ARCHBISHOP O'SHEA'S SPEECH

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 258, 19 July 1918, Page 6

ARCHBISHOP O'SHEA'S SPEECH

Sir,—"Guido Partes" dots not usually make his appearance until the Pifth of .November, but possibly the proximity of the Twelfth of July may Have hail something to do with his letter in your issue of July l(i. This time his attempt is not made against tho Houses of Parliament, but against Archbishop O'Shea, who Las been so unpatriotic and antinational as to suggest by his recent utterances that our old acquaintances, the world, tho flesh, ami the devil, do not exclusively conline themselves to tho current enemy powers and neutral countries, but operate among our own peoples as well. Two methods are 'open to "Guido": He can attack His Grace's statements by disproving them or else by camouflaging them with irrelevant arguments about Ireland and Germany and South America. "Guido" follows the best traditions of the P.P.A. by choosing the latter (and easier) course.

It is a safo aud popular thing to attack the poor Irish, who have in the pnst suffered more than Belgium aud Poland together, and who at the present time are occasionally goaded into action by degrading treatment. But before "Guido" taunts the South with "being incited to rebellion" he should recall to mind that a few short years back tho "Black North" imported awns from Gormany. And ho should not forget that, had not Germany been persuaded in this way that Britain was on the verge of civil war, the war lords would not have been so convinced that the time was ripo for their designs.

And "Guido" should know that, there are- other elements in Germany besides the Catholic Centre Party. There is Protestant Prussia, which ' bludgeoned tho rest of Germany into attacking Catholic Belgium, Catholic Prance,' and Catholic Italy. And as Luther smashed Europe three centuries' ago, so his worthy descendants have.set out to-day to smash the world at large and imposo a second Reformation "made in Germany." Great Britain may possibly 'lead the world in moral, social, and industrial reform, but books like "Darkest England" and "Merry England" 6how us that we have not gone far enough yet to justify any cheering. Farther tlian Bolivia, perhaps,' but Bolivia is a very Ion; way away, and as "Guido Partes" does not enlighten us as to the sources of his information, we might be forgiven in _ according his extraordinary allegations the same credence due to the stories which Bishop Cleary is at present exploding in detail in the columns of the Auckland papers.—l am. etc., TITUS OATES. July 16.