THE SECULAR LEAGUE

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1012, 30 December 1910, Page 6

THE SECULAR LEAGUE

Sir,—Mr, John-Gammell ,seems : quite at home with.' volumej of half-baked statistics, even though the:statistics are. very much at-sea with. him. Anyway, he is happy, 'so why rob him of' tho pleasure of quoting -worthless: records? The ostrich has very powerful; digestive organs; so,'-too, have some'human beings. I'll call again presently,' Mr. Gammell. As president of-the new league, Mt. John Gamniell should keep his leot warm and -liis head cool, otherwise, more heat than light will be-generated; The more appropriate name for-the new league.would bo ."Tho Secular- Offensive' League." ;It is ' certainly- doomed to failure if it proceeds far on the programme set forth.by the president. ■') " -' Already. Mr. Gammell breathes out threatenings,against the clericals.. He belittles the learning of-the "ancient ecclesiastical historians,''. I suppose becausa they did not knowj "Esperanto." Ho-is quite jubilant over "the defeat .'of'the' clericals;" 'Then we find' him—the gentle Mr. Gammell—descending to the level of that raving materialist, Ferrer, or the Atheist, Joseph M'Cabe. Listen, oh'ye god's! to,the following tirade, from the iirst president of. the .Secular "Defence" League: "Can, any rational being call upon us to put ourselVes again under ■clerical rule, With its afrfui • ignorance, superstition, tyranny, and barbarism; as wo see : 'i.t, full blown, in Spain to-day?" •, We may well ask ,1s Mr. Gammell. expressing the views of all. the members of the league? If so, tho sooner this league is kicked off the stage the better. Are we to conclude that the above unseemly, unchristian, uncalled-for and, decidedly uncharitable expressions, as used by. the president, contain the true platform of the new "offensive" league? '.There is nothing definite in their programme. Even the positive. Mr. Gammell -will not long rcmtfin content with the.menu card of-nega-tions;..and certainly Professor Mackenzie will grow restless with the sparse faro provided. Now let us Teturn ;to Mr. GammeH's statistics. Really, the simple; child-like faith of some people in .the "dead letter of volumes of New Zealand statistics" is marvellous. Mr. Gammell ha? Government statistics on'tho brain.. Says "he: "The Dominion is not retrograding ethically; it is not. even stationary. It ,has made an;advanco in righteousness and. a great advance, during the lost generation. Tho stern logie of figure's proves it." Nonsense! Is' Mr. Gammell of the 'opinion that tlie. only. crimes in-New Zealand.aro the detected,ones? . "The criminals that arc,' are. riot, as,bad as the .crimirials-that are not."' Would'he have us.believe that virtue consists in keeping out. of gaol? To -Mr. Gammell's' dead figures on 'de-tected-crime,! oppose the ,stern logic' of the living testimony of our;judges,'magistrates, -.police officers, school masters (past ari(l present), .public- men, and - the, community' in . general, that the prevalence: of crime,.is far fr.om decreasing..'How: hopeful Mi'. Gammell is about the future of New Zealand is. contained in'these words: "Iri three generations more-the criminal ..class, .would- have disappeared from , our I community altogether.". I certainly would like to think so, but am afraid.that when St.'.Michael blows the last trumpet Mr! Gammell .will still be working out' his figures, ratios, and proportions.—l am, etc., TEAR BOOK.