JUSTICE TO THE 'EVENING STAR.'

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 36, 3 January 1874, Page 6

JUSTICE TO THE 'EVENING STAR.'

We regret exceedingly that it is not in our power this week to pay as much attention as we desire to a leader published by our evening contemporary on Tuesday last. But as the Editor complains that we Lave falsified the text of his article by inserting in italics words neither expressed nor implied in a quotation from it, we lose no time in making all the reparation in our power by publishing the entire passage as we find it in the ' Evening Star ' of the 30tb. ult. Here it is — ''That men have burst the fetters attempted to be thrown around them by the dominant priesthood, is true ; for the world has never been left without master spirits,, who spurned the bonds that were found sufficient to check less daring souls. Acknowledging no authority in man to bind the mind by dogma, they bent themselves to read God in nature, and sought to learn his laws as revealed in things that are seen. The Church threatened, anathematised, and persecuted ; but they triumphed, and the result has been those splendid discoveries Jn science and attainments in art, of which they laid the foundation, and we, their successors are reaping the rich truits." We quoted last week only the last sentence,, and in order to make it intelligible we inserted in italics, between the words they and triumphed, "its enemies;" and we put them in italics for the purpose of shewing they were our own, and not the ' Evening Star's.' But the 'Evening Star' says the words "its enemies " were not

implied. We are quite convinced they were necessarily implied, and are ready to leave thj point to the decision of dispassionate scholars. Such as know history and the meaning of words will, we are convinced, agree with us in our interpretation. Be this as it may, we have now made the amende, and our readers will be able to judge of the boasted impartiality and freedom from bigotry of the ' Star,' as well as of its learning. The 'Evening Star' accuses us of using Billingsgate language. We are not going to defend ourselves fro n this c! arge. The editor of the 'Star' is of course a foholar and a truthful gentleman, and knows, no doubt, what is Billingsgate language ; and we do not dare to dispute his judgment. We are only Catholics, and of necessity must be low and ignorant ! W e take his decision thankfully, and shall endeavor to improve our style Our contemporary seems to be particularly angry at our having designated one sentence from his article as brutal. With every desire not to use the language of Billingsgate, we are nevertheless unable, even at this distance of time, and after anxious examination, to withdraw the word. Webster, who is not a bad authority on the meaning of words, defines brutal to mean savage, cruel, unfeeling, merciless ; and we still think that a more fitting word could not be found to designate the following sentence : — " One Church (the Eomish) for centuries had the direction of national education throughout the civilised world, and what has been the result ? Let the history of Europe aud Spanish America tell. In politics, tyrauny, war, and class legislation ; in social life, inequality of condition, luxury, and degradation of the people ; in science, stagnation ; in religion, superstition." We shall return to this article next week.