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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z Vol. 7, No. 9 September 13, 1944

Dear Sir,

Today I picked up your "library" contribution to the ideal of religious toleration and co-operation. It is a tasty little pamphlet entitled impresively "Crux Ansata." with a real clarion call of a sub-title "An Indictment against the Roman Catholic Church."

You are, I believe, the champion of this scientific approach. I am told that you have done things with Darwin's theories that leave man completely in the shade; I believe you have very winning ways with science. I also be lieve that your scientific qualifications wouldn't obtain you a position in even a second-rate English secondary school, but let that pass.

At least you have some new ideas. You have (most scientifically) observed priests in tramcars, so you say, and when they are faced by temptation, they don't react at all as Miss Monk said they do; oh no! They gibber!

Mr. Wells has often observed this: Catholic priests sit in public conveyances, looking at their boots and mumbling Incantations against temptation! Ah, Mr. Wells, what reason, what Science!

For the Pope, Mr. Wells, you adopt' other methods. You're not too sure whether the Pope is a gibbering idiot or not, but you do prove (most scientifically) that the Pope, besides being a Fascist, is also simple. Your theory is that he spends so much time saying prayers, hearing confessions, arranging feast days (sic!) that he has no time for reading. Then you go on to prove that the Pope is actually a great deal less educated than an unemployed labourer; that he is in short a narrow, bigoted, simple-minded Fascist! Oh. Mr. Wells! How convincing, how worthy!

In your book I notice some of the good old lines; cute little chapters on the doings of the Church in the dark Ages; the old blind fury at the dogma of infallibility—although, as Mr. Shaw says, considering the Pope's position, it is really a very modest claim when placed beside the similar claims of our modern political Zionists, scientists, etc.

You have, in short, done a noble, work; considering the modern tendency to swallow unthinkingly the endless babblings of unqualified scribblers, your scurrilous little treatise will have quite an effect. And how desirable at this time, when people are trying to salvage something for the common good out of the chaos resultant from past mis-understanding and intolerance.

You have a perfectly unquestionable right to set Rome on fire if you wish to, Mr. Wells, but such pitiable scratchings are hardly likely to destroy what is still a rather formidable edifice.

I remain, Yours etc.,

Fra Muto