Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1908-03-18
ST PATR|(K'S OFFENDER
REStNTS LATEST S[UR

Editor Evening Bulletin
The following | sent in to the ed
itor of the Advertiser with a chal.
lenge to insert 1t In his columns. But
this gentleman, who in his own words
Is cynical reporter. and who had the
extreme courage to drive away as
Patrick did the snakes, all saints for
the last sixteen hundred years, lost
courage ut the last moment and fell
before mere onslaught OF the pen
Dear Sir:--Under your editorial en-.
titled Patrick and other Saints" you
ridicule the saints OF the Catholic
Church. and make fun of st. Patrick,
by bandying with bis name as II he
were, some everyday politician. You
say there are no contemporary saints.
But how can man be judged saint
till after death? We are all mortal
and up to the time of our decease are
liable to fall into error. II Is, there.
fore, only after the death of man
that It can be ascertained II he were
a saint or not. We may sometimes,
however, find indications of true sane.
tity In Il man, which has often been
the case, and Is so still, despite your
words to the contrary. But how can
you, who belong to religion that
never produced a saint and had as its
founders ranters, hypocrites, and de.
ceHers, presume to have inner knowl.
edge on the question? You say You
deduce from legends that st. Patrick
.was--not n saint-but "a busy con.
tractor" In $50 doing you add insult
to injury, by making out the Irish
not to know the. difference between a
holy man and an ordinary money max.
err. You take up subject about
which you know nothing, and in rid.
iculing persons Of sanctity but show
your ignorant bigotry.
| Many non-Catholic writer's, such as
Parkman, Prescott, and even Macau.
ley, have testified to the holiness of
these very men, made In your article
the butt Of "cynical reporter" The
discussion OF religious topics should
| be left to those who make study of
it, A doctor will make mess of law
A lawyer would have poor results
with medicine, and in the same way
an editor will bungle with religion.
Each might his several province well
command
Would all but stoop to what they
| understand"
| You say these saints imposed them.
selves on the thrifty. This is clearly
but a Misrepresentation of facts, as,
wherever the saints made their abode
hundreds of willing people, consider.
ing it-not an 'imposition"-but n
\ prant faUnr urnul1 rnnHilu haUn
ceived them. Again you say the odOr
of sanctity became a by-word among
the clean" This no doubt had its
origin from. tho free schoolmaster
and the synical reporter" but If any
truth can be attached to II, all the
more praise Is due to men, who, for
Ipenance and the love of God would
subject themselves to such a condi.
ton. II this saying Is the worst that
can be brought against them, may we
Catholics be contented. and return
thanks to the Almighty that never
has 1t been truly imputed, as 1t has
been to leaders Of other sects, that
during that part OF life for which our
saints merited their titles, their souls
were blemlshod with the stain of i'm
purity.
Your criticism of Patrick and other
saints" recalls to my mind what Alex
ander Pope said of those who wrote in
the same strain
Some have at first for wits, then
poets passed.
Turned critics next, and proved plain
fools at last"
! WILLIAM WICKHAM
An Irish Catholic.
| Honolulu, March IS, '0S.