TRANSPLANTED IRISH INSTITUTIONS - University of Canterbury
TRANSPLANTED IRISH INSTITUTIONS - University of Canterbury
TRANSPLANTED IRISH INSTITUTIONS - University of Canterbury
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101<br />
accordance with the reason for Edith O'Gorman Auffray's visit which was to publicly raise<br />
the question and provide answers as to what was happening in convents. There was also the<br />
aspect <strong>of</strong> questioning candidates for election about whether or not they supported this<br />
proposal. The Oamaru L.O.L. No. 19 was <strong>of</strong> the opinion "that we approve <strong>of</strong> the inspection<br />
<strong>of</strong> convents but that we cannot pledge ourselves to reject a candidate for Parliament simply<br />
because the said candidate would not consent to such inspection."93 This issue <strong>of</strong> public<br />
inspection <strong>of</strong> convents continued to be an issue for the Loyal Orange Lodges in New<br />
Zealand who saw the need for public inspections to ensure the proper treatment <strong>of</strong> women<br />
who were nuns. In Auffray's farewell lecture in Christchurch on 16 March 1886, she spoke<br />
to a packed audience on "Cruelties and Penances to Nuns and Orphans. n94 These lectures<br />
helped to convince some members <strong>of</strong> the population that convents were really places <strong>of</strong><br />
torture and degradation for women rather than a place in which they could have a<br />
contemplative lifestyle devoted to God. 95<br />
Tessie B. Chapman also an ex-nun, had a lecturing tour <strong>of</strong> New Zealand in 1885<br />
which coincided with the Auffray tour. The major difference between the two women was<br />
that Auffray was clearly a Protestant who gleaned her support from Protestant churches and<br />
Orange Lodges whereas Chapman was speaking from a Freethought viewpoint. What is<br />
more surprising is the relative youth <strong>of</strong> Chapman in attempting such a tour through New<br />
Zealand. Her standard lectures were "How I left the Catholic Church" and "The Popes <strong>of</strong><br />
Rome. n<br />
The popularity <strong>of</strong> her lectures was evident by the crowded audiences that attended.<br />
She was described as being "about twenty-two years <strong>of</strong> age, and <strong>of</strong> a prepossessing<br />
appearance. She spoke extempore, but occasionally referred to notes. She speaks clearly,<br />
with a good deal <strong>of</strong> pathos occasionally, but her utterances were in some instances, given<br />
with more than the usual platform speed.n96 Chapman was obviously an eloquent speaker<br />
93'Loyal Orange Lodge No. 19, Oamaru Minute Book, 1882-1914',4 June 1887.<br />
94Press, 16 & 17 March 1886.<br />
95New Zealand Tablet. 31 March 1910, stated that Mrs Auffray was in financial difficulty and to remedy<br />
this, decided to resume her lecturing- "She trusts that the Protestant Christians <strong>of</strong> England and Scotland<br />
will help her in her time <strong>of</strong> trial by inviting her to the towns and cities in the kingdom to give her muchneeded<br />
lectures."<br />
96Press, 8 June 1885.