CURRENT TOPICS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXII, Issue 15704, 25 August 1911, Page 6

CURRENT TOPICS.

A sudden outbreak of diphtheria, ix diphtheria a fortnight

milk. ago caused much uneasiness among the residents of Killara, a township a few of Sydney. As sixteen cases were reported within a very short period the local body administering the Health Act became very seriously alarmed and took prompt measures to traco the source of infection. Fortunately the epidemic was confined within a small area, and a very close inspection of this portion of the district gave the health officers a clue, which was followed up successfully. The infection was traced to a certain milk supply, but there was nothing in the surroundings of the dairy from which it camo to suggest that neglect on the part of the proprietor was the cause of the trouble. Having exhausted the methods of investigation ordinarily employed in such cases, the health officers proceeded to examine all the persons employed at the dairy. After a laborious search they discovered that the diphtheria germ was present in the throat of one of the employees. Strangely enough, he appeared to be in most robust health, and he had not infected any of the men working him, but the authorities were convinced that ho was the source of the illness which had overtaken consumers of milk from the dairy. They had the man removed and the dairy disinfected, and the spread of the disease was checked at once. The case was a very peculiar one, but others presenting similar features are well known. There are cases on record in which persons who have experienced no symptoms of sickness have carried the germs of diphtheria with them for dong periods and quite unconsciously distributed, the disease froelx among their fellows. Other diseases also have been spread by men who wore efficient “germ-carriers” although they were not themselves affected in health by the presence of disease in their bodies. The immunity from illness of the dairyman at Killara is enviable, but probably the people to whom he conveyed infection and his employer, whoso business suffered considerably, would have been pleased if he had proved susceptible in the ordinary way to the attentions of the little microbes which he harboured.

The monasteries of

WHERE monasteries fi>ourish.

Jerusalem are strange institutions, if all the statements made in an

article published by the “ Hibbert Journal” are to be believed. Ten or fifteen different forms of the Christian religion are practised in the Holy City, but the monasteries belong to the Greek Church, which during long centuries of war and change has ceased to possess any effective organisation. The monasteries have gradually absorbed the wealth of the Church, and as their rules allow the monks the personal use for life of monastic funds without account, the good fatners have been able to live comfortably and to benefit their relations. Much of the wealth comes through the pilgrims, who pay whatever they can afford to ciio guardian monks of the holy places, in exchange for masses. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre gets the main share. The pilgrims bring their doles to the office of the chancellory of the Holy Sepulchre, with scraps of paper bearing the names to be mentioned at mass. The money is laid on the table; a monk in charge takes the papers. This goes on for hours, a goodly pile of money rising by degrees. Finally the money is swept into a drawer, and at the same time, according to the evidence of many eye-wit-nesses, the papers are torn up and thrown away. One monastery standing on a holy site owns a large olive grove, and it makes a practice of selling single trees to pilgrims on the understanding that the oil from the olives will feed lamps that are to burn for ever before the altar in honour of the purchasers. Sometimes a group of pilgrims, or the inhabitants of a village, pool their funds in order that so rare a privilege may bo secured, livery tree in the grove has been sold again and again, and tliero is reason to believe that the monks eat the olives. Some of the younger members of the Greek Church in Jerusalem] are agitating for reform, but they have set themselves a hard task in attempting to remove tlio abuses that have grown up in long years of indifference.

Among the many tributes paid by the newspapers in Australasia to

A FITTING TRIBUTE.

th© late Cardinal Moran is one of particular interest contributed. to the “ Sydney Daily telegraph ” by a reporter wlio cherishes memories of many interviews with his Eminence. Of course the distinguished ecclesiastic was gifted with, a shrewd foresight which protected him against the most subtle blandishments of the Pressmen when he did not wish to talk for publication, but it was not often that men who went to interview him had to go empty away. Cardinal Moran,” states the “Daily Telegraph’s ” representative, was the ideal man for the interviewer. If asked a question and allowed to go on in his own way, be could always be relied upon to do justice to Ins subject. His manner was invariably kindly and courteous, his speech simple and effective, and all his points were made without his having to cast around for some missing word. As a ‘purveyor of copy for the newspapers, be easily held the record among the churchmen of all denominations in this State. The reporter tells the story of an apphcation to the Cardinal for his views concerning the boxing contest between Johnson and Burns in Sydney, a delicate question on which to approach the head of a great Church. The visitor found it extremely difficult to overcome the hostility of the sentinel of tho gate, who in this case was a maici. - ie eienco to “the fight,” however weaki i “Oil, its about a ened her scruples. > fight, is it?” she asked. '\eU, * H find out if his Eminence will see you. I’ve heard some of the priests say lie f . » The priests unquesoves a tight. in l thia occa _ tionably were right, oui> , sion the Cardinal displajed much

greater interest in the clerical troubles in Franco than ho did in the boxing match. He gave tlio reporter a most informative statement concerning the position in Franco, but he had no word to say about Johnson and Burns. When subjects which ho considered important wero under discussion, tlio Cardinal was always ready to be interviewed, and men who reported him honestly and fairly wero suro of his generous recognition of the quality of their work.