TRANSPLANTED IRISH INSTITUTIONS - University of Canterbury

in regalia, and accustoming the Catholic laity to take an active and energetic part in movements
for Church and school expansion 69
This editorial expresses that the Hibernians lacked members because there were
two portions of the Catholic public- one that was indifferent to any benefit society and the
61
other that belonged to other benefit societies. 7o
The chance for 'mixed marriages' must
have been higher if Catholics joined a non-Catholic benefit society as they would have
joined with non-Catholics at social functions. The Hibernians and the Catholic hierarchy
emphasized the 'Catholic' nature of the society and its financial and spiritual rewards
through membership.
A running advertisement for the Hibernians in the New Zealand Tablet implored
that the "Catholic Community is earnestly requested to support this excellent Organization
for it inculcates a love of Holy Faith and Patriotism in addition to the unsurpassed benefits
and privileges of membership. "71
Despite these constant requests for membership the
numerical strength of the Hibernians was never spectacular.
There were 899 members in 1873, 2,500 in 1909 and 3,096 In 1913. 72 Davis
argues that the reason for the unspectacular growth was that the Hibernians were caught
between two positions.
On the one hand, timid Catholics were unwilling to become identified with an Irish nationalist
organization might require them to parade, especially in hostile areas like Christchurch, wearing
provocative insignia, on the other, the more ardent patriots might well feel that the Hibernians
were too moderate. This contention is borne out by the fact that the 1880s, a period of Irish
nationalist ferment, were marked only by slow Hibernian progress. On the West Coast support
for Home Rule was passionate but for Hibemianism merely tepid.?3
It is hard to imagine that there were so many timid Catholic males in areas such as
Christchurch who did not have a history of parading on St Patrick's Day, as the Hibernians
usually marched on religious feast days or at civic parades. On these occasions they did not
69Jbid., 9 March 1899.
7Orbid., 9 March 1899.
7 1 Ibid. This appeared in many earl y issues.
720p. cit., Davis, Irish Issues, p. 68.