THE Manawatu Times. SATURDAY, JAN, 3, 1879. THE TEAIL OF THE SERPENT.

Manawatu Times, Volume III, Issue 104, 3 January 1880, Page 2

THE Manawatu Times.

SATURDAY, JAN, 3, 1879. THE TEAIL OF THE SERPENT.

' f'rWords w», things, and a drop of ink falling Ilka -. dw upon a thought, produco* tb;;t which makee ' thoUwudi, p*rk»ps million* think."

! The disgraceful scenes which took place afc Timaru and Christchuroh miist boa niatter for deep concern ! to all who have read the humiliating details. Since the Fenian disturbance at Holiitika, now some years mice, t ; nla colony lias .enjoyed a most ref resiling immunity from ail party dem-.j ast rations liko.y to excite the feelings or preiudicem of any clasp, creed, or country." We are certainly i» accord with the Bishop and clergy of the Catholic diurbh m strongly denouncing the conduct qf those of that faith who brought the religion •they pvvJeas. into contempt by their intemperate attach upon tne Orange ; but ... white v{q %viq ao

■ sympathy with those who acted iu defiance of law and order, and became the aggressors in the outrage, we also conisider the open parade of Orange emblems, banner, and drawn swards extremely injudicious. Comparisons have been drawn; between Hibernian Society and 'the 'Orange Order, but wo thinly we will be a,blo to show that there is not the "slightest- analogy between- -thetwo. The fit;Bt is purely a-religidus, benefit -soe-taty, of a-similar character_to the jfoung Men's Christian Association, and the ivariotis other kindred inst'i r tuHnns wjiifh are as pendants to the different religions ; it was instituted to make the male members of the Catholic! aith attend' mWe strictly to the dutios of their religion, and more zealously carry- out the -teachings "it inculcated. It is confined to no nationality- or no country; and above all, it differs most materially from Masons, Druids, Oddfellows or Foresters, inasmuch, as ; there is no secret about it, and the. public or the Press are free to attend its meetings. "We will not undertake to analyse the merits of the Orange Society,, for the excellent rea'son that knowing nothing _of_the_,b.asis. ,upon which it is established, it would be unwise to, do .so ; but whether the rules of the Order permit of such a thing or not, we do know that in the land • from whence it sprung the utterance of its very name is calculated to create a spirit of strife, and so w hatred and discord, and the pro? cessions are continued in order to seek to perpetuate that Protestant •ascendancy whiob. the society was established to maintain. This is- a free country, and everyone from the miner.. .to the, millionaire has the blessed privilege of worshipping their Creator according tp the dictates of ,• ,thair. hearts, untrammelled by the bigotry and prejudices which are rampant in the Old Country. We should be thankful for the proud privilege, instead of Reeking to stir up strife and discord which has been # sorrow and a disgrace to the Niqbg of Nations, and has ever kept her with the shain of slavery around her neck. It has been our proud task on more than one occasion, evert-JuithTs town, to chronicle the efforts of members of various ddndfni nations Hn aid' „of Catholic chai'itios, aud we have seen Presbyterian, Wesleyau, and Anglican working harmoniously together to make an effort on behalf oi. some particular Ch.u.roh a success. This is .as. it should be, and the man who would seek to i'otuent religious diseord should be as.carefully watched as the uiopt dangerous criminal. Itmay be, and we are quite willing to believje that in marehing through the streets in regalia tlje Orangeman of Tjoiaru and Ciiristohureh wjro only doing wh.'it they had a perfect rigljit to do, and were not actuated by the slightest desire to insult their ltoman Catholic fellow-colonists. At all events \ye would be sorry to think otherwise; and consequently ■nothing can palliate the unprovoked attack made upon the procession. The Orangemen can see that the outrage which has been put upon them has be^.n deprefijj,ted by the respectable portion of the community ; \b,ut should they resent tho iudigiiities to which they have been subjected, and determine upon obstinate bravado or retaliation, they will be putting themselves in exactly the same position atf those whom we condemn, and in accordance with the intention of defiance will be the grayity of offence.