CONDITIONS ABROAD.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIII, Issue 23, 23 December 1932, Page 4

CONDITIONS ABROAD.

POVERTY IN GERMANY

CHRISTCHURCH, Dec. 22. After eight years’ study in Australia and abroad. Rev. B. >l. O’Brien ■S.J., a son of Dr. A. 11. O’Brien, has returned to Christchurch for a short j holiday. Mr O’Brien, who left Christ’s College in 1023, went at once to a Jesuit novitiate in Sydney, where he studlod for two vears. He then went‘to Ireland, taking a B.A. in Dublin after three years’ work T‘or the past three years he has been m Munich, studying philosophy at a •Jesuit Coilege in the small town of Piillach. He will go hack to Australia lor three years’ teaching work in the newly-formed Australian Province, and after that will prolwibly study theologv for a further four years at a continental house, before being ordained a priest. Germany Air 0 Brian describes as a.

| poverty stricken country where the I people live on incomes which would he • considered impossible in New Zetland, j About 25s a week was considered l enough to live on. Tlie r e wore few luxuries. The cinema theatres were in- \ nriablv small, although they were planned and decorated most artistically. There wee no public dance halls.

practically th° onlv places of public gathering being the beer gardens, where, for a few pence, people could obtain a certain amount of sausage and a substantial amount to drink. Air O'Brien saw a certain amount 1 of rioting and disturbances during his ! stay m Germany, and formed the opin- i ion that the Germans are probably the only nation on earth who could stand so great an c'-noniic strain without : Ireaking up. There were signs of some. I thing approaching panic among the more conservative people of Germany, and many expedients had been tried, forced on them bv the pressure of the Communists on one side and the Hitlerites on the other.

Contrarv to the general conception, Air O’Brien found that the Dish a.s a race wer° not violently excitable about their politics. Politics were, of course. d"ep]v ingrained into their beings, hut they did not break out in violence unless some very drastic hurt had been done to their national nride. Poland was a. proud country, living a great deal in the past, and was immensely proud of its traditions. Happenings of the time of Cromwell were remembered hv Irishmen more vividly than most nations remembered events of the present century.

Every Irishman wanted a repubMc. Air CB'-ien found, hut most of them did not want it in the wav Air do ! Valera, was going about getting it. A (great deal of the urge toward repnli- : Mean ism arose from the desire of everv Irishman to preserve the traditions of his country and his faith. One of the main reasons for the renewed interest in the Gaelic language was that the English popular Press, which flooded Ireland daily, brought to the people its loose, almost atheistic ideas. Air O'Brien notices changes in New Zealand since he left, hut declares that he is hapnv to lie here again. Them is, he sa.vs. a friendliness nhouf New Zealanders. and also Australians, which is noticeable in none of flic European countries. In fact, on the Confluent neopie from this port of the world are known for this trait. Afr O’Brien will leave New Zealand soon to continue his studies. He has done eight vears already and has taken his vows as a member of the of Jesus. Imt does not hope to he ordained as a priest for another seven years. His wo’k. he thinks, ninv lie in Australia, where ail enormous amount of organisation is needed to establish the new .Dsuit Province of Australia, with its colleges and seminaries.