Professor Dickie Criticised

New Zealand Tablet, 29 December 1921, Page 27

Professor Dickie Criticised

- T '■ ; (From a correspondent.) Apropos of; your comments on Professor Dickie in . the Tablet of the 22nd inst., Mr. P. J. O’Regan made amusing references to the same gentleman when speaking on the Irish situation in - the Paramount . Theatre, Wellington, recently. Alluding to the cable message giving the purport of the Professor’s article, Mr. O’Regan said that although the National Review was in some respects an interesting production, most people would agree that it was a peculiar medium for a Professor of Moral Theology to expound his views. He had not the pleasure of Professor Dickie’s acquaintance, but he believed that he occupied the chair of Moral Theology at Knox College, Dunedin. By way of commentary on his statement that the policy of the Catholic Church in this country and Australia was anti-imperialist, it .was interesting to recall the fact that the first and greatest anti-imperialist in these colonies, was a Presbyterian clergymanif not a Professor of Moral Theology, at least a Doctor of Divinity. (Laughter.) He alluded to the Rev. John Dunmore Lang, D.D., of Sydney, who nearly seventy years since had written a book advocating an Australian Republic. So anti-im-perialist and anti-monarchical was Dr, Lang that he defended his “position” on Scriptural grounds, and Protestant principles.” (Renewed laughter.) The only divinely ordained government ever known on earth he argued was a republic, the Jewish Republic founded in the wilderness of Sinai, and when at a later stage in their history, the Jews demanded a king like other nations, the Prophet Samuel rebuked them and warned them of the evils of monarchy! Nevertheless, continued Dr. Lang, the Jews in their hardness of heart, preferred a king, a possibility which had been foreseen by Moses, who had thereupon made provision against such a contingency by surrounding the monarchy with certain constitutional safeguards. Finally, Dr. Lang argued, although a monarchy in Israel was tolerated by divine -permission, the republic had been instituted in the first instance by divine authority. Mr. O’Regan continued that it would be conceded that Dr, Lang, whose memory was still fragrant in Australia, like a good Presbyterian, knew his Bible well, and they might under the circumstances, leave his brother Presbyterian, the Professor of Moral Theology in Dunedin, to answer him if he could. In the meantime it was abundantly clear that, even admitting that Irish Catholics were anti-im-perialists, they would find themselves in company with some excellent Presbyterians. (Renewed laughter.)