Current Topics

New Zealand Tablet, 20 October 1921, Page 14

Current Topics

Government Double-Dealing" The general public may not be aware that while private persons are paid as much as a pound a week for the support of orphans only seven shillingsa shilling a dayis paid to our Orphanages for the support, clothing, and teaching of destitute children. That In itself is an act of injustice; but there is worse to come., In some cases the Government collects as much as a pound a week from parents whose children are in one or other of our Homes and only seven shillings is given to the .management of the Home, the Government pocketing the remainder. Owing to the profit made by this sort of scheming, taking all the orphans sent to our Homes by Government, their support only costs our illustrious legislators one guinea per head! The Massey Government raised its own pay at the public expense but it never thinks of raising the paltry seven shillings a week which it allows for the feeding, housing, clothing, and teaching of the little children. There will be specially prepared, places in the next world for the "statesmen" of New Zealand.

A Joke Some time ago a body of men met for the discussion of a certain matter. During the debate it was suggested by someone that a deputation should wait on the Minister concerned. "Who is the Minister?" a person asked./ "Mr. Nosworthy,"* was the answer. A .shout of laughter went up from the assembly. This little incident shows in what esteem the public hold not only Mr. Nosworthy but also most of his fellows in the Massey Cabinet. They have become a joke to the public. And they are a very expensive joke at that. However, perhaps it is as well that the public can get even amusement out of them. That is about all that can be got out of them. Between Mr. Massey tours to Europe and the advertisement given his party by Lord Bryce's book, New Zealand's spouting men are acquiring a European reputation of a sort-that most men do not envy. The public, like a patient ass, will not kick. The ass's back is bent to receive more burdens, and the burdens are likely to go on increasing until they break the back of the ass. We humbly suggest, to the ass that a little kicking might save its back. ....

Irish History Considering the importance of the study of Irish History we once more call the attention of our young 'leaders to the questions set for--the examinations now at hand. If you have not cut out and preserved the questions already, do so now, as you will not have them put before you again. Remember also that the papers must be sent in to our office by November 15, and that they »must be signed by the pupils and classified as Senior, or Junior as the case may be. The questions are: ■ , ■ . •■ For Senior Pupils. 1". Write what you know about the Flight of the Earls, its causes and its consequences; 2. Give an account of the Siege of Dunboyand of the Retreat of O' Sullivan Beare. 3. Write" a ~short description of Grattan's Parliament and of the events of 1782. For Junior Pupils. 1. Describe the Siege of Limerick-, the Treaty, and its violation; 2. Enumerate some of the Penal Laws. 3. Give a short account of the Rebellion of '9B. Note.—Senior Pupils are those of the Sixth Standard and upwards; Junior Pupils are those below the Sixth Standard.- , , , j.";. Teachers are requested to select and forward the three \ best papers in each of the two divisions.

Brann on Bigots Some years ago a vigorous writer named \ Branii was the terror of the bigoted calumny-mongers of the Southern States of America. He was as fearless as John Norton used to be when he conducted his paper, but Brann was a far abler man than the Australian. Not long ago we found a telling extract from The Iconoclast, Brann's old paper, quoted in America. As it applies, to the New Zealand organisation of filthmongers, known as the P.P.A., we reproduce it here: "Who is it that visits the slums of our great cities, ministering to the afflicted, comforting the dying, reclaiming our fallen? When pestilence sweeps over the land and mothers desert their, babes, husbands their wives, who is it that presses the cup of- cold water to the feverish" lips, and closes the staring eyes of the deserted dead ? Who was it that went upon our Southern battlefields to minister to wounded soldierSj, followed them to the hospitals, and tenderly nursed them back to life ? The Roman Catholic Sisterhoods, God bless them! "One of these angels of mercy can walk unattended and unharmed through our reservation at midnight. She can visit with impunity the most degraded dive in Whitechapel district. At her coming the ribald song is stilled, and the oath dies on the lips of the loafer. Fallen creatures reverently touch the hem of her garment, and men, steeped to the very lips in crime, involuntarily remove their hats as a tribute to noble womanhood. The very atmosphere seems to grow sweet with her coming, and the howl of all hell's demons is silent. None so low in the barrel-house, the gambling den, or the brothel as to breathe a word against her good name ; but when we turn to the Bap-. tist pulpit, there we find an inhuman minister clad in God's livery, crying ' Unclean ! Unclean! ' "God help a religious denomination that will countenance such a cur." As it was in America, so it was in New Zealand. The "cur" here also is a Baptist parson; the "inhuman" monster is also clad in God's livery. But it is even more shameful here than in America. In New Zealand politicians used the "inhuman monster" as a stepping-stone to office. His energies were at the service of what is known as the'Reform Party. The fallen woman, the burglar, the outcast, as long as they retain a spark of humanity, retain their respect for the Catholic nuns; but the Baptist pulpit supplied the' "cur" and the "inhuman monster" and the politicians used him. The saddest and most hopeless feature of the disgrace is this: while individual Protestant ministers will now and then come to us and tell us how much they reprobate the conduct of the P.P.A., they have not the moral courage to come out in the open and denounce the tactics of which they say they do not approve. Sympathy suclKas theirs we scorn and reject. In this case, he that is not openly against the "cur" is with him. Before we end.this subject let us recall the Ligouri case. A nameless weekly edited in New Zealand by -a parson who once when challenged quoted a copy of the Tablet and gave a date on which no Tablet was ever published promised its readers a special treat in connection with the Ligouri case. The judge in the case scarified the Orangemen and threw a radiant light on the persecuted nun?.' And there was no treat for the expectant Orange Lodges of New Zealand! We did not hear that the editor made restitution to those who'were induced to buy through his promise. . ' . . , "None so loir in the el-house,'the gambling - den-, or the brothel as to breathe a word against her. good name; but when we turn to the Baptist pulpit, there we find an inhuman) monster clad in God's livery, crying, 'Unclean! Unclean! God help a religious denomination thai will countenance such an infamous cur." Brann's Iconoclast, July, 1895.) ; Y The Church and Labor x 7~ A Catholic Workman, writing in the Fortnightly Review (N.Y.) complains that not enough intelligent .interest is: taken by the clergy in Labor conditions. How far his indictment is warranted by facts we are';

not in a position to judge, but his remarks'are certainly such as give one furiously to think.. Inter alia he says:! "In other words* what is coming to pass in Catholic circles in America is this: The Catholic laboring element is being alienated from the Church for three-well-defined reasons: (1) The large body of the clergy are apparently apathetic to the problems of the laborer ; (2) Only too often their influence is on the side of "the. existing order," which is always construed as being set over against the interest of the workers; (3) What little well-intentioned work has been done is, in the first place, inadequate, and secondly, for the most part misdirected. "I do not say that these charges can be substantiated, but I put them down because I believe they correctly represent the attitude of the workers. It would be well for the proper authorities to investigate and determine for themselves whether or not there is ground for these grievances. ,•''" "In this connection let me call attention to the fact that the ecclesiastical authorities could do no greater service to both Church and State than to base their programme of social reform on the training of the workers through parish organisations, conducted along truly Catholic lines. English Catholics are now discussing this proposal, and the laborers in that country have established ' "Workers' Colleges,' which are an attempt to provide the education necessary in the new era. "The N.C.W.C. could do no better than to make itself a truly representative laymen's society by gathering together the Catholic laboring men and educating them along truly Catholic lines of industrial society. If this is not done, I fail to see that this body will really accomplish anything for the Catholic laborer. The concern which it has shown as regards hours, wages, the ' open shop,' etc., shows it to be of excellent intentions. The question that is continually being forced upon those of us who are in daily contact with the industrial situation, as we note the attitude of the men* on the one hand, and the attitude of our leaders as expressed in programmes and articles like Father Huss- . lein's, on the other, is this: When are our leaders going to realise that the existing situation is far beyond the control of their present efforts, and that the vast body of the Church's laboring children are being alienated from her true spirit by the lack of adequate interest and co-operation in a matter so vital to their material and spiritual well-being?"