Notes

New Zealand Tablet, 3 August 1911, Page 1471

Notes

A Pointed Epistle There is pith and point in the following letter from ‘A Farmer’s Wife,’ which found a place in ‘Passing Notes ’ of a week ago. ‘ Your humble servant, and impulsive and most ridiculous “Farmer’s Wife,”’ writes ‘ Civis,’ is the signature to a letter reaching me from somewhere in the Nelson region. It would fill a column and naturally predestinates itself to the waste-paper basket. A tenline correspondent may hope ten folios letter-post will usually mean a short shrift. In part I rescue the Farmer’s Wife because of an ingenuous simplicity that touches me rather. Says she, ‘I am a Catholic, and I object to be called Homan Catholic.’ -xAfter dissenting from his correspondent’s objection, ‘Civis’ continues: ‘However, let us proceed; “Dear ‘ Civis, ’ —I hope you will let me down lightly, being a woman. But I have been always intensely interested in matters theological or religious. How in the world was I, a Scotchwoman, born ■ a Catholic? There are patches here and there in Scotland where the people stuck to that faith. I thought it was such a bother to be not amongst the majority. I says to myself, I’ll read up, and see ; and if I can possibly get to heaven as a Protestant I shall certainly become one ; it’s easier. But there were two or three kinds of each denomination. I could not bear that; some walked miles to go to the Established Church and passed the Free ; the same with the High and Low English. How can thinking children like that? I didn’t. And on coming back from Scotland, being at home on a visit, I went to Mass at Madeira; I felt the unity of the Catholic, Church so wonderful: it appeared to me that I, a peasant Scotchwoman, could follow worship as well as I had in London, or away in our little chapel amongst the hills of Scotland.” Then comes a homily on the evils of Protestant tism from the point of view of Church unity. “Says my guidman : They are as hard to fohow up with their churches and their religions as the pedigree of a horse. The poor Chinaman must think we have more Gods than one.” Upon which ‘Civis’ comments: ‘And “my guidman ” has very much the right of it.’