"TRACKING THE JESUIT."

Taranaki Daily News, 22 August 1918, Page 3

"TRACKING THE JESUIT."

ADDRESS BY REV HOWARD ELLIOTT There was a large attendance at the Good Templar Hall on Tuesday night, when the Rev. Howard Elliott, official organiser of the Protestant Political Association, gave an address on "Tracking the Jesuit."

The speaker first touched on the growth of the association during the past six months, pointing out that it was then in its infancy, and there were many who stated it was impossible to stir up Protestants. Now they had branches and groups established all over New Zealand and had appointed seven organiser* and one lady lecturer, and were about to appoint live more organisers, The P.P.A. was now being recognised by Cabinet Ministers, and, though not strong enough to put men in Parliament, was strong enough to keep them out. They had been successful in securing the return of every candidate they supported for election on Councils, Education Boards, School Committees, etc., including the return of Mr Luke for the Wellington seat, though he was not their candidate. He did not think it was good tactics to disclose the figures of the association, but a feature was its organisation in the country and the towns would follow.

Some people, he said, hardly realise;! that the Jesuit was in New Zealand, so silently did its influence work. They did not wish to interfere with the religion of the Catholics, and, indeed, had no right to attack it, but the Association was out to fight Catholic influence in educationThe P.P.A. stood for the investigation of education and organisation, as well as (■he investigation of administration and the public, life of the Government, and ii making that investigation had come across various matters that had not been advertise! The P.P.A stood for free, undenominational, compulsory education, and did not believe in grants to any private schools. For the last 20 year:, he considered Tinmc had neen at work to break down ihe national system of education, and bad succeeded in mnKiiig a rift in the wall that, if not Hosed up. would, enable them to capture the city. Kverv amendment in the Education Act during the pn*t eleven years bad been to mike it easier for Rome to attain this rrl.;..pf

That this s!inul;l have jone ou so eon-si-tentlv v,-il!>o>,( I'einj known was a •dirtlm" thirc Tn \m a slight chana* bid been made in the Art, takinsr out of the hands ef d'e nnnrd an. l nlacina; it in tv- bends of «;,• Tnm"s Mien the'power to rhv.iil,-. ;if which private schools wlinlslmnM !, n held. Previouslv only

-, 7 , r .„ ( . op„n.;m, o p„n.; m , ~.,s, s „ s P l, n larsliip allowel (a !„•> l, n i,i i„ ~ Cafbolie private •■."•boo' ami that bv the ffrev Siiinf, tr,^ ;l ir, f n = «lipl,irv-biT)S, worth ,i„ ~,, .|ve'-i"e r.-jn to rfift ven''. were held in fall.oli.. .-elinols in Wellington. !l"re.li„. 01.,-is|,.i,M,.eh mid. Aiie'.-lend. W:is n ,t,.si,i| )r".el- np.-l when «:;,■ .Tnii'os -Mle» ncrmilte.i w he was a traivo- in the Pvrtv>.tnnt riinivli. tt„ r-h-n rnfnrrcd to tit- f<i»f that Prote«(p„l |,»ne-''.rs who bad to frivc] bv ir-nn d-lb- between I'-eir homes mid s'lioo!:. bail to pav )'"•!■ own fares. wh»rea= np»s (ravelled In |b o ;v oe-ho-ols <ifl.!'y with free pacsss w,\ } m \ done s n f-tr roars Aibout ipr-" P.>man OathoPe "hildreri », ' ' curried daih* to schools free, in c«se° r*"**Wvff country schools, v ><) suffered tbrwigU

lack of attendance. This gave the Catholics a benefit of £1540. He spoke strongly against parents sending their children to convents for schooling.' He estimated that at least thero must have been a grant of £20.000 to build up Catholic schools

They also discovered that capitation grants for technical work had been given to convents in Dimedm,and as the result of their efforts these grants now had to cci-'e.

All Knowledge of English history had practically been eliminated froiri our public schools. Our children did not know the meaning of Cromwell's fig-lit; of the Puritans, of the reason why'the Mavflowcr's pilgrims went to America or of the great fight for the freedom of the. conscience and the Press. He stressed the need for zealously safeguarding the national system of education. Most men couid not leave their children wealth, hut they could give them an education that would enable them to take their place in the world and-not iba slaves and the,pup-pc-ts of ignorance. "We should build up the education system so as to make it as oerfect as possible, and then if we have dene nothing else we have left an heritage of which we may he proud." He criticised the administration of the Justice Department, which he was not sure was free from Jesuit influence. He referred to the regulations issued tha.t the religion of persons charged with offences should not be entered on»Court rccr.rds.. .

He also outlined the oase. of victimisation of an Auckland TranAvay employee, who wa= reported by a detective and (lismissed, bjit whose case was fought and won by the P.P.A. The P.P.A. were not out to prosecute police officers, but they considered there was something wrong with the administration when a policeiron who could lead a demonstration in a public hall against the Prime Minister was only fined £2 when a Protestant was £2 and even dismissed for a trivial offence. He considered there was influence at work somewhere, and in the Police Department there was a feelin° imong sonic policemen that there was an influence that worked for Catholic policemen that did not work for them. He asked: How many Catholic policemen had enlisted compared with the number of Protestant policemen? He touched on 11 <•»=» of military desertion that the P.PA. were watching with interest. Tie asked: Did the Porough Council collect rates from the Catholic primary and "econdary schools? All Presbyterian**, Methodists and Anglican schools'bad. to' nay rates, rt was said that these, fetter were business institutions, whilst the Catholic schools were religious institutions. Personally he favored all churches being taxed.

Ho referred to the action of Mr Myers in placins a ptmtber of bool« on the prohibited list, and ho enumerated pome of the hooks that were 'harm!, contondin? that whoever was .j mitring the books was absolutely incapable of undertaking the tint v. The principle of censorship of Protestant literature \ras a wrong ons. \"otliin» was allowed to come in to show tot at hoarv the Tioman Cutholic Ch-ardh was avrainsf F.ocland. Tie also criticised t'l- dilations "■overnin" tlie censorship cf rows.

There had been no support to the (?». vernment so consistent and steadfast as that, of the. Protestant section. Tf ■]?nme could, with the aid of the extreme l/v'-or 'eetroti, she would pn-cipitato an election to-morrow b«-ause she would n-ve- nt'ain be reletivoly so strong' as she was et '.o-esent. Thpv were jroinsr to proteH .-tronilv acainst this prohibition, and. if it was pot removed, every irroup of the P.p.A. in X W Zealand would he ""'■-.-.(l to pas; "esnlntions thai; tlie Covertiuient bad forfeited the confidence of the countrv ami should forthwith vacate "dice. Thev did not desire contentious literature to he introduced. but some were necessary t.o-dav in order to let (him 1.-nnw what, caused the war. and whnt interests were involved, in the diplonir.ev and that led up to it. Vr Mvers admitted that he had been approached to stop ■tlmsc'honks. This could not be allowed to continue, and the 2#& %wt mks^BtsipA^a^atJtAd*-

Government would not remove the prohibition they would put in a Government that would. Reference was .briefly made to the exemption from military service of Marist brothers and Roman Catholic priests. There was not a sinarle 'Protestant Minister eligible for military service in New Zealand to-day. They' were all at the front. There was not a single Roman Catholic priest or Marist Brother in any part of the Empire fighting for the flag, but there were hundred's of Protestant/ Ministers and thousands of teachew there. •He considered that he had said enon<r)i to show the need for the P.P.A., whic> looked after the interests of all sections, with special rights to none, and he appealed to those who had not joined the i association to give their practical help, j without which it could not go ahead. L The speaker, was given an attentive.