A Vindication of Irish Catholics.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 20, 15 May 1902, Page 3

A Vindication of Irish Catholics.

Mb. W. A. McKnight, of Liverpool, a well known business man, upon reading; a report of the meeting of the Irish Church Missions in that city at which the charge of intolerance was made against the people of Limerick, his native city, by Archdeacon Madden and Mr. Long, the ' medioal missionary,' whose efforts to combine proselytism with medical work have led to so many storms, addressed to Mr. R. Gibson, a Limerick Protestant, the following letter of inquiry, dated 24 End 26, Mathew street, Liverpool, March 19 :— ' I enclose you a copy of yesterday's issue of the North JEteprest. I will feel much obliged if you will peruHQ the report of the Irish Church Missions meeting and inform me whether the charges made against the Limerick Catholics of persecuting the members of other creeds are true.' Mr. Gibson replied as follows, his letter being dated Mulgrave Cottage, Limerick, March 20, 1902 :—: — 'In reply to yours of 19th inst., I have lived for 58 years amongst the Catholics of the South of Ireland, where we are in a minority of about one Protestant to 40 Roman Catholics. I am well known as being a Protestant and a Freemason, yet I have never been persecuted, insulted, or annoyed about my creed by the section of my fellow-countrymen who are supposed by those who don't know them to be the " base, bloody, and brutal Papists," nor by their " tyrant priests.' The more I know my Roman Catholic countrymen and women, the more 1 learn to esteem and respect them. The more I know of their lives the more convinced I become that the average Roman Catholic (priest or people) is leas of a bigot and more of a Christian than the average Protestant, I have no doubt but that there are bigoted, tyrannical, drunken, wicked men and women (priests and people) to be found amongst the Roman Catholics of Ireland, but I am equally certain that the average to be found of such Judae-like people is less amongst them than amongst the Irish Protestants, clergy and people. Was there not a Judas amongst the twelve chosen apoatleß of of our Blessed Lord ? How then can we expect perfection in any earthly Church ? Christ tells us plainly the tare not only will grow amongst the wheat, but He distinctly tells us they must be allowed to grow there until God sends His angels to separate them. If Archdeacon Madden really wants to do as he says, to ' make Christian men and women in Ireland,' then let the Irish Church Missionary Society cease to spend money in stirring up sectarian anti-Christian hatred in Ireland. Let them spend their funds in making real Christian men and women of the worse than heathen of their own churches in Ireland. One young gentleman said to me when I asked him to help me in a church matter, ' With pleasure, Mr. Gibson ; you are the first man who ever gave me the chance of doing any unselfish work for others. lam now nine years n Limerick, and no one ever before asked me to do anything that was of ÜBe to others, and no clergyman has ever troubled to ask me if I had a soul to be saved or damned.' ' Nonsense,' I said. ' I can hardly believe that a man with your abilities and in your position can have lived here for nine years without someone trying to make you pull in aome church tean?.' ' I tell you it's God's truth,' he replied ; ' not about me only, but about at least a score of other young men whom I know in this city, all of whom would be only too thankful to have an opportunity of doing any good for others given them.' If the Irish Church Missionary Society want work, let them work amongst their own sects. If th(y want Irit-h Roman Cnthnlics 'made Christian men and women,' as they say, let them pubecribe to the Christian Brothers or to St. Ita's Home, where boys and girls are taught to be not only Chribtiins, but useful men and women. The Christian Brothers.' work and the St. Ita's Home work is more truly Christian work done in a Christian spirit, and does more real good in a year than all the wmk of all the proselytisers that ever tri^d to pervert their fellow-Chriatiaus who differed from them on matters of doctrine. Wewoulihve unitedly and peacefully together if those who want to make money out of setting Ut > fighting would let us aione.'