WHAT DOES HE MEAN ?

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXII, Issue 9, 28 June 1895, Page 17

WHAT DOES HE MEA N ?

rV ;? ■ ■ ♦ " jSJP^^T' HE steps to which, in some instants, his Lardifiwßi ship resorted it\re of a more decisive character tlian found favour in any other colony, but for *i'iyWw£J^ some rt upon — possibly from declining health — M^STiJ^j he did not perse cere in than, and he hud nt>(, in 'VTn^V^l his lent hours, tin satishu tion of Satin/ that ///« W**^ f/nat (puts anil sacrijic s had lu,n bin a s^ful." 1 What docs the writer in the Melbourne Advocate mean by tluse words,"//;.' did not pastooe in t/um." In the chorus of praise of Bishop Mohan from the colonial Press this is the only sentence we have met which insinuates that the late venerable Bishop of Dunedin was not true to the end to the active policy in agitating for justice to Catholic schools, which gained for him the name of the champion of religious education. We have placed the writer's ungenerous — no d>ubt unconciously ungenerous — remarks immediately under our standing leader. Our readers are aware, and the writ' r in the Advocate should know, that this standing leader was placed in the N.Z. Taulkt by Bibhop Moran himself, and kept in this journal by our late chief to the ! end of his life. Defunctus adhuc loquitur. Jn this prominent place the brief concise pointed statement so disliked by milk and water Catholics as well as secularists, will remain a3 a standing protest against injustice. J)r Moran was decisive to the very end in his efforts to secure justice. As the Bishop of Christchurch remarked in his admirable panegyric last Wednesday, Bishop Mohan, a very short time before his death, took part with the bishops in a strong protest against the injustice of the Legislature. The yery last pubLic utterance of Dr Moran, far on in the course of his illness, at the break-up of the Christian Brsthers' school, was on the education question. Ihe eloquent and fearless utterance at Lawrence just before his illness will never be forgotten by those who witnessed this effort of a very decisive character. The last and supreme effort of the Bishop — who had then been seriously ill for nearly two years, whose life had been many times despared, and who when he spoke had more than

one foot in the graye — to solemnly remind his people of their sacred duty, and to denounce the injustice of the I egislaturo was of such vt decisive character that the public bclu ved the dying man had altnuat cuuijilelcly u'eovered his strength aud was in his old form and vigour. Declining health did not make Bishop Mohan relax in his eagerness to secure justice for his people. 'Ihe writer in the Advocate speaks of the last hours of Bishop Mohan, and says that he had not " the satisfaction of seeing that his great efforts and sacrifices had been successful." Dr Moran had the satisfaction of seeing a great change in public opinion in his diooese. Partial success in the application for Board inspection of Catholic schools was obtained in other parts of New Zealand. The Boards of Otago — Otago, the chief scene of the efforts of a decisive character of our Bishop — acceded to the request which formerly was denied to him, and this concession gave much satisfaction to him who had fought so nobly for his people. The last administrative act of Bishop Moran — the Sunday before he died — was to give instructions in reference to the opening of a new school and the erection of a building to be used for the advance in culture and knowledge by the people of his parish, and especially the young people, whom he had himself instructed in his own Catholic schools. Dr Moran is dead, and in the matter of Catholic education nothing but what is good can be said of our late beloved chief, who true as the dial to the sun was the lover of his brethren, and the champion of the sacred cause of Catholic education.