'Birreligion'

New Zealand Tablet, 20 September 1906, Page 23

'Birreligion '

Mr. Barren's Bill for the endowment of Nonconformity in England is passing through the gates of tribulation in the House of Lor-ds. By the time that it is through, its author will probably find some ■difficulty in recognising it. Of the proposed State-made ' Birreligion, ' Mr: T. P. O'Connor, M.P.,' said :—: — ' I hold -to the conviction I -have always held, ihat no Irish Catholic, or English "Catholic, should be Subject to any inequality, either in his schools or anything else because of his religious convictions. True religious equality involves equal treatment "of the Catholic school with the Protestant school, and I "could never understand how any broad-minded Protestant could fail to see that, however they might describe the religion taught in the State schools of the country, whether simple Bible, simple Christian, or undenominational ..teaching, or common Protestant teaching. Whatever claims they might be able to make upon that point; to a Catholic _it is Protestantism. We have never objected to Protestants teaching Protestantism in their schools ; but we make the demand, and we shall never depart from it by so much, as a hair's breadth, that if the Protestant is to teach his faith to the child in the Protestant school the right is equal that the Catholic shall teach Catholicity in the Catholic school.'

• What the fate of the Bill may be ',- said Lord •Halifax -(Anglican); « I shall not venture .to predict, •but this I, do .know,- that -if it passes in anything like its present form,, resistance to it will not cease. On the contrary, it will be but the beginning of the • battle. Such resistance would mean a religious war in every parish and municipality^ in England. ' The Bill attacks the deepest Convictions of those who put the integrity of the Christian ; faith before all else; and, painful as suoh ar strife will be," it will, be inevitable.' Mr. Redmond's - forecast is this :' Either this Bill will never pass into law at _ all, or else it will be amended in such a way as. to make it at least tolerable for the Catholic schools.' But even in the last resort, there remains an - alternative to- those who object to the proposed scheme of endowing Nonconformity a ; nd closing and in part confiscating the religious schools. The - united . -passive resistance' that Catholics, Anglicans, and other 'dissidents,' could put up against the Nonconformity, of the" Birrell Bill would be sufficient to wreck any measure. The lesson will not, we presume, toe lost upon Catholics in New Zealand. « Passive resistance ' is a big gun that even Mr. Birrell can neither capture spike.