A QUERY.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 2, Issue 203, 28 June 1878, Page 2

A QUERY.

, To the Editor of the Akaroa Mail,

Sir, —One sometimes he*ra and sees strange reasons given for great disasters, but it is not often in this nineteenth century that one finds in a public newspaper so peculiar a notion as the following:— Mr Douglas, at the Le Bona tea meeting, was reported to have said " he thought that the church had a claim upon the sympathies, of not only ita professed members but also of outsiders, because ita tendency was beneficial equally spiritually and temporally. Where Christianity flourished there aocial blessings most abounded. Where it was unknown, or corrupted, the evil results were apparent." I believe this last sentence of his. I ask him how does he account for the following extract taken from the Scotsman, a Presbyterian paper:—" England is twice, and Scotland thrice, more immoral than Ireland. The proportion of illegitimacy is very unequally distributed over Ireland, and the inequalities are such as are rather humbling to ua as Protestants, and still more as Presbyterians and as Scotchmen. The division showing the lowest figures is the western, being substantially the province of Connaught, where about riineteen-twentieths of the population are Celtic and Roman Catholic,' the division showing the highest proportion of illegitimacy is tho uorth-eastern which com' prises or nJniost consists of the province of Ulster, where the populniion is almost equally divided between Proteetnntß end Boman Callioliop, and where tho great majority of tho Protectants are of Scotch blood and of the Presbyterian church. The sum of the whole matter is, that semiPresbyterian and" eeiui-Scotch Ulster is fully thrcti times, more, immoral than wholly Popish and wholly Irish Gonnanght which corresponds with wonderful accuracy to the more general fact tha ! t Scotland as a whole is three times more immoral than Ireland a whole. There is a fact whatever may be the proper deduction ; there is a text whatever may be the sermon. We on!j suggest that the sermon should have a good deal about Charity self-examination and Humility. Yours, &c, ONE INTERESTED IN' HELIGIOUS MATTERS. Akaroa, June 27, 1878.