The 'Watchman' and 'Loyalty'

New Zealand Tablet, Volume 27, Issue 21, 27 May 1909, Page 823

The ' Watchman ' and ' Loyalty '

A fine frenzy recently rolled through an article in which the Sydney "Watchman (an Orange organ) denounced the Governor-General, Earl Dudley, for his presence at the St. Patrick's Day celebration in Melbourne. Among other hysterical nonsense, the Watchman charged that ' the Roman hierarchy ' aro systematically endeavoring ' to prejudice the young Australian manhood and womanhood, and even the children of their schools, against every sentiment of loyalty and patriotism, so far as it relates to Mother England.' One ' example ' of this related to the convent school at Cairns (Queensland). And (said the Watchman) it ' was supplied to us last week by a reputable minister of the Presbyterian Church, and is, we are assured, beyond question.' It is as follows : ' When he was in North Queensland, at Cairns, as has been his custom, Lord Chelmsford visited all the schoools, including the Convent. At the latter school the pupils had sung various songs for him, when he turned to the Sister in charge, and said: "Now I would like to hear them sing the < National Anthem.' " The Sister replied : "We don't teach that to the children." " Then, madam," said the Governor, " I will bid you good-afternoon," and at once left the school.' * Our valued contemporary, the Brisbane Age, then got to work. The editor communicated with Lord Chelmsford and received from his private secretary a lengthy reply dated May 4, 1909, which it published in full in its issue of May 15. The Age then summarises the reply as follows : ' Now there are some important points in this authoritative answer, which we desire to emphasise, viz. — (1) The answer to his Excellency's desire that the ' National Anthem ' should be sung was" to the effect that ' the children did not know it.' This is vastly different from the obvious construction the Watchman endeavors to put upon its assertion that the Sister's answer was ' We don't teach that to the children.' (2) The Watchman's remarks that the statement ' was supplied to us last week ' would lead readers who did not know how long ago it is since his Excellency visited Cairns to suppose that it was some recent occurrence. (3) A specially important point is that, as his Excellency remarked, he had visited many schools in Queensland, both State and Roman Catholic, and that this was the first at which the children had been unable to sing the' ' National Anthem.' The fact ol this being the first school at which the children were unable to sing the " National Anthem " is a proof positive that the case was entirely exceptional' and completely sweeps away the Watchman's insinuation that it was just, an example of the general "disloyalty" of Catholics. (4) The refutation of the Watchman's assertion of his Excellency having abruptly left the school proves that assertion, and the insinuation it implies, to be false in toto. (5) His Excellency rightly regards as absurd any suggestion that the Catholic body is not in every way as loyal as the rest of the community, and he would be sorry to think that an ' obvious oversight should be treated as an intentional act of disloyalty. Surely we do not need to add anything further to demonstrate the falsity of the Watchman's charges that the Cairns incident is an example and a proof of the Catholic people being disloyal. The Watchman has, to say the least, shown very bad taste in using his

Excellency tho Governor-General and his Excellency Lord Chelmsford as parties in any way whatever to give seeming weight and importance to its anti-Catholic and false statements and insinuations. In conclusion, on our own behalf, and on behalf of the Catholic people, we thank his Excellency Lord Chelmsford for having honored our schoools with his visits, and for his courtesy in acceding to our solicitation for an authoritative statement of the Cairns incident.' * Thus far the Aye. A perusal of the history and exploits of the Orange Society would suffice to make at least this one point clear: that, if all things on the earth or above the earth, or in the waters beneatli the earth, the last of which that turbulent and disloyal association should write is 'loyalty.' Satan reproving vice makes a pretty picture compared with that of the brethren reproving 1 disloyalty.'