AT SEA WITHOUT COMPASS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XX, Issue 19, 26 February 1892, Page 16

AT SEA WITHOUT COMPASS.

§S§j^*[.HE newspaper war against Bishop Moran con<MhimssL tinues, and a most remarkable feature in this |lftgsOT? warfare is the similarity that prevails throughout YJpjßjE^* the varions leaders in which he is assailed. InjgfS^gLJ deed, this similarity is so striking that one is juj;^ 1 almost forced to conclude that it is the same hand that writes them all, so that the opposition he encounters is the active opposition of one man. No one, we think, who has read recent leaders in the Otago Daily Times, Dunedin Evening £*ar, and the Mataura Ensign, can tail to have been struck by the uniformity of argument, diction, and etyle clearly manifest in these leaders. This, however, by the way ; our business is to look out for a grain of reason and argument, if such can be found in these writings ; and, after diligent s arch, very little indeed of either is to be discovered. According to these leaders, Bishop Moran is a faddist, is pursuing a fad, is a tyrant, is regardless of political considerations, and bent on forwarding only one idea, and is provoking a block vote in opposition to his views. Let us Be©

what grounds there are for these allegations. What is a fad ? We wonder whether the writer or writers of these leaders understand what a fad is. We are almost forced to come to the conclusion that he or they do not. A fad is a hobby, a silly pursuit ; it is something in some way peculiar and personal, not generally shared in by people of common sense and information ; it is something that may he compared to the hobby-horse of the vacant youth, and generally something new and unheard of. Now, what is Bishop Moran agitating for ? He is agitating for justice to 85,000 of the inhabitants of this country. He is agitating for Christian education. Are these things fads ? Are they innovations, are they silly pursuits, are they things never heard of before ? Are they things which only himself and a few half-demented creatures are advocating ? No ; they are neither new, nor silly, nor shared in by only a few silly people. These are objects appreciated highly by vast numbers of the best, most learned, and devoted, men, and advocated not to-day, but for very many days indeed. Justice is as old as the Creator Himself, and Christian education as old as Christianity. It is no fad to labour for Christian education, or to pursue justice. But the fad Is on the side of Bishop Moray's opponents. Godless education is certainly an innovation, and only for its wickeness would be the newest of fads, never heard of before this age. Christian people have always advocated Christian education, and even the Pagans themselves scouted the idea of godleßs education. It is godless education that is the fad, and it is Bishop Mo ran 's opponents who are the faddists, because these are the silly innovators whose theories, whilst opposed to common sense and morality, are most mischievous, not only to religion but to society itself. Now, in their estimation, Bishop Moran is a tyrant because he advises the Catholic voters of New Zealand to vote against all candidates who refuse Catholics justice on the education question, and to abstain altogether from voting when all candidates are pledged to refuse aid to their schools. What is there tyrannical in all this ? Surely to give advice is not tyrannical. This, indeed, would be a new and faddist view. Tyranny and advice are not synonymous, yet our learned pundits gravely tell the public they are. bo much for the shameless recklessness and absurdity of such writers. In the third place this or these gentlemen assure us that all non-Catholics will block-vote against our claims. How do they know ? What opportunity have they or he of knowing what the public generally will do ? It is not too much to suppose that we are as competent to form a judgment on this matter as he or they are. We have before us the evidence that helps to the formation of a judgment as plainly as others, and our conclusion is that no such thing will take place. First of all, it is evident that for many years a large portion of the nonCatholics of New Zealand have advocated our claims. In the Legislative Council, the question was carried in our favour, and on all occasions when the question was introduced into the House of Representatives a very considerable number of the representatives in this House, be it recorded to theii credit, supported our claims to aid for our schools. What indication is there that all this is going to cease. No, our conviction is that there is too strong a sense of justice and fair play in the country to permit such a thing. When the opinion of Presbyterians was taken, an overwhelming majority voted in opposition to godless education. The other day the General Anglican Synod, by a majority of two to one, carried a motion in favour of aid to denominational schools. And in the debate and voting on this occasion something very remarkable happened. One of the lay members stated in his speech that the laity of the Church of England were opposed to denominational schools, and in favour of the present godless system. Well, but what was the result ? This witness to the attitude of Church of England laymen, when the division came, was supported by only one other lay delegate, whereas the remaining lay delegates present voted against him in the proportion of fire to one. And further, this advocate of godless education, in his impetuoßity forgetting himself, threw up the sponge and affirmed that if aid were given to denominational schools, the present Government godless schools would be almost deserted, and would be attended by only a few secularists and infidels. Bo much for the popularity of the present godless system, and the hold it has upon the judgment and affections of the people. And yet this is the system that is so sacred to the writers in the newspapers. Under such a state of things is it any wonder that our colonial papers are absolutely without influence amongßt the great mass of the people. We now

come to the last, and, in their minds, as it seems, the greatest and strongest of their arguments. Give aid to Catholic schools and the present system of education will be destroyed. That is, do an act of justice and an act of sound policy, and the present system must crumble to dust. A pretty argument forsooth. The present system cannot outlive the doing of an act of justice, so say its advocates, not we ; and nothing can be clearer, consequently, than that this very statement proves how absolutely rotten it is. No other system, we are told, is possible. Indeed ? Why, every nation in the world has its own system, and all these systems differ from each other in important particulars, and yet such is the poverty of intellect and resource, as we are in effect told, in New Zealand, that the wit of New Zealanders is incapable of devising any other system of education than the one which excludes God and Christ from the school hall, and compels one-seventh of tha population to be perpetually plundered. Many other and better and more just systems, could be easily devised, and would too, if people were in earnest in the cause of Christianity and justice.

By way of a third postscript addnssed to Sir Bobert Stout, we may mention another suggestive incident. One night, not very long ago, the present writer happened, at a late boor, close on midnight it was, to be passing along the street in front of a certain establish* ment. There came tumbling from the doorway a swarm of young men— young gentlemen we should perhaps say, as we afterwards found that they represented our jevneue dorfo. Excited knots gathered, and something evidently very stirring was stirringly discussed. A row, it was subsequently rumoured, had taken place within doors, in which some very lively work occurred. — We do not say there was anything criminal in the matter. We must not run the risk of libelling our betters, or of slandering the influences of the almighty dollar. What we do say is that, if a row took place in a public house of a lower class wherein, let us suppose, for example, a barmaid was assaulted, and other feats of like prowess performed, and had the performers been Irish immigrants, the police court would inevitably have witnessed the results, and malodorous additions would have been made to Irish statistics. What is mere playfulness in the jeunette doric becomes something very different in the lest fortunate youth.— But, no doubt, Sir Bobert Stout fully appreciates the proprieties of the case. Otherwise be might modify his figures by paying a little attention to qualifying facts.

The Bedemptorist mission at Gore wu closed on Sunday, a very larg« congregation, for nearly one half of whom the church afforded no accommodation, being present. At the earlier Masaei communicants were extremely numerous. The Sacrament of Confirmation was afterwards administered by the Most Rev Dr Moran to 135 recipients. On the termination of the ceremony the Bishop spoke on education, and, as elsewhere, exhorted Catholics to be united and to vote for no man who would not pledge himself to advocate their claims. His Lordship advised them to abstain altogether from voting in every case in which all the candidates were opposed to their rights. He also explained the Education Question at length. Subsequently the men of the congregation waited on the outside of the church and cheered his Lordship ai he came out, thus giving an indication that they were resolved to act on his advice. During the week the Bishop visited Tapanui, and Invercargill — where Fathers Hegarty and Mangan are now conducting a mission. Father Howe 11 is engaged in a like work at Cromwell. The Very Rev Fathers Vaugban and Plunkett have returned to Australia.

The Pope has written an Encyclical to the French bishops deploring the attacks made on religion and defending the Church from the charges brought against her of political ambition. He recommends to Catholics the acceptance of the Bepublic, but, so far as we oan gather from the cablegram, counsels their resistance to legislative abuses. The letter has evidently produced its effect, for we are told that President Carnot has thanked bis Holiness for it and assured him of his assistance in securing religious peace to France. For the Pope's declaring himself in favour of the Bepublic, French Catholics must have been more or less prepared since Cardinal Lavi* gerie, a year or two ago, made his very pronounced demonstration in the Bame direction.— And why, in fact, should anyone be surprised at it ? The relationship of France to monarchy is now a far-off and sentimental one. The Empire, more fairly to adapt Oarlyle's unfair and unjust comparison of French glory to burnt straw— has biased up and gone oat for ever. The House of Orleans — well, our only Berious objection to Sir Thomas Esmonde's book, noticed by us else* where, is that he has spoken in it of the Oomte do Paris as a descendant of St. Louis, Any nobility of sen'iment bindiog France to her ancient kings could find realisation to-day only in the Spanish Bourbons, and they are an impossibility. — The Bepublic is an established fact, and there is nothing to astonish us in a recom1 mendatioa addressed by the Pope to French Catholics that they

should accept it—opposing only its anti-Catholic legislation. As to tbe Ministerial crisis tbat has at the same time occurred, it is not quite easy to understand it. It must have been only for the purpose of defeating the Ministry that M. Clemenceau, as we are told he did, opposed the measure introduced by the Premier with the intention of further oppressing the religions orders. — The alliance which the Pope counsels and which will obtain, as we may legitimately conclnde, is tbat between Catholics and the moderate Republicans. M. Clemenceau and his friends defend the religious orders only for some linitter purpose.

A considerable addition (says the Wellington Post) has been nude to the number of students at 8t Patrick's College since the new year began, and there are now more day boarders than at any time previously. Mr S. Cimino has placed the brass band on a firmer basis than sver, while the string band, under Mr Trowell's leadership, is even stronger than before. The gymnastic classes are now under tbe control of Sergeant Major Lawrence, late of the British army, and be has also been depnted to impart instruction in swimming to tbe students in the Te Aro baths after school hours. The college has made wonderful progress since its establishment, and is now one of tbe most flourishing scholastic institutions in tbe C olony.

Thb Bey Joseph O'Malley, S.J,, who was for some time attached to the teaching Btaff of St Ignatius' College, Biverview, Sydney (says the Sydney Freeman's Journal), has taken up the work of parish priest Dear Melbourne. He was born in Dublin in 1832, and spent •ome of his early years ia France, Germany, and Italy, and he arrived in Victoria in 1870. In 1878, in conjunction with Father M'Enroe, he proceeded to found a Jesuits' College in New Zealand, bat the mission was not a success. For several years he was stationed at Biverview, and recently the scene of his labours has been St Patrick's College, Melbourne. His new charge is the Church of the Immaculate Conception at Glenfenie, Melbourne. Father O'Malley ia » preacher, a scientist, a linguist, and a musician. He has invented • system of mnemonics which is very useful to scholars.

Mb Balvoub has introduced the Local Government Bill for Ireland into the House of Commons. From the meagre details given it is impossible to understand what the measure contains. It teems evident, however, that nothing tending towards the advancement of Irish interests is provided for, but tbat another makeshift, designed to give a spacious appearance to continued coercion, is all that is meant. The London Times and tbe other neck-or-nofhing Tories support the Bill, and, as a matter of course, are loud in its praises, but it seems too much for the Unionists as a whole, and some of their organs condemn it. Even tbe Standard admits that if it is rejected no harm to Ireland will b^ the result. It would, perhaps, be excessive to hope for a direct defeat of the Government on the matter, but we are warranted in expecting that their victory will not be much to boast of. The coldness with which this Bill has been eceived gives an additional significance to the smallness of the majority by which the other day Mr Sexton's amendment was rejected.

WE are requested by Mrs Bernard Meenan, of Awamoko, Oamaru, to remind our readers of the anniversary of the death of her late sister, the much lamented Miss Sose Kavanagb, which occurs to-day, Friday, the 26th inst. The late Miss Kavanagh was one who deserved well of her countrymen, and their gratitude as well as their charity will prompt them to pray for the repose of her eoul. — R I.P