CATHOLIC CLAIMS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 3, 4 November 1892, Page 1

CATHOLIC CLAIMS.

IMPORTANT MEETING AT OHBISTCHUROH. On Sunday afternoon, October 23rd, a meeting of tbe Catholics of the pro-Oathedral parish was held in St Patrick's Hall, to devise means of giving practioal effect to tbe resolutions adopted by the Bishops in their recent conference at Onoedin. About 500 adults were present, amongst whom were 30 ladies. Bight Bey Dt Grime*, 8.M., presided, and the following gentlemen occupied seats on the platform :— Bar Fathers Le Menant des Ohesnais, and Belli 8.31. ; Bey Bro Joseph, Means A. J. White, B. Dobbin, H. H. Loaghnao, M. Donnelly, M. Nolan, B. O'Connor, and G. Sellara. The meeting having been opened, Mr B. O'Connor was unanimously eleoted hon secretary. His Lordship Dr Grimes, who on rising was greeted with applause, briefly explained the object for which the meeting had been convened and tbe motives which actuated the members of the Catholic hierarchy of this Colony in taking concerted measures to unite the bishops, olergy, and laity together in a strong phalanx upon the alMmportant matter of Catholic education. The aotion of the Bishop in adopting this course speedily dispelled the delusion which might exist in the minds of outsiders as to want of unity between all classes of the Catholic body. His Lordship said that though he had not taken an active part in the politics of the Colony outside the question of education, he did not for a moment waive bis right to exercise his privileges as a colonist in the enjoyment of all the benefits of the franchise. As a bishop, the divinely appointed pastor of tbe flock, in was his duty to teach and interpret tbe moral law, the laws of God and the Church ; to guard the interests of the faithful committed to his care ; to remind parents of their inalienable right to give proper education to their children. Duty and right point out what the conduct of bishops should be even in questions of politics when therein some grave moral issue is at stake. It is Iheir duty to guide and direct the consciences of their flock. Certain political acts may bring about serious violation of the divine law and inflict much grievous wrong on society and on individuals. Hence the duty of pastors to warn their flocks against dereliction of duty involved in the exercise of some political rights. Mr A. F. White said he was requested to move the first resolution, and that he needn't express what pleasure it gave him to do so. We Catholics have a grievance, but if the Government would only give us our dues we should be in the happy position of being without one, as he believed it was the only one. To obtain what we require we must be united and agitate as of old, and leave no atone unturned until the Government of the country recognise our just claims. We must see that all Catholics duly qualified be registered. Ke then moved the following resolution :— " That this meeting gladly avails itself of this opportunity to express its gratitude to tbe Bishops for the noble manner in which they have persistently advocated the right of Catholics to educate their children according to their conscientious convictions, and at tbe same time pledges itself to leave no lawful means untried to carry out the resolutions passed by tbe Catholic hierarchy in tbeir recent conference at Dunedin on tbe all-important question of Christian education." Mr G. J. Sellers, who seconded the resolution, expressed his satisfaction at seeing tbat the ladies had evinced their interest in this vital question of Christian education by their presence at the meeting. He felt sure tbat all present would agree with him that our devoted Bishops deserve our warmest thanks for tbe able and persistent manner in wbich they advocated this great cause ; not only our thanks, but our united support was due to them in their efforts for the removal by lawful means of the grievances under which the Catholics of this Colony suffer. The speaker referred in eulogistic terms to the labours of Archbishop Bed wood and Bishop Moran in maintaining the struggle so courageously for fifteen years, after which he paid a well-deserved tribute to Bishop Grimes for the ability and persistency with which in sermons, speeches, and pastorals he has always given the cause of religious education a most prominent place. In dealing with the second part of the resolution, Mr Sellers said that he interpreted " lawful means" to comprise, first, the doty of seeing tbat the privileges of the franchise should be fully exercised ; secondly, that

every effort be taken to nnite Catholics as one ; and thirdly, that our vote be given only to men «bo will publicly pledge themselves to support our just claims. Were we only united to the extent that outsiders give us credit for we would prove a powerful factor in an election, our grievances would be speedily redressed, and we would be able to give that attention to other questions which our duty as colonists and electors demands. He warned bis hearers not to allow petty concessions in other matters or personal favours to divert their attention from the main issue— v Christian education." Hitherto some of ns have been influenced to vote for candidates whose views on Home Bule, Liberalism, and Labour were in harmony with our own. Our claims in tbe subject of education should not be made subordinate to such considerations. We would have the assistance of many non-Oatholics who are dissatisfied with the godless spirit of the present system of public instruction. Tbe speaker then read an ablywritten essay on Catholic claims, which he had delivered before tbe Canterbury Catholio Literary Society a few years ago, in whioh he reviewed the position of Catholics, the nature of their grievances, the justice of their claims, the privilege of the franchise which they enjoy, and the grave obligation they are under of using it fully and conscientiously. He concluded an excellent speech by urging all qualified to vote, to register, and to do their doty like men.— Carried unanimously. Mr M. Nolan proposed the second resolution, which was as followß :—": — " That, convinced as we are that no greater evil could befall families or society than to deny our children a Christian edu» cation, we are resolved perseveringly to protest against tbe gross injustice inflicted upon us by the State in compelling us to contribute largely towards godless schools to which we can never send our children." In doing so said that the resolution he had just moved was one tbat might be received in a two-fold respect ; first, there was the moral question involved in it wbich he would not tonch, as it would no doubt receive ample justice from the gentleman who was to second the motion. He would apply himself to that aspect of the resolution which related to tbe injustice we suffer as Catholics at the hands of the Government. Viewing it in a practical way it was entirely a question of £ s. d., and as workingmen with but limited resources, tbe educational scheme of this Colony touched us all very seriously, and much more heavily than many in that ball bad any idea of. His Lordship remarked in opening the meeting, that tbe Catholics of this Colony deserved the greatest praise for the sacrifices they had made and are still making in the sacred cause of education. He would now briefly lay before them a short statement of what had beeo done by tbe people of this diocese for the education of their children. According to tha latest statistics available it appears tbat there are 2,837 children being educated in the primary Catholio schools in this diocese, irrespective of the high schools at Christ* church, Tim am, and Hokitika. Now the children of the Sate primary schools cost tbe country £5 5a 3d each last year— perhaps more than tbat. So tbat by educating their own children out of their own pockets tne Catholics of Canterbury alone have spared no less a sum for the country than £11,906 Is 5d last year. According to the thirteenth annnal report of the Educational Board the average number of pupils to each teacher in the State schools for tbe year 1890 was a fraction over 32, whioh would give 89 teachers for these 2,837 children. From the same report we learn tbat the average of tbe teachers' salaries for 1890 was £96 10a lid each, and this multiplied by 89 gives £8592 11s 7d, which has to be added to tbe other amount to show what the Catholics of Bishop Grimes diocese have saved for tbe Colony in the matter of education. But this is not all ; the Act has been in force for nearly fifteen years, but if we multiply this sum say by 14, because our children were never very much lower than this number, we get £328,981 2s, which must be considered a very respectable amount. This, however, would not cover the whole of the indebtedness of the Government to the Catholics, for the expenses of school buildings and the estimate value of the sites amount to £55,233, which has to be added to the above. It will thus be seen that we should have to our credit in the educational ledger of the Colony the enormous sum of £384 214, for we have saved the country this sum for the education of our own children. Yet, notwithstanding all this, if the Catholics of this diocese were but to ask for a free pass on the railway*

for the inspector of their schools, they would be told probably that the Government could not afford it. He could tell them that although they were denied justice, if not defrauded by the State to an extent tbat was totally unprecedented, although they were suffering under a law that was penal in its effects oa them as Catholics, we would tell them that the workingmeD, the poorer classes of the Colony were also defrauded by the present education scheme to a far larger extent than the working classes were at all aware of, The Bdncation Act of 1877 was constructed entirely in the interests of the upper classes, as he would show them. He would quote from the thirteenth annual report of the Education Board, although that was not the last one. His reason for this was) that, owing to the depression in business, and to the large number of people who left the Colony in 1889 and '90, the increase in the number of children in the State schools last year was unusually email— smaller than in any other year since 1881. la table D of the report, we find tbat there were in December 1889, 17,800 children in the Third Standard, while the number in the Fourth was bat 14,343 ; in the Fifth, 9791 ; in the Sixth, 5222 ; and in the Seventh, 2291. The lesson to be learned from this table is highly instructive, for it shows unmistakably tbat the children of the poorer classes never get into the higher standards. They are, in fact, drawn off to help their poor p&rents to pay for the education of those more fortunate ones. These poor children, then, not only do not receive anything like an adequate education for the money that is spent on the system, bat what they do get of it is imparted to them by pupil teachers and uocertificated masters. The total number of teachers in the Government schools in 1890 was 2894 ; of this number only 1591 were certificated, thus leaving 1303 nncertificated who were told off to teach the children of the poorer classes, while the certificated men and the head masters devoted their talents and their time to teaching the children of the wealthy or well-to-do people. He conld show them the same thing from another table in the same report. Table C gives the ages of the pupils attending school in December, 1889, and from it appears that at 7 and under 10 years there were 41,690 attending school in that month ; at 10 and under 13 years there ware 37,725 ; at 13 and under 15 years 2152. Tans, in whatever way we look at it, we are confronted with the same startling facts— namely, that the children for whom the Act was ostensibly intended receive the least benefit from it. This Act, then, is a fraud upon the working classes throughout the Colony, as well as upon the Catholics, though, of course, not to the same extent. But table C leveals another fraud of which the pnblic know but little. The Act clearly states that no children over fifteen years shall be educated at the expense of the country. Now this table shows that in December, 1889, there were 2152 children in the primary schools over that age. These children, then, whose parents can afford to pay for their education, are educated at the expense of the taxpayer without a word of protest, and in direct violation of the Act. Yet a Catholic school inspector could not get a pass on the railways because the Government, forsooth, could not afford it. Let me tell you tbat over 84 per cent of the children leave school before they reach the Fifth Standard, therefore the parents of these children are taxed to pay for the edncation of no less than 16 per cent who remain behind to reap the full benefit of the Act, and this is the Act that is said to be a blessing to the working man. A bigger fraud was never perpetrated upon a people. It was, as I said just now, conceived and hatched and brought forth entirely in the interests of the well-to-do classes, and kept up for their almost exclusive benefit. Every man, woman, and child in this Colony was taxed a little over fourteen and sixpence last year for primary education Imagine what tbat means to a famhy of nine or ten children. And this tax is an ever-increasing one. Divide 400,000 among 600,000 people and you will see what it comes to. There were four normal schools in the Colony kept up exclusively for training purposes, though they (teachers) could be as well trained at any of the high schools throughout the colonies. These four normal schools cost the Colony over £8000 a year. That at Auckland is given up to a few young ladies who cost the country over £40 per annum each whilst they are learning drawing, crochet-work, and the rudiments of cookery. They usually spend a few years amusing themselves in this establishment and then go out and get married. They are all the daughters of people who can afford to let them thua amuse themselves at the expense of the country. The Wellington Normal School, according to one of the Members in the House of Representatives, is kept up for the benefit of 17 students— ls females and 2 males— for which the teaching staff of a college is kept in full swing. Thess 17 pupils cost the country *47 Us 9d each last year. This is monstrous, and should be put down with a strong hand. Eight thousand pounds a year thrown away upon schools which could be dispensed with. There are other phases of this large and important question which he would like very much to place before them, but he was afraid to weary them, and he would now ask them to protest against a system of education which was not only unjust to them as Catholics, but was unjust to the large majority of the people of the Colony. Rev Bro Joseph, ia seconding the resolution, dealt with the moral aspect of the question. He quoted several weighty nonCatholic authorities in Bupport of the contention that godless educa-

tion is fraught with evils which serioaaly menace the well-beings of families and society. Reviewing the alarming increase of infidelity and immorality in Germany, Italy, United States of America, and other conntries, he showed that the materialistic system of instruction and entire absence of religious education which prevails in those countries is fast bearing fruit in a generation of infidels. Even antiChristian journals view with alarm " the exaggerated idea of personal rights, the unmeasured pride and rebellion against every law of civil society" which has assumed such gigantic proportion! since the secularisation of European schools. He dwelt upon the duty incumbent on Catholics to protest against the injustice inflicted upon them by being forced either to accept a system of public instruction which they conscientiously believe seriously menaces the faith and morals of their children or to be deprived of their fair share of the money paid by them in taxes. Not to protest against such flagrant injustice would be to acquiesce in its perpetration and to fail in a grave duty which we owe to the Catholic children of the Colony and their twicetaxed parents. He instanced the efforts of tbe Catholics of Ireland, who, in fact of deep-seated prejudices and obstacles apparently insurmountable, shrinking from no toil or sacrifice, uninfluenced by personal favours or pecuniary interests, bravely and successfully struggled to secure Catholic emancipation, as an example for us to follow. He appealed to tbe Catholics of the Colony to prove to the world that they had not degenerated from the virtues of their forefathers, and he urged them not to desist from their demands for justice till their grievances meet with redress. In conclusion he I showed how in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Canada, the State had riien above prejudice by recognising tbe justice of the Catholic claims and by granting that amount of assistance in the education of their children to which as citizens and taxpayers we are entitled.— Carried unanimously. Mr M. Donnelly said that having received a kind invitation from his Lordship the Bishop to propose a resolution at that meet* ing, he felt it to be his duty to attend and help forward the movement by all the means in his power. He thought all present were much indebted to Mr Nolan for the valuable information contained in bis speech. What Mr Nolan had said about the standards was quite correct. No greater delusion could prevail than that common to the working classes of the Colony, that all the children who entered the State schools continued to attend until they bad passed through all the standards. For the masses of tbe children of tba the workers education ended with the Fourth Standard, Two or three years ago he visited the Christchurch West school, which was attended by about 1700 children. The number of girls who were being taught in the Sixth Standard was but small, and they apparently were of the same class as those whom he saw attending high schools in other portions of the Colony. In the higher standards for boys tbe same state of things prevailed. With what Mr Nolan had said about the extravagance of the existing system of education he also agreed, and knew that it was not over-stated. Very large sums of money were expended yearly on the existing education system. From that expenditure Catholics derived but little benefit. Their objections to the existing system were not of a sentimental order. The sacrifices that they made to support their own schools were most ample proof of that fact. Actions were the best teats of belief, and the action of Catholics supplied most unanswerable arguments that they could take no part in the present system of education. Now, why did the State interfere at all in the matter of edncation ? The functions of the State were to protect life and property, though in those socialistic days it was departing a great deal from what formerly was the practice. The reason alleged by the State was, that if it did not interfere, children would go uneducated. That is, that parents would neglect their duty in the matter. He did not think that education would be neglected if the State did not meddle with the matter at all. But having interfered, was it not singularly illogical for the State to say to Catholics : " We have made education compulsory because children would otherwise grow up uneducated, and though you Catholics are the only section of the community who are discharging that duty, the neglect of which has made Government interference necessary, yet you Catholics are the only class in the community who shall receive no aid to help you to discharge your duty " ? (Loud applause.) He briefly referred to a statement in a Christchurch newspaper, which alltged that the children of the State schools were quite as virtuous in every way as those that had been educated under religious systems. He did not think the matter was correct, and added that statistics were no proof of the morality of a people. Many years ago he used to be daily in tbe courts as a reporter. Owing to a change in journalistic work he did not for a number of years visit the courts often. Latterly, in another capacity, he was again attending courts frequently. From what be saw he could unhesitatingly say that in latter years there' was a marked decadence in the sanctity with which oaths were regarded in the courts of the Colony. All magistrates, officers of police, and lawyers know this. Many people would now swear anything if it suited their purpose. Perjury, infamous as it was, was a common occurrence, yet how few convictions take place for it. In many other departments of morals, he could, if at liberty, deal with the

matter and show that a change for the worse has taken place. In politics it was the same. Might was right, and but few persons now regard the justice of any proposal nnder consideration. The same writer said that the people of New Zealand were, in consequence of the education system, the most enlightened community under the sun. Well, that writer stood in no need of repeating the prayer uttered by au old Scotch lady, who said : " May the Lord gie us a quid opinion o'ourselves" (laughter). Wemay be the most enlightened people that ever lived, but be knew or had read of but few communities more easily imposed upon by political and religious quacks than the very community in which they were living. In politics or in theology no proposition, however grotesque or illogical it might be, but would have followers by the thousand (loud applause). Perhaps that was a way they had of manifesting the enlightenment resulting from their marvellous system of education. Coming to the great question of how grievances of Catholics were to be remedied, he said they must look at the objections whioh would be urged against them. He did not think the prejudice against Catholics as such was now as strong as many persons supposed. The fact that Mr W. B. Perceval was returned second on the poll for Christchurch, tbongh an advanced supporter of the claims of Catholics, was a strong proof of this. The great obstacle that be thought stood in the way of justice to Catholics was the fear of workingmen, that if aid were granted to Catholic schools, the present system of free education would be broken down, and that school fees would be reinforced. Now it appears from what had been said by Messrs Nolan and White that it cost the Government from £4 to £5 a head to educate children in the State schools, while the same work was done by Catholics at a cost of £1 6s per head. Perhaps if it were definitely known that while Catholics considered as a matter of strict right and justice thati they were entitled to as much per head of the education grant as was i paid to the State schools, yet that as a compromise for a time at all events they would be satisfied with, say two pounds per head, the moderation as well as the justice of their demands might disarm opposition. Nor could it be said that the granting of their claims would lead to others making similar demands. Even if they did,

snm paid bj the Catholics of this country to secure freedom 6f rett> gion for the children. That £40,000 is a fine paid yearly for iibtrty of conscience. And this is a land where liberty if for all. This ii not a matter of sentiment, it is a matter of justice. The law that forces that fine upon the Catholics of this Colony is an unjust law, and we all know that an unjust law does not bind. There is no more justice in that law than in the law whioh in former days said : "No Catholic shall possess a horse worth more than £ti." That is one of the penal laws of the past. There is not a bit more justice in our present education law than there was in that which said all Catholics shall attend the Protestant church ; those who do not shall pay a fine of £20J% month. The case is |precisely the same now. Catholics shall send their children to the godless schools or they shall pay a fine of £40,000. This is a smiling and a glorious country. Tou may call it a land of freedom ; but I fail to see the freedom of the Catholics, made subject to a law like that.— Oarried manU mously. Mr ft. Dobbin proposed the fourth resolution, whioh was as follows :— " That a committee be formed to see that every Oatholio duly qualified be registered on the electoral roll of the district in which ht resides." In moving the resolution, Mr Dobbin hoped he would be excused if he said that the past attitude of the Catholics of New Zealand in general, and of Christcburch in particular, had always irritated him. They seemed to rehearse their grievances without taking any steps to get them redressed. He trusted that that meeting might be taken as a sign that the days of mere talk were passed, and that the time for action had arrived. The first thing we had to do was to ascertain our strength in the constituencies* to organise our forces, and to throw all our weight upon the same point. He hoped the day was not far distant when we should be in a position to approach the leaders of parties in the country with a statement of our numerical strength, and to pledge our united support to the party favourable to our claims. But before this could be accomplished committees mußt be formed to Bee that Catholics register their votes, know how to vote, and vole for the right man. When this was done he believed the Catholics of New Zealand would be in a fair way to

danger to the national scheme had no foundation, and was, in fact, only a bug-bear. If it were not so Mr Perceval would never have been returned at the last election. There was, therefore, every reason to hope that the day was not far distant when Catholic claims would be met and faiily considered upon their own merits. As said, a block vote of Catholics throughout New Zealand would be a powerful factor in bringing about a fair and impartial c jnsideration of those claims. — Carried unanimously. Mr E. O'Connor proposed that his Lordship now leave the chair and that tbe Very Bey Father Le Menant des Ohes ais take bis place, and on it being curried be moved the following resolution :— " That this meeting thank his Lordship Dr Grimes for the trouble he has taken in convening it, and for the admirabU manner in which he has aoted as chairman."— ln speaking to the above Mr O'Connor said that it appeared to him if bis Lordship was particularly strong in any one subject more than another that was the education question. They were all aware that amongst his first acts after being consecrated Bishop of this diooese was to secare the seivioes of the Marist Brothers as teachers for Obristcharoh, and to despatch them immediately after, so that on his arrival io this city their schools were in full working order. He (the speaker) had strong reasons for remembering tbe introduction of the good Brothers, as by it he was deprived of a situation which he had held for close on a quarter of a century and a lucrative salary, yet no one ever heard him murmor, as be was satisfied that tbe change was for the benefit of tbe people, especially the younger portion, for it was impossible for him to impart that class of education now being imparted by the Brothers. Ever sinoe his Lordship's arrival in their midst he has constantly kspt before their mind the importance of a Christian education for oar children, as is evinced by bis continued and forcible allusions both in his pastorals and sermons, and his expressed determination of having a Catholic school, if at all possible, wherever there is a resident priest. His schools, too (and they are pretty numerous already), are both sufficiently and efficiently staffed, and in order tbe better to secure progress in secular subjects as well as religious knowledge, he appointed as diocesan inspector a gentleman- whose training, experience, and learning, eminently befits him for tbe position— the Very Bey Father Aubrey so favourably known and respected throughout the whole of New Zealand. His Lordship, in presiding at this meeting here to-day, has given one more indication, if such were required, of his determination come what will, to give the benefits of a Christian education to the youth of bis flock, and I needn't add that his expressions are strictly' in unison with tbe views ofithe Bishops of Australia and New Zealand, but especially with those of him who is rightly designated the champion, par excellence, of Catholic education in New Zealand, the Bight Bey Dr Moran, Bishop of Dnnedin (cheers). Though Dr Grimes is the youngest of the New Zealand hierarchy he is ever in tbe foremost ranks when the spiritual wants of his flock are at stake, and hence it was that he felt satisfied tbat the resolution which it was his privilege to propose, would be carried unanimously and with aoclamatioo. I Bey Bro Joseph seconded the resolution, prefacing his remarks j by a graceful acknowledgment of tbe compliment paid the Brothers by Mr O'Connor and an expression of tbe pleasure be felt at being able to publicly testify that that gentleman had not only taken his eviction with good grace but had always shown his readiness to tecocd the efforts of the Brothers and render them every assistance in his power. In speaking to the resolution, Bro Joseph endorsed what Mr O'Connor said in reference to the deep interest taken in Catholic education by Bishop Grimes, who, prior to his arrival in the Colony, bad always been indentifiad with that work in England, Ireland and America. In season and oat of season, his Lordship reminded tbe members of his flock of their serious obligation to give their children a sound Catholic education, and bad coastantly urged tbat no sacrifice should be considered too great to provide facilities fur doing so. j Very Bey Father Le Menant dee Chesnais, in putting the resolu- ! tion, bore testimony to the great part his Lordship had taken in the | work of education as president of Jefferson College, Louisiana, United States, and as Bnperior of the Scholasticate at Beignton. He ! also endorsed what had been said by the mover and seconder in reference to unflagging zeal evinced in the matter by Dr Grimts since he had received the burden of the episcopate. He congratulated the men of the pro-Cathedral parish upon the noble example they had set the other parishes of the diocese in displaying such earnestness and unanimity in carrying out the resolutions adopted by the bishops of tbe Colony in their recent conference.— The resolution was carried amidst great applause. His Lordship expressed his gratification as seeing the deep interest taken i nthe cause of Catholic education by the men of his cathedral parish in attending in such large numbers, and evincing such perfect unanimity in carrying the resolutions submitted to the meating. He thanked the speakers, one and all, for tbe ability with which they had supported the resolutions entrusted to them, and for tbe generous response they bad given to his invitation to address the various meeting. After briefly recapitulating the salient points in the

speeches,his Lordship mid : Education without religion is power leas to prevent crime or reform criminals. This is now universally admitted. A few weeks ago the School Guardian gave eloquent proofs of I statistics on this point. On the Continent of Europe the most recent figures show that the ratio of crime, far from decreasing with the increase of secular instruction, has increased largely. Grime has increased in France 133 per cent daring the last 50 years, and is still increasing. According to M. Yvernes, head of the statistical branch of tbe Department of Justice, school instruction has no effect whatever in checking the growth of crime. In Germany, authorities declare that criminal tendencies of the population are developing at an alarming rate. Dr SUrcke of the Prussian Department of Justice warns the public against confounding mental instruction at school with moral and religious education. Baron Garofalo asserts that in Italy since the secularisation of the schools in 1860, statistics of crime have assumed more and more alarming proportions. " Human Knowledge " he says'* without religion may train the intellect bnt not the feelings, it may develope tbe reason but not tbe conscience.* 1 In England and Wales since the passing of the Education Act of 1870 crime has increased faster than the pcpulation.the police force in the same period has increased at double the rate of the population . In the United States the rapid increase of crime since 1880 is still more alarming and there is a growing record of crime in the colonies. Hence our great dread of a godless system of education which we know to be subversive of faith and morality. Our resistance is not against political partieß, it it against the most pernicious principles, it is against infidelity in favour of Christianity. To put it in a nutshell it is Christianity and the Catholio Church against tbe State system of instruction and infidelity. Few Catholics, God be praised, will be found to be willing to barter spiritual interests for mere temporal favours. We are not to be surprised, however, if a few temporisers be met. In the time of ths great O'Connell, there were some " trimmers " whose unworthy action retarded the great blessing of Emancipation. The words so often quoted by the "uncrowned monarch of Ireland " the great patriot, the ttue father of Catholic Emancipation should ever ring in our ears. " Hereditary bondsmen, know ye not Who would be free, themselves must strike the blow." Let us be up and doing, let us show ourselves in earnest and waiving all purely personal, paltry, petty interests, fight for right against might, and God will bless us and crown our efforts with victory.

there was no reason why the country should pay four or five pounds per head for work that could be done for half the money. He merely wished to suggest to the leaders of the movement that it might be better if it was definitely known that concessions would satisfy the Catholics. The more moderate it was, of course, the more likely in his opinion was it to be granted. The great thing at present was to get all possible Catholic voters on the roll. Then when election time comes round, for the leaders of the movement in the different parts of the Colony to act unitedly so as to make the Catholic vote as effective as possible in the way ol making its influence felt in all parts of the Colony. Other classes in the community were organising to protect thtir interests, and Catholics had an equal right to do the same. It was not nnmbers so much as thorough organisation which gave such power to unionism. If Catholics organised in a like manner the day of obtaining redress of their grievance was not far distant. Again thanking his Lordship for having asked him to take part in the meeting, he concluded by moving the following resolution — " That we claim as an act of justice our due share of the taxes paid by all for the elementary education ot the children of the Colony, and we are resolved to vote for no candidate who will not publicly pledge himself to support th« Catholic claims.' 1 This resolution was seconded by Rev Father Bell, who spoke as follows :— I have ever been taught from my youth to look upon the colonies as the place where justice was done to the honest workman ; where he could use the energies which God gave him, and see the fruits of his labour. Australasia was held out to our hopes as the place where industry reaped its reward. " Cheer, boys I cheer, There's wealth for honest labour, Cheer, boys ! cheer, For the new and happy land." I thought that the oppression of the old country was a thing of the past, and that penalties for religion would never disgrace the statute book of a country like New Zealand. I was doomed to disappointment, Pains and penalties for religion were not a thing of the put ; they exist at the present moment. £40,000 a year is the

obtain redress of their grievances. Mr H. H, Loughnan, in seconding the resolution, said that if the large attendance of Catholics at this meeting could be taken as evidence that the Catholics of this part of New Zealand were at length shaking off the apparent lethargy which bad for so long characterised their attitude towards secular education, it was a matter upon which Catholics as a body might well congratulate themselves. For miny years in Canterbury no one had been found able, ready, and willing to step on to a public platform and advocate with his whole heart and soul the sacred rights of Catholics in this matter. No one had attempted to organise or in any way turn the voting power of Catholics to a useful purpose. Up to this time every individual Catholic elector had found himself to be powerless to control or in the slightest degree influence for good the elections in which he had been called upon to take part, and thus had come about this extraordinary state of things that, although it would seem that Catholics possessed a fair numerical strength in many constituencies, nowhere, as far as he could learn, had candidates thought it necessary or advisable to attempt to secure the Catholic vote. He hoped that the committee spoken of in the resolution would prove itself of practical utility, and the result would be that the ill-directed, disunited Catholic vote of the past would be moulded into a powerful weapon of offence and defence for the f utare. With rsgard to the chances of Buccess he was of opinion that in this part of the Oolooy such opposition as was to be found to this Catholic claim to a share in the public meney spent on education waß founded not so much on a spirit of religious intolerance as on the thin-end-of-the-wedge argu ment, well referred to by a previous speaker. Religious intolerance of the kind alluded to had not, he thought, any large hold in Canterbury, but the opposition to Catholic claims was kept alive, if really it existed at all, by continuous repetition of the bug-bear— that assistance to denominational schools involved the destruction of the national scheme of education, the lapse of the whole people into ignorance and barbarism, It was evident, however, from many of the signs of the times that numbers of men who bad been influenosd by this mistake were now beginning to realise that the threatened