FALSE ACCUSERS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 51, 18 April 1874, Page 9

FALSE ACCUSERS.

The ' Auckland Cross* accuses the Roman Catholic Church, and of course its adherents generally, of a very grave crime. They are, he says, opposed to aU improvement — to all " progress" in morals and in politics, and in every department of literature, science and art — whether amongst themselves or others. To use his own words, or those of the ' Australasian,' which he endorses, the Roman Catholics •re engaged in a " conspiracy," a world-wide conspiracy against " liberal progress and civil society." This serious charge is directed more immediately against the Roman Catholic hierarchy, it is true, but the Roman Catholic party also must be affected by it. What the Roman Catholic clergy believe to be their duty to God and man, the laity believe the same. The Roman Catholic clergy have not one set of principles and the laity another. If the Roman Catholic clergy be, as the ' Cross' will have it, engaged in a criminal conspiracy to arrest the progress of human society in all that is good, so are we of the laity. Whatever may have been the faults or short-comings of Roman Catholics in past agee, it cannot be said of them with truth that they ■were pitber opposed or evon indifferent to the progress of mankind in morals, knowledge, science, or art. The editor of the ' Cross,' as an educated man, can hardly fail to know how much the arts of architecture, sculpture, music and painting owe to men who professed the Roman Catholic faith. He must also know what has been done by Roman Catholics to advance the progress of astronomy, navigation, and other arts, and to encourage the study of the classics. He knows that the foundations of the British Constitution were laid by Catholic hands. He also knows that even in the present age Catholics are striving to the utmost extent of their means to educate their children in all that is good and profitable, and 6O to keep abreast of tho other classes of the community, and that many of them are now honorably engaged in the diligent practice of scientific professions. Why then, knowing all this, should he repeat the hackuied charge against us, that we are opposed to all progress, and are conspiring against the best interests of society ? He must ha\e a motive. Can it be a good one ? Catholics are taught to believe, and it is to be hoped the editor of the • Cross' also has been taught to believe that no motive, however good, can justify the uttering what is contrary to the truth. It is the more to be regretted that the editor of the ' Cross' should set himself to injure the character of Roman Catholics by the repetition of slc'ii absurd calumnies against them, because it is generally believed that he is a member of our Colonial Legislature, and, therefore, ought to be incapable of any act having the appearance of uutruth fulness and dishonour. It is a pretty general opinion among the Roman Catholic community that those editors who, like rhe ' Auckland Cross,' circulate such injurious nnd absurd statements and surmises against us as those above referred to, do not themselves really believe in them but 'hat they are endorsed and published merely for sensational purposes, and because it " pays" to give currency to them. This is to fo.-m a very mean opinion of the morning Protestant newspaper press, aud I for one am averse to concur in it. But how are such preposterous, absurd and injurious and insulting charges to be met by U3 ? One thing, we must be careful not to meet theoO with angry, abusive, and offensive language. If our enemies succeed in provoking us to any thing immoral or il'cgal, half their battle is won. — Yours, John Wood, Surgeon, late H.il.S. Pitt street, Auckland, 2-id April.