Series 01 Part 02: Hughes family correspondence, 3 April 1917-22 September 1918 - Page 227
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[Page 227]
6.
caused a mild sensation in both capitals. A few letters of no special importance appeared on the Tuesday & Wednesday, but on the Wednesday Dr. Mannix let himself go at Heydon, & gave me my chance of cutting in, so my letter in reply to him appeared last Thursday in the Sydney papers, & as I found out only today, in the Melbourne "Age" also. Judge Gavan Duffy was in Sydney at the time, & he also wrote on the same day as I did. Ever since then the storm has raged, and I send you some cuttings which will give you an idea of what is going on still. Tonight Fr. O'Reilly, Rector of St John's College is going to reply publicly to the critics of Dr. Mannix, so we expect some lively reading in tomorrow's papers. I hope to be able to add to my pile of cuttings an account of his meeting.
My own letter has called for the most opposite expressions of feeling. Those who agree with me are enthusiastic. Those, who don't, spend part of their time in writing me anonymous letters of the most personal character, the stream of which has not yet dried up. It would amuse you, as it does me, to read the wrath & fury of some of them, & the very nasty things the writers of them prophecy for me. They seem unable to distinguish between the position of Dr. Mannix as an Archbishop, and Dr. Mannix as a politician who outrages our susceptibilities quite as much by what he says, as we do those of his friends who think that it is wicked to criticise an Archbishop under any circumstances.