NO POPERY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume III, Issue 134, 26 November 1875, Page 13

NO POPERY.

Thb 'Argus' has the sympathies of all enlightened men -with it in its crusade against tho Catholic Church. It is positively heartrending to our contemporary that we should be tyrannised over l>y the clergy, and its feelings are wound up to such a pitch, that hardly a day passes without its opening fire on them in a leading article. Nothing has been left undone in order to open our eyes to the fact that we are laboring under a terrible despotism, that wo are — priest-ridden. Wo flattered ourselves that, being members of the Catholic Church, v/e were pretty well acquainted with its rules and observances ; and, accordingly, we were very much, surprised when the lynx eyes of tho 'Argus' ferreted out abuses, of whose existence we had previously no suspicion. His Holiness the Pope will probably shut up shop, and retire into private life, a3 soon as he reads that paper's edition of hiafc Thursday week ; for in it appears the following category of priestly misdemeanour: "It (the Church) fetters the freedom of its lay members. It prohibits them from taking advantage of the facilities which the S bate offers to their children of acquiring the instruction which is indispensable to them, and which is tt Imitted on nil hands to be ' absolutely innocuous-" The firil is bad enough goodness knows. It is perfectly intolerable thai, the Chun-h bhould lay down a certain fixed rule for our guidance, and not allow us to obey or disobey it as v,-o like, under the ploa of "private judgment." But that it should pro hibit a sybtom of education which has the sanction of the 'Argus,' ■w« consider to be unequivocal tyranny. — Melbourne ' Advocate.'