JUSTICE TO THE MASSES

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 273, 7 August 1918, Page 6

JUSTICE TO THE MASSES

Sir,—l wish to take exception to "Protestant's" letter in your issue of July 27, wherein he eajs, "It is a grand thing to find that we have at last a recognised religious leader (Archbishop Eedwood) championing the cause of the toiling masses." He further eaysi "The question ie a simple one, so as to .merge Capital and Labour, and give the mnsr.es the share of wealth the Archbishop wishes them to possess." Now, let us see how the matter works out in Ireland. There the Archbishop's church is acquiring practically the wealth of thn whole country, and keeping' the neople Impoverished. Hasn't this been the iule everywhere where the Church governs Labour? Tho masses have to 6ub6crib<» to the Church, which absorbs all the wealth.

"A few years ago, the protest made by a young priest, 'Father O'Donovan. (says an Irish paper) at a meeting of what we may call the Maynooth Old Boys' Union, excited widespread attention. It was directed against the preposterous extravagance of the millions expended by the church-building clergy upon the foreign purchase of 'decorations' for the edifices in construction. The sting of the complaint lay jn payment of such vast sums to all torts ot foieiun contractors, for all kinds of ecclesiastical gewgawsin so-called Etatuarr and painting, stained glass, frescoes, stuccoes, brass, and gildings." I may quote the Dublin "Evening Herald" of July 8, 1901, as an indication of Irish public sentiment: "As for Father O'Donovan's address, it is too soon to say that the seed has fallen on barren daces. If the wisest men are those who judge the future by the past, then to be wise is to predict that all is barren from Cloyne to Armagh. Fearless was the young priest's indictment of his superiors; absolutely fearless. Nothing did he say that has not been said over and over again, in this and other Dublin newspapers; but the truth was brought to the doorstep at llaynooth, and'there was'no pxcueo not to hear and not to heed. The employment given to workers in various departments of art and manufacture, through church-building and decoration, could and should mean an annual turnover of nearly jx million of money. How much of thie sum goes away in drafts to foreign countries? Every penny subscribed to funds for erecting churches, - building towers and steeples, putting up stained glass and marble pillars, subscribed by a faithful but poor people. To foster and develop continental industries with these funds is as bad aswell, as Father O'Donovan makes out." "The poorest country in Europe (Ireland) has from four to ton times as many prelates as are to he found in the regions of the greatest wealth and prosperity: and Irish counties, so miserable as to be on the chronic lists of -nitbiic charity for the lost quarter of a taiy tury, might surely be allowed to worship , God ill edifices less magnificent and •«■< tentatious that the most beautiful cathedral* built in modern times in the United Kingdom, and perhaps the- greatest work of the. greatest architects of the nineteenth , century."

"Tho people asked for bread, and the priests save them mountains of cut stones. Let it bo always borne in mind that tho priests and prelates who exact fiuch huge sums for the. construction of these pompous buildings never havo any hesitation about appealing at tho s.imo time to Government, to tho Congested Board, to public and private charity, for sums of money, a constant, stream of money, 'to eaye the people from etnrviv (ion, , in the very districts which are thn theatre of this latnnntnblo extravagance."

What will "Protestant" say to this? ■My advice to the workers of New Zeaiand is to keep the hands of Archbishop Redwood's Church out of their pockets, for wo are getting far too many clerp.r and churches here already; and it wor.id be a cruel fate to turn New Zealand into another Ireland—yet that is wlmt is distinctly before us now. I, therefore, think it far bettor to allow our Parliament or properly constituted labour councils of employer and employee to settle Capital and Labour questions; and let the clergy keep to their pulpits.—l am, etc., NEW ZEALAND FOR NEW ZEALANDERS. July 29, 1918.

Sir,—T notice the Rev. Howard Elliott has made some reply to the able contri. bution to your columns of His Grace Archbishop Redwood on "Justice to the Masses." I don't suppose His Grace will condescend to notice Mr. Elliott's ro. marks, but- I cannot_ help piotestin? against his vulgarity in referring to Archbishop Mannix as "Mannix." an<! to the flippant way lie refers io that great and. good man. Pope Leo XIIT. t don't want to descend to the plane occupied by the Rev. Howard Elliott, but if he wants to wriic in public it would l>o more fittina for him to reply to the scathing "challenges" appearing in the Auckland "Herald" and " s *nr" and signed liy father Brennan. The Rev. Fow-. ard Elliott, for the sake of his P.P.A., should reply to them or ever afterwards bury his head and his pen in oblivion.— I. am, etc., .MARY ELLEN CARSON , . July 29.