Answers to Correspondents

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XLIX, Issue 50, 28 December 1922, Page 11

Answers to Correspondents

Inquirer— Regret delay in answering; blit it could not be helped. Marconi’s mother was a Miss O’Brien, an Irish Protestant;, Moral: don’t bet until you are sure? That’s not sporting but it is sound, •

P.O; (Mitcham). Same regrets as above and same excuse. - The priest you ask about was for a time in the place you mention in Ireland but is how in the United States. , ... & > - . t

E C. McKenzie writes to us in support of trial by jury, by twelve good-men and true, rather than by a Government official? In the abstract he is quite 1 right, but, alas ! in the concrete it is hard to find the twelve good 1 men and true, so hard that a Catholic would rather risk facing the judge than a packed jury of bigots. . If even ten just men could not be .found in Sodom and , Gomorrha what hope is there of finding twelve in Massey’s Murderland P' •

O.T.— will have the Tablet sent to your Auckland address until the strenuous business engagements that demand your attention about Boxing Day are over. Without desiring unduly to occupy your time, we beg you to accept our best wishes for a prosperous Christmas. As we know you are a busy man on a holiday we will trespass no further than to hope that the leaden chain of your cares of the year shall end in a silver link. When you come south . again don’t say ' that we meant to say things that we did not mean to say.

Inquirer (Taihape); letter reached us too late to send information by the date you indicated. -In any case it is not our custom to reply by letter to correspondents’ queries. When we are allowed a private secretary we may be able to induce ■ him to do so in his spare moments. The Black-and-Tans were so called because they wore black belts and caps over the tan of the khaki uniform. They were under control of the British Commander-in-Chief in Ireland; There is no doubt that many of them were criminals.