New Zealand Tablet. Fiat Justitia. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1874. THE DAILY TIMES' CORRESPONDENT.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume II, Issue 84, 5 December 1874, Page 5

New Zealand Tablet. Fiat Justitia. SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 1874. THE DAILY TIMES' CORRESPONDENT.

Ox Saturday last there appeared in the supplement of our contemporary, a letter, dated Edinburgh, October Ist, from " Our Correspondent," in which we find the following passage :—": — " Some facts that may interest Dr. Moran appear in a Blue-book just issued, regarding crime in Scotland It seems that the Roman Catholics, while they form only onetwelfth of the population of Scotland, contribute very nearly cne-third of the crime committed in the country ; or, to put the matter in another way, 1 out of every 27 Romanists in Scotland is convicted of crime, against 1 in 132 of persons belonging to every other religion, or professing no religion at aIL 'By their fruits you shall know them.' "

If the above statement be true, the facts contained in it are very discreditable to Roman Catholics in Scotland, and to Scotland itself. But though possibly the arithmetic of the 4 Times' Correspondent may begcorrect, the' significance of the figures may be misrepresented. We should very much like to see a classification of the crimes committed by the n.embers of the various denominations, and we should also wish to see a verification of the number of criminals belonging to the various sects. Perhaps it would be found, on investigation, that whilst numerous convictions for petty offences render the aggregate of convictions of Cetholics disproportionately large, few crimes of magnitude can be charged against them. Again, it may be in Scotland as elsewhere — as here in Dunedin, for example, sometimes — that criminals, who are not and never have been Catholics, in order to conceal their misfortunes from their friends, not only take assumed names, but also cause themselves to be registered as Roman Catholics.

We may fairly assume that the figures of the ' Times' Correspondent may be explained so as to show that, for some reason or o ht.\ the state ot things in Scotland, so far as Catholic criminals are concerned, is altogether exceptional : and it certainly cannot be attributed, as insinuated by our contemporary, to their religion. The majority of Catholics in Scotland are from Ireland, and it is nut improbable that these supply a majority of criminals; but how tome* it to pass that whilst Catholics in Ireland are the must moral and peaceable people in Europe, Catholics, and above all Irish Catholics in Scotland, are the reverse 1 There are more crimes committed in one month in a single English county than in all Ireland in an entire year ; and more in London in one week than in all Ireland in fifty-two. We do not know the relative proportion of crime in Ireland and Scotland, nor can we just now consult statistics on the point ; but, nevertheless, we think we may safely say that there are more serious offences committed in Scotland in a year, than in Ireland with its very much larger population.

This much we do know, that some time ago we came acioss statistics in reference to the comparative immorality of the two countries, which were most discreditable to Scotland. We are sorely tempted to publish these to-day, provoked by the unfair and nasty conduct of the * Daily Times.' But as

we have hitherto abstained from publishing them, through a natural dislike to touch filth, and our unwillingness to provoke, without great necessity, feelings and passions which it is generally wise to allow to slumber, we shall not now retaliate on our contemporary. The ' Times Correspondent ' wishes it to be inferred that the crimes of Catholics are to be attributed to their religion, and that, in fact, it would be better to belong to no religion than to the Catholic. One would fancy that this writer had fallen into the hands of the Revivalists who so lately played their pranks in the Land o' Cakes, and that he had become possessed of the new spirit, which, in him, is certainly not one of truth, justice, or decency. If a man neglects his religious duties, absents himself from the offices of his Church, disobeys her precepts, scorns her warnings, and turns a deaf ear to her exhortations, and then commits crime, is it not manifestly unjust to attribute his crime to his religion ? The Catholic religion teaches her children to obey the laws of God and man, and such of them as are loyal to her and obedient to her voice are the most peaceable and virtuous of mankind ; but such as do not are, of course, like those who have no religion, and in many instances very much worse. But is there anything in the moral atmosphere of Scotland provocative of crime ? We ask this question because we know not where else to to turn for an explanation of the phenomenon of the extraordinary number of convictions of Catholics in Scotland. Can it be that evil communications have corrupted good morals ? Irish Catholics, as is notorious, are particularly moral and law-abiding in Ireland ; whereas in Scotland, it 'appears, according to the 'Times ' Correspondent, they are the reverse. Whilst under the influence of their Church, and submitting to the guidance of their priests, there is less crime amongst them than is to be found in England, or indeed, wt believe, in any country in Europe ; in Scotland they are most disorderly ; This is, indeed, a phenomenon. Is it not possible that the cause may be found in the circumstances of Scotland? May not the bad example of excessive drinking, to which people in Scotland are so ttmch addicted, have had a deleterious influence on a spirited and easily-excited people. This certainly would not excuse their crimes, but it ought to prevent Scotchmen from forgetting that they are themselves in the glass house, and that it is a dangerous thing to throw stones from such a locality. Possibly we may soon be in possession of the true explanation of the figures of the •' Otago Daily Times' Correspondent. If we shall be so fortunate, we shall return to the subject.