Answers to Correspondents

New Zealand Tablet, 8 September 1921, Page 17

Answers to Correspondents

A. W. Sedcote.No doubt everything you say is right but your letter is most difficult to read, and the writing extremely faint in patches. Consequently it was unfortunate that it came at a time when' we are by no means looking for opportunities to strain our eyes.

To Several Spring Poets.—Nothing doing at present, or as Theophrastes hath it: Non in hisce pantaloonibus.

Subscriber. —An anonymous writer may be either the forger, some idiotic fidget, or even a Timaru murderer. Or worse still he may be a day-lie editor. So why should a decent man notice the rabble that sign themselves "Anzac," "Farmer," "Catholic," etc.

E.M.F. —As far as we know you are right. Certain young medical students whose brains are in inverse ratio to their conceit imagine that when .they first hear the theories of a Materialist they have become so up-to-date that they can dispense with religion. Hence some of them do not even go to Mass. They do not always tell their parents the truth. Imagine Pasteur and the illustrious biologist, Sir Bertram Windle, finding in their deep knowledge of medical and biological science confirmation of their faith, while Bill Stubbs and Ozzie Hotsocks, who can hardly write English, much less translate Latin, have "discovered" their superiority to religion It would be a farce were it not a tragedy.

H.C. —The Catholic doctrine is that every valid marriage between baptised persons is a. sacrament. Marriage between Catholics being a sacred thing, the Church asserts her right to legislate thereon and to determine under what circumstances the contract may be lawful and valid. Of course a sacrament may be valid and yet be received unlawfully. The fulminations of Francis Bell, Lord Limavaddy. and the horsewhipped cad worry us no more than a fly on her horn worries a Taranaki cow. The Church has during the past two thousand years survived the attacks of more important foes than these midgets. By the way, the classical allusion to small nuisances describes them as "gnats and flies." Some of the parsonical pests might he called "midgets —fidgets."

Reader. —Yes, we saw the ill-mannered reference made by the cultured British gentleman who writes the editorials for Granny Times to a' letter sent him by Mr. J. Robinson. But why wonder? Is not the forger another of the British gentlemen on that organ of . sweetness and light, and is not the scourged parson sure of a two-column welcome whenever he comes to Dunedin to calumniate Catholics? We are not aware that any person in Dunedin considers the opinion of these British gentlemen worth two straws no. matter what the subject be. When you consider how often Mr. Robinson has exposed the poor man's ignorance it is not astonishing to find genuine British reprisals in the editorial columns. What a wonderful authority on geography Granny is! Spike. Island is in Dublin now and Millstreet is a Dublin thoroughfare! One of these days we may read in it that Shakspere has been nominated for the position of starter by the Canterbury Jockey Club.

Give us not years but souls. —St. Francis of Assisi.