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sought by Catholies in cases of death, etc. should be refu- sed on the ground of persons having availed themselves of nou-sectarian education. He begged to oppose the grant, (Mail.) Another Honorable Member said “It might be well to ascertain whether the Bishop or the Priests had anything to say by way of excuse." (Mail). He had beard of their refusing the sacraments to those who attended the Central School. He thought it advisable to postpone the vote." A correspondence appeared in the Hongkong Times on the 20th of the same month signed A Roman Catholic Layman," of which we take the following extruets.
Turning to the speech of the Hon. Mr.-with the very greatest possible respect I must say I think he has spoken a little hastily. Quoting your report he says, speaking of the application." It is a purpose for which I think public money should not be given." The Hon. gentleman is per- fectly aware that in the rank and file of the British Army, aud among the Officers and Men of the Royal Navy, there is a goodly unmber of Roman Catholics, who, by sea and by laud, side by side with their comrades of other religions. help to maintain the honour of the British flag. Their priests when serving as Army Chaplains upon the staff of their respective regimants or otherwise, are accorded the same rank as Protestant chaplains according to their respective terms of service, and upon the home station the Imperial Government provides the means of Boman Catholic wor- ship for soldiers of that Religion. Shall it be said, that when removed to a far distant land the duty of providing church accommodation, must be entirely born by their co- religiousiste? To my mind it is clearly the duty of the Go- vernment to provide a church for their Irish and English Catholic soldiers, and I do not think they could do it as cheaply, in another way, as by uniting with the funds al- ready in hand the arouut asked by for our Right Revd. Bishop. Of course we, the English and Irish portion of the Catholic community here, require a church; but one by a third of the size of St. Joseph's would accommodate ns, since we are but few in mumber. It is quite certain that if sufficient clmurch accounodation already existed it would be placed at the service of the Roman Catholic part of the forces stationed here; since there is not, it is but fair to apply to the Government for aid in the way we have done. And supposing every thing to be true that has been said about the opposition of the Clergy in another direction, I cannot see how this can possibly affect the question
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of the grant, which is not applied for as an aid for the En- glish and Irish Roman Catholic civilians but a discharge legislative duly to the Roman Catholics, military and ma- rine. The Home Government, I am persuaded, looks upon it in this light, sinco as His Excellency says, "Whatever sum the Council agrees to vote will be sanctioned by the Secretary of state.
The Hou. member-has imported a question which seems to me quite foreign to the matter, viz., education. However, since it has been raised and the Hon. Mr.-seems to think some explanations are due from "the Roman Ca- tholics"-there seems to be no honourable alternative but to show cause for the alleged conduct of our Right Rev. Bis- hop and Clergy-First I take objection to the uncalled for invective of the Hon. Mr-who denounces the action of the Roman Catholic Church as a system of ecclesiastical ty- rauny." The foundation of the Unity of the Catholic Church is based upon obedienec-and to stigmatize as the tyranny of the Priests that which is the universal teaching of the Church is to display a very superficial knowledge of what is taking place all over the world; for, in every part of the world, the Roman Catholic Church through her Bishops and Pricuts is teaching the same principle as is taught by the Clergy of Hongkong, who, alike with the spiritual flocks ontrusted to their charge are bound to inviolable obedience to their Supreme Head. To justify the charge of "coclesiaa. tical tyranny" it would be necessary for the Hon. Member to prove that the majority of Roman Catholics, both here and elsewhere, are groaning under a burden against which their better sense rebelled. But this is far from being the case, for all Catholics yield a willing obedience to the teaching voice of the Church: I say all, because, in com- parison with the few rebellious ones, who are willing to barter their birthright, the Faith, for a mere "mess of pottage," secular instruction, the majority of the willing ones is over- whelming!" The correspondent proceeds to explain the practise of the Roman Catholic Church with the parents who against its prescription send their children to school, which are not carried on upon Catholic principles and then he continues ---
"But apart from this the religious aspect of the ques- tion, let us take a common sense view of the case. Does
not every society or corporation reserve to itself, either in its corporate or executive capacity, the right to expel or ent off from its benefits recalcitrant or non conforming members?
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