MR O'NEILL, IN REPLY TO THE REV. J. GOLDEN.

Waikato Times, Volume XIII, Issue 1049, 15 March 1879, Page 2

MR O'NEILL, IN REPLY TO THE REV. J. GOLDEN.

Sin, — Since the Rev Mr Golden and I read Mr Jacob Frank's letter and Press Association telegrams through differently coloured spectacles, and neither oan convince the other that his interpretation is the correct one, the public had better judge between us. . I regret tbat I must still remain of opinion, that Mv Golden. is. not sufficiently conversant with the Education .Act, te ooudemn'the present system. In his firat letter, he, undoubtedly, asked a question, the ingenuousness of which was (to a Secularist), perfectly refreshing. I answered it by referring him to sub-sec-tion eighty-four of the Act (by a typographical error, " 84 "was printed " 48 "). If he had glanced at the Act, he would have detected the error, and have found the answer to his question, without great research, but no — m blissful ignorance of the non-existence of sub-section 1, of section 48, he says, " sub-section 1, of section 48 of the Act, as triumphantly referred to by Mr LeAvis O'Neill, is one thing, daily .practice, another." Hehas cut his throat with his or,*n sword — that neatly worded • sentence is worse than wasted. Hautapu school malpractices, I leave to the Committee If other school teachers violate the Act, to the Rev Mr Golden's knowledge, and he fails to report them, he is not doing his duty. O'Connell said many good things, and saw many queer sights, but I doubt if he ever saw a coach aud four, " driven by a public school" over sections and subsections of an Act. I hope its true, for it would speak so well for ''results," under the pvesent system, that the Rev. Mv Golden would be converted. I am at a loss to understand why, because I drew a comparison between the Rev. Mv Chiniquy and the Marquis of Ripon, the Rev. Mr Golden gets excited. One left the Roman, the other the Anglican Church, and — honours are easy — both, I presume, did so m obedience to voice of conscience, severing many dear ties, and, perhaps, enduring persecutions with the spirit and heroism of martyrs. I'm sorry that the Rev. Mr Golden's remarks are not more full of that charity '* which thinketh no evil," and that his statements about the Rev. Mr Chiniquy are opposed to what a large majority m I this district believe to be fact. Can such Wrath exist m heavenly minds ? Howevery, the Pastor is to visit Waikato, and is Avell able to defend himself. The personalities m his letter, I deeply deplore. I ascrible them to his zeal m the cause denominationalism getting the upper hand of his judgment, and not to his desire to " galvanize animosities into life," and I feel assuerd that no. one is more grieved to see them m print than the Rev. Mr Golden. I also lament that my strictures on his letters should give him pain, and that he considevs my taste qestionable, m upholding the present system of education, and, m ovder io vindicate my action, I subscribe myself, Lewis O'Neill, Chairman Hamilton West School Committee, . Hamilton, Mavch 14, 1879.