OPENING PUBLIC LIBRARIES ON SUNDAY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume I, Issue 14, 2 August 1873, Page 13

OPENING PUBLIC LIBRARIES ON SUNDAY.

xhb .Boston mot, on a petition to open the Public Libraries on Suudays comments as follows :— While we disagree with our Protestant brethren as to the ground on which we bwe our observanca of the Sunday, and as to the degree of strictness with which it shoull t»observed, we certainly cannot sac tint any particular good can comefrom the opening of our Public Libraries on Sunday. The fact is, and men like Joeiah Qumcy, who are bold enough to speak out their honest convictions openly proelai-n it, our Public Libraries are beginning to hare a demoralizing tendency, especially on tho young. Tho shelves are filled with all the novels of the times, good, bid, and indifferent; these are given out to applicants witUrmfc any discrimination, aud at the counter of the library, as at the bar of the rum^hop, that which tastes the strongest is most called for. Let anyone examine the report of the books given out, and ho will begin to doubt whether such culture as our people, especially our young people, get from book* taken from our Public Libraries be so md, anJ whether there U not need to adopt some precautionary measure other than merely koopin* the Liberties closed on Sunday. If these Libraries contained only good reading we should flnJ no fault with opening them on Sun lay ; but as the reading muter most oalle J for is such a? wo cannot aoprore we are atraid that the opening of these Libraries on Sun Jay "is " [here it quotes the words of tha petition] "fraught with peril to the foest interests of the community."

The London 'Universe' reads the following in the cßrus3el3c ßrus3el3 Courier. It is well worthy of the attention of those English statesmen, who have shown themselves so shallow as to approve of thepersecution of the Catholic Church in Prussia :— Tho ancient president of the ministry, the Baron Manteuffel (a, Protestant) said the other day in the Chamber of Peers (protesting against the new iniquitous laws)— " They will ruin tho principle of authority, already so weak ; the day is near at hand when the royal power itself will be questioned. I implore tho Almighty to avert our dancer, fjr otherwise the question will not be " priests or royalty," but " monarchy or the petroleura. '—AH mon of thought and who have a love for their country are- coming round to the judgment enunciated long ago by the Church-. But their waking up to this wisdom is somewhat late Heaven grant it may not be too late. A sI&NmoANT remark connected with Ireland is mentioned in the last report of the Civil Service Commissioners. Tlia Com nissioners j^""" 1 ' • may not be aninterß 3tin J j to note that there is a great difference in the amount of success achieved by tha candidates for situations in the Excise of the three kingdoms, more than one-half of the successful competitors having been examined in Ireland, less than one-third in England, and less than one-tenth in SjotLuil; and further, that while the proportion of prizos won to can U litos sent up was in England not quite 1 out of 9, and in dcothnd less th.m 1 in 12, in Ireland it amounted to somewhat more thin loit of 6." If thoso are the facts at present, what would Ireland do were her sons once placed on an equality as regards educational faoilitioa-a:U advantages with the English and Scotch competitors ? °

The Catholics of Wichtia, Ledgwick Co., Kansas-, have bought the Presbyterian Church of that place, and dedicated it to the honor of St. Aloysius. Father Lumborg, the pastor, has to attend the whals* south-western part of Kansas.