Citizens Say

Sun (Auckland), Volume 1, Issue 56, 28 May 1927, Page 10

Citizens Say

To the Editor,

IRISH LANGUAGE Sir,— At a combined meeting of the Gaelic League branches throughout Ireland, held recently in Lublin, the president expressed satisfaction at the Gaelicising of primary and secondary education, but he was disappointed at the slow progress it had made in the university colleges. “Instead,” he said, “of the university colleges steering and directing the Irish language movement, Irish Ireland was directing these colleges, but the work was slow and laborious.” He desired to send greetings to the Gaels of Scotland, Wales, Brittany, and the exiled Gaels overseas who were doing a great work in preserving the language and tradition of their historic race. No doubt, sir, much of the apathy here in Auckland is owing to those young Irish Gaels who have received a university training not taking that interest -which patriotism and love for the Old Land should inspire in them. CLAN CONAL. RACE SUICIDE AND DIVORCE Sir,— The fact that 30 petitions for divorce were heard in Auckland on Thursday doesn’t say much for the morality of the citizens or promise much for the future of New Zealand. What with race suicide and divorce, there will be very few New Zealanders born in the next generation—that is, if this orgy of defiance of the laws of God and of morality is continued. I am no “wowser” but where is the onceboasted virtue of our married women? Where is the fidelity of our married men? We are running hot-foot to hell, with none to cry “Stay!” Is there none to raise his voice in authority against the wickedness of this city? Mr. Mcllveney talks of burglary. What is burglary compared to the broken laws of the moral code, the sundering of marriage, and the prevention of birth ? I hope some other correspondent, with an abler pen than mine (distraught by the wickedness about it), will answer these questions or take up the cudgels in the battle of weakening Virtue against victorious Vice. ROCKS AHEAD. DR. BUXTON ON STATE AID Sir, Mr. Burton obviously does not understand the nature and significance of a Concordat. Its very existence shows that the free action of the Church, in the exercise of her mission, is impeded. A Concordat is but a working agreement or treaty by which the Church foregoes the exercise of some of her legitimate rights in order that she may be left untrammelled in the general fulfillment of her Livine mission. It connotes, therefore, a state of things that is not ideal from the Church’s standpoint. In all the countries mentioned by Mr. Burton, there are many private schools under the complete control of the Church. In so far as the State claims to be responsible for secular education, these schools strictly speaking should receive grants-in-aid for the State work which they accomplish. Besides these private schools, there are State schools. In these, the State has guaranteed bv treaty with the Church that Catholic children must be given religious instruction in the Catholic faith by Catholic teachers duly approved by Catholic bishops. The Church has gained so much, but not all to which she has legitimate right. The parish priests who, under the bishops, have the duty of educating Catholic children in a Catholic atmosphere, should supervise the religious instruction. Mr. Burton should note that it is the State, and not the Church, that has thrown the burden, “one of the most sacred duties of the Christian ministry,” on the shoulders of State officials, an instance quite clearly of “tampering with the things of God.” Before Mr. Burton may say that “an ascen-

dancy class of exclusive and endowed educational privilege” has been established in Serbia, he must first demonstrate that no such facilities as those granted to the Catholic Church have been given to the Orthodox Church, the State Church of the country! Mr. Burton forgets that the whole population of 21 millions in Spain, excepting only 30,000 scattered up and down the country, adheres to the Catholic faith. In any case, the efforts of the Spanish civil power to preserve unity of faith in the nation, is beyond the scope of the present discussion. Of this, however, let Mr. Burton be quite assured: If in Spain there were not practical unanimity but general diversity of religious beliefs, and the State out of the common purse, paid for the teaching of Catholic doctrine in State schools, Catholic principle could not oppose the provision of like accommodation for all those of- dissenting consciences. Whatever the religious statistics of a country, whether in numbers Catholics are in a majority or not, the same fundamental principle is applied by the Church: the rights of conscience of dissenting minorities must be protected. This explanation I give in courtesy to Mr. Burton, but we may well confine ourselves to New Zealand and fight out the Bible-in-Schools issue according to the ideals of British fair-play, commonsense and justice. Therefore, I again ask Mr. Burton to give his answer to the question put to our Legislature last year by Mr. John Caughley, the then Liiector of Education, and Presbyterian elder and Sundayschool teacher, who stated: “I have no desire to consider the Roman Catholic Church as such, in any special way—my tendency would rather be adverse.” This is the question propounded by him, to which I would like Mr. Burton’s unequivocal reply: ‘What could be more unjust than for a Government to establish a purely secular system, and thus making the Catholics face what to them was the necessity for providing for* religious education a the cost above stated (£ 240,000 per annum, with capital cost for buildings about £400,000, in addition to cost of sites), and then after all this expenditure was irrevocably committed to grant, at State cost, religious instruction suitable for Protestants, and reply to a demand for State aid for Catholics that they had separated themselves from the State system.” L. T. BUXTON. HE LIKES OUR PUNCH Sir, 1 wish cordially to endorse Mr. Bailey’s words of praise for THE SUN, particularly as regards your leaders and sub-leaders. They are very refreshing, have a punch, and call a spade a spade in language which “he who runs may read.” The public of Auckland is tired of milk and water journalism, with its suggestion of reciprocal back scratching and its apparent hesitation to expose the naked truth in case some one or other is offended. As an example in point. A few months ago, before your paper was issued, I used the word “flamboyant” in connection with the present- Gdvernment in a letter to one of your contemporaries. It was religiously blue-pencilled. I noticed in one of your leaders a few days ago. you had the temerity to use the same word in a similar connection. Personally, I thought at the time it was the best word available to describe the situation I was dealing with but evidently it was too severe for the editor or “sub” in question. As long as you maintain the standard of virility and direct expression which so far has characterised your articles together with the general brightness THE SUN, I am confident vou are assured of an ever-increasing circle of readers. With reference to the v agrant Act, it is astonishing that the public, owing to this chance remark of the commissioner, has apparently only recently come to the knowledge of the severity of legislation in this direction. A.s it stood, apart from Inst session’s atrocious amendment [ think 1 am safi Act alone is probably, the most in-

humane on record. To deprive a human being: of liberty on the plea °f a ®~ c j" pated crime or “for doing nothing surely Gilbertian, and apart from mb absurd legal aspect gives th< P° a tremendous powers, with the poMM * itv of grave errors, intentional otherwise, cropping up. Social WO***™ watching police court work on of humanity will tell you that cnocar sions, had it not been for their tun«J intervention, perfectly decent Jf 1 “down on their luck” would certa jm have received a term of imprßoninen owing to the haphazard methods or over-zealous constable. The lal amendment, to the perpetration which the commissioner ol P°“ exultingly pleads guilty, “beats band,” and it is almost incredu that a body of legislators to the possession of even telligence, should ever have alio this monstrous piece of legislation bo placed on the statute book. One way and another we bid t* l * become the laughing stock Ol world once we are known. sjffc NORTHCOTE LOAN WORKS Your reporter has surely fallen error in stating that “feeling * - ning very high in the district the failure of the present coun come to some decision” to carry improvements in Belle Vue A Quite the contrary is the ca too d anxiety felt by those who una the position was lest the n a *ijn cshould act on the recommenfl* the late council to accept tenders received. These wow on a reduced scheme, kerrins channelling and ijn eliminated, and full-width e . unprovided for. Rather haa lay” in acting on this recotnrnena been commended bv those *bj terested, who have the ira* enabled to grasp what act “ jX . intended, and to compare 1 f°rless hone with what they teoa j«iß Having met most of the reC e«fl l '■<-neemed ■>n the ground * co^' •s last Saturday afternoon, Ananv with the engineer, * G reville Walker, I can that the people of Belle - . tltf havo the fullest eonficierice t th* o *; present council to do the r s and that they interpret in j as a most favourable omen. tainly did not, at any tb aj day evening’s meeting,, , s rf **pe*P* • ill the loan money should the v* 1 *” on Queen Street, “and ?° _ tn cam pavers for a further. l° a - ; t npro vf ‘ out the Belle Vue Avenue ments.” _^ TCJT aOJS. AIITHUR K. Mayor of > oru NOTICES TO cosresponM^l •‘Ratepayer.”—"Yours t^ ul - Va „es ■onstiiute a signature. * es& I addresses must be i kiur intended for publlca^'W