CURRENT TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXX, Issue 15041, 8 July 1909, Page 6

CURRENT TOPICS.

There were suspicious the danton circumstances attending lavxcii. the failure on May 22

to launch the French battleship Danton, which has only now, after a delay of nearly six weeks, taken the water. An hour before the time arranged for the launching of the vessel at Brest, the Anarchist newspaper, " L'Egalitaire," issued a special edition in Paris, and its leading article dealt with the Danton. The journal suggested that the ship might never reach the water. " Tin's afternoon," it said, "is to bo launched the battleship Danton, which is to sow death, unless the proletariat refuses to allow it to be used for this purpose. But will the Danton loavo the stocks? "We cannot know until five o'clock." " L'Egalitaire's " suggestion had some importance in view of the fact that Anarchism and destructive Socialism have made great headway in all branches of the Government service. The Paris correspondent of the " Standard " says that a few minutes before the rope holding the Danton was cut, Citizen Roullier, a noted Anarchist, popped up like a jack-in-the-box from no one knew where, and attempted to make a speech. The naval gendarmes ejected him,- but no sooner was this done than the arsenal hands, who were knocking away the stays in preparation for the launch, began to sing the " Internationale " tho Anarchist anthem. This scone in a State arsenal brought many protests, but no serious attempt was made to stop it. The Danton stopped half-way down to the water, and it was naturally suspected that malicious workmen were responsible for the accident. France is having a good deal of trouble of one kind and another with disloyal public servants. Telegraph lines have been cut, railway signals tampered with, stores destroyed in Government dockyards, and so forth, and the public aro regarding with alarm tho growth of an alliance between milinarchists and the general federation of labour Unions. On a recent Sunday a huge demonstration of old Communists, Anarchists, revolutionary Socialists and trades unionists was held in tho streets of Paris, nominally in opposition to the Government of tho day, but actually, it seemed, in favour of some sort of military revolution.

One of the most imcniKCii and porfcant ecclesiastical state. cases that have ever been before . Australasian Courts was decided definitely recently in the High Court of Australia. Mr Fracklcton, a Presbyterian minister in Brisbane, came into conflict with his Presbytery in regard to the administration of certain trust properties of the Ann Street Church, of which Mr Fracklcton was pastor. Dissatisfied with tho decision of the Presbytery, Mr Fracklcton took tho matter into the civil court, and obtained a judgment against the Presbytery. Tho Presbytery made representations to tho General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church, with tho result that Mr Frackleton was suspended from the exorcise of his ministry for six months on tho charge

of violating his ordination vow by appealing to a civil court against his Presbytery. Mr Frackloton promptly responded by appealing again to the civil court, which gave judgment in his favour. The Assembly took the matter beforo the Chief Justice, and was again defeated. The caso then went to tho Supremo Court of Queensland, and finally to the High Court of Australia, the decision in each action being against tho General Assembly. Tho Courts havo apparently taken the view that tho Presbyterian Church is a collection of " voluntary associations," or, in other words, of companies acting under articles of association, and that tho relation of a clergyman to tho company and bis share in its interests are regulated by tho " confession of faith" of his sect and by such other regulations as may bo mutually agreed upon. Such a relationship or contract could form a basis for a civil action, and the leading case in tho Homo Country is legal precedent for taking such a view of the matter. It has been urged, however, that in Australasia, where there is no Stato Church, and where tho representative of the State assumes no control over ecclesiastical affairs, that American rather than British precedents should have been followed. Tho Supremo Court of tho United States, wo aro told, has laid down tho principle that tho Church, having a Divine head, should be allowed to make and administer its own laws, without interference, in respect to its dealings with its clergy. In regard to tho decision of tho property rights, those who support the Presbyterian Church in this matter admit the jurisdiction- of the civil courts, but they deny tho right of civil courts to decide whether or not a minister has violated his ordination vows. Few people had even a modest heard of Mr Charles hilltoxaxre, Morrison until the papers announced his death a few weeks ago. And yet Mr Morrison left a fortune of over ten millions sterling. He inherited two millions from his father, who began life in a London drapery warehouse and became a partner. His son Charles took over the family estates, and by skilful speculations enormously increased his vast inheritance. Notwithstanding his great wealth Mr Morrison was most simple in bis habits and tastes. Ho loved the quiet life and scorned publicity. He was most abstemious, and only occasionally drank a glass of wine. lie never smoked, and it is believed that ho was never photographed. He was a lifelong bachelor, and he never kept a motorcar. When deeply immersed in studying tho details of some vast deal ho was apt to be absent-minded. Upon one such occasion, it is said, he arrived at his office wearing a new silk hat from which the tissue-paper in which it had been wrapped had not been removed. Ho much disliked going to tho tailor, and in latev years was a regular patron of ready-made clothes shops, while he scorned any conveyance for town use more luxurious than the ordinary hansom cab. To those of his employees whoso work caught his fancy he would occasionally behave with startling generosity, as when ho turned to a clerk and observed: " You've been doing very well lately. From next week you shall havo a thousand a year rise." The promise was duly kept. The precise amount of his fortune is not stated, but if £12,000,000 may be taken as the total value, tho estate will, it is said, under the now death duties, yield to tho Exchequer no less than £1,800,000. or tho cost of the original Dreadnought battleship. In addition there are the succession duties, at tho r.ato of 5 per cent, to be paid, and these will bring the total windfall in relief of taxation up to £2,400,000. These figures seem to havo found accoptauco by most London journals, but it is significant that the "Times" states Mr Morrison's fortune to have been only some £3,500,000. However, Mr MoTrifion is reputed to havo kopt an enormous sum in gold as a reservo for use in times of serious financial trouble, and the truth is that the newspapers' estimates of his wealth aro all only guesswork.