wheeler, editor of the New York Met Mist, writes from Paris on the Bubject, to his- news paper. — " During this short journey, my impressions respecting the central weakness of European Liberalism have grown deeper. That weakness is atheism and irreligion — it is not easy to distinguish between them, for irreligion is practical atheism, and usually has a species of atheism at its root. It is useless to fight Romanism with , atheism ; for the solid parts of every population are religious. That is the reason why the priesthood musters so large a party — and bo formidable a social foree — in France. Liberalism is here as elsewhere almost openly atheistic. That it has no faith in religion is on the surface and weakens it in every struggle, In Italy, Romanism has made conspicuous gains in twenty years, solely because it repre^ sents, in however evil a form, the religious convictions of Italians." Yet our Evangelical friends are most energetically endeavouring to " fight Romanism with atheism," — and, indeed, they have nothing else wherewith to fight it, for all their war against the Church tends to atheism only. But at home they employ atheism against the Church in the support they give the godless schools, and they identify themselves with it abroad by the joy with which they applaud all its victories, or fancied victories. A very fountain of strange and hitherto unheard of information is to be found in the letters written by various correspondents to our daily contemporaries. The latest example of the kind is that we find in a letter on Poland, and in which it is stated that Protestant Poles were cruelly persecuted by the Catholic majority. "To such an extent," says the correspondent, " were these persecutions carried that the surrounding nations made them a pretext for interfering in the domestic affairs of that unhappy country, and once having got a footing in it, did not rest till they had divided it amongst them'selves t and blotted out from the map of Europe Poland, a once great and powerful nation." This is history with a vengeance, and, after all it is something to learn that we have among us here in Dunedin real original historians, who can invent all the facts they want right off without any one to help them. Dissensions in Poland, indeed, led to the dismemberment of the kingdom, as John Sobieski had foretold they would nearly a hundred years before the event came to pass, but they had nothing to do with tha persecution of Protestants. The struggle was between the greater and lesser nobility, the one of which parties called in the Saxons and the other the Swedes to help them, and the fighting went on between Swedes, Germans, and Russians, non-Catholic people all of them, called in by Catholics. " When the adjoining states of Russia and Austria, therefore," says Alison, "effected the first partition of Poland in 1792, they did not require to conquer a kingdom, but only to take each a share of a state which . had fallen to pieces." We would again remind our readers that the blessing of the new - convent chapel and opening of the school will take place at Invercargill oa Sunday the 12th inst. To prevent over-crowding it has been arranged that tickets for the conveDt grounds, on the occasion, will be issued only to those persons who have subscribed the sum of. at least 10s to the building fund. Tickets and badges may be had on application at the convent. We are requested, further, to state that the Veiy Rev. Mother Prioress of the Dominican Convent, Dunedin, will leave for lavercargill to-day, in order to help in the neccesary

preparations and otbeT matters connected with the approaching ceremonies. On Wednesday, the Feast of All Saints, several children made their first communion in St. Joseph's Church, Dunedin, at the 8 a.m. Mass. There were 50 girls from the Dominican Nuns' schools, and 23 boys from the schools of the Christian Brothers, and the sight was a very beautiful and impressive one as usual. His Lordship the Bishop, who acted as celebrant cf the Mass, made an appropriate address, in the course of whioh he said he did not speak to instruct the first commnnicants, whom he knew to be already fully instructed. He exhorted them to pray for those who did not possess the advantages which they themselves had, and he added that he hoped before very long in the country places also the nuns' schools would afford abundant means of religious instruction to all the Catholic children. On Thursday, All Souls' Day, a High Mass of Requiem and Solemn Office for the dead were celebrated at 7 a.m., the Bishop acting as celebrant, with the Rev. Fathers Purton, 0.5.8., and Walsh as deacon and sub-deacon respectively, and the Rev. Father Burke master of ceremonies. There were a full congregation, and a large number of commnnicants. All sorts of reports are being spread concerning Fenianism and dynamite in England. The country should be at once placed under coercion, and, by the way, an English writer in the North American Review foretells a revolution there, before many years are over, inde. pendent of all Fenianism, and originating with the English people themselves.— And his arguments are not very weak either. Another of those productive newspaper correspondents writes to the Christchurch Press, protesting aeainst several innovations in the Church of England, services with which we have nothing to do, but also mentioning au historical fact or two, inspired to him, quite evidently, during his " care and management of sheep," in which we are somewhat interested. "We know," he says, " that Gregory, called the Great, adopted the fine music of the theatre and amphitheatre into the Church when he was assuming for the Church the leadership of souls and government of men." But this, nevertheless, is not known to all of us. Historians of name even there have been who seeto to have known nothing about it. Montalembert, for example, gives a different account of St. Gregory's music. He says St. Gregory collected the " ancient meladies of the Churoh, in order to subject them to the rules of harmony, and to arrange them according to the requirements of divine worship." We fear the " care and management of sheep " is not a direct road to the understanding of ecclesiastical history. But, although we have nothing to do with the matter, we still may be a little amused by this correspondent's dismay at the " assumptions innovations," " the forms, ceremonies, vestments, symbolisms, etc., etc.," he beholds in the Church he belongs to. Union, they B ay, is strength ; the Church of England, by this time ought to be able to say, from experience, what disunion is. AN affecting incident is related in connection with a gentleman who had married his deceased wife's sister in England, and who, on the marriage's being declared illegal when the lady died, was so much overcome that he arrayed himself in a white hat, a blue tie, and a brown coat. There, are, however, various ways of showing distraction, and we are not to take every man so dressed as hanging out the signs of grief. In fact, it is generally otherwise. A partial eclipse of the sun will take place on the 11th inst. Heb Majesty^ army is about to be supplied with Australian frozen meat. This is another nail in the coffin of the Irish landlords' corporation. Sare it's half " kilt " already. A stbong feeling in favour of the construction of the West Coast railway is gaining ground. Meetings to advocate it have been held in Christchurch, Greymouth, and other places. Mr. E. Geneveb, late engineer of the Dtmedin Gasworkb, haß been presented with a purse of 100 sovereigns. Mb. R. H. Rhodes' house, near Christchurcb, containing thirty rooms, has been burnt down. Iron smelting works are about to be erected at Onehunga. They will he under the management of an American. Fubtheb heavy floods have occurred in England, and also in the Tyrol and Cannthia. A Highland gentleman offers to pay the arrears due by the Skye crofters, in order to prevent their eviction. The men themselves, meantime, offer to compromise for a reduction of 10 per cent. But when will the English and Scotch people see the advantages which a peasant proprietary has invariably produced, and the practicability of its establishment without doing injustice to anyone ? When this is clearly seen by the masses in England and Scotland the eve of a better day will have been arrived at. * v T j^ P^ected companies for dealing with Native Lands appear to bedvfferently regarded by the Maories. Rewi Maniapoto is said to approve of them, and on the other hand Tawhiao's people declare against them. We publish in another column the half-yearly balance-sheet and report of the Bank of New Zealand, which will afford a most satisfactory study to those of. our readers who take an interest in the prosperity, $fc the. «olonjr. The affairs of the Bank are especially flourishing, .aijd reflect immense credit on all who have had a part in its manflgp«aent,Tas-well as being of the most cheering and encouraging natuie.possiblelo shareholders.