CARDINAL MORAN ON SPECIAL QUESTIONS. (Sydney Freeman's Journal, April 2.)

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XX, Issue 27, 22 April 1892, Page 23

CARDINAL MORAN ON SPECIAL QUESTIONS. (Sydney Freeman's Journal, April 2.)

TOT Oardintl-Archbishop gave us something very interesting in the way of an impromptu speech at 8t Joseph's, West Balmaia, on Sunday afternoon.

His Eminence said he felt it bis duty to congratulate the Catholic people of Balmain West, not only on the practical work commenced that day, but on all they had done within the past 14 or 15 jears. This new boys' school would complete the group of buildings they had erected— the handsome church, the convent, the girls' school, and a new presbytery. One feature which to him was a matter of •pedal gratification was the great generosity shown by a devoted congregation composed almost entirely of working men and women. The working classes, as they were called, were the bone and sinew of the community, and chief source of the Church's strength and vitality (applause), and he congratulated the pastor on the privilege of having aa his flock a body of people of whom he had so much reason to be proud (applause). It was their chief glory that their Church was the Church of the workingmen and the poor and while they erectedi when circumstances favoured Euch outward manifestations of their faith and their love of God's house, noble cathedrals with towering turrets and graceful pinnacles they recognised that there was something more precious than all the wealth of architectural splendour and all the ornaments of silver and of gold— the faithful coDgregation around the altar offered up the incense of fervent prajer (applause). It was no idle boast that the Church in all the ages had preserved the honour and protected the interests of the woiking classes (applause). All were tqual before the altar— the blave and the master in the old times, and the employer and the employed in their own day, and now, as cf old, wherever the Church held eway the oppressed were shieldel, the tyrants were rebuked, the poor were succoured, and the bonds of 6lavery were removed (applause). At the present day the Cnurc* had taken her s and by the workeis(hear, hear), and whatever might be the loss of power and influence the sacrifice would bo m d- to preserve the union and the bond of Bympathy wuich c-xibW d he *nen tho Church and the toiling masses of the world (applause ) Whatever mi^ht happen the Church would never forfeit her right \o the affection and coDfiVenoe of those who were the special objects of h r pride and solicitude (applause). The Christian family was the 8 lid lounda'ion upon which society rested, and while the Cburch and the workeis remiiaei unite 1 in bonds of sympathy, the b^st intere-itß of society would bo guarded and the social well-being of the world prefeivid (applause).

To touch briefly on a questiou which had been warmly agitated of late: A number of their legisla'or^, as they wure aware, had in their wifdom deemed it right to pa»e a liill having for its übj.-ct the extension of what wbb callei the law of divo-ce. So far as it wa9 a matter of politics he had nothing to say (hear, hear). Viewing it from the standpoint of rdigion ho bid only to say that no public or Parliamentary enactments bad any it fluence of their religious principles (applaut-ej. Tne Parliament might pass a measure declaring that the Ten Commandments h.-id ceated to exiut (laughter) It would not, and could not, affect them so long as they remained true to the principltsof their faith and te, clangs of their Church (applans'*) In the same way, no matter what Parliament or the State devised or decreed on the question of divorce, tho Divine law would remain the same — " Whom Almighty God has united man cannot dissolve" (applause). No Parliamentary enactments could change the sanctity and solidity of the marriage rito and the marriage tie (applause).

A few instances of the operati n of the political measures encouraging divorce might be interesting at the piesent time. He would take countries which were, practically epeaking, Catholic. In France, Bftv.r a period of 10 yeus, it was found that in Paris, which had become a centre of infi lelity, 60 out of every 10C0 marriages were dissolved, while among the Catholic Bretons— the bravest and most patriotic of the childroo of France — only ona marriage out of iTLry 1000 wus b oken by taking advantage of the secular law (ap. plause). Ireland's record for 20 years with its 5,000,000 of people was 11 divorces (applause). In Canada the average waß six divorces a year; while in the Unit* d States, where the religious and moral obligations of marriage had been cast aside by go many, the number of divorces, according to the orB;ial ttatistics, was 328,000. The

gentlemen who were seeking to extend divorce in this colony might take a lesson from Afghanistan. The Ameer, they were told, wu approached by a lady who sought to be released from the marriage tie oa the ground that her husband had become bald (laughter). How did the Ameer receive the application for divorce f He ordered the lady to be set upon a donkey, with ber face to the animal's tail (laughter) and in that fashion led through all the streets cf her native place (laughter). It would not be a good thing for some of their legislators and others if the Afghanistan method of dealing with divorce advocates were introduced into Australia (laughter). With respect to the burning question of education, the tendency was to banish religion. He would commend to those who were striving to bring about the separation of religion and education the words of the great French leader, M. Ouizot, who declared that a statesman who proposed anch a thing should be sent to a lunatic asylum (laughter and applause). This leader of public opinion in France assigned as his reason that if you train the mental faculties without moral restraints, a clever, cultivated criminal is the invariable result (applause). Those in whose education religion had no place might not turn out pickpockets, but the probabilities were that they would glide into what were called the higher criminal courses of fraud and forgery. Unfortunately, thty htd had of late many instances in Sydney of educated men who, throwing aside all moral restraint, had entered into criminal courses which finally led to disgrace and punishment.

The increase of larrikinism and crime amongst their juveniiea was a thing that all good citizenß deeply deplored (applause). Various remedies were suggested, but, in his opinion, the only real remedy was general religious education (applause) and, he might add, the establishment of well-conducted industrial schools (applause). It had been his privilege to have a band in the introduction of the industrial school system in Ireland, and he was happy to say the results had been most gratifying. The official reports of the inspectors showed that, notwithstanding the disturbed state of the country, no fewer than 20 gaols had been closed (hear, hear) and that juvenile crime had almost totally disappeared from Ireland (applause). It was good news that the building they had commenced that day would be used as a hall for the young men of the. district (applause) He congratulated Father Monagh on this most thoughtful ami excellent provision. Amidst all the temptations of betting and gambling ia every form to which their young men were exposed, nothing could bj better than this hall, in which they would find amus.'mant and iustruction, ani which would in all probability be the means of saving some of them from careers of dis* bones'y, dissipation, and disgnce (cheers).