ET TU, BRUTE!

Taranaki Daily News, 25 August 1916, Page 7

ET TU, BRUTE!

To the Editor. Sir—To say that lam surprised tiiat | a man of Mr. OTJea's culture should express sympathy with the extreme views of the Sinn Feincrs is putting it mildly, but that the sentence of which I complained is capable of any other interpretation than 1 put upon' it is also past my comprehension. However, if the Dean did not infer what I gathered from the context of 'his sentence, then my knowledge of literature is to blame. I have endeavored to expostulate with the Dean by private letter for what I considered his extreme views, but 'had the mortification to have my missive returned opened, with what I considered an insulting note attached thereto. I 'have expressed what I believe to be the view taken by the, lamentable Dublin rising by the highest Catholic authorities, also by the New Zealand Tablet, the organ of the Catholic body here, and by Mr. Redmond, the leader of the Irish Nationalist party. Certainly my reference to "stout'' was somewhat coarsely put, and if the letter 'had been written Jess hurriedly might have been deleted altogether. Mr. O'Dea mentions the names of several literary men connected with the Dublin fiasco, but not all Irish literature is on the side of the separatists. He might recall what Aubrey de Vere, the Catholic poet, suffered on account of his expressed Unionist principles; also, just lately, we hear that Mr. Herry, Q.C., a Catholic of high literary attainments, has just been elected as Unionist member for South Dcrry. "Bound to no clime, aud victor o'er the grave," as I claim to be, I am convinced that the national spirit is inimical to religion, and. painful as it is for me to call a priest to order, I felt it was my duty to do so publicly when all other methods had failed. Someone had to "bell the cat," and although I have the greatest resjeet .for the Dean, whose general attributes are beyond reproach or criticism, I ielt the time had come to speak out. "I have done the State some service, and they know it," but also, like Othello, "I am not valiant, neither," and abhor strife and recrimination, hence "the rest is silence."—l am, etc., W. A. QUIN. Hawera, August 24.