FOLLY VARIES LITTLE.

Star (Christchurch), Volume LXVI, Issue 20484, 10 December 1934, Page 7

FOLLY VARIES LITTLE.

Bishop Attacks the “ New Morality.” Uniter] Press Assn.—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright. MELBOURNE, December 9. I ifty thousand women knelt in rain at Mass at the Show Grounds on Saturday* morning in a ceremony which was a counterpart of the men’s Eucharistic Night on Thursday. Of nianv remarkable demonstrations of the Roman Catholic faith this week none displayed so much triumph of belief over discomfort. The colourfulness of the scene was spoiled bv the rain, but significant pageantry prevailed. A sermon was preached by Bishop Downey. Discussing the new morality, which he described as the old immorality with a thin veneer of respectability, Bishop Downev described the valiant woman nowadays as the one who stood up against current views, was not sway’ed by lax conventions, was not dazzled by the glitter of the “ smart ” set and was not seduced into frivolous behaviour. The old portrait of the female homewrecker had lost none of its actuality*. It seemed that fashions in folly had varied little in three thousand years. When people spoke of broadmindedness in religion it should be borne in mind that error was broad and truth was narrow. Great Procession. Midnight Masses in all Roman Catholic Churches on Saturday night prepared the Eucharistic Congress visitors for the great Eucharistic procession this afternoon, with which the Congress virtually ended. When the procession was due to begin, it was estimated that 300,000 persons were lining the two-mile route. Beginning at St Patrick’s, the procession, comprising 600 prelates and priests and 50,000 laymen, follow*ed the principal city* streets, ending at Mount Stevin’s Hospital, the city’s principal Catholic hospital, '’ here, from a platform on the facade high above the street, Cardinal Macßory pronounced the final Benediction.