JOTTINGS.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13378, 20 March 1909, Page 13

JOTTINGS.

Monday, April sth,, will be the centenary of tho birth of tho great Bishop Sehi-yn, the first Bishop of New Zealand, and ninetieth Bishop of Lichfield. He waa tho founder of the Melanesian Mission.

Commissioner McKie, of tho Salvation Army, intends to conduct tho Easter tent meetings in Prince Alfred Park, Sydney. This Will bo his final appearance in Xew South Wales prior to his departure from tho Commonwealth. The Commissioner will preside over a farewell congress to bo held in Melbourno on May .th, at which officers of the Army "from all parts of tho Commonwealth and New Zoaland will bo present. At that gathering tho name of Commissioner MeKio's successor will probably be announced. Some ielea of tbo task which faces the Catholic Church of providing priests for a maii3*-langtiaged population (remarks the New York "Catholic News") may be obtained from a notice in the "Philippine Catholic" concerning t_o Church of St. Dominic, Manila:—'Confessions in Spanish, English, German, French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Uocano, and Batanes will be heard at any time during or preceding tho timo of services."

Tho Rev. J. "VV. Burton, Methodist mini-tor in charge of tho Indian work in Fiji, arrived recently in Now Zealand. Mr Burton has been on an official visit to India. Ho is deeply impressed with tho spiritual needs and claims of that continent with its teeming populations. His impressions havo been related in articles published in secular and church papers. Mr Bur-'l ton will further givo somo two months to deputation work in New Zealand in connection with which his impressions of India will be mado known, and additional li_ht thrown upon t'ho proposal of the Australasian Methodist Church to take a direct sharo in the work of Christian missions in continental India. Tho Rev. Dr. Rigg, for many years tho leading figure in tho English "Wesley nn Methodist Conference, recently celebrated his 88th birthday. The venerable doctor, although now on tho supernumerary list, displays remarkable vigour, and takes an active interest in all present-day events. Tho Federal-Centennial Conference of Churches of Christ in Australia nnd New Zealand is fixed for April 14th to 21st, in Sydney. Fully 300 representatives aro expected from tho respective States. Prominent speakers, including Mr Batchelor, Federal Minister, are planned to deliver addresses. Miss May Thompson, missionary of Hnrda, India, nnd Mr Frank Filmer, missionary of tho Island of Pentecost, Now Hebrides, are expected to speak at tho missionary rally. Ono of tho sndelest feaTuros of tho disaster in Calabria and Messina is the number of young children who havo been left without father, mother, or relative. It is a splendid proof of tho untiring labour nnd tender solicitude with which the investigations amongst the ruins nave been conducted that the lives of such a large number of children who wero in deadly peril have, been saved Tho Holy Father has shown an eager interest in the fate cf the orphans. At his request, many of them havo been taken into private houses and orphanages in Rome, and according to a report, which appears in the *'Comere ,riY-li_ " he has blessed and promised o ak\ a scheme which Bishop Mornb.to has formed for the establishment of a great orphanage in Calabria. Commenting on the procession of 40 (W Catholic men through the steeta of Boston on November Ist, which was one of the features of the centenary celebration of that diocese. Mr George T Anzell. editor of ''Our Dumb Animals"—a man internationally famous as a humanitarian, and who as a nonCatholic, says: "And as we looked down on this great procession two thoughts camo te> us—First, that saying nothing of theological opinions there- can be no doubt that innumerable millions of the human races have on the whole lived better lives and died hapoier because of the teachings and ministrations of the Catholic Church, and. second, that tho American Catholic Church is a great protection of property and life, and if anarchist mob- should ever attempt to raise their oloexly hands and fine's in Boston, these forty thousand men would crush them as quickly as Napoleon did the mobs of Paris." The Rev. G. B. Inglis, of Ashburton, has been suffering from relaxed throat. Ho leaves for four months' holiday in a fow days. Ho tvill visit Australia, and will bo at the Mission Synod in Ambrym, New Hebrides. Last week a mooting of tho Malvern

Presbyterian congregation w_ held at Dariiekl. It iv_ de-ciekd to send a e-all -.<i the Key. J. Johnston of Eltham, Taranaki.

In connection with the Christchurch Presbyterian Sabbath School A_3cciation there, will be a conference of teachers on Good Frid.iy at Dunsandei. On Easter Monday there will be a confere nee of Itible CltiiKes at Kirwee. The eeinieronce will be helel in the morning, and in tho afternoon there will be a programme of .sports. The Rev. Geo. H. Jupp, Presbyterian travelling secretary, is at present in town. He has been vi>uing the congregations at Oamarn, anel leaves sbortlv for thc Easter encampment at Auckland. The fi-st parish, magazine over issued was publ!_i<»„ just lii:v years ago. The found'-.-, Canon J. ErVkino Clarke, vic-ir of Batters.-a and St. Luke's. Balhim, L-onelon, who is now in his eightythird year, is celebrating tlie jubilee with enthusiasm, anel is making fro=>h plans for the future. "It appeared in my parish of St. Michael's, Derby, just fifty years -go,"' bt> _a:d to a piessman recently. "It does not. seem so long. I wanted to show that each parifh was a Large family, with common ties and interests, and my idea was to have a little magazine adapte'il to e-ee-lo.'i.istic.il matters and localu-.e.'d as much as possible. Certain provincial ni'ivs papers in those days were fed from a coin mon centre with local ne'WiS printed in for each district. I thought that this idea woulel se-rvo mv parish a* well. The magazine was a "small, weak baby at first, but, as you see, it jrrew and grew until now almost every village h_s one, and they are tolel in millions every year." In New. Zealand, too, the parish magazine is eiiiite an instituion in church lifo.