A ROMAN CATHOLIC PROTEST.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1416, 17 April 1912, Page 4

A ROMAN CATHOLIC PROTEST.

SOCIALIST ATTACK ON THE CHURCH. AN APOLOGY .DEMANDED. ■PROPOSED CHRISTIAN AYOitKinjS' UXIO.V. The Wnihi correspondent of (lip Auckland "Star," writing u» Mumhy, states:— "An unusual scene occurred in the jliners'. Union Hull last night at the conclusion of an address by Mr. K. Y. Way on "The Martyrdom uf Ferrer," under the auspices of the "U'ailii Socialist party. When the lecturer had finished, the Venerable Archdeacon Brodie, of St. Joseph's Catholic Church, who, with a number of members of the- Catholic Olub, was present, took the platform, and stated that when he gave a lr-eture on the sa'.iie subject before the Catholic Club he was careful not to offend anyone, Socialist or otherwise. That night Catholics had listened to great abuse, also to insults of all near and dear. If the lecturer would invest in a penny catechism ho would know the Church's teaching on indulgences, and would not make, such rash statements regarding them.' Many Catholics were members of the Miners' Union, and he protested against its platform being used by speakers to insult beliefs of Christian?: If an apology was not forthcoming it would be necessary for Catholics to leave the present union and form a Christian workers' union with (.he same object as the present one. There would be no Scabs' or 'blacklegs, , but an assurance would be given that the conscientious beliefs of every member would be, free from insult. Sir. Way's reply was a denunciation of Christianity, and particularly of Catholics aad priests. Towards the end of his remarks the Archdeacon had difficulty, in obtaining a hearing. The audience consisted mostly of Socialists. The affair has caused a sensation in.the town."

THE AKCHBISHOP'S PASTOIfAL. ' It will bo remembered that early in the present year Archbishop Kedwoort issued a pastoral against Socialism. This seems to hnve been resented in certain quarters, for at the conference of Federated Catholic Clubs the following motion was.unanimously carried:—"That this conference of the Federated Catholic Club? of New Zealand expresses its strong condemnation of the attitude of a section of the Socialist party of violent hostility to his Grace, Archbishop Redwood, on account of his recently-issued pastoral letter on Socialism, on attitude which displays a hostility towards the Church itself, rather than a disagreement with the economic views enunciated in the pastoral, anil further expresses the sympathy and pledgee the kiyal support of the. Federated Catholic Clubs throughout New Zealand to his Grace, tho Archbishop, under the attack to which he has been subjected in consequence' of the issue of the pastoral." ISECEXT HAPPENINGS IN LANCASHIRE. The abpvc_ statement recall recent persecution of Homaii Catholic Unionists at , kelson, in Lancashire, by members of other trades unions, referred -"to ■ in I ..Uiß Dominion- some weeks ago. On Jan.ioZ3- w , '. r,, °rnhHl, a member of the Cat lohc Workers' Federation, cmplovcd .it Farkheld Mill, Nelson, passed to her • loom through a hooting line of women weavers, and,when .she. left work at night :n- crowd followed her home hooting. The weavers threatened to refuse to work with her, but an official of Hie Weavers' Vsmon I,c-r=naded them to stay at their looms. Aliss Thornuill , was a member o-r the \\eavers"TJnion'uniil the Catholic "workers, on account of a resolution iii favour of secular education,,,seceded, from it and tormeil their owii,. ifff6jihliwu - < Now'' she«\y.s she would , U6t" join'' I tie" "Waivers' t.mon.if it would cost her onlv a farthinifshe would sooner'"face death!' Iho committee-of the Nelson C.nthoiic Workers federation issued the following notice:—'As several meinljera of our fsderntion have complained (hat they •have been persistently-followed from tlieiV .work by howling and jeering mobs, utter,lns threats ■ and behaving generally in- a disorderly and illegal manner, wa hereby .warn all swell disorderly persons that we have determined to prosecute in all such cases with thn utmost rigour of the law." Father Smith, iu an interview, said that one of the objects of the Catholic Workers 1-ederation was steadfastly to: uphold Catholic principles in Hie solution of the labour problem, as opposed to Socialistic and Atheistic principles. Whenever there had been a- dispute over the wages question, or any question concerning -the conditions of, employment, tho Catholic workers had. come out along with tlioothers, and they wcro therefore equally entitled to'any benefits, accruing fromtrade.union efforts. .

• At a mass meeting.of Boman Catholics, I'ather Connor said they were met in the interests of their freedom as British subjects, to ilo and think as they likeil inside thp law. All of them knew"of the awful things that' had been happening in the town. They hjul seen mob rule on more than one occasion', and they had seen also all tho elements' of what in (ho long run might prove rebellion,, unless prevented by tho officers of the.Crown. All honour, he said, - to those' yoiing :.Indies, Miss iranee's "Tliornhill, Sirs. Henry, 'Mrs. Hardinan. and oim or two others who'were bearing the brunt of tho battle. They were there that night to protest against all the acts of intimidation that had been carried on and organised, as he could prove, by tho Nelson and District Weavers' Association, to deprive other individuals of. tho rights and liberties which they I hemselves exercised. For what were thev fighting? They had no axe to grind. They stood on tho'grand principles of the Catholic Church, and refused to havo any part or parcel with ■ anybody who woulit promote Secularism or Socialism in anyorganised body. The time for compromise had gono past. > ■ ■