BISHOP REDWOOD'S LECTURE ON O'CONNELL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume III, Issue 122, 27 August 1875, Page 7

BISHOP REDWOOD'S LECTURE ON O'CONNELL.

Last evening (August 9th), despite the bad weather, there was a large at tho Odd Fellows' Hall, Wellington, on the occasion of the promised lecture by his Lordship Bishop Redwood. On the platform were a number of the Roman Catholic clergy and Messrs O'Neill, Ballance, and Wood, M.H.R.'s, Buckley. M.P.C., Gisborne, J.P., O'Shea, &c, The last mentioned gentleman took the chair, and introduced the Right rev. lecturer, remarking that he was deeply sensible of the honor which had fallen upon him when he had been allotted the task of introducing to a Wellington audience a colonist of New Zealand who had been raised to the exalted position of Bishop— the youngest Bishop in the Roman Catholic Church. Dr. Redwood, on coming forward, was loudly cheered. He commenced by reminding his audience of the purpose for which they assembled. It was not to hear of a man who had been called from his labor as a king or a potentate, and had gone to mingle with the royal dust of a long line of illustrious ancestors, after a glorious reign over a happy people. It was a greater than he. It was not the hero of a hundred battles, who had conquered the ends of the earth by the might of his arms. It was not a legislator, a man who had lifted his people from a chaos of barbarism. No, it was not anything of that kind, and' yet the man whose memory they revered was more than that. He was a man who had been neither a prince nor a warrior, nor an emperor — but lie was a man who, though he had only loved to be called a fellow-citizen, had gained more battles, bloodless battles, than the most renowned conquerors — a man who had gained greater victories than those whose wills in a manner were law, who were able to build up and destroy. They had come that evening to commemorate the giant work of a man who for more than half a centiiry had been invested with a crown of moral power — a power unsurpassed, if ever equalled, in the annals of history. (Cheers.), This moral power, grasped with an iron grasp, united with consummate wisdom, and so spontaneous as to prove his peerless merit, had not come to him in a day or an hour, but had come to him after many years of unAvearied toil ; and the incessant exertions of his grand life had been made on behalf of his people at a great personal sacrifice. Perhaps many present would remember him. Before them would loom up his figure as they had seen it in the days of their youththere was the lofty stature, the massive form, the kingly bearing. the high intellectual forehead, the eyes that beamed with kindness or flashed with scorn, the frame qxiivering with indignation as with scathing eloquence he denounced the wrong, and his voice ringing out as the voice of a god against every kind of injustice and delusion. This was the man of whom he had come to speak, and of whom ho deemed it a privilege to speak. A man who for half a century had led a public life in which there was nothing inconsistent with right, but which, on the contrary, had been blameless and free from reproach. He felt it was beyond his power to give the description of O'Connell's life that he had undertaken, and must therefore throw himself upon the indulgence of his hearers. The lecturer then proceeded to sketch the leading incidents of O'Connell's early life and education, and stated that it was in the seminaries of France he had imbibed those sublime principlesof action which in after life had raised him to so exalted a position. He was a strict, believing, practical Catholic, and he (the Bishop) would take the opportunity of impressing upon the Catholics of Wellington that the Roman Catholic aimed at not only the cultivation of a man's mind, but above all, the education of his conscience. And rightly so. Of what use was a merely secular education to any moral being like Man? What was the use of maturing the mind without at the same time training the heart and the conscience ? What was the use teaching a man merely of material things — immersing him in that matter — without *at the same time giving him religious principles enabling him to so lire this life that he might be fit* to enter that world where he must go some day ? That was what Catholics believed in — a universal education— an education which woixld mould the heart and conscience, and not merely instruct the mind with knowledge of the material world — an education which would make him more faithful in his dealings with man, and more faithful to his God. That was the education the Catholic Church claimed, and always would claim, and which they would haye — no matter at' what sacrifice it was obtained. (Cheers.) He then proceeded to notice how, throughout the course of the world's history, the people had been trodden down and trampled upon, yet ever and anon arose up deliverers like Charlemagne, the Constantines, and others mentioned, avlio had raised the people of God to a proper position. In'lreland, when O'Conncll arose, an occasion for such deliverance had arrived. During his childhood and education he was there, yet unknown and obscure. Still, he was intended for the work, p obected and fostered by an all-seeing Providence, and awaiting his destiny, and in after years when the time came he was firm to that destiny. The lecturer then passed on to notice his domestic strugglesstruggles which brought out his invisible soul, and caused him to becotne the most accomplished and perfect advocate ; and whilst reviewing his career at tbe Bar, introduced a number of racy and amusing anecdotes, illustrating his keen insight into human nature, his vigorous argumentative powers, discretion, zeal, &g. Comino- to the subject of O'Connell's political and social labors, the lecturer said he had a painful duty to discharge in speaking on this iiuportant portion of his subject, for he had to state plain, unvarnished truth, which might be painful to English people. It must be painful to English people to remember those pages — bloodstained pages— of their history, which for 300 years had been a record of crime towards Ireland — painful in the extreme, and in referring to it, he wished to do so without in the slightest appealing to the emotions, and without the slightest exaggeration, and without the slightest appealing to fancy. But he must tell hia audience that for 300 years England had treated her sister country

with nothing less than absolute barbarity. He could not help saying that, for, as O'Connell had said, "I cannot wipe away history," : and history showed that for 300 years Ireland had been the victim ! \ of her powerful sister nation. Why was it that Ireland had been the victim of England's tyranny ? Because England had apostatised from her old faith, England determined that Ireland should apostatise also ; but Ireland would not apostatise, and England deliberately, sternly, and calmly made tip her mind cither to extinguish the Irish race or to completely extinguish Ireland's faith. That was the origin of the laws known as the penal laws — laws, the parallel of •which it would be impossible to find in history — laws to which a parallel could only be found in pagan times when a Hero or Diocletian — when "The Christians to the lions, the Christians to thedungeons " was the cry that went forth. Only then was to be found a parallel to the laws made against Ireland. What had Burke said — that the penal laws against Ireland were the most elaborate machine ever contrived ; that they were • constructed as perfectly as well could be imagined to seeitre the degradation, the debasement, the annihilation of all who possessed the nature of man. Macaulay, the great historian, though not always to be depended upon, had said these odious laws were rendered still moro cdious by the administration ; for bad as the laws were, the magistrates made them infinitely worse. England had said to Ireland, " Apostatise 'and you shall be free ; though now you are in chains and have lost your possessions, apostatise and you shall be restored. You want education, apostatise and you shall have your colleges and universities. Apostatise, and you shall be great." Ireland, bleeding and in chains, heard the syren voice of the tempter, bufc instead of perjuring herself had closed her virgin ears and tnrned away her head with abhorence from this disgrace. She said: "No; we are the children of the Saints ; we look forward to. G-od, who will give us his aid, we will never change the faith delivered xuito us," and she maintained her faith. This was the position of the Roman Catholics when O'Connell was raised up to their aid. Lord Macaulay had said that as a^ Protestant he could find no satisfactory explanation of these laws. " I have studied history, but I must confess that as an historian I cannot find a satisfactory explanation of these penal laws, but were I a Roman Catholic, and ..standing beneath the dome of St. Peter's, reading that magnificently emblazoned line around that marvellous cupola — " Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church ; and the gates of hell Bhall not prevail against it," — I might understand it. That penal code was only partially abolished when O'Connell came into the world. O'Connell came, took the citadel of bigotry which had been erected, and placed thereon the flag of liberty. He went through the length and breadth of the laud. He awoke the courage of the people, and saw around him a great mass of the clergy and the prelacy, and as at the sound of the trumpets of Israel the wall of the ancient city were prostrated to the earth, so at the sound of O'Connell's voice the gates were opened which bigotry, pride, and oppression had held closed for over 300 years. (Applause.) But before this great man could bring about such great achievements, who could recount the obstacles in his path, who could recount the difficulties he met at every step ? Persecution from open foes, and treachery from false friends. But his energy grew with the opposition, flourished as the mountain oak when shaken by the storm, and he at last created that powerful confederacy for Catholic emancipation. The lecturer then revieAvcd the progress of the association foom its inauguration, stating how at first every member had to pay a small subscription weekly to defray expenses incurred in carrying out the objects for which the society existed ; and how, notwithstanding the smiles of their enemies, who spoke with contempt of what they called O'Connell's rent, a powerful association was formed which grappled without fear the power of England, and O'Connell was there to head the enterprise, to grade tire barque of Ireland through every peril, till it reached the harbor of salvation and liberty. The lecturer pro- I ceeded to say, however, that O'Connell's principle was to constitutionally and peacefully attain the rights for which they had banded themselves together. He told them to claim their rights, and never to be satisfied until they had the privileges of their British fellow subjects, but throughout his lifetime O'Connell was never known to outrage the law of the land, nor to speak with against the reigning soverign. He know that his aims were to be brought about by appealing to the voice of the people and public opinion, and by working up the masses to united action ; and by this means did he achieve those things which the Almighty had destined him to accomplish, The association having become so powerful as to threaten the G-overnmeat, they determined to destroy it, and passed a Bill by which for the time it was suppressed. O'Connell strenuously opposed tuat Bill ; but in adherenco to that law-abiding principle of his, the moment it became law he told his people to obey it — as obedience ■was better than rebellion. The lecturer then proceeded to trace up the progress of Irish liberty and freedom of conscience, which he illustrated by anecdote. He then came .to the election of O'Connell for the County Clare, it being determined by the association, in solemn conclave assembled, that he should stand. He gave a graphic sketch of the contest between O'Connell and Fitzgerald, who were the rival candidates for tho honor of representing Clare, and spoke of the power which O'Connell had to contend against, not only in the weight of Fitzgerald's influence, but in his great popularity. Also, in picturing the proceedings, ho gave very amusing sketches of certain of the supporters of either side, and thus amused as well as instructed. As to O'ConnelTs speech, he said he need only say that it was marked by all his eloquence and power, and he was leturned by an overwhelming majority. As he refused to take the obnoxious oath which ■was required of ' m»mbe*s of Parliament, his scat was declared vacant, but at last the Emancipation Bill was passed, and on the 13th April, 1829, justice triumphed and O'Connell stood forth, the pride and ■wonder of the whole world. But O'Connell saw that the emancipation measure was but the first instalment of justice, and having accomplished so much in the forly-fiilh yoar of his ago, lie again in the arena of strife, and engaged himself in promoting free trade, and the abolition of slavery. The lecturer then passed on to the change in the fortunes ofO'CounclL. to his imprisomn.en.fc and

subsequent release, following him on his journey to Rome, and feelingly describing his death in Grenoa in the year 1847. He then asked his hearers to comparo O'Connell with Bismarck. O'Connell's power had been right ; Bismarck's might. O'Connell had employed moral force j Bismarck, brule force. O'Oonnell had lived to liberate his people; Bismarck lived to destroy liberty. O'Connell had given his heart to the Church because he loved it; Bismarck lived to endeavor to the utmost of his power to crush the Church, but his endeavor was in vain. O'Connell wrested justice- from the King and Senate ; Bismarck used his unholy power to make men bend their necks before a brutish idol. He would say, therefore, all honor to O'Connell, and confusion and ignominy to the man of blood and iron. (Applause.) The lecturer concluded by passing a highly colored encomium on the memory of the great man who formed the subject of his lecture. Mr. G-isbobne proposed a vote of thanks to the lecturer in appropriate terms. Mr. Buckley seconded the motion, which was carried by acclamation. Mr. Chakles O'Neill, M.H.R., then proposed a vote of thanks to the chairman, and the meeting dispersed. — ' New Zealand Times.'