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The Pamphlet Collection of Sir Robert Stout: Volume 75

Religion and The Law

Front Cover

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Religion and The Law.

Wellington Mckee & Co., Printers, Custom House Quay. 1897.

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To the General Public.

The following letter was declined by the Editor of the New Zealand Times:—"I submitted your letter this evening to the editor with the result that he declines to publish it, either as an advertisement or an inset." I subsequently interviewed the editor myself. He was most kind, spoke most fairly and impressively, "Couldn't 'elp it, pa." Editors of newspapers are doubtless ever great when writing under their "we;" but, alas, when was an editor ever known to pass the office of a barrister or solicitor without a perceptible shiver—a sense of a desire to get behind somebody. They ever write seated in front of them the law of libel. I have myself no private ends to serve, no axe to grind. I have many relatives and friends both in the ranks of the clergy and members of the legal profession. It is ever painful to smite and be smitten in the house of one's friends. When great writers and reformers take their walks abroad they are necessarily compelled to take a wide and broad view of matters and things; the widest and the broadest—their whole surroundings—wide, broad, and general. Should they, while so walking abroad, happen to tread upon—well, say, the tosies posies of any of the smaller sorts, those smaller sorts should not lose their tempers, and go whining like whipped small boys to the law courts, thereby rendering themselves alike a nuisance and ridiculous. There is a far better and more profitable course open to them—a course with the advantage of having attached to it an improving clause, "Don't do it again."

Thos. C. Williams.

Wellington, N.Z.

"Scots wha hae!

. . . . . .

See approach proud Edward's power Chains and slavery."

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"The Law is a Hass."

Luke Sharp Makes a Quotation and Attempts to Vertify it.

"The law is a hass," said a very celebrated authority many years ago and there are indications abroad in England which tend to show that the law is at last beginning to realise that it is a "hass." There is a movement afoot for the codifying of the English law, for setting of it all down condensedly in black and white, and the arranging of it in such a manner that the ordinary person outside the law courts may, if he choses to study the code, get some little inkling what the law really is. Curiously enough this motion for the codifying of the English law comes from an unexpected source, namely, from the lawyers themselves. One would imagine that it ought to be the game of the lawyers to keep the law as obscure as possible, so that Satan would find some mischief still for legal hands to do. But there is a reason for all things, and the reason for this most extraordinary move on the part of certain lawyers in England I shall presently attempt to show. "Keep ye the law; be swift in all obedience," writes Rudyard Kipling; but this, in England, is one of the things easier said than done. How is a man to keep the law if he knows absolutely nothing about it. In the middle library there are something like 2000 volumes containing reports of English cases, and in any page or paargraph of the most innumerable leaves that compose these books there may be a sentence that will (and does) overturn something that has gone before. English law has, therefore, become a heap of legal decisions and parliamentary enactments piled one on top of the other into an enormous mass, built up slowly through the centuries like a coral reef, and if it were not for the average horse sense of the English judges I confess I cannot see how any man could hope to get justice on any subject whatever; as it is they blunder along, and I believe that there is probably as much justice to the square inch in England as in any other country in the world.

. . . . . . . . .

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Nevertheless the law is admitted to be tremendously expensive luxury in England, and aside from that it is ponderously slow, and as been so well shown by Charles Dickens.

Now the Englishman is pre-eminently a practical individual. I think myself that he is the most understood man on the face of the earth; but that's another subject altogether, and I merely wish to indicate what he does when he finds himself in a difficulty. He may not rise up and smash things with the angry impetuosity of his brother in the West, but he evinces a slow and dogged determination to find the way out of a hole if he has managed to stumble into one.

The lawyers of London fattened on the misfortunes and necessities of the people of England. The whole administration of the law was in the hands of, one may say, a close corporation; competition was impossible. Bills and costs were frightfully excessive, and although there is a legal method of taxing costs, and thus cutting down the charges of a dishonest solicitor, the law remains a most unsatisfactory way of settling differences. Merchants of London found cases dragging on year after year and remaining unsettled. Finally, the decisions were as often as not wrong, made by incompetent and ignorant judges, who knew nothing of mercantile procedure, and who quite evidently cared less. The merchants of London made no fuss and raised no howl; they wrote no letters to the papers, and did not try to get parliament to come to their relief, knowing very well that legislation could not help them, because a large proportion of parliament was composed of lawyers whose game evidently was to make the law more difficult rather than less complex. So the merchants quietly formed boards of arbitration, and agreed to refer their differences to these self-constituted courts. There are three arbitrators, as a rule, men who understand the kind of business to which the case belongs, but who are strangers to the parties in dispute. They are paid a guinea a day, and often settle in a day at a cost of three guineas, and settle on the whole satisfactorily, cases that would have dragged for months from court to court, and would have cost thousands upon thousands before a like reasonable decision was reached.

Within the last dozen years, therefore, the legal profession of London have found themselves high and dry. Business to the amount of millions annually has gone from them, and gone, as I thoroughly believe, forever. Whether they codify their laws or burn them will make little difference to the hard-headed merchants of London.

All of which tends to show the truth of the old adage, that it is folly to wring the neck of the goose that is laying the golden egg; which the legal profession of England is at present without much inclination to deny.—Detroit Free Press.

The Editor New Zealand Times.

Sir,—Now some years since when writing on another subject I told your readers I had a case—my only case—in Her Majesty's Supreme Court that had then continued some years. The case was a most simple one which any two ordinary men could have settled in a few minutes. A property was sold which had previously been granted to twelve individuals. I myself and another were trustees for one share. The other page 7 eleven shareholders had sold the land and received some hundreds on account, which sale fell through. They had drawn some further hundreds from the auctioneer, and had also run up what is known as a lawyer's bill with one Walter (since Sir Walter) Buller. After the sale the money by arrangement was paid into the hands of said Walter Buller and others. When they came to the division of the proceeds, instead of giving to me and my co-trustee our share in full they first deducted the moneys the other eleven shareholders had derived from their sale of the property, the moneys they had received from the auctioneer; also the amount of the said Walter Buller's long bill, with all of which we, the trustees of the twelfth share, had had nothing whatever to do. They gave us only a twelfth share of the residue. I asked for a refund of those moneys so wrongfully deducted from our share. This was denied to us. I then placed the matter in the hands of a famous barrister and solicitor, one W. T. L. Travers. After waiting eleven long and weary years the case was brought to a conclusion. The result:

The Trustees of Tamihana Te Rauparaha, (Deceased).

Dr. to W. T. L. Travers,

Solicitor, Wellington.
1885. £ s. d.
Oct. 14.—Attending you in long conference as to certain moneys payable to you as the Trustee of the will of Tamihana Rauparaha, and advising thereon, and instructions 0 13 4
Letter to Dr. Buller, demanding payment and postage 0 5 2
The like letter to Mr. J. H. Wallace 0 5 2
Nov. 16.—The demand not having been complied with attending you, conferring thereon, and taking instructions to sue 0 6 8
Preparing warrant to sue and copy 0 6 0
Attending getting same signed 0 6 8
Instructions for statement of claim 0 13 4
Drawing same 1 1 0
Fair copy to settle 0 10 0
Settling fee 2 4 6
17. Attending you, conferring and advising hereon 0 6 8
Attending at Supreme Court, searching for certain information in regard to the will 0 6 8
Paid fee 0 2 0
20. Attending you in further conference hereon and advising 0 6 8page 8
Engrossing the statement of claim 0 15 0
Copy for Conrt 0 15 0
Preparing writ of summons and praecipe to seal 0 12 6
Copy writ and statement of claim to keep 0 17 6
Copy writ and statement of claim for Dr. Buller 0 17 6
Copy writ and statement of claim for Mr. Baker 0 17 6
Copy writ and statement of claim for Mr. Wallace 0 17 6
Copy writ and statement of claim for Wi Parata 0 17 6
Attending at the Supreme Court, filing warrant, and sealing writ 0 6 8
Paid Fees as Under:
Filing warrant 0 3 0
Sealing original writ 0 10 0
Sealing four additional copies 1 0 0
Filing writ and statement of claim 0 3 0
Attending serving writ on Mr. J. H. Wallace 0 5 0
Attendance serving copy writ on Mr. Baker 0 5 0
Attendance serving copy writ on Dr. Buller 0 5 0
Attending Mr. Gully when he accepted service on behalf of Mr. Wi Parata 0 5 0
Attending Mr. Gully, who was acting for Messrs. Buller and Wi Parata, conferring hereon when he stated that he would furnish certain accounts which the plaintiffs required 0 6 8
1886.
Mar. 8.—Attending Dr. Buller, when he handed me accounts, and conferring hereon 0 6 8
Perusing and considering the accounts 1 1 0
1887.
May 7.—Attending Mr. Williams when he desired to be furnished with an office copy of the will of the deceased and instructions 0 6 8
Attending at the Supreme Court, searching for the will and making copy thereof 0 18 8
Paid search fee 0 2 0
Paid for seal to copy will 0 5 0
Attending handing the copy will to Mr. Baker, and conferring and advising as to certain points 0 6 8
Nov. 7.—Attending Mr. Williams when he desired to be advised as to the power of the Trustees to lease certain lands belonging to the estate, and instructions for opinion thereon 0 6 8
Perusing and considering the title 0 13 4
Opinion accordingly 1 3 6
1888.
Mar. 8.—Having received letter from Mr. Williams hereon, perusing same 0 6 8
Letter to Mr. Gully, informing him that the case must be set down for hearing without further delay 0 5 0
Preparing praecipe to set down case and copy 0 6 0
15. Attendance setting same down 0 6 8
Paid Fee 0 10 0
16. Letter to Mr. Baker, that case set down for hearing at next sitting 0 5 1
The like to Mr. Wallace 0 5 1
The like to Mr. Gully 0 5 1
Instructions for brief 0 13 4page 9
Drawing same 2 2 0
Engrossing same 1 0 0
Fee to counsel thereon 10 10 0
19. Attending Court on hearing of motion when order made as prayed 1 1 0
Instructions for decree 0 6 8
April 3.—Drawing same 1 1 0
Copy to settle 0 10 0
Fee to counsel to settle 1 3 6
Engrossing same 0 10 0
Copy to keep 0 10 0
Attendance at Supreme Court, sealing same, and copy 0 6 8
Paid fee 0 15 0
Copy for service on Mr. Gully 0 10 0
Service 0 4 0
Copy for service on Mr. Baker 0 10 0
Service 0 4 0
Copy for service on Mr. Wallace Service 0 10 0
May 7.- Preparing appointment to take accounts under the decree, and copy 0 6 0
Attending on Registrar getting same signed 0 6 8
Paid Fee 0 5 0
Copy for Mr. Gully 0 2 0
Service 0 4 0
10. Letter to Mr. Williams informing him of the appointment 0 5 2
14. Fee on attendance before Registrar, when evidence partly taken and matter adjourned until return of Dr. Buller to Colony 3 3 0
1891.
May 26.—Dr. Buller having now returned, preparing appointments to proceed with the taking of the accounts and copy 0 6 0
Attending Registrar getting same signed 0 6 8
Paid Fee 0 5 0
Copy for Mr. Gully 0 2 0
Service 0 4 0
29. Counsel's fee attending before Registrar, when further evidence taken and matter adjourned to obtain the evidence of Messrs. Baker and Wi Parata 3 3 0
1892
Feb. 22.—Letter to Mr. E. Baker, requesting him to be in attendance at Supreme Court on adjourned hearing 0 5 2
April 13.—Having received letter from Mr. J. H. Wallace hereon, perusing same 0 6 8
20. Attending on receipt of summons to have Mr. James Howard Wallace joined to the action as a plaintiff 0 6
Perusing same 0 6 8
22. Fee attending Court on hearing of summons, when order made as prayed 2 2 0
Attending on receipt of the order and perusing same 0 6 8
June 27.—Attending Court on appointment to proceed with taking of accounts, when enquiry further adjourned 0 13 4
Writing Mr. Gully hereon 0 5 0
Aug.—Attending Registrar when he made fresh appointment for proceeding with the accounts 0 6 8page 10
15. Letter to Mr. Gully, informing him thereof 0 5 0
The like to Mr. Baker 0 5 0
16. Counsel's fee attending before Registrar on enquiry, when evidence of Mr. Baker taken and adjourned 3 3 0
23. Fee attending before Registrar on adjourned enquiry, when evidence of Wi Parata taken 2 2 0
In consequence of the evidence of Mr. Wi Parata as to the date of the sale to Messrs. Pickering and Tinline, and as to the payment of portion of the purchase money to Tamihana; attending Mr. Pickering, who informed me that the transaction was in 1878, two years after the death of Tamihana, and that therefore he could not have received any part of the purchase money 0 13 4
Nov. 14.—Attending the Registrar, obtaining appointment for proceeding with the enquiry 0 6 8
Letter to Dr. Bailer informing him thereof 0 5 1
Instructions for subpoena for Mr. Pickering 0 6 8
Preparing same and praecipe 0 12 6
Attendance, sealing same 0 6 8
Paid fee 0 5 0
Service 1 4 0
Paid him 1 1 0
1893.
Jan. 16.—Attending Registrar, getting fresh appointment for hearing, former one having gone off 0 6 8
Writing Dr. Buller hereon 0 5 1
18. Counsel's fee attending before Registrar on enquiry when Mr. Pickering's evidence taken and enquiry closed 2 2 0
24. Letter to Registrar asking him to make his report under the decree 0 5 0
Feb. 7.—Attending Registrar when he instructed me to draw up the report 0 6 8
March 14. Attending Registrar when he instructed me to draw up the report 0 6 8
Perusing same 0 13 4
Drawing the certificate of result of enquiry 1 1 0
Fair copy thereof 0 7 6
Attending Registrar with same when he approved thereof 0 6 8
15. Engrossing same 0 7 6
Copy to file 0 7 6
Copy to serve 0 7 6
Attending Registrar when he signed same 0 6 8
Paid fee 0 10 0
Paid fees for hearing on enquiry 1 5 0
Preparing notice of motion for order for costs and copy 0 6 0
16. Attending at Supreme Court, setting same down 0 6 8
Paid fee 0 10 0
Copy notice for service 0 2 0
Service 0 4 0
Attending Court when order made 2 2 0
1895.
April 3.—Attending Registrar for appointment to tax costs 0 6 8
Paid 0 5 0page 11
Notice to defendant's solicitor of appointment 0 5 0
Postage of same 0 5 0
May 28.—Drawing affidavit as to posting of notices to Wi Parata as to taxation of costs 0 6 0
Engrossing same 0 2 0
Copy to keep 0 2 0
Attending swearing same 0 6 8
Paid oath 0 2 0
Attending entering judgment 0 6 8
Paid fees 1 10 0
June 19.—Preparing writ of sale 0 12 6
Attending at Supreme Court issuing same 0 6 8
Paid fee on writ 0 15 0
Attending Sheriff with same 0 6 8
Paid his fee 1 10 0
Interpretation fee 1 1 0
Mileage 1 17 0
13.—Attending Sheriff's officer conferring hereon and instructing him to withdraw for the present 0 6 8
24. Paid his charges 3 15 0
Oct.—Attending receiving notice of motion from Mr. Skerrett with reference to execution issued against Wi Pa rat 0 6 8
Perusing same 0 13
Attending at Supreme Court to make copies of affidavits referred to in the notice of motion, but found that none had been filed 0 6 8
Attending Mr. Skerrett's clerk who promised to hand me copies of affidavits when same filed 0 6 8
Attending receiving copies of affidavits and perusing same 1 1 0
Drawing affidavit in reply 1 6 0
17. Engrossing same, 26 fos. 0 13 0
Copy to keep 0 13 0
Copy for other order 0 13 0
18. Attending swearing affidavit 0 6 8
Paid oath 0 2 0
Attending at Supreme Court filing affidavit 0 6 8
Paid fee 0 3 0
Attending Messrs. Skerrett and Wylie with copy affidavit 0 4 0
1896.
Feb. 4.—Fee attending banco herein case argued and judgment served 0 3 3
8. Instructions for order dismissing motion 0 6 8
Drawing 0 6 0
Copy to seal 0 3 0
Copy to serve 0 3 0
Copy to keep 0 3 0
Attending to seal 0 6 8
Paid 0 15 0
21. Letter to A. Standish, Esq., solicitor, New Plymouth, with writ of sale herein for execution 0 5 6
Attending receiving letters from Messrs. Standish and Kerr hereon perusing same 0 6 8
Telegram to Sheriff, New Plymouth 0 5 0
Paid 0 1 0page 12
Attending receiving telegram in reply and perusing same 0 6 8
Paid for same 0 1 0
20. Letter to Messrs. Standish and Kerr hereon 0 5 2
March 18.—Attending Mr. T. Ellison settling 0 13 4
Telegram to Sheriff to stay all further proceedings 0 5 0
Paid 0 1 0
Letter to Messrs. Standish and Kerr hereon 0 5 2
Paid their charges including Sheriff's fees, &c. 7 7 0
£121 8 10
Examined. (Signed)

Wm Thos. Locke Travers.

Wellington,
Statement.
1896.
To costs as above £121 8 10
By cash from Dr. Buller £40 0 0
By cash from Wi Parata 63 0 0
£103 0 0
£18 8 10

When one who, for eleven long and weary years, had been awaiting a cheque receives an account like the above one feels utterly squashed, almost disposed to faint. No use fainting. Should one exclaim "Moses?" No use calling upon Moses. Moses long since "gone to bye." "Jupiter?" No use calling upon Jupiter. Jupiter far tort busy trotting along through space with his four moons. "Cracky Billy!" That sounds better. Something should be made to crack. Should the idea suggest itself of a picnic to the forest where firewood is abundant and cheap; expresses, cabs, saws, axes, and chains, a band to play something Sundayish to give a tone to the proceedings, a huge pile of wood, two creatures chained on top, a little kerosene, a match. Then the return; the band sweetly rendering, "Those two we left behind us." Then would follow the police, handcuffs, trial by jury, etc. Clearly the idea of a picnic to the forest must be abandoned. What, then, can a poor trustee do or say in or under such most wretched circumstances? Prudence suggests caution. W. T. L. Travers, and Sir Walter Buller, are able and gifted—in some respects head and shoulders higher sort of people. Had a photo been taken of Mr. Travers when a young man somewhere in Spain, a picture would have presented itself of a hero seated on top of a tall war horse, his martial sword beside him, breathing forth unlimited threatenings. Upon one occasion, when so taking his rides abroad, Mr. Travers invested. For tenpence he purchased a plenary indulgence; such plenary indulgence to free him from any transgressions previous page 13 to such purchase—any transgressions during the continuance of his connection with said horse and sword—-any transgressions when, after, acting as barrister and solicitor, and so on, to the end of his life's chapter, with the right of entrèe after that—all this for tenpence. Sir Walter Buller is also one able and gifted. When a younger man Dr. (now Sir Walter) Buller "received instructions" to purchase a fine block of some 200,000 acres from the Maori people. There were difficulties; but what are difficulties to those gifted and brave but matters and things to be met and overcome.—Veni ridi vici. The difficulty was this: the land belonged to sections of only one tribe who were just then not disposed to sell. They asked for an investigation of title, their lands having been claimed by others. Said Dr. Buller gathered together the representatives of some nine tribes, most of whom had previously been armed with Government rifles and ammunition. These representatives were all willing to sell, many insisted upon the sale. Dr. Buller was then to be seen going about among the tribes with a document purporting to be a deed of cession to Majesty; and thus through this purchase of their land from eight non-possessing tribes with the non-possessing moiety of a ninth tribe, together with the following judgment of a Land Court, these loyal, peaceable, unoffending, confiding subjects of Majesty, the real and only owners of the country—kind and humane to a degree when savages and independent—just and generous even to a fault after they became subjected to Majesty—are brought to ruin, and to Majesty with "Record Reign" their lands went. Dr. (now Sir Walter) Buller, after this like "a warrior taking his rest," visits the Old Country, becomes associated with the great ones of the earth; takes matters and things Imperial, among them the Imperial Institute, under his distinguished patronage; returns to New Zealand a knighted and knightly ornament of the vast Imperial British Empire; thus showing that these two—Messrs. Travers and Buller—stand head and shoulders above their fellows in their ability tc secure all those little addendas that tend to make life pleasing here with the right of entree to all that is best in the life to come,—this for tenpence! Superlative of the superlative crème de la crème; thus making manifest and most clear that one must be most carefully guarded what one may say; hush! sh, sh, sh! when writing regarding two such superlatives in the newspapers, or so sure as night follows day, so sure will follow an action in Her Majesty's Supreme Court for libel—an action setting forth and seeking damages. Horror of horrors. Ye gods, damages! Let me ask your readers to join with me while we endeavour to picture, set forth, give pen and ink sketch of such action—such cause celebre. Messrs. Travers and Buller versus T.C. Here we have them. Here they are, side page 14 by side in Court on their knees weeping, praying a Queen's Judge and a Queen's jury to make it hot for T.C.; to make T.C. hand in large monies to be divided between their superlative selves as compensation for damages done to them by T.C. by what he had been writing regarding them in the newspapers; to make T.C. pay oceans of 3s. 4d.'s, a vasty vast of 6s. 8d.'s, with a hideous and ghastly array of 13s. 4d.'s. A powerful bar is assembled—barristers and solicitors from all parts of New Zealand—from the North Cape to Stewart's Island—all assembled and met with a view to show their sympathy with and contribute each his mite to assist their twosuffering and complaining just now agonized barristerial brethren. Poor T.C. all by himself. The whole space in Court crowded, and overcrowded with barristers and solicitors, many left standing outside, peeping round the corners. They sit looking solemn, grave, and respectful, as fitting professional men, officers, and gentlemen when in Her Majesty's Supreme Court. Presently, and before proceedings are commenced, they begin to nudge one another, and call nudgy attention to their two grievously suffering brethren, and this nudging and nudging and calling of nudgy attention continues and continues till such time a most strange thing happens—a general collapse of the whole assembled bar; they all break down in one general, universal, all-round barristerial blubber; they all commence to weep and blubber, blubber and weep, the two plaintiff barristers still profusely weeping, and this same weeping and blubbering with profuse weeping continues and continues, till such time there is danger of the Supreme Court buildings being permanently injured through a species of rot—barristerial tear-rot—worse than dry rot or any other kind of rot; the most abominable possible of all rots possible—barristerial tear-rot—and this said weeping and blubbering, with profuse weeping as aforesaid, continues and continues as aforesaid, till such time there is nothing left for the Queen's Judge in the public interest but to cry, "Mr. Sheriff, clear the court." Then the reception of these tear-be-wetted worthies, when all mounted on their bicycles, by the crowd outside! Scots wha' hae! We have been told that on certain days in each week barges are towed outside the Heads of Sydney Harbour filled with the refuse of the city; that on their way to the ocean these barges are followed by crowds of monsters, by many regarded the barristers and solicitors of the deep; that when said barges reach their destination, and their contents thrown into the ocean, there is a vast of stir in the house of shark. "Dog," barristers tell us, "will not eat dog." "Hawk," solicitors tell us, "will not pick out the een o' hawk." Those grand old ocean sharks that so regularly wait upon those barges outside the Heads of Sydney Harbour are ever prepared to take a far wider and broader view of matters and things—ever page 15 ready to kapai barrister, to devour solicitor in quantity enormous—juvenile solicitor or aged barrister "all 'e same, John." Question may be asked what is the meaning of all the above? Cui bono. Quod ad eundm. Have we not a Parliament? Imprimis pass a short Act making it penal for any barrister or solicitor to have a seat in Parliament, proof of candidature alone sufficient. Then proceed to raise up High Justice from its as now utterly degraded and degrading position—the hideously cumbrous and costly slough through which mankind have to wade when seeking for justice, many electing to submit to injusticeand wrongs rather than effort so monstrous a wade. Have all the obstructions, the vast of accumulated precedent, law points and points of law, all the vast of hindrances and obstacles manufactured and built up by barristers and solicitors during past ages—have them removed and for ever from all mankind's avenues to justice. Have Courts of Arbitration appointed, the presiding judges to be appointed, not by the Government, but by a special independent Board of good and true men, the duties of such arbitrators to hear and decide shortly men's differences. Have all the lands of the country brought under the Land Transfer Act. All deeds and documents in connection with all transactions affecting land sales or mortgages to be prepared by specially-appointed officers of the Government; all parties to be compelled to accept the deeds so prepared. Have officers appointed, their duties to prepare men's and women's wills for them, their marriage settlements, their agreements, and all other documents needing careful preparation; all applicants for deeds or documents to hand in a short and simple statement of what is wanted, such short statement to be attached to a copy of any deed or document when completed, the wishes so set forth of any applicant to be carried out, any error or miswording of any deed or documents to the contrary notwithstanding—officers appointed to do all for men and women necessary to free them from their, as now, slavery to lawyers, their monopolies and high charges. Then proceed to shatter the vasty fabrics with all their misty mystifying surroundings erected by the clergy through the past ages above, around, and in connection with Christianity, and the teachings of the Christian religion. Have the Christian religion taught to mankind the wide earth o'er in all the grandeur of its all-saving simplicity. Let all the Christian churches and denominations, with all their names and distinguishments too numerous to mention, go packing, taking with them all their vast of mischievous, mankind-bewildering creed, doctrine, dogma, and hair-splittings; their priestly powers and church terrorisms, their infallibilities, their confessionals, their penances, their pardons, their masses, their requiems, their prayers for the page 16 dead, their purgatories, their apostolic successions, their vast of lengthy enlengthened church services, their vast of prayer with much of "vain repetition," their vast (some very good) of sermons, their vast of (many confusing) discourses and addresses, their high church, their low church, broad church, and all other kinds and sorts of church. Let them all go packing. Christianity itself again: "I and my Father are one." "He that believeth on me hath life everlasting." "God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." "I determined to know nought among you but Christ Jesus and him crucified." "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." Jesus Christ "The Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world."—I am, etc.,

Thos. C. Williams,

A native of New Zealand.

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