Series 01 Part 02: Hughes family correspondence, 3 April 1917-22 September 1918 - Page 321
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[Page 321]
2.
to come home again. We have had another outbreak of Mannixism caused by the visit of Dr. Mannix to Sydney. I think I told you that he was to come over from Melbourne to be the principal speaker at the Foundation Stone of the extensions to St John's College. The fellows of the College were much divided on the subject, & some of them stayed away. John Mullins considered he was entitled to be present, so he went, but he had a very unhappy time as he was in the camp of the enemy & they let him feel it. Dr. Mannix could not keep off controversial topics so he dragged up the conscription question & Billy Hughes & the leading Catholics, & all the other subjects of controversy for the past months, so he had a joyous reception from all the Sinn Feiners who mustered in their tens of thousands & cheered him. One paper said there were 10,000 present, another put it at 15,000, & another 40,000, so you can take you choice. It is extraordinary what bitterness has been stirred up, but I am quite undisturbed, as I am happy in the consciousness of standing for everything decent in life at this time of crisis and I don't care a jackstraw for anything our opponents may say. It was rather a joke this morning when I went to the