HIRELING PATRIOTISM

New Zealand Tablet, 31 October 1918, Page 11

HIRELING PATRIOTISM

♦ Auckland once had a thoroughfare called “Coburg Street.'’ That name is German ; so Auckland’s patriotic spirit erased that name and wrote instead “Kitchener Street.” Takapuna once had a distinguished resident, now interned on Motuihi Island, after whom it christened one of its thoroughfares “Hansen Street.” A few days ago Takapuna’s patriotic councillors cleaned the offending signboard and- re-inscribed it “Sanders Street.” Similar things have happened all over New Zealand, all over the British Empire. American thoroughness depedestalled every statue erected to a German in the United States. During an air raid German flyers smashed a stained-glass' window in a church in England. That window had portrayed Martin Luther ; but never again will the likeness of the German ex-monk meet the gaze of that congregation, for his place has been given, becomingly, to another. Every part of the Empire has busied itself these four years wiping out German names and rooting out German affinities. Everyone has followed the lead of- his Majesty King George —except the Protestant Political Association. The September number of The at ion contains a long list of Orange lodges, with the names of their chief officers. According to this list Mount Eden, Auckland, has the unique dishonor, in this fifth year of war, of retaining an Orange Lodge dedicated to the typical German, Martin Luther. In this fifth year of war Mount Eden Orangemen refuse to respect the patriotic feelings of Britishers and their Allies; Mount Eden Orangemen disdain to follow, they even despise, the example of the King. The spiritual orthodoxy of this German-named lodge 7 as guaranteed until quite recently by one Reverend Chaplain Howard Elliott, who relinquished the job, it seems, not because of its German patron; but because the manufacture of patriotic verbosity was much more remunerative. In the smoking-room of an hotel I picked up yesterday the Dominion of September 28, in which is a characteristic letter about banned literature from the garbage heap of the patriot who is also ex-chaplain of Lodge Martin Luther. New Zealand, according to this patriotic scribe, has dared to accomplish what England, Canada, the U.S.A. have not presumed to attempt': it has prohibited the circulation of certain Protestant literature. Good omen say I. What New Zealand does to-day the rest of the Empire will do to-morrow. New Zealand decided to pay old age pensions; England

followed suit. New Zealand adopted woman suffrage: - England did likewise; - * New-Zealand Instituted xbin- ' pulsory, arbitration England promises to do the same, bo when New Zealand interns certain literary apaches whom the P.P.A. -calls Protestant writers, ' we may take it for granted that England’s doing likewise is only a matter of time. War is no respecter of muck heaps. Often I take consolation in the thought that there is some good in the worst* of us; for I have been con- . tammated by only some of the P.P.A. “banned” literature. Among- its producers is a saintly apostle named Rev. Dr. Robertson who for many years has been hired o pi opogate. Martin Luther’s German doctrine among the .Catholic people of Italy. This modern St. Paul has .s labored much in the interests of Luther’s religion; but still more in the interests of a large salary: and he has labored in vain. Neither money nor mailed fists can coax the Italians to the flag of German Luther. As a business proposition Rev. Dr. Robertson does not pay: and he knows it; so he tries to conceal his failure from the imperfect vision of the moneyed old ladies upon whom he fattens by torrential vilification of the Vatican. The Papacy! The Vatican! Pomel Voila lennemi! says the hireling missionary patriot. But, saintly sir, man of God, apostle of Luther, you must have copious evidence of all the villany you charge against so venerable an institution as the Church of Rome and so venerable a person as its distinguished lead . “Here you are !” shouts the hired apostle of Luther and he forces into my hands sundry copies of a paper called the Asino. Many of Apostle Robertson's arguments,” much of his “evidence;.” and most,.-of . his illustrations, grossly vulgar illustrations, are-: borrowed from this A sino. And such is the reputation of this scurrilous print that, long before the war trumpet sounded, America and New Zealand had banned it asmail matter. In substance, therefore, as far as this book goes, war-time censorship has only emphasised an existing banu. In a May issue of the Tablet one finds a challenge anent a four-page leaflet containing oaths alleged to have been taken by certain Catholics. As pointed out in the challenge, that leaflet bears no printer’s no publisher’s names. Is not this a violation of the or- B dinary law and of the war regulations of New Zealand ? From personal examination of the type and of the paper I am satisfied that that leaflet was not printed in this Dominion. Was it printed in Germany? Is it a fruit of hireling patriotism? Twelve months ago a returned soldier publicly “°88 e d Rev. Howard Elliott. Policemen duly arrived on the scene, arrested the soldier, laid a charge against him, and prepared to secure him in the lock-up from which he was saved by bail. In recognised procedure, it seems, this was a police case one, therefore, in which the assaulted man Elliott could have been compelled to submit to examination. But in the event, the case went out of the hands of the police; it became a private case one, that is, in which the “assaulted” man Elliott could escape cross-examination. Is .it permissible to ask how and why these things are done. For four years the Government in this Dominion has been terrorised by the thunderous threats of a small and unconscionable clique of hireling patriots. Recent byeelections give the measure of their power, and the “literature” they favor gives the measure of their worth. Last night I heard a noise so great that I felt sure it must come from some monster not smaller than a hippopotamus. Upon investigation I found it came from the cavernous wind case of a contemptible frog. M. E. Ota.