CORRESPONDENCE.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 271, 10 April 1873, Page 6

CORRESPONDENCE.

THE MEANING OP ST PATRICK'S DAY. (To the Editor.) Sib, — It is wonderful the itching some people have to gain a little notoriety ; nor are they sometimes very particular as to the means they adopt to do so. There is an apt illustration of this in " Freedom's " letter in your number of March 27th. If " Freedom " were to confine himself to his own immediate circle of friends, there is a probability he would appear a great man entirely. But when he appears in the pages of the " Tuapeka Times," before a large class of intelligent readers, he will find himself dipt of these soaring ambitions that induced him to emerge from that obscurity where he would have acted wiser to remain. The residents of Tuapeka are thoroughly aware of the motives that induced the Catholics to hold St. Patrick's Day as it has been done on the last two occasions ; and, for the information of your readers at a distance, I will here state the oause. In 1872 the Eoman Catholics being under the necessity of building a large schoolhouse, at a cost of close upon one thousand pounds, and finding themselves deficient in funds to meet this large amount, they selected St. Patrick's Day to bold a fanoy fair aa.d give a

banquet at night, so thereby to realize the balance remaining due. Such were the causes for celebrating St. Patrick's Day in Tuapeka these last two years , and not as " Freedom " puts it before your readers, as a motive in future for the sons of Erin's Isle to shake off the " fettery tyrany that has so long bound them,"&c. " Freedom " is far behind his time. Such language as he uses in his letter may take among a certain class in the past generation, where the "fettery tyrany" has been so long dominant. It is by no means congenial to the soil of Tuapeka, and those whom he addresses there will fail to find either accuracy, justice, or truth in his letter ; and it requires no great stretcb of imagination to see that he is jealous of our Protestant friends, who have so cordially aided this good work. But I tell him. for his information when he is reckoned amongst the things of the past, the people of Tuapeka will be found to go hand in hand in those festivities which are for th 6 welfare of a free, intelligent, and progressive people, regardless of creed, color, or nation ; and I would also advise him to bear in mind that those that interfere with things that do not concern them will hear of things they do not like. — I am, &c, Justice. Tuapeka Flat.