NASEBY.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume III, Issue 138, 24 December 1875, Page 13

NASEBY.

*-*■ The close approach of the greatest of all the Christian festivals •which our Holy Mother, the Church, delights to celebrate, -with the proper devotional pomp, and ceremony — the return of the season of the Nativity of our Blessed Redeemer— is being ushered in upon us with such -unmistakable signs of rejoicing on everyside that one would beinclined to think nature even cognisant of the recurrence of the triumphant event, and hastened to array herself in the charms of bright skies, green fields, and balmy breezes to do honour an.4 homage to so and grand and important an occasion. The weather just now is really enjoyable. The mountains and far stretching plains, blooming with every phase of inpigenous vegetation, and musical with the plaintive and resonant bleatings of innumerable flocks about to deliver into the hands of the nimble and diligent shearer their antmal rich tribute of wealth producing fleece. In and around the little town of Naseby, •which so quaintly and snugly nestles at the feet of earth's grand old Titans, the eternal hills, the gardens and cultivated plots of grcmnd wrested in most instances by the vigorous arm of the miner (chiofest pioneer and promoter of the beneficial and ameliorating influences of civilisation in this remote southern land) from their primeval state of " -waving wiry tussock," and defiantly pointed I " spear grass," pleasantly put forth all their attractiveness of flower and fruit, of springing corn, and odoriferous exhalement, to still further increase and beautify the ovational demonstrations; everywhere so lavishly apparent. And while all natvire thug greets the advent of the infant Saviour, man too, combines to mark his sense of joyful recognition of the glorious festival of the birth of our Divine Lord, for the One Holy Catholic and Apostolical Ohurch tenderly invited all her children in this neighbourhood to nvail themselves of the blessings and graces and benefits of the indulgence vouchsafed to those who piously discharge the works of mercy, corporal and spiritual, enjoined by her on the faithful during' the time of Jubilee lately celebrated here, which, commencing on Sxmday, the 11th inst., closed yesterday, the 19th, the fourth and last Sunday of Advent with the touching and beautiful ceremony of the consecration of the Sacred lieai*t of Jesus, at which it w«s highly gratifying to see so many Catholics assisting 1 , animated by the love of God and grace of the Holy Spirit, piously endeavouring to make themselves worthy recipients of the Sacrament 3, the partaking of which would bring them all the manifold mercies of the indulgence. They come from all parts of this extensive parish — from the Gftiribaldi Lead, situato amidst the fastnesses of the Rough Eidge range of mountains on one hand to the gold-washing waters of the Marewhenua, trending coastwise to the grain-laden plains of the swift - ilowiug Wailaki on the other, to worship in the Old Faith, which anbroken aod unchanged from the time of the great " Fisherman" Peter, the rock ou which the Church o£ God is built, and against which no machinations of the Evil One shall prevail, dovrn to the days of the present Supreme Pontiff, Hl3 Holiness Pio If ono, still remains draw ing into the embraces of its maternal bosom all sections of humanity in every part of this revolving sphere, and wliich will continue to do so despite haughty Kaiser, or iniquitous oppr ssor, Teuton, or Tartar, till time itself shall bo no more. During the cour3e of the Jubilee, several discourses were deli> yerad in an impressive and eloquent manner by the very zealous and indefatigable Rev. Father in OodE. Eoyer, to'tho assembled congregation. On the last day of the Jubilee, the 19th inst., the last Sunday of Advent, the Key. Father took for the text of his subject at Mass from St. Paul, " This is the will of God, your sanetifica ion." At Vespers, bis theme was the Sacred Heart of Jesus, each of which discourses was of a highly devotional and edifying kind. The church was nicely and tastefully decorated with the first flowers of the £e»Bon, and a choir — vocal and instrumental — melodiously rendered the soul-elevating music of the various religious services. And now to turn to matters of a secular character. The political atmosphere hereabouts is not very violently agitated, although we are on the eve of a most momentous crisis in the history of the land of Macauley's pretty well used up " Traveller." I thought to h&ve avoided him, but L Hottime sauvajp like Coleridge's "'Ancient Mariner," clutched me by the beard with his tawny hand, and would insist on making a figure in the picture — "Aroint thee Sa.tan ! " We have two candidates for the representation of the district in the field already, and another probable " .Richmond " is hinted at, but as yet he has made no sign, and the place knows him not. Of the two before the elector.3 — Messrs. Do Lautour and Chapman — it may he said that De Lautour is a known, proved and tried man of the people, and for them not altogether inexperienced in the art of legislation, well conversant with mining matters and tlie laws bearing thereon, and oue whose voice and ability of no mean ordei', have often been exercised ere now on behalf of the interests ami welfare of the place and its inhabitants generally ; an advocate of justice to all, using for his watchword " Progression, ' and the settlement of the people on the soil. Of the other, Mr. Chapman, it can but be observed that he is totally xinknown to political life, and hails from the very suspicious and not to be depended on ranks of Squafocracy. Verb, sap : Mr. De Lautouv holds views on the education question, one of such vital importance to all true Catholics, of a more liberal and advanced kind than many other would-be legislators have expressed. Tn the course of a political peregrination to Black-stone Hill, a. sub.district of Mount Ida, at a public meeting held there, Mr De Lautour in re the Education difficulty is reported to have eaid : — "All denominations ex apt Catholics could conscientiously make U9e of our odu< ational syitern. Tl c Catholics could not, and elected even in poor districts to s'pporb their own schools. Under these eircum stances there cou dbe no doubt, if such Catholic schools satisfied Government inspection as to tie seculur education taught in them— so long as Catholics continue at at present large contributors to the taxation of the colony— they

would have to get some assistance in the case of any general rating. That could bo done without in the slightest degree altering our own non-sectarian system of education He was quite sure that Protestants would scorn to teach their children at the expense of their Catholic neighbours. This,' however, was the system in Auckland, aud it was proposed in Otago last year. A Bill was proposed which would have given National School Committees at Naseby and St. Bathan's power to levy a rate up to a certain limit on all in their districts— Catholics and Protestants— to support the national schools ! It appears from a perusal of this statement that Mr. De Lautour would endeavour to have justice done to Catholics in regard to educational matters, and I think it were well for us to see that Mr De Lautour, who in another respects is a worthy and liberal man, should be put in the " right place at the right time," to the exclusion of anyone who has yet tendered an appearance in the candidatorial arena of Mount Ida. He is very popular in the district, and much believed in by the miners throughout Otago, as testified to by the votes of thanks rendered to him from time to time by the various mining associations of the Province. Mining operations, farming, gardening and grazing occupations are being vigorously carried on in our midst, and the promise of a fruitful season is beginning to be cheerfully observed m the surrounding localities. The length of my communication precludes me from furnishing you at present with a deal more of interesting matter concerning Naseby, but I shall be glad to do so on a future occasion. [As this is an unpretending paper, our correspondents would oblige us by not writing in too eloquent a style. — Ed. N. Z. T.]