THE ANATHEMA MARANATHA.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume VI, Issue 142, 22 June 1871, Page 2

THE ANATHEMA MARANATHA.

To Tue Editok op the Nelson Evening Mail. Tell me the source out of which you draw your water, and I will tell you whether it is pure or muddy. Sir, — Your correspondent who had the modesty not to put his si»naturp in full nor to give the name of the authors of his standard works, says that " I must bear in mind that men read much, and Ihat the standard works of the Roman Catholics are not beyond their reach." Would to God that he himself had reached some of those standards, aud he would not say that the facts as to the An-Hb'-jcha remain intact. They are so litti\ itrtact that he has already made wonderful corrections, as your readers may observe by comparing your version of the 16th inst. with his of the 21st. But I must emphatically deny tbe authenticity of the corrected formulary he reproduces, for such a formulary contains doctrines against the Catholic Church, far from being in her Liturgy ; for instance this passage—" Let the light of him be put out for ever more." Have you heard that the Church has ever refused to receive in her bosom any exconfn^tmcated, heretic or infidel, when convinced of her truth and penitent for their sins ? I have at the disposal of your correspondent the great standard books of the dark middle ages, the Summa Sancti Thomas, and that of the greatest canonist, the Pope Benedict XIV. ; and he will never find in them such iguorance of the Greek language as to represent the word Anathema to be different from the word Excommunication, nor will he see there any wish for damnation, or even for curse, such as we > read in the old law and in the book of Common Prayer of the Church of England. But to finish all controversy, I defy him to produce before me and two gentlenienj "the formularies you have published, in any Catholic standard work. I know' well enough that he \will find such unchristian intentions lyfngly attributed to the Church of God, e.g., the excommunication of the Jackdaw of Rheims, but he : drank his water of such a well that it is hardly worth while to try to convince him. Yours, &c.', A. M» GrABIN.

The Otago Paily Times : of the Bth iustant has an article oh the subject of mail corpmunication between •" New Zealand and l the English speaking, comraunities of North America." It. urges that with a line of steamers running from this Colony to San Francisco, the conveyance of mails by that route between here and British America might easily have been arranged. It points ont that at present " letters aud papers mailed in British America for New Zealand go regulary across to Great Britain, and thence return to the American Continent, and pass through to San Francisco;" nnd, it asks. "is not this wise management in postal matters ? It is not once or twice, but tbe constant rule of procedure." "Black Fellow." — Colonel Briggs, E.J.C.S , relates the following*anecdote: — The entire construction^ of vessels had been for many years conducted in Bombay, under a " black fellow," one Jemsejee, a native parsee, who, from a ship-carpenter, rose to become master-builder in the Company'- dockyard ; and in the year 1800 the first frigate wasbuiltofteak for the British service. The vessel had been built solely by the natives, and was a proud specimen of the perfection they had attained in their art. During the preparations for the launch, Jemsejee having walked once or twice round the/ vessel, and elated at her completion in so good style, determined to commemorate the event, which he did in the following manner. Having gone quietly below into the ship's hold, he caused these words to be carved on'tr*e Inside of her kelson : — "This ship was built by a d d black fellow, a.d. 1800."