Current Topics

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XII, Issue 37, 2 January 1885, Page 1

Current Topics

AT HOME AND ABROAD.

This Hon. Robert Stout, the Premier of New Zealand and also the president of the Freethought Association, delivered an address on Christmas night, in the Lyceum. Under the circumstances , his address is not a little remarkable. After a few preliminary tema icsof no importance, Mr. Stout said: " Whether this be Christ's rirth y or not, it is, I think, of immense importance to everyone hat w • should commemorate in some way the birth of great men." Ind how did Mr. Stout commemorate the birth of Christ on this Kscasion ? We shall soon see. Mr. Stout reminds his hearers that n previous years the Freethought Association has held social gatherings in honour, or rather in remembrance of some of the great men of the race ; and to-night, he continues, " I wish to direc fc ■'our attention to some things regarding Jesus Christ." Mr. Stout is jareful not to use very respectful language in reference to our Divine Redeemer, and is not quite decided whether he should honour him )r not, or merely make a remembrance of him. This is pretty well a beginning ! But there is one. thing about which he has his mind made up. According to Mr. Stout, our Lord Jesus Christ only a mere man, at most only one of the great men of ~s. There is, in Mr. ' Stout's opinion, nothing divine in 'üm. He is not even a prophet nor a messenger from God. vVell, if Christ be not God, he does notf deserve even the imembrance of Mr. Stout, for if he be not God he cannot c called either a great or a good man. This is easily seen >S calling to mind his claim to be acknowledged God, the Son of the Eternal Father. In the last eupreme hours of His mortal existence - was asked by the High Priest : " Art thou Christ, the son of the ssed God. And Jesus said to'him, I am." On another occasion . declared, " I and the Father are one ; lin Him and He in Me." If these assertions of Christ are not true, then the whole public life of Christ was an imposture, and He deserves no remembrance from 3ven Mr. Stout, who holds that He is only a mere man. Mr. Stout's position, then, is manifestly illogical and quite irrational. After this it is quite unnecessary to discuss with Mr. Stout who is or who s not a Christian ; and as Mr. Stout, who disbelieves the divinity of jur Lord, claims to be more of a Christian than those tfho do, we care not to dispute his title to be the best Christian going — that is one who claims to be a close imitator of some creature of his diseased magination, which is an awful imposture. As to the nature of Jhrist's teaching Mr. Stout is quite astray. He affirms that His caching was purely a mcral teaching, and that instead of increasing the demands upon people's faith, instead of asking that there should v ' more creeds, He asked that there should be less belief. This is i extraordinary assertion for a man who would have it understood i is acquainted with the New Testament. Anyone who has .cad the New Testament knows that our Divine Redeemer taught a large body of doctrines which had never been communicated to man before, and that He insisted on belief in these doctrines under the severest penalties. One of the last commands He gave His apostles , as recorded by St. Matthew and St. 'Mark, was that the apostles should go and teach all nations all that he had commanded them, gating that they who should believe and be baptised should be saved, Hit that they who believed not should be condemned. How different this affirmation from that of the Hon. ttoberb Stout. Mr. Stout would, no doubt, say that these words of Christ are a myth, but we are irreverent enough to his high authority to think that St f jMatthew and St. Mark knew a great deal better what our Divine Redeemer really said than even he does. Mr. Stout is hard upon Christians. He thinks that three-fourths of us have no right to be palled Christians at all. And whilst he is very severe on the Catholic -md Anglican Churches, making a grand display of not very profound historical knowledge, he is terribly severe, on the Presbyterian \ Church, which, according to him, carries oil in the present day 'conduct similar to that of the Catholic Church which formerly banded over men lo the secular arm to be burned. We must have been sleeping for i:be laßt fifty years, for though the Presbyterian Church has, no do'tibl, much to answer tor, we are not aware that she. has done anything lately -which bears any similitude to handing over

THE HON. BOBEBT STODT.

men to the secular arm to be burned. But then we must ba wrong, for has not the great Robert Stout, who is never wrong, and who consequently cannot tolerate contradiction, said so? He 4 is also terribly hard on the Anglican Church, though he does not charge her With misdeeds in the burning lina at the pressnt day. It is only the Presbyterian Church so offends at the present. In wonderment we thank Mr. Stout that he has not charged Catholics as he has charged Presbyterians with this atrocity in the present day. This consideration towards us may, however, be a mer^ lapsus pennoe ; very likely it is. But how ungrateful of Mr. Stout to so wantonly p our out the vial of hig wrath on the Anglican and Presbyterian Churches. It is only a few days since respected and prominent clergymen of these two Churches put themselves to considerable trouble to CDm'pliment and praise him ; and at the risk of severe animadversion held him up as a model to the youth of Otago, and ail other places. Why here Catholics have actually fared better at his hands than his friends and admirers the Presbyterians . It is strange : how account for this conduct? Mr. Stout is quite offended because laymen are not permitted in many Churches to preach. He would probably like to figure now and then, during periods of relaxtion from Forensic, Parliamentary, and Lyceum duties, in their pulpits. Only think of the Hon. Robert Stout telling the Presbyterians for example, from their own pulpits that they are still given to something very like burning people for their opinions. What an interesting edifying sight this would ba 1 Mr. Stout is also very much displeased with the discipline of excommunication. According to him Jesus excommunicated no man. Where did our Lyceum orator find this.? Certainly our Divine Redeemer said the following words, — " He t&a4,. will not hear the Church, let him be to thee as the heathen and ir the* publican." And what are these but a sentence of excommunication of an excommunication under which Mr. Stout undoubtedly falls ; and perhaps this*is the reason he so abhors this .discipline. Mr. Stout is an inventor of bugbears. He says, " r,s^then that if we are to have the word Christian a word of good"||jwrt amongst us as citizens, they only are Christians who follow 6&nst's exan)tole, by trying to live as he lived, by being kind to all their neighbours, and those who venture to raise in our commnnityjlines of .demarcation, who venture to deny social rights to their fellows -because of creed, or because of race or country are preaching'anti-Chris'tian doctrines and nave no title to the name." Bat who are they who are endeavouring to deny social rights to their fellows because of creed ? We venture to say that unless such be found amongst Mr. Stout's own followers, there are none such in this community. But we think we understand Mr. Stout's real meaning. His position is this, that to deny him the right to inculcate godlessness in schools ; and to designate the lauding before t*h"e youth of the country of an avowed Agnostic and Sceptic as a' scandalous exhibition, is to venture to deny him social rights and to do that which is anti-Christian. But what right, socially, politically, jor religiously, has Mr. Stout to intrude himself into the family circle and usurp the right to prescribe to the parents of t^e country a course of education which suits him, but is abhoflred by many of them, and then compel disipproving and dissatisfied parents to pay for what they do not want, for ' what they detest, for what they are convinced is most injurious to their children, and to the country a£ large ? We deny Mr. Stout's right to do this and we say fchat only a tyrant at heart would dream of endeavouring to coeroa parents as the law of this land coerces those parents who refuse to send their children to government schools. And this denial on our part, so far from being anti-Christian is eminently Christian and a primary and solemn duty of every real Christian* Farther, to repndiate Mr. Stout's claim is in no way to venture to deny him social rights, neither is it venturing to deny him social rights to criticise him as a public man and to declare the late exhibition at the Dane* din High school a scandalous exhibition. A man is not socially ostracised bacause he is criticised or even censured.

THE TABLES TURNED.

The Nemesis evident ia the interference by Ger* many with what Australasian colonists regard as their rights over the islands of the South Seas is somewhat remarkable. There was no place ia which sympathy with the German arms was more warmly expressed during the war in which the French empire fell than it was. in Australia. The news of victory after victory was hailed with

unfeigned rejoicing, and the scene witnessed in Sydney , for example, when the capitulation of Paris-was finally announced was one not soon to be forgotten. A crowd beset the office of the Herald where extras were issued to those who were fortunate enough to push their' way to the front— and men almost hugged one another in their satisfaction at the assurance they believed themselves to have thus received that the peace of the world had now been secured. Anyone would have met with but a poor reception who veutured to hint that possibly in the long run the results of Sedan might prove to England what those of Sa lowa had proved to France. German hegemony, however, is now seen by Australasiane in a different light. Queensland, where the rejoicing over its establishment was quite as great as it was anywhere else, especially thrills with indignation and gives a suggestive sign of the spirit by which she is actuated in the reprieve of two murderers brought red-handed from the nefarious slave trade in the islands, that has enriched her while it has shamed the flag under whose protection it has been so long carried on. ADd in all probability the sympathy shown for Germany during her struggle with t France by the Colony in question was in some degree enhanced by the consideration that there would be less fear of interference with the slave trade on the part of French men-of-war, whose anticipated ntervention had at one time been the cause of much uneasiness among the slave-dealers and their employers. The certainty that they must now carry on their undertakings under the unfriendly eyes of German officials, who will no doubt be directed to employ the. sharp and decisive methods that the officers of the empire have shown an especial talent for must be a perplexing matter for the people referred to, and, as they are powerful in their colony, it is not to be wondered at that very great dissatisfaction prevails there. The expression of such a dissatisfaction, nevertheless, can- lead to nothing beyond the cynical amusement it may occasion to Prince Bismarck and those in the Fatherland who share his mind. What Germany has done she is strong enough to adhere to, and the protestations of Australasian colonists will be so many wasted words. Is England, indeed, prepared to declare a war in defence of our invaded rights, if rights they be ; or if she were so prepared would that induce Germany to relinquish her hold ? If there be one thing more clear than another concerning the nature of the men who have united the German empire or who govern it so united, it is that the interests of the empire '.are paramount with them, and that no scruples whatever shall prevail in making those interests a secondary consideration. Australasian colonists may probably be extremely thankful if the German I Government settle down n the disposition to be contented with forming colonies among the neighbouring is'ands. The exigencies of the. German empire, in a word, need the formation of colonies. Industry is* growing within its limits and population increases at a rate higher than that of ariy other European country. In France the average yearly- increase on ten thousand inhabitants since 1826 has been 26 ; in Great Britain, 101 ; but in Germany. 115. The industries need a market, and the population need food and material to manufacture, and the example of successful British colonisation is before the eyes of Germans to show that in colonies alone are the absolute necessaries in question to be provided for. We are told, indeed, that German ideas in this respect are moderate. They embrace alone, it is said, those districts of the earth that have not as y«t been taken possession of by other powers— but German notions on the subject alluded to leem capable of growth and speedy development. Prince Bismarck, for example, speaking in the Reichstag on June 26, expressed his intention with regard to colonies as limited to the protection of factories or settlements already formed by German subjects in un-*-civilised countries ; and now, six months later, we find him annexing countries with whicu~GFerman efitefprTse~hasTfad no connection wHat•ver, and to which civilised communities advance a prior claim. The English Press has spoken kindly of the German project, and, in wishing it success, pointed out that all the districts of the world where successful colonies could be founded to any extent had already been occupied — assuming, moreover, that Germany would be Content with the torrid and otherwise inferior territory that still remained open for annexation. Is it really too much to believe, nevertheless, that the bare possibility exists that statesmen who have directly fought for provinces, as in the case o£ Schieswig-Holstein, who have annexed provinces by conquest as in the case of AlsaceLorraine ; who have turned out kings and refused to acknowledge the succession of princes, should, if the necessity seemed to them to arise, lay violent hands as well on colonies already planted, and conTert them to the use of the empire formed without much regard to anything but the strong hand. It was never the intention of Prince Bismarck to found an empire that should languish owing to the poverty of its people aad the stagnation of its trade, and he and those who work with him will certainly perfect their foundation by any means they may fix upon. The protestations of the Australasian Colonies, then, may even prove more than vain ; they may even prove mischievous and lead to results far more disagreeable than those that have caused them. Let us all, in fact, be very thankful if Germans Jjemain content with JTew Guinea and a few of the South Sea Islands.

Meanwhile, were the Franco-Prussian war to be fought agaii Australian sympathies would hardly run in the same channel as tha^ in which they were found fourteen years ago. Here, also, time brint, his revenges, and not wholly without satisfaction to some of us. \

THUK 801821C3 VEBSXTS STUPID PBETENSIONS.

Can it be that the great contempt we find so com*,' monly and with so much assumption and pretension* 1 expressed here in Dunedin for the mysteries of the Christian religion is really a proof of ignorailce and shallowness of mind ? That, at least, was a very suggestive paragraph quoted the other day by the Rector o£ tha Louvain University from the late eminent French chemist, M. J. B. Dumas, and which we find translated by the London;! Tablet. " People," said this famous man of science, " who only exploit the discoveries of other people, and who never make any themselves, -\ greatly exaggerate their importance, because they have never run against the mysteries which nayS checked real savants. Hence theirJ irreligion and their infatuation. It is quite different with people whfl have made discoveries themselves. They know by experience MH limited their field is, and they find themselves at every step arreste^j by the incomprehensible-. Hence their religion and their modesty^ Faith and respect I r mysteries are wasy to them. The more progress! they make inscience, the more they are confounded by the Infinite. 1 ' 1 But in exploiting the discoveries of others, and what is more, botch- 1 ing them perhaps in the exploitation, pundits among ourselves frequently make a mockery of faith, and, auch is their assurance, that \ infinity itself cannot confound them. They have it, in fact, at their - fingers' ends, and are th« very masters of infinite confusion. Some < other passages quoted from Professor Laurent of Ghent describe the results that followed from the influence of the .Catholic Church, and which were hardly those that could be witnessed in connection with a corrupt or an imperfect institution. Among them will be found ( .besides, a sentence or two bearing out what we said last week respecting the effects of the worship of our Blessed Lady. The passages in question run as follows :-" The influence of Christianity on legislation cannot be denied. The evangelic doctrine was called upon;; insensibly to modify morals ; and morals once impregnated with th^, idea of human unity, all the vices of the ancient world will disappear . . . Antiquity was the age of violence. The feeble had to bow before the strongest. As soon as Christianity penetrated into the, pagan world, the voice oL humanity made itself heard. It is a great glory for religion to have impressed this tendency upon the human mind. The action of Christianity becomes more sensible in the legist lation upon marriage. Pagan society had not the sentiment of purity which distinguishes the morality of the Gospel. Virginity elevates women from their degradation ; the idea of the Mother of Christ; sanctifies them. The barbarians were despised or hated in antiquity J born to serve the proud citizens of Athens and of Rome, they furnished the markets for slaves and gladiators. Christianity opened to them the church, and more than that, civilised them." And Professor Laurent, we may remark, is anon-Catholic, and even an anti-Catholic authority-but with men of real learning truth must pievail and prove superior to prejudice. It is only those who exploit, as MDumas saye, the learning of others, and perhaps botch it in the exploitation— as we ourselves, taught by the efforts of pundits among us here in Dunedin, say-who overlook the truth and prefer to it the rather ridiculous, even if profane and withal blasphemous hobbies, which it suits them to maintain.

OUR "CIVIS" MAKJSS AN BPFOBT.

One of those festive individuals who, under the common name of - Civis," are delightfully playful every week in the columns of the Otego Witness \ and the. Daily Times seems, perhaps for sufficient reasons, to have been somewhat touched on the law by Dr Moran's remarks as to the scandalous exhibition made at the breaking-up of the Boys' High School. He has something very sharp, indeed, to say on the matter, and comes out with a monstrously clever effort in general. The Bishop, we have no doubt, will be much abashed at finding that he has been condemned as petulant and illtempered, and, moreover, it should utterly confound him to see that at least one keen and discerning eye has read his soul aright aj| through, discovering Ma peculiar astuteness, with all the characteri^ little ruses to which it has given rise-but for the great Prota«M| Tradition are not all Catholic ecclesiastics astute? Whether hiS< Lordship's mortification, however, may not be in some degree tempered by a sight of the shifts to which a would-be defender of the gentlemen he condemned is put, we cannot say. Still, we must admit that this keen-eyed » Civis " could probably, as the saying is, « guess eggs if he saw the shells "—and if he did not see the shells in the present instance let this also be set down to the credit of the Bishop's peculiar astuteness, unless, indeed, the vision of goose-egga continually before the eyes of our "Civis" has favoured the Bishop in escaping observation and preserving his interior unread. Let us, nevertheless, note the hit that our " Civis "-sly dog-mates at the MH.R.S and lawyers, when he accuses the Bishop of vituperating after their fashion. Here, indeed, is a satiric touch that should go far

owatds reforming our Parliament and Bar. Who was it, nevertheless, rho spoke of a "generation of vipors," and justified the use of trong language when the occasion required it ? But as to the want )f astuteness discrediting the character of an ecclesiastic, as out 'Civiß" implies, we must acknowledge that thos> ecclesiastics wobably preserve the characteristic intact who salute with aimiraion and approval the man whose life is principally devoted to underlining 1 , by fair means and foul, the system they pretend to support, "hey probably understand their " little game " well enough. Nor is t at all inconsistent with this supposition to learn that our " Civis " oelieves that the Rev. Mr. Fitchett's pride in Mr. Stout will be generally shared in Otago. But if such be Otago's pride, what must be its humility 1 We willingly recognise, then, that the ecclesiastics illuded to are Dr. Moran's superiors in astuteness. Our " Civis," again, makes a most brilliant defence of the Rev. Dr. Stuart with regard to that " one little blemish," the godlessness of the schools. It seems, according to his admission, that the schools are godless beyond denial, but there is some remnant of godliness elsewhere, and therefore godlessness is godly enough. The conclusion is too obvious to need demonstration. At any rate, there is quite godliness enough, it appears, to suit all the requirements of the Rev. Dr. Stuart. But was not our " Civis " of himself sufficient to the defence without trying back on the sixteenth century ? Or did he, indeed, doubt concerning the strength of his arguments and seek to supplement them by having recourse to that time-honoured armoury of the great Protestant Tradition ? Surely a delightful original 6cribe. fall of playfullness and festivity generally should have been able to demolish Bishop Moran by the force of his own powers. To pick up Philip IT. at random, and bring him forward as a pattern Catholic, and patron of the auto dafe was a subterfuge quite unworthy of a champion of heroic prowess. We do not, however, for our own part, believe that either Mr. Stout, or the Rev. Dr. Stuart, or the Rev. Mr. Fitchett would have been in the slightest danger under Phillip 11. The excellent Catholicism and partiality for the auto da fe that distinguished Philip 11., so far as they did distinguish him, were mere instruments to the accomplishment of his own particular purposes and the designs of a singularly hard and heartless man — who spared neither friend nor foe, neither Catholic nor heretic, in the pursuit of his will, or the gratification of his jea'ousy ; who was as willing to sacrifice the men that served him best and most faithfully as to remove a pronounced foe — to betray with treachery, for example, Don John, of Austria, or Alexander Farnese, as to encourage the assassination of William the Silent. A premium might safely be offered to the man who could prove that Philip 11., in the character of a remarkably good Catholic, which our " Civis " assigns to him, had ever enforced an auto dafe, and our " Civis '' would certainly not be the man to win the prize, whatever the degree of his light and joyous erudition may be. But make Phillip 11. the most sincerely ardent Catholic possible, going about continually, as we know all ardent Catholics were wont to do in the sixteenth century, with a fire-biaiid for the calcination of every infidel or Protestant they met with, and still we doubt as to whether Mr. Stout or either of his reverend admirers would have been in danger from encountering him. Mr. Stout, indeed, displays a talent for braving persecution, but it is a persecution of a peculiar kind, manifesting itself ,in popular applause and high official position. Under Philip 11. there would have been no room for such a display, and Mr. Stout would most probably have awaited a better opportunity — giving another proof, meantime, that there is none so servile as the petty tyrant. And as for the Rev. Dr. Stuart and the Rev. Mr. Fitchett, why should not the liberality shown in their admiration of a prominent and popular Freethinker be also shown in their admiration of a powerful Catholic ? Among the three, we may depend upon it, there would not have been found material for a single auto da fe. Bub as concerns our festive " Civis " himself, he would probably have been found of sufficient versatility, had he also adorned the reign of Philip If. to defend and excuse that king's three devoted adherents with his very best frivolity. Our "Civis," moreover, gives us an earnest of his fitness for the task by the manner in which, with this reference to Philip 11., he endeavours to silence Dr. Moran — not by valid argument or fair methods of any kind, but by an appeal to popular bigotry and anger, which may well represent all that was nefarious in the government „of potentates of the sixteenth century. Our festive " Civis," after all, lacks the good nature and harmless temper of the privileged jester.

STILL THK SCAPE-GOAT.

There is nothing in which history repeats itself more commonly than it does in connection with the Catholic faith. We know -that of old anything that caused trouble or fear amongst the Pagan people was likely to prove the cause of persecution to Christians. A pestilence, a dearth, a swarm of locusts — anything upon which superstition could seize as a pretence was eagerly converted into the motive for an onslaught upon the detested people, and as it was of old, so it is to-day. — In China, for example, the effect of the war with France has been, aB we had, indeed, already seen with reßpect

to Tonquin, to excite popular rage against the Christians, and their Bufferings are intense. Outrage and violence of every kind have been inflicted upon them, and the choice given them, as in the old heathen world — either to suffer these things, or to apostatise by sacrificing to the idols — the better choice being that made by them.

11 Near Sanchoan where St. Francis Xavier died," says the Hong Kong CatJiolic JRegister, " for more than two months the Christians are persecuted, but we are glad to hear that all protested rather to die than renounce their faith." And again in another district our contemporary says, " Not less than two hundred houses inhabited by Christians have been either burned or destroyed and the Christians driven to the streets ; a regular persecution is going on against the native Christians, converts are compelled to choose between renouncing their faith or being most roughly maltreated or expelled from their country ; female converts have their clothes toru from them, and are outraged or carried away, and God knows what will be the end of them." All this is done in rage against, a government that is anti-Christian in the extreme — (hat, allowances being made for the the different circumstances of the two countries, has done quite as much to root out Christianity from France as these fanatic Chinese are doing to destroy it in China, or even more than that.— Veiily the revenge taken by the Chinese on Jules Ferry or Paul Bert by the persecution of Catholics is a strange one, and might on the contrary go some way towards consoling either of the gentlemen referred to, or those who agree with them, for any mishap or reverses that may occur. — A war with the Republic can, indeed, be but little attributed 1o any influences of Christianity— and a plague of locusts waß as much caused by this in the ancient times.

THE WHOLE BOG.

A MOST grammatical and intelligent correspondent, who subscribes himself " Ask Bismarck," also writes to our contemporary the Daily Times touching Dr Moran's formidable words. Bismarck, if we recollect aright, was the name of that learned pig which visited Dunedin a few years ago, and afterwards came to a premature end by fire in Christchurch. And this correspondent is the very man to place un» limited reliance in a learned pig, and to receive all the replies of such an animal, or anything of a like kind, as proceeding from an infallible oracle. Our correspondent, moreover, goes the whole hog in a very remarkable manner, and seems consistent in a general sort of a way. Our correspondent, we conclude, is some one of importance and good ■ocial position, for, otherwise, his letter would hardly be published in such a newspaper as the Daily Times, having generally an air, not to say a whiff, of the sty about it that, without strong counterbalancing circumstances, would suffice to keep it out of any decent columns— not to speak of those that we must receive as an exceptional authority on all questions affecting high society and that hold the glass up to fashion and all that is elegant and refined. Our correspondeut, nevertheless, has some sense of the true state of affairs, since he perceives that for Dr. Moraa to tell the plain truth concerning certain emineDt gentlemen is for him to pronounce a very serious charge against them. But if their conduct cannot be plainly described without involving such a charge, Dr. Moran is not to blame for that. He occupies a place that necessitates his speaking the truth, assail him who will. Our correspondent, also, dearly as he may reverence the memory or bang upon the utterances of the learned pig, has attained to some perception of what is involved in godlessness, and gives a very fair description of what.it may in the future be expected to produce. What, in fact, it ia already producing in abundance wheiever it has run a course of sufficient length to eliminate the restraints and motives that the Christian past had implanted ainon? the masses of the people. In Paris, for example, where godlessness has long been preached in the identical terms in which we now hear it heralded forth among ourselves, such effects as those described in extremely bad English by this distinguished correspondent and adherent of the learned pig are strikingly manifest. " Jesus has said, ' All men are brothers.' " Such is the lesson that M. Othenin d' Haussonville heard given in a more than questionable resort of the lowest of the people a few years ago, and the latest accounts show us those very people meeting together to determine on the robbery and murder of the rich, and maltreating all who dare raise a dissentient voice. Decidedly this correspondent is right when he explains that godlessnese, among the rest, means robbery and murder, and, if these, all the rest as a matter of course. "Jesus " taught the brotherhood of man," so proclaims an eminent pundit among ourselves. Let us hope that something, beyond a respectability based on fading traditions, may prevent the like tree from bearing the like fruits 5 but, as the old traditions with their effects fade away, and the new leaven spreads and waxes stronger » we shall gain experience. Our hog-reliant correspondent, moreover, delights in continental methods, and invokes their employment for the stoppage of Bishop Moran's career, and who knows but that; in due time, some further evasion of the repeal of the penal laws, besides that so cunningly devised in the enforcement of godless education, may be introduced to satisfy all IMb correspondent's desires — including, if not Dr. Moran'B execution.

at least his expulsion ? At any rate, it is ominous that so violent a letter should be written by anyone of sufficient importance in the community to obtain for him such consideration on the part of the editor of the Daily Times. The merits of the letter it3elf place it quite beneath notice. They might secure for it an honourable place in the columns of some Orange print of the lowest and grossest type, or in those of some othev journal des eoohons, but without very high claims to recommend the writer, we Cinnot believe that such a production would be so much as read half through by any editor of common decency, not to speak of exceptional elegance and refinement. It would be interesting, as well as suggestive, to learn whether the distinguished wrter dwells in the atheistic camp, or in that of the Evangelicals, or whether he is to be found among Anglican rationalists. In going the " whole hog " he seems to champion them all indifferently.