"ALIEN'S" LETTER FROM ENGLAND.

Otago Witness, Issue 2728, 27 June 1906, Page 74

"ALIEN'S" LETTER FROM ENGLAND.

(Specially written for the Witness Ladies' Page,) THE LONDON SPRING- TO DATE.

In the parks, the bleak outlines of the trees are seen through a delicate haze of budding green. The grass plots are flecked here and there with splashes of gold and. purple where the daffodils are nodding their confidences to each other, and the crocuses are standing stiff and prim, near neighbours and in ahundance, but unbending hi their attitude towards these- lowly neighbours. The chattering sparrows are discussing the. worries of setting up housekeeping, passing censure upon the gardeners and their brooms for the difficulties they, put in the way of furnishing as they sweep into chaos coveted trifles that would enhance the comfort and cosiness of the interiors of their ragged .homes. The, sky wood pigeons, strange colonists of this centre of humanity- a;nd its- attendant", bustle-, ~ croon their Jove- story in the elms as placidly- as though: they were in the seclusion -of" their native woods, which they had so . unaccountably deserted. Lovers for life_these t . their love passages unattended by the strenuous feuds of the benedict .spa^nw. TKe" piping of an amorons thrush glorying iit his recovered voice and the bright sunshine made sweet melody to the monotonous staccato obligate- of the' restless sparrows. A pair of black Australian swans who had" made their nest of driftwood artfully constructed among come reeds near the margin of the lake where the water flows up to the base of a balustrade rising, sufficiently high to keep at a safe distance too- inquisitive juveniles, sit in serene consciousness of safety, in nowise disconcerted by the gaze of the* curious. At intervals the mother bird stretches her cramped limbs, affording to the onlookers a glimpse of half a dozen pale blue eggs in the acquatic nest forming a tiny island, reared ■with. infmito patience and dexterity upon, its foundations ol floating twigs- interlaced with' tho stalks o£ the reeds. Carefully she settles down again, arching her neck with qaeenly grace as if in acknowledgment of the homage of her admiring court. Away in the distance, is heard tho discordant shriek of the peacock calling- his dowdy spouse to his side. Everywhere this brkgifc spring day are signs and sounds of life. Every breeze brings down a shower of. catkins from the poplars, making- a rosy pink..carpet; on tbe freshly-rolled, gravel walks, and over 'all is that loud hum like the distant roar of the sea, or % gigantic waterfall — the. cataract of London's noise, "ascending on all' sides, softened' by the. distance. The Eastec of this- spring will long be remembered for its summer warmth and glorious- sunshine. England rejoiced from Land's End to the Scottish border: from all the seaside- resorts came estatic reports of fall towns, for it was estimated that a million people left town. The gteafc coster community made "'Appy 'Amstead" their resort, as "usual. But there was st considerable decrease this year, in Ifiose-free- Easter marriages of- the East End, where the service is performed over batches instead of individuals, while in more select circles the marriages were numerous. The marriage that is claiming attention from all classes of society is the approaching marriage of the youthful Princess Ena to the King of Spain. Tho boyish lover and the girl fiancee have appealed to the sentiment of the British heart. A lovematch in royal circles is always interesting, and every bit of news concerning these latest royal lovers is Tead with avidity ; King Alfonso's visit to England, his walk* and drives with Princess Ena, items of large or small degree, are dwelt upon. It has remained for Marie Corelli, in articles to the Rapid Review, to criticise and resent the fact of a Protestant Princess being suddenly converted the Catholic faith, and becoming fcha wife of a Catholic King. Her first article, entitled, "Faith, versus Flunkeyism," brought forth a shower of replies, and' Miss Corelli's second article, entitled, "The Royal Abjuration of England," has created even greater controversy. It is bitter and sarcastic. She attacks wbafr she calls the servile attitude of the press in ii»- silence regarding the Royal conversion.- or "perversion," I quote fronx her April letter : — : I have now to deal with the accomplished fact of the Princess Ena's abjuration of England's faith. England's monarchy, and England's Constitutional Government. According to certain sections of the press, such abjuration is of no consequence, coining under the head of fashionable intelligence merely. Other sections, again, appear to 'hold that by % flunkey attitude of servile silence conceded to an act which if nothing less than a casting away of England by one who owes" her birth, bringing-up, and education to England, and who is closely connected with England's King, they are thereby doing their duty to the nation; others, openly atheistical, or governed by prosperous Sons of Israel, are naturally quite- indifferent to the whole affair — as indifferent as they are to Christianity itself. I venture to maintain, how- , ever, and I know I am not alone in my opinion, that if Bngland is indefd a Protes- ' tant country, and if it is true that the British Monarchy itself rests on the basis of , the established Piotestant Faith, the re- I cusancy of an English princess of tho blood royal to Rome, and her publicly telegraphed message- of " Loyalty to the Pope," are fair subjects for .comment and criticism, by the British people, considering that, if history be correct, no sticii recusancy has taken place in British annals for three hundred years; Two forms of this abjuration hare been given in the current daily press, and I here 6uota both. , The hVs^k^. 22 1h& first fyT&z 1 wttich, teTegraphed diVe*£ £*Sm Han Sebastian through Eeutor, was^ circulated in the .English newspapers on the very evening of the day of the Princess's " conversion " : "I, recognising as true the Catholic- and apostolic faith, do here pjublicly anathematise every neresy r especially that to, which. liitherto I have had the misfortune to. belong/ I agree with the I^oly JRoman Church, and, profes3 ■with mouth and .heart my belief in the apostolio see, and ay adhesi&n to that ' 'faith which the Holy Eoman Church, hi evan- -,

gelical and apostolic authority, delivers to be held. Swearing this by the sacred Homoousian, or trinity of the same substance, and by holy gospels of Christ, I do pronounce those worthy of eternal anathema who oppose this faith with their dogmas and their followers, and should I myself at any time presume t<3 approve or proclaim anything to the contrary hereto, I will subject myaelf to the severity of the canon law. So help me God, and these His holy gospels. In thi& the Princess, "by order," and according to the " usual Roman Pontifical oath for reconciling heretics," pronounces herself aa having had " the misfortune " to belong to the faith of England, which she publicly anathematises as " heresy." Oh dire " misfortune"! May no greater calamity ever darken the life of this girl than that she once belonged to the faith and freedom of England! And not only does she, in this formula, solemnly curse her former baptism, which took place in the private chapel at Balmoral.- in the presence, and with the blessing of, the late Queen Victoria, but she adds thai she pronounces " those worthy of eternal anathema, who oppose this faith." Thus, thrs young girl, born of the British throne, is made to declare that very throne " worthy of eternal anathema." The same " eternal anathema " applies to her mother, Princes-3 Henry, and to all her family. The soul of her own father is thereby condemned to eternal damnation, and the pure and candid spirit of Victoria (whose name the Princess Ena still elects to retain, though it is the name of a doomed " heretic," according to Borne), one of ths best Queens that ever reigned-, comes under the same monstrous ecclesiastical malison. It is- almost incredible that, in our modern days of intellectual liberty and progress, this child of nineteen should have been persuaded or encouraged by any influence or temptation whatsoever to poison her lips with such, a horrible curse, pronounced " before God" and "on the Holy Gospels," against hjtt own land, her own blood, her own kindred. The second form of " abjuration," which seems to have been hastily sent out for circulation after the first, is, so the press informed - the public, " from an unexceptionable source/ atlcL folio-wed, ttafc " recently corrected by the Bishoo of Newport." It runs thus — and does not differ substantially or in actual meaning from the " Pontifical Qath " afoove quoted : " I, having before my eyes the Holy Gospels, which I touch with my hand, and, knowing that no one can be saved without that faith which the Holy Catholic Aposto'ic Roman Church holds, believes, and teaches, against which I grieve that I have greatly erred inasmuch a& I have believed doctrines opposed to her teaching, I now, by the help of Gcd'a grace, profess that I believe the Holy Catholic Apostolic Roman Church to be the only and true church established on earth by Jesus Christ', to which I submit myself with my whole heart. I firmly believe all the articles that* she propounds to my belief, and I reject and condemn all that she rejects and condemns, and I am ready to observe all that she commands me. And especially I profess that I believe One only God in Three Divine Persons distinct from and equal to each, other — that is to say, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost; the Catholic doctrine of the Incarnation, Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ; and the personal union of the two natures, the divine and the human; the Divine Maternity of the most holy Mary, together with her most spotless Virginity; and also 'her immaculate Conception ; " The true, real, and substantial presence of the Body of Our Lord Jesus Chr>st together with His soul and Divinity in the most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist; " The seven sacraments instituted by Jeaua Christ for the salvation of mankind ; that is to say, Baptism, Confirmation, Holy Eucharist, Penance, Extreme Unction, Holy Order 3, Matrimony." That " perversion," to put it quite plainly, is a huge triumph for the Papacy in Europe. It is a direct blow in the face of Prance at the very moment when she is, through the efforts of her Republic, endeavouring to shake off Papal interference, which she has proved to be intolerable. And it is a positive * julbilation for the ex-Empress- Eugenic, who has, I see by a report (from a Reman source) denied having had anything to do with the impending marriage of her god-child to Alfonso. With every respect for the venerable lady. I regret to say that I am unable to accept her denial, knowing perfectly that she is now, as she has always been, little less than a fanatic in her " Loyalty to the Pope." Moreover, my readers must please do me the justice to understand that I do not write on this subject without being in possession of facts pertaining- to it. The ex-Empress Eugenie's proselytising efforts in the Battenberg household have long been common talk in the Isle of Wight, of which Princess Henry of Battenberg is- Governor, and I have good ► and proved reason to steadfastly maintain. is I have before asserted, that she is the chief organiser and supporter of the proposed union between her god-child, the " perverted " British Princess, and his most Catholic Ma.jesiy, Alfonso, tho loyal servant of the Pope. She viGws with unfeigned delight the prospect of a "political" alliance between England and Spain, because such an alliance means the increased influence of the Papacy. France, one of our allies, has thrown off Papal jurisdiction — Italy, another, holds the Pope as a self-elected prisoner of the State — and in neither country can Papal influence interfere with eithei the laws or the Government. But in Spain the Papacy is still supreme — the King has sworn his loyalty to it, and so has his future English bride. " The Papacy is the curse of Spain." — said a distinguished Spaniard to me the other day — " But Spain is not rich enough to supply it 3 incessant demands — it wants Imperial Britain!" And so far as the ex-Empress Eugenic is concerned, an Anglo-Spanish political alliance will mean such a victory for the Ultramontane cause as must more than repay her for her thirty years of exile from France. The Court of Spain will for the future be represented at the Couit o£ England, not only by Roman Catholic envoys, but 'by Roman Catholic dignitaries of the Church, high iv tho Papal confidence, and fully instructed in the Papal policy ; and. as I hare £2jiL bi£o r £ in thacQUisa oi this arti^e, -wbc-rs Rome is given an inch she takes an ell, and sometimes more. Tho announcement that the Prince of Wales Tall represent the Bang of England at Princess Ena's marriage, is another feather in the cap of Rome. If the Royal approval and sanction o£ a British, Princess's "perversion" from the Fiuth of England cannot be tacitly signified to the world by the presence at the nuptials of tho actual reigning " Defender " of that faith, at least he who expects to be that "Defender" t ia turn, will be there to publicly show that

Princess Ena's "anathema" on the throne he is destined to fill, seems to him and others concerned, right, and quite in accordance with justice to the religious feeling and sentiment of his future British subjects.

Then, when the Princess is Queen of Spain, she will be the servant of Rome. She will be expected to yield herself more or less as an assisting " medium " towards tho proselytising of Britain. She will be the petted child of the Papacy, and her royal displeasure will, nay mxtst, be shown against all Protestants in Spain and elsewhere, for in her oath of allegiance to the Pope on the " Holy Gospels " she has said — " Should lat any time presume to approve or proclaim anything contrary hereto, I will subject myself to the severity of the canon law." And the " heretics " o? her native land, who, not in anger, but in deep and heartfelt sorrow, venture to remonstrate with her for having publicly cursed them in the sight of God, will be accused of " persecuting " this Royal young martyr, who is made to suffer, as we shall be told, for her *' love," 'her " conscientious convictions," her " faith and allegiance " to Rome. And all this will be supreme happiness* to the aged, ex-Empress of the French, whom England hospitably sheltered from the righteous wrath of the people over whom she once reigned, whose destinies she played with, and whom she helped to bring to the verge of ruin. Had she taken any part, so she says, in the marriage of Princess Ena with Alfonso, she would have been " proud of it." I do not doubt for a moment that she is proud of it. When, mainly through her influence, and that of the ex-Queen Isabella of Spain, the Franco-Prus-sian war was swallowing up the lives of thousands of unhappy, ill-prepared, and insufficiently armed Frenchmen, she wag " proud " enough to utter the famous and never-to-be-foTgotten sentence — " This is my war!" And quite as truly, if Rome permitted her, oouid she now say of her god-child's man-iage with the grandson of that same exQueen Isabella — "This is my marriage!" Bui I entirely appreciate the cause and. fashion of her denial — the charming way in which she must have assured all enquirers, with a- deprecatory wave of her hands- and an expressive shrug of her shouldert — " Cc n'etait pas moi! C'etait I' Amour!"- "I 1 Amour" is an clastic term — in French. In English it sounds different. " Love " seems too divine a word to apply to the youthful emotions of the King of Spain, who. piqued at bis failure to win pretty " Princes.9 Pat," of Connaught, went the round of all the Courts of Europe in search of a suitable wife, before he reconsidered the advisability of taking IPrimcessr Ena. Th« tale of Ilia *' tour of inspection " was told in the current press at the time, and is not by any means forgotten. Meanwhile, the ex-Empress naturally interested herself in his matrimonial explorations, for very excellent reasons of her own which are easily comprehensible. Her mind is now, we may presume, at rest with regard to the future disposal of her wealth, and she has performed an incalculable service to the Pope, for which, no doubt, he will promise her an Imperial Throne in* Heaven to make up for the one she lost in Prance. For there is no concession the Church of Rome will not make to its faithful servants. It even buried the exQueen Isabella in. "nun's" attire, as a " bride of Christ " after she had led a life of such open scandal as had shamed all Spain. The " outward seeming " is always a great poiut in these matters, and already, in the premonitaiy gasps which precede the impending fit of newspaper hysterics over Princess Ena's " trousseau," we are gravely informed that "it will be the Princess's devout duty and pleasure to make a presentation, according to custom, of her wedding gown to the Virgin." This is pathetically grotesque reading, and moves one to a sense of profound pity to think that this girl, endowed, we presume, with God's greatest gift of reason, can see anything " devout " in such a. senseless and blasphemous idea as that of presenting secondhand wearing apparel to the " Mother of God " !

Miss Coreili protests that although the heads of the State Church of England, King Edward. VII, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, could not have prevented the marriage, they could at least have shown open sorrow. There are a number of notable letters in Princess Ena's defence. I select passages from several of these letters.

I would suggest that in changing 'her " religion " from English Catholicism to Roman Catholicism, Princess Ena of Battenberg is exchanging forms of Christianity, not abandoning the Christian religion for A-theiam, or Buddhism, etc. Granted that she has considered the matter, is the dividing line between our Modern Protestantism (which protests against few things) and Catholicism so very marked? Would an ordinary Ritualistic Church-girl find much trouble in crossing the line to Rome-?

No I sir, therefore let us acquit the young princess of wilful* falseness. \Ve cannot for a moment accept the reality of her " Conversion"! She was- probably hanging on the line of English- Catholicienir-it needed hut tho political push for her to agreeably cross that line!

Evolution of thought 23 working as surely, and no less slowly, than, in the past, did the evolution of matter. Religion. wDI, in future ag«s, mean " Harmony with God (good) — Union with God (good) — and. dogmas of all churches will meet, converge, and merge in this higher creed."

In these days a woman of intelligence and education is quite old enough, at the age of nineteen, to make such a choice with full deliberation. She is not a child, shielded from all knowledge of history, or of contemporary events, but she must be well able to estimate what is before her. This being conceded, there remains the question of what is called " Change of Faith. ' But why " Change of Faith?" It is a change of ecclesiastical system, but not of Faith. If, as- is stated, the Princess Ena (that " mere girl " to whom it would be unkind to attribute aDy " convictions of a serious nature ") has been all her life more or less under the influence of a devoted and even bigoted slave of the Hornish Church, who is to say but the Princess herself to what particular Faith she has tiuly had a leaning? Could not tho same forces as are now alleged to have manipulated the " conversion " have, formerly prevented any declaration of Faith other than that prescribed? Could not the Princess, as a matter of f.ict. have been always a Roman Catholic at heart, or even for such time aa would remove tba scandal supposed to attend this hasty chango of rsL^'ca 7 M'ght not fortune (eccentric as one""iV~evfcr acciTstonied to suppose) have at last afforded an opportunity— even in the shape of a Spanish throne— to declare thus secret tendency? And might not at leaatr such a declaration have been coincident with a betrothal? Perhaps these few respectfnl suggestions may he as much favoured with possibility as the quasi-assertjons before US. Without expressing any opinion aa to ta» political or social aspects of the royal marriage, but dealing alone with the personal, question, I think our Koyal Princess ha 3 every right to become Roman Catholic if sh*

chooses, and when she chooses. It is no concern of anyone else's. The Protestant religion is just as good as the Catholic, and not cne whit better. Christ knew no sectarianism, and as both of the religions are so, they fall short of the true spiritual teaching of Christ. If a man or Nrornan is a true Christian, that is. if he- acts up to the true precepts of Christ, it can make no difference what denomination he be styled under. The wedding gown, the ultimate destination of which is causing Miss Coreili such vexation is described as very handsome. It is to cost £1400. the exquisite Brussels lace which will be used upon it will coat £12 a yard. The English colony in Madrid, in. unison with all the English colonies throughout Spain, are subscribing for a vredding present for this grand-daughter of Queen Victoria, and it is believed that more than £3000 will be raised, which sum will probably be spent on a diamond necklace. Already presents are pouring in upon Spain's future Queen from the Spanish aristocracy — a superb gold waistbuckle set in rubies being among them. Queen Christina's gift is a court mantle beyond price which belonged to Queen Isabel 11. The State carriages of Spain many long disused, are being restored for the wedding, which, from daily reports, is to be of a picturesque and gorgeous character. No pessimist can damp the interest the world takes in a boy and girl match. The spring fashions have some pretty conceits. Flowery parasols are to be the vogue. They are large and are festooned with buds. But in themselves they are flower-like. From the ferrule to the outside rim the shades of colour graduate from the deepest to the palest shade of pink or green or blue. Fashion demands that the period of the gown shall be matched by the period of the parasol. But one of the eccentricities of the season is, that to be in the mode, no matter what the colour of your costume is, there must be a touch of green in the hat or parasol, a knot of ribbon or tulle, and the hat must be tilted. Feathers and flowers are immensely worn, and the flat hats of the Second Empire, with, waterfalls of chiffon at the back. Lace is to be very largely used, and especially on wedding gowns. The latest brides of the fashionable world have all worn an abundance of antique lace, one exquisite dress wa3 made of white satin of princess- shape, almost covered with Brussels lace, and blue is the favourite colour for a bride's going-

away dress. Uncommon head-dresses are seen, at the restaurants and theatres — twists of tulle with flowers or small birds, or single quills. These are not picturesque, but give the idea- of a pen having been, run into the "hair and forgotten., and coifs of golden thread ornamented with drooping ostrich. For young girls with, pretty hair the mode of wearing it parted in the middle and brought down to the neck with two curls falling over the shoulder, is being revived for evening. Low diadems, or a wreath of flowers may be worn across the head and the curls kept in place with a fancy comb. Some girls look most charming with a coffure of this description which seems to enhance the girlishness of the face. I Curls are often worn with the hat that turns up very much at one side. "Pin curls" they are called and the name discloses their character. The Easter-week weather, made tie muslins and transparent materials displayed, all sprinkled over with flowers, seem the most charming and desirable of dresses, but we have gone back to snow and sleet and bitter winds since then, and these pretty gowns are still in anticipation. The linens and- washing fabrics were abundantly forthcoming durI ing the warm spell, but with snow ' mingled with cold rain falling in mid , spring, a check is given to the sallying forth for the purchasing of what should be seasonable raiment. Our time of flowers and muslins is so short that no one accepts with patience a throw back into winter. The ''Suffragettes" who have so prominently brought themselves to the public notice of late, and were; removed from the 1 house of the Prime Minister, where they forced themselves to gain a hearing, are in disgrace to-day. The newspapers head their report, of the proceedings as "An Unparalleled Incident," for never before

has the Ladits* Gallery in the House oi Commons witnessed 1 such a scene of dis- 1 order. Interruptions and flag waving caused the Speaker to have the Ladies' Gallery cleared. Such a thing has never happened before Since there has been a House of Commons, the Ladies' Gallery^" has been a place where adoring wives and admiring friends have safe in awe and listened to the overwhelming wisdom of Man. But yesterday 30 pioneers ot Woman's Rights managed to invade the sanctity of that great house where for gene* rations past the law-making voice of man only, has been heard, and interrupted. Rude England is ■ shocked. Not only shocked, but indignant. It happened^ in this wise: The- woman's suffrage question was arranged to come up for the evening- - sitting following the debate on the antivaccination question, and the ladies had a shrewd suspicion that there, was an attempt being made to out-talk their motion, to which Sir Herbert Gladstone had promised his support. A. member inored a resolution in favour of granting the vote to women,, and another member enlivened the debate by saying that he knew some* thine of women, having had two wives. He thought that the soxUhat could not) ffive up the wearing of feathers, although it meant the extinction of beautiful birds, * would not elevate the humanitarian condition of politics. Then a member made the speech which they suspected was to block their motion. The hour for adjournment was approaching, when th-ere was a disturbance in the Ladies' C4allery. "Divide, divide,"' called out shrill women's voices ihrough the "grille." "You'll 'talk it out, ' shouted one woman to the member speaking, and then a chorus of "Justice to women." It seems that some such disturbance had been anticipated-, and the Speaketf of the House- ordered the clearance of tho Ladies' Gallery, and policemen near promptly executed the order, and the names arid addresses of the women were taken. MissKenney was one of the leading spirits, the lady who led the deputation to the house of the; Prime Minister result" in.T in her being taken to ths police station, and Miss Parkhursi was another, who was sent to prison in October, in default of * paying a fine for obstructing a Liberal demonstration, in Manchester. One ladjr de- - clared that they had agitated for 30 years, " and no progress would be made until they „. had committed a few murders. But they ■■ were justified in their surmises — the bill was talked out.

Labour M.P.'s are reported as very ; angry. Mr John Burns said that if a sister of his had behaved like that he would haro ' boxed hex ears. Other .members were •"white with anger" at the daring.\ Botji' Unionists and Liberals are very much agK tated afc the "deplorable folly" which they; agree has. put back the. enfranchisement o$ English women by ten years. If so, wl'Xtfc about the deplorable smallness of the nwflj who would allow the incident such undue :». importance ; but in England the -woinasi „ so outnumber the men. that the unconscious: ' attitude of the- lawgiver to tlio oyeyabundant seat is "Rneel, kneel ; all knost."

I wish I had seen that white flag thrpt? out from that immaculate "grille" waving defiance in the face. of the Housa "Voted for Women..'-' It is said that the Hoti*e roared with laughter. ' , , ', =< - We managed better in New Zealand, and! by- winning the .men: to our -cairoe -they helped- us to gain it.