The Oamaru Mail. MONDAY, MAY 23, 1910.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 10462, 23 May 1910, Page 3

The Oamaru Mail. MONDAY, MAY 23, 1910.

Now that religious fanaticism is giving place to tolerance and The Accession the more rational Oath. view that the essence

of Christianity lies deeper than Church polity or creeds, the time has arrived for the recasting of the oath which is imposed upon British rulers at their accession. A great majority of the Church members ■in this country will agree with the Rev. Father Holbrook, of Auckland, that, whilst the English people have a right to a Protestant Sovereign, and the Bill of Rights assures Protestant succession, that part of the oath to which Catholics take exception is wholly unnecessary, it is in the nature of a gratuitous reflection on an important and worthy section of the nation. The avowal that the use of certain observances as they are now used in the Church of Rome "are superstitious and idolatrous" is not required to ensure a British monarch's faithfulness to his oilier trust, either temporal or spiritual ; but it is an aggravation of the offensive references to indulge in a rigmarole descriptive of the virtuous characteristics of Protestantism and of the. vices of Catholicism, according to the views of ecclesiastics of the days when the "true religion" was that which could be enforced by temporal authorities and when the unorthodox could be Christianised by torture, or massacred for their recalcitrancy, it is an anachronism that such an occasion as the installation of a British rnler should be used to air religious differences which should long since have been buried with other medieval follies. We are no longer split into two sections whose desperate hatred of each other appeared to defy all the canons of Heaven and earth. The British people of all religions beliefs are, according to their lights, working together for the advantage of the Empire, and injury to the national cause is not so much due to religious differences as to improper or unwise political action. Amongst our eminent men notables of the Church of Rome have been prominent. They have distinguished themselves in the departments of literature and art, on the battlefield, and in politics, and have won the admiration of Christendom in that self-same sphere which is._ by the British Accession Oath, proclaimed to bo tainted by siiporstition and idolatry. Catholics are no better and no worse in the eye of the law than Episcopalians or Nonconformists. In many respects they, indeed, set an example to others. Their devotion to their Clnireh and their Church's philanthropic endeavors arc worthy of imitation. Protestants do not evidence a higher Christian life by casting reflections on others who are equally conscientious in their belief and who may be nearer to sanctity than they are. The Accession Oath is a blot and should be purged of those features which are objectionable to our Catholic brethren. They are blemishes of the past which have too long escaped erasure.

''Sport" writes: —"I seo by the Mail that the name Alto lias been selected for a racehorse. I don't like tlie title, as it suggests an animal with musical proclivities —an unfortunate trait in a. galloper. Alto, however, oould be taken to indicate speed, but the animal might alter altogether, and not all toe; in such a case it would not be worth a cheap all tow halter—not as a racer, and a better effort in nomenclature would then be Halt Oh!"

The Postal Department in future will observe the 3rd of June as Iving s.Birthday holiday. An inmate of the Victoria Home, George Irvine, aged 80, died on Saturday night at the hospital. Deceased, who had been an inmate of the Home for seven years, was in his usual state of health *on Saturday morning, but shortly after breakfast he was seized with a sudden illness. As he did not get better during the day Dr Scott was called in, and he ordered deceased to the Hospital. There he died at 9.25 p.m., the cause of death being stated as. peritonitis and heart failure. An inquest touching the circumstances of death is being held by the coroner (Mr T. Hutchison, S.JVL). A reminder that it is race week seems superfluous, in view of the complete arrangements that have been made in connection with the winter meeting of the North Otago Jockey Club. All that is now necessary to ensure a successful gathering is real racing weather, and judged by appearances to-day it looks as if this is an element that will not be wanting. The opinion that good sport will be witnessed is confirmed by the record number of entries that have been received and the patronage that has been accorded the Club by owners. The improvements that have been effected at the course will add to the enjoyment and convenience of patrons, and to-morrow's proceedings will be enlivened by the music of a proficient orchestra. The day will be a holiday in Oamaru, and thus 110 hindrance is placed in the way of a large attendance, especially as the district trains have been delayed to allow of visitors from outside the town witnessing all the events.

A special train will leave Oamaru each day for the racecourse at 11.55 a.m. 3 returning leaving the course at 4.45 p.m. :

' As indicated by our report of the special meeting of the Ouninru Harbor Board on Saturday, the contractors for the supply of dredging plant have been released from their agreement and the Board has* decided to obtain the plant and machinery without recourse to a contractor. The Board was influenced in coining to this decision b,y the fact that the scheme it had before it was the one presented to the Supreme Court, and oil which leave to expend the money had been obtained. Members were certainlv not all ol one nund, and the' debate 011 the question was short, sharp, and decisive, albeit free from acrimony. Some members advo- • cated further delay with a view 10 considering other schemes, and on the ('•round that- I lie expense to the Bonrcl bv obtaining the plant ami machinery itself would bo very much greater; but those so arguing were answered by the statement that the Board could K™im> what was required at a price very.-""'-j if iinv. in advance ol that named 111 the cancelled contract. It is the Board r intention, now that the decision has been arrived at, to expedite matters as much as possible under the ndveise ci - cumstanees against- which it is cam a upon to labor. . , The London Operacmescope 1 ictiues will show a second tune, to-night -then all-star programme. Mr M' Donald lias found out that it is impossible tor business men to get to the Opera House o Saturdav nights, and so has decided to repeat 'the programme on Monda.s Conscience, notwithstanding the Shakospeivan dictum, makes 11101 c. heroism Uian cowardice. Conscience has iust comiielled a Wellington citizen to niuster un enough courage to pay a debt of which the creditor had no iccord. On Wednesday morning W'V the Post) the manager ol tne u.i.v-.. received a letter containing seven postal notes representing £{> los worth of relief to some guilt-burdened mind. This brief note was also in the envelope:— ".Returned for conscience sake Pebt incurred at the tune ol 'your' lire. The record was apparently destroyed, and 1 received 110 account, and omitted to pay the debt. L ic .Teat lire which consumed the duplicate of that account devoured many similar ones. Many people, ol course, discharged their liability even wuen the postman brought 110 more accounts to them for the value received, but all who owed money were not. so scrupulous. The. Jinn estimates thai, u lost some hundreds of pounds by the destruction of those duplicates. Letters to one of the local papers recently raised a storm in a teacup (writes the W'auganiii correspondent ol the Dominion). The trouble arose through a picture company wishing to establish a permanent show here bookin"- the Opera House 011 all vacant dates. On the opening night the Mayor appeared 011 tin: platform, and m a short sueeeh asked the public to support the show, saying it was "up to them" to do so, as the company was helping the Municipal Opera Mouse. This gave great umbrage to many people, who held that the Mayor liiiu 110 right to use his position to lurther the interest of a private company m opposition to others. It now turns out that the Borough Council is practically a partner in the enterprise. Ino Mavor made a statement at the Borough Council meeting the night, showing that the_ Council and the company had entered into an agreement by which the latter paid all expenses and gave the Council one-third of the total receipts. Councillors expressed approval of the arrangement, and commended the Opera House Committee 011 its stroke of business. Denials having been made in certain quarters of the .statement that the Labor partv's support would be given to the Reform party at the next general elections, an oilieial stat euicnt made by M:- W. F. Massey, M.l\. Leader of • the Opposition, to an Aiiekland Herald representative on Saturday is interesting. "As I have .stated before," said Mr Massey, "I. have had no official communication from the Trades and Labor Council or any other Labor organisation in connection with the matter, but I have a number ol personal Iriends in the different centres who are prominent in the councils of Labor, and who have informed me that while they are anxious to get their own members elected to Parliament, if it comes to a, finest ion between the Government and the Opposition —or, as some ot them put it, between Massey and Ward — ihev will support Massey every time." Mothers! PHOSPHOL will make weak children, from birth onwards, robust and healthy. Sold everywhere in large bottles. _ 1 Not only docs dairy land fetch high prices in Taranaki, but Taranaki dairymen give high prices for dairy cows. At a recent sale of yearlings in Waikato, Taranaki men bought freely, and the prices ran from '22 to 28 guineas, of.) cows averaging 35 guineas. One 18montbs heifer fetched ILI guineas.

W'hv wait for that hoarseness to "wear oft'." when Zyniole Trokevs will stop it so much quicker? Disagreeable couLi'lis arc often avoided by the use of Zvinolr Trokevs. !) Nature's Embrocation. ROCKE'S Eucalyptus Oil. The finest that Australia produces. There's "something" distinctive about "ROCKE'S," 2