BISHOP MORAN’S DEFENCE OF FATHER HENNEBERY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5319, 13 April 1878, Page 1 (Supplement)

BISHOP MORAN’S DEFENCE OF FATHER HENNEBERY.

(From the Otago Witness, April 6.)

> The Most Kev. Dr. Moran, Bishop of Dunedin, on March 30th, during the course of i some remarks on education, referred to Press criticisms on Bather Heunebery. He said it i was ri matter of great congratulation to see their schools flourishing as they were. Better schools did not exist in this or arjy other country, and ho hoped soon to have a Catholic college. Looking back for the last seven years they must acknowledge that a great deal had been done for their spiritual and temporal interests. Were they poorer to-day notwithstanding all they had done for the honor and glory of God and the promotion of Catholic education ? Was not the congregation far raised above the position it held seven years ago ? Instead of losing anything they had been recipients of great temporal favors. His Lordship referred to the churches at South Dunedin and Port Chalmers, which he i said would soon be finished; During his absence a considerable amount of excitement was carried on in the town by a portion of the Press. He was very sorry for this, and thought that it was not wise in not having confined itself to its legitimate sphere. Excitement had also been caused in other places where Father Heunebery had visited, and they were aware by the statements of the congregation and clergy there that he had been grossly belied and calumniated by the Press. He (the speaker) was also misrepresented by a Press telegram, statements were put into his mouth which he never made, and the reason he did not contradict was, because if a man were to give a contradiction to every separate misrepresentation he would not have time for anything else. Father Hennebery made statements regarding the state of morality in the United States of America as a warning to the congregation, in order that they might be able I to see how necessary it was to bring up the rising generation in the knowledge, fear, and love of God, and to show how important it was not to allow their children to be subjected to the influence of secular education. The Press took up the matter and made a row about it. He, out of feelings of gratitude for all the missionary had done, wrote a short letter to the Press, and it was said that there was a difference of one million between the figures of Father Hennebery and his with reference to the number of infanticides. If they did happen to differ it must have been a slip of the memory or of the pen. It was quite clear that he intended to give Father flennebery’s statements as the missionary himself had given them. He also used the word “ infanticide.” Father Hennebery used other language,'but as he wished to be concise he fixed upon one word to convey the idea substantially that Father Heunebery had in view. The word was used in its literal, though not in its legal signification. It was endeavored to be proved by figures purporting to be a . true statement of the state of things in France, with the intention of disproving the truthfulness of Father Henuebery’s statements, but those figures as to France and other countries were not to.the purpose. They no more disproved Father Hennebery’s statements than they proved the altitude of the mountains in the moon. From the statements in certain newspapers no argument could be drawn and no syllogism could be formed. There was no minor proposition, and the validity of the argument could not be tested. It should be shown that the state of morality in France in reference to this subject was satisfactory, whereas the whole world knew that the contrary was the fact. Beading for many years prepared him to accept the statement of Father Hennebery, and he had read again and again in the writings of even Protestant clergyman, that the state of morality in the great Kepublio was appalling, that a hindrance was put to the increase of population, and that the only hope for the future of America was the Catholic element and the other element brought up under Catholic influences. For years he had been aware that systematic efforts were being made to teach the rising generation modes of preventing the increase of population, and with horror he had read the statement of a certain popular female lecturer that, “ if people imagine American women would consent to be the mothers of future Americans, they labored under a grievous mistake.” It was with extreme sorrow and feelings of utter disgust that he felt himself called upon to touch upon this subject at all, and if he were placed in the dilemma to choose between lying under the imputation of a story-teller, or of entering into the details of: this matter, he would accept the former position in preference to the latter. It was a remarkable thing that at first the Press ridiculed all Father. Hennebery’s statements, but with his letter it confined itself to the question of infanticide, and spoke no more of the other three statements. It was impossible to evade the conclusion that this was done because it was easy to procure evidence on the first three statements, but not so easy as to the last, owing to the peculiarity of its nature. Father Hennebery’s statement was made oh the authority of competent witnesses, and it had not yet been disproved. It was a matter in which they could not make a mathematical calculation as on other subjects. It could only be estimated from the authority of experienced, meu. His . Lordship said in conclusion that he : still believed Father Hennebery’s statement not to i be exaggerated. It could be said no doubt that it was a tsrrible . charge—almost incredible, and opposed ta common sense. He admitted all this ; but terrible as it was, incredible as it was, and opposed as it was to common sense, it was nevertheless, he believed, true, and it existed because it was the natural outcome of a system of education, in a Christian community, opposed to reason and common sense. It was not a subject upon which he wished to dwell, and it caused him very great pain to lay it before the congregation. He concluded by asking the congregation to persevere with the system of education they had commenced, and to let their success in the past be an encouragement for the future.