The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1885. TRUE LIBERALITY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1432, 24 November 1885, Page 2

The Temuka Leader TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1885. TRUE LIBERALITY.

At a recent concert at Ashburton the Rev. Father Chastagnon delivered the following speech Ladies and gentlemen—l have to thank yon also for your kind patronage this evening. As you are aware, we are very heavily handicapped, receiving no aid from the Government for our achools, and not being able to avail ourselves of the Government schools on a matter of conscience, for we believe in teaching our children to love God above all, and their neighbors as themselves. Your presence this evening is very consoling, for it is a mark of your sympathy for the sacrifices we are making. I am indeed very pleased, I shall say, edified, to see here people of every shade ef religions opinion, and I am proud to know that there is no such thing as bigotry or prejudice of class. And why should we not all live in harmony and in the love of one another 1 More than 1485 years ago the greatest scholar and divine who has ever lived, St. Augustine, wishing to unite in love and friendship all classes together, said, whilst instructing his people : “ After that God had made this beautiful world which we inhabit he created the animals and the fishes of the sea, and he created them by multitudes. He said, for instance, ‘Let the fishes be,’ and at once a multitude of fish sprang into the sea. But in order to make man aware that he should love and bo kind to his fellow-men he created first only one couple—one man and one woman—and from that couple was to spring all the human family, in order to make ns sensible that we must love one another.” In this fair land of our adop tion, where we have come to found what will some day be a great nation, English, Irish, Scotch, and all nationalities should be united in a common bond of friendship, For my part I know no bigotry. All men are equal before my eyes, and I look upon them as my brothers, no matter what religious or political opinions they entertain, and although 1 am most dearly attached to my own flock, yet I love all those who differ from me in religion, I look apon every man as roy Friend until I forfeit his friendship, and I hope I .will never do so knowingly ; and hence that I take this evening the liberty of calling you all my friends, I trust we will always live in harmony and good fellowship. It will help us to boar the burden of our shoit span of life ; it will make society more agreeable, and it will promote a feeling of comfort and bappi ness. Let us then drive away from this city of the plains all prejudices and bigotry. You will never find a man who has received a truly liberal education to be a bigot, and, judging from your presence here this evening, I am proud to know that I am living in the midst of an intelligent and cultivated people. I thank you again, ladies and gentlemen, for your present and past kindness. Our excuse for publishing this speech will be found in the speech itself. Never have we read a more truly Christian speech, or one better calculated to cement people together in the bonds of unity and goodwill, Ashburton is fortunate in possessing so liberal-minded, so kind, and so Chris-tian-hke a priest. In the presence of so much Christian charity, kindness, and good nature bigotry, and intolerance cannot exist; peace and goodwill

must bold sway where they are thus held up as leading features of Christian virtue. It is bigotry which breeds bigotry, and it is intolerance which stimulates intolerance into action. The business of good Christians should always be to put down everything calculated to create disunion, and do all in their power to promote peace and goodwill, Sectarian dissensions lead to many vices ; they stir up the worst passions of men ; they cause them to do acts of injustice and of wrong. It is therefore desirable that such things should not exist, and the person that creates differences of this kind does not do the work of the meek and gentle Saviour. It is easy to foment discord ; it is hard to re-establish peace once broken by sectarian differences; and consequently we should be constantly on our guard lest any act of ours should lead to the promotion of any such dissensions.