The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1888-11-07
THE FRIEND" TO THE BISHOP
OF OlBA,


to Mr.. Fernandez, let me say that
had no thought of disparagement in
speaking of him as Catholic. l
may easily have been mistaken as TO
the fact. | am now informed, APP
parently on good authority, that his
acknowledged Catholic sympathies
were partly due to Catholic parent
age on one side. / have always re-
garded him as an honorable gentle
man as well as o learned and able
historian. DIR. Hyde is entitled to
the correction, that the allusion to
Mr.. Fornander did not appear in his
communication, but in that of
another person.
Permit brief notice of the strict
ures of the Bishop of Olba upon the
"Friend.. i would ask the Bishops
attention to the express qualification
of the term "interlopers" by the
words "as far as the schools are
concerned" meaning the "public
school SYSTEM" as stated in the pre-
cediug sentence. The contention of
the Friend" whether just or not,
is that the Roman Catholic Church
is hostile to the public school system,
and that in consequence. the action
of her clergy, and the part they
take as to those schools is not well
intentioned and beneficent, but in
terfering and injurious. To have
characterized that clergy in their
general activity as ''interlopers"
would certainly have been piece of
insolence. l am sorry that the
Bishop should have charged the
"Friend" with it.
Upon the face of it, it must seem
rather improbable, that if the
"Friend" believed "that the Board
Of Education built the the new
school on School street in order to
prevent the Portuguese children
from going to st. Louis College," it
would have published such a fact.
or even "insinuated'' it, when such
publication would make against ouI
side. The "Friend" would assure
the excellent Bishop, that it never
conceived such a thing, and never
heard of it before. We are not in
the confidence of the Board of Edu-
cation, but had heard from general
report, that it was TO be free
, school, presumably to meet the
special needs of Portuguese and
other children, whose parents were
unwilling or unable to pay. From
: their, point of view, il may be the
| duty of the Bishop and his clergy
to Illustrate those benevolent inten,
tions. In doing so, it is to be hoped
that they will not be led to impute
any sectarian motive to the Board
unless they have good evidence of it
AS TO the terms applied by the
"Friend" to Roman Catholic doc.
trine, which the good Bishop thinks
"bitter" and "abusive," your col
umns are probably not the place fol
q defense thereof involving so mucl
theological discussion as would b'
\ necessary. The "Friend" is sup
l posed to stand, however unworthily
as representative of the various
denominations of "Evangelical'
Protestants living here in harmony
and fellowship. 1t exercises the
: right of characterzing in what i
considers fitting and measured terms
as occasion requires, any perniciou'
teachings or injurious attitude Of
! other parties who are making
war upon our position and oul
r work, as it recently did in the cas-
of the Seventh-day Adventists. l
e makes no apology for the use of sucl
t language, however painful to th
: other party. We regard the Roman
n Catholic faith as very corrup
y form of Christianity, and said s.
: plainly. The Bishop returns tn
L compliment by calling ours "ne,
II religion" implying that it is no
y the old religion of Christ, not rea
e. Christianity at all. We do not fee
a seriously disturbed by that opinio
l. of his, nor by the variety and sever
le ity of the epithets habitually apple
or to Protestants by Catholic writers
of although we heartily wish that S
ne excellent man as the Bishop ha
I'd less perverted ideas upon religion
er as we see it. We do not at all II
ne sent his language as "uncharitable
he or "discourteoIs." If the tremen(
Mt Gus authority with whice his churc
endows him here in Hawaii is fro
e, a divine source, he has the right
m be far more severe than he is in h
~ language. If on the other han,
is that authority is based upon erro
le it is fearful usurpation, and just
rs fies Protestants in much severity
language In repelling it. In {
serious conflict to talk of "di
courtesy" when blows are give
and received, seems hardly in plac
AS to charity" we try to di
st crimlnate between the piety al
o. virtues of the man, and the erro
Of ha 10 Ill,