"PROTESTANT LITERATURE"

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 189, 30 April 1918, Page 6

"PROTESTANT LITERATURE"

AND AECKBISHOI' O'SHEA'S ADDIIESS. Sir,—Archbishop O'Shea's address, as quoted ill your columns of to-day, contains so many inaccuraoies tliat in tho interest of 6ober truth I will tako leave ! to correct somo, if not all, of them. I Tho Archbishop is, of course, a minister j devoting himself to tho spiritual iuterI 'ests of his .people solely, and cannot i therefore be expected to be fully eoiiI vorsant with the facts of public a:;d ! political life as it goes oil around him ! or with the constitution and life of l'roi iestant organisations. He is not, there- ! fore, to be held blameworthy for ilie iio-doubt-unintcntional misrepresentations of which he is guilty. Without doing moro than express my sadness that the Archbishop is not better informed un these matters before speaking publicly and officially, I will modestly endeavour to correct him. First, then, I remark that "his friends," as ho is pleased to call the | Orangemen, have not been making a ! noise in Wellington during Anzac week. The gatherings to which tho gentleman refers wore those of the Fiotestant Political Association. I presume, a separate and distinct organisation altogether, having 110 connection with the Loyal Orange Institution, and, numerically, an immensely stranger body. Then tho Archbishop is under tho impression, apparently, thai only the members of the Komnn Cluirch were, praying during iast week for God's protection of our soldiers. That i.s an error which n perusal of your columns would have prevented him falling into. The largest service probably in the Dominion at which prayer was offered mi behaif of our Hnipirc and our soldiers was hr'.ii in tne Town Hall last Wednesday evening under -he auspices of the I\"P.A. The sirring of ''Our God, Our IIolp," by that great audience will remain n thrilling memory to all who were present. While the oniy disturbance of oonseinienee e.t that Protestant gathering came from n Roman hotelkceper, who had to be ejected It is necessary, seemingly, to inform the re-

cluse Archbishop that the Protestants <£ Wellington sliarc with mm ami ms coreligionists tneir deep ami anxious concern tor the well-being of the Lmpirai and the complete .success of tue Allies. ]\o\v au "underground lratcrnity, to uso the Archbishop's words, that liolas a meeting in the Wellington J.own Uuil and wnicii furnishes tilts Press witn reports of its proceedings. is evidently 100 public for Jus Grace. ft' my memory does not fail me, the last conferencei report of the Uonum Federation " L '|d 111 Wellington and over which Archbishop O'Shca presided und gave an addre.is on the Church and J.alxiur, chronicles decision that the federation should sunn publicity and wirk—well, in the u al 'kThe P.P.A. is out in tiie open, and tuo Archbishop is stricken wth wonaer t.uu. Protestants are not rushing into pna,. I in protest, is the Archbishop as /uneless as ho would appeal' lias he seen, the prohibited Literature, and if so wiio showed it to him and allowed him 'o peruse it? lias llio Hon. the Minister of Customs gone out of his way to :e-----j veal Departmental matters to his friend. - ' • Or lias an ullicer of the Government iv~ j ported to his spiritual head? Has Dr.. | U'Shea seen the books, and, if so, uj' what; nieiins did lit gtt possession v»' the books helming to another person i and supposed to be in Government cus- ! tody? It would interest your renders to i have an answer to these queries. ! Now, the Archbishop states: "So bad. | is this literature that ... it is only for ! private circulation. They dare not cirI dilate it publicly." The facts aTe that I the literature Mas ordered by 11 gentlc- | man in Auckland for a large number of j people throughout the Dominion wha> Inul written asking to bo supplied with, various American and Canadian publications. Tliey were not ordered by tne. P.P.A., neither has tlio association any interest in them oeyond the lact that a j grave infringement of the rights of, the pc-oplo has been made by the .Minister 01 Customs in the interest of the Komau Church, and evidently with their approval. The book "The Devil in Kobes," ! one oi' the two held up, is compiled troiu J the records of eye-witnesses ill Cuba at i the time the United States took posses- . sion during the Spanish-America: l War, : and from the Senate Docume.it liK), ; which contains an account of the reveiui tions nude concerning the conditions in the Philippines' under tlio Church ami. Spanish regime. That the record ".s a, very horrible one must be admitted, but that it is history and fact has also to be admitted. 11 facts are to be suppressed and history altered to suit tlia | lioiiian Church in Ne\t Zealand, the Minister of Customs is not the person to do> it. There is a Supremo Court which, might be induced to exercise its powers', in that direction. But perhaps Archbishop O'Shca prefers the Minister of •Customs. The other book held up—tho "Menace Cartoons"—is a book of relij gious-political cartoons, and effectively I depicts Koine's activities in the U.S.A.. and Canada. Tho Church took action .to suppress this publication, but the. ■ Courts held that there was no reason for its suppression. Where the Church 1 failed in Canada before the Courts it appears to have succeeded in New Zealand before the Hon. Mr. Myers. We say i and say most emphatically that thera : lias been a grave misuse of the power vested in tho Minister of Customs in tho , action taken over this literature, and > is a menaco to tlio liberty of the subi ject and <t£ the lights of Protestants : which will not be tolerated. If the books were \vh;it the Archbishop alleges tEent i to bo, tiie tt.P.A. would have no word to i say about their seizure, but being what > they are we do and shall continue tcv protest. I will presume upon your generosity further to point another error tho Archbishop has fallen into with. to - tho newspaper "The Nation." This ; paper has been registered officially for 1 eleven years, and circulates by thousands l over the country,- and may be purchased 1 at the store of any agent. Whilst its ;i columns both as to matter and tone will - compare more than favourably with the . organ of tho Church of Rome—"Tho TaV a let." . ' I trust that I have succeeded in draws' ing the prelate from his comedy of er- ;, rors and furnished him ,tnd your reads ers with the facts, which will better ,1 serve the common good.—l am, etc., HOWARD ELLIOTT, i- Wellington, April 29, 1918.