ROMAN CATHOLIC FEELING.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 2182, 22 June 1914, Page 6

ROMAN CATHOLIC FEELING.

. STRONGLY EXPRESSED; " -HOSTILE TO THE LEAGUE'S AIMS. Strong hostility-to the proposals of tho Bible-in-Schools. League was expressed at tho annual meeting of the St. Joseph's branch of tho Catholic Federation.,,at St. Joseph's Church, last ■ evening. ■ .Archbishop O'Shea; presided '.i over' ani'afcterida'nce. whicli comfortably ifilled.the,.building.-V 7; ■ Moving, the, adoption of the annual report, Archbishop O'Shea said_ that - 'Catholics'protected against the Bible-in-':%liols: movement'oil'two_ heads. In tho first place, it would,"if (successful, . imppso lipoid Catholics additional taxation to meet" the additional cost of a .form.*of -religious .teaching"in schools which they did not believe in. Second•lyV'they protested against the stirring Hp of sectarian strife, and tho appeal to bigotry against Catliolics, which was ' beiiig engineered ih the Bible-in-schools movement. 'Tlie'State schools belonged ■ as -muoh to "tho,Catholics as to, any other, '.'section of' tho'.:-."community,' 7hecause Catholics; paid as \ muoh towards their support as any otlief- section. Canon Garland and his friends said that the '-introduction - of tho Bible-in-schools " Would cost only , a trifle, but Catholics were not so simple as to believe them. ■ Those who should know, estimated .that "' Bible-teaching in tho schools would cost , £100,000. or £120,000 a year, so that, at the lowest estimate, it would mean that ■Catholics would have to provide an additional £15,000 a year, or about 2s. per head a year for every Catholic man, woman, and child. His Grace was greatly mistaken if they were going to submit to any such thing. The principal reason which had called the .Catholic Federation into existence was the' necessity of defeating the Bible-in-Schools, League. The Federation offered them the means of organising, and ho appealed to -his hearers to join it, and work for it. Tho speaker went on to state that. Canon . Garland, seemed to bo setting himself to i get the support of a section of the community which was hostile to the Catholic Church.

No Bigotry. He contended that while the Bible-in-Schools leaders were entitled to use all legitimate.means to carry their proposals, they were not justified in using any appeal to bigotry. He trusted that the largo fair-minded majority of their non-Catholic fellow-citizens, who were really tolerant, would treat the Bible-in-Schools leaders in the manner that such tactics deserved.

Resolution Passscl. . Speakers who followed appealed to Catholics to uitite • and to join the league. When, the report had been adopted Mr. 0. Girling-Butcher, New Zealand secretary and organiser of tho -'federation; proposed the following resolution:— • . :

"That this meeting of St. Joseph's Branch of tho Catholic Federation, • .representing 3000 : 'Catholics bf'this parish, emphatic- ■ ally protests against the proposed "referendum oil tho Biblo-in-Schools ' question as a violation of tho rights- ' of coiiscienco"'of a large'section of : tho citizens, an' injustice to teachers, and an iniquitous .proposal to tax < ail : -tho peoplo to ' pay for this ■ teaohing of a religion . acceptable ~^-to'certain denominations' only, and - '••utterly 'obnoxious • .to • • others, and " further resolves that copies of this resolution bo forwarded to the Kip'ht'"Hon - the ' Prime 'Minister • and the: members for the districts of Wellington Central and Wellington East" ' ■ • The resolution was unanimously approved. .. _ ' i . \ ■The-following were ' appointed • to represent tho parishioners .. upon .. the committee of the St. Joseph's .branch of the'fcde.rationi—'Messrs. 3. Fanniiic.' B. TCllis.-S.-Hiekson, R: H. Williams, A. Cassie, and W. Gamble. A largo number -of. hew, members were enrolled before the meeting dispersed.

• DEFENCE LEAGUE. MEETING OF KETONE BHANCFI. -' -A meetirigVof^the'-'Management:Com-mittco of the Petone branch of the State Schools' Defence League was held oil • Saturday evening, there being present Mr. Win. Foster, headmaster Petone District High School (chairman), Mrs. , Huskisson, Miss Carter, Mr. H.. Grin- ' stead (Evangelist Church of Clirist), and . Messrs. Beddingfield, Nicholson "'(secretary)."Townsend (trensurer), Stephens, and Ogg. Arrangements were made for a public meeting, tif be hold "on. June 29, in St." Augustine's Hall, petone. when the P.ev, TV A. 'Williams, organising secretary of the-State Schools Defence League,..will deliver an address. The chair at the meeting is to be taken hv Mr. D. M'Kenzie (chairman Potone District' Hish Schcol Committee). It iv?p reported that- the Defence League /,cards '.Werevbeing freely signed.by the I''public'.'. " ___