The Complexity Not Recognised
SLR,—Like Mrs. Clayton, I'm rather muddled about Myths—particularly Fr. Martindale's Abyssinian myth.
A Protestant friend has sent me cuttings from your columns of Fr. Martindale's review of Mr. Teeling's hook and Mrs. Clayton's letter, together with the accusation that 1 have been misleading him.
It appears that. at the time of the invasion (or delivery) of Abyssinia (I'm not sure which word to use) he wrote to me some caustic comments about the silence of the Holy Father. He avers that I sent him extracts from Catholic papers. Catholic reprints of articles, editorials, sermons, cartoons—including one of Ethiopia lifting up her hands in bondage—and, by various and diverse Catholic propaganda, made him see that the Catholic Church wasn't as black as he had painted her. Also, it seems, I gave him a cutting from a leading Catholic paper protesting against the tone of a despatch from Mr, Waugh, who has now exposed the myth for us.
1 have written to him begging him npt to concern himself about such trifles. -Basic truth (or myth) remains the same, even though Catholic papers should happen to change Editors or Proprietors or appear to cphleaansege? policies. Was this a correct reply,
I would mention " history lessons about the fate of the ancient Gauls, the ancient Britons, the Saxons and other poor races," but I'm afraid he might retaliate by saying that they hadn't the advantage of Catholic newspapers to read.
ANDREW J, L, PROCTOR.
Barnet, Herts.
I It might he as well to state once and for II that the Cath■ilie Herald has never defended the Italian attack on Abyssinia, but has more than once dennunced it, It has, however, pointed out that the question was very much more complex than the average Englishimaa realised, that. the Italians were riot wholly black, that the League of Nations was not wholly white. and that our country waa4 rn,t 1..\;1,11,7 In a happy position to point the Booker or avt.astilitin against Italy for her colonial anillitions.
Furthermore, we hold that the conquest of Aiiyesinta. now that it has been achieved whet her justly or unjustly, causes a new situation to arise and one which must he judged morally in accordance with the amount of goad or amount of evil that will result nem to all parties concerned from any alternative course of action.
Those who Bold that we may not recognise llnlinn ennques1 of Ahyysiuia tieeatise it was all titOisf conquest must, to he eonSistent. aalnaiiI hal Ihere scarcely eXists a country in the Ivorld tli it aaaray be recognised to be what it slate unjust conquest OF unjust Onynd a part in the shaping of them all. Moral theologians teach that even ilonigh an act of colonisation may have 1aP4'n unjust. Ulnce that colonisation has been achieved the good of all parties coneerned way detretni the Maintenance of the State of affairs reached through acts of itikust ice.—Enrroa.]