BURNS' POEMS.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 3068, 15 March 1892, Page 2

BURNS' POEMS.

TO THK EDITOR. Sir, —In answer to " Agnostic's " inquiries respecting the edition nf Burns' poems, from which I quoted the first stanza nf " Man was Made to Mourn," I have very great pleasure in informing him, through the medium of your valuable journal, that the volume in question is one familiarly known as the Crown Edition, edited by John S. Roberts, with nn original memoir by William Gunnynn. It is, in as the preface informs us, a complete edition of the poems, songs, epigrams, epitaphs, &c, of Scotland's grandest and noblest poet. With reference to his assertion that I intimated my intention of taking up the cudgels in defiance of the faith that is in me, I take leave to observe that hn is entirely mistaken, as my motto is defence, not defiance. In this respect I am only defending the precepts of Christianity when my friendly censor and his confreres attack and defy them, and in fact make vieovirous onslaughts upon the Christian religion whenever opportunity permits. As regards the five theological questions propounded by my opponent, I may remark that however much my inclination may prompt me to answer him, I have others to consult before I can take upon myself the burden of outraging the feelings of the whole Christian community by drawing down contumely and ridicule upon the religious convictions of my fellow-Christians. That this would be tho case, all previous controversies on these subjects has sufficiently proved, for no weight of evidence would convince them, or to quote from tho poet Dryden— " What weight of ancient witness can prevail, If private reason hold the public scale ? But, gracious God ! how well dost thou provide For erring judgments an unerring guide !

Again, I must point out that as I have already written a somaivhat lengthy epifitlo in response to " Gleaner," I have no desire to occupy two columns of matter in The Waikato Times upan two totally different subjects with two antagonists of the same calibre, besides takin* up the time and space uf the editor, merely for the take of gratifying the morbid and ribald curiosity of our detractors. If they are really earnest in their desires to obtain information on the precepts, practices and teachings of the Christian religion, there are plenty of works in the libraries that would give them all the information they required. There are other reasons besides which prevents me from giving the necessary replies to the questions put to me by your correspondent. One of the principal reasons is that as all Christian sects do not believe alike upon all the queries set forth by " Agnostic " for me to reply to, I would be violating the cause of Christianity in place of advancing it. To answer those interrogatories according to the faith and doctrine of the Roman Catholic Church—of which lam a humble representative—would in all likelihood entail upon me an endless discussion between branches of professing Christians as barren of results as it wwuld be interminable. In fact, of the whole five questions asked, tho fifth and final one are the only two that can bo answered without doing violence to the religious convictions of any sect or crued. In giving this reply to my censor, I trust he will pardon me when 1 fay that it is from no desire to shirk the question, or want of knowledge on the subjects named, but Rimply a desire on my part to refrain from an interminable and useless polemical discussion, and to prevent iny angry reaction or recriminations from entering into religious subjects between professing Christians. " Agnostic" and his troop of infidel scoffers of the teachiuga and dogmas of Christianity may rest assured that as I have no inclination or desire to wound the feelings, susceptibilities, or religious convictions of any professing Christian sect, so in like manner do I wish to keep out of the controversy subjects totally irrelevant to the question at issue, and therefore inadmissabte in the present discussion, —I am, kc, Junius Hibbrnicus, Cambridge.