Current Topics.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume VII, Issue 336, 26 September 1879, Page 1

Current Topics .

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are afraid, after all, it will turn out that human nature is pretty much the same thing throughout these colonies as it is on the other side of the Pacific. Strange to say, it would appear as if crime was about to follow in the wake of secularism in Australia just as it has done in America. We have frequently had occasion to remark upon the manner in which the

one has paved the way for the other in the country alluded to, but always, out of deference for the strong persuasions of many estimable gentlemen amongst our fellow-colonists, have we allowed that humanity within the sweep of thess seas might po3sibly prove of more excellent and unbending quality than in the Great Republic. Still we find ourselves obliged to put two and two together, and when we find so staunch an advocate of secularism as our contemporary the Evening Star holding up horrified hands anent the crime in Melbourne, involuntarily we recollect that the secular system has now had ample time to show some of its ofiects, whether for good or whether for evil, there, and moreover that we might more especially have expected it to make manifest its excellence, were it possessed of such, in thinning the larrikin ranks. The Evening Star, however, informs us that it is otherwise. Here is what he says, " Crime in Melbourne is fearfully rife, and the Police Court records wear a sickening aspect. Lanikinism is on the increase, and no one is exempt from its attacks. Gangs of systematic plunderers infest the city, suicide is on the increase, and shocking cases crop up now and then in connection with the Chinese quarter of the town. One of the latest cases of larrikinism was a band of roughs taking forcible possession of an hotel, helping themselves liberally, destroying the property, and then nearly killed the landlady by striking her with a bottle. A shameful case of woman-assaulting is also on record. The poor creature was on her way to the hospital when a brute met her and beat her with his fists, and was only prevented from killing her with a knife by the timely appearance of a constable. Every week brings its tale of infanticide, and of young women decoyed away and ruined for life. The Chinese quarter is a blot upon Melbourne." The nurselings of secularism, then, are no improvement, to say the least of it, on those of the denominationalism we are told is finally defunct ; but, to follow up the elegant comparison made the other day by our contemporary the Daily Times of the denominational system to a " dead dog," the vermin shaken off by the system that is now alive and vigorous are quite as loathsome as any that have ever been otherwise produced. This at the very least, and we have no doubt whatever that, if they have not already done so, they will become before many years elapse very many times more numerous. That such has been the case in America it is impossible to deny ; for His Grace the Archbishop of Sydney, in a fourth pastoral issued by him, proves it by giving the following statistics. We have not as yet had time to receive the pastoral itself, but we clip the following from a report telegraphed to a Victorian contemporary : " Comparative ignorance, he says, is a misfortune that leads to crime ; but instruction without thorough religious instruction and moral education is a calamity that tends directly to produce criminals of the very worst class. He takes six New England States- namely, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont. Connecticut, and Rhode Mand, and contrasts them with six other States— namely, Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, Delaware, and Georgia— to show the difference. Yet the inhabitants of all those States, he points out, came of the same English race, and held the same Protestant religion. They all had the Prote&tant Bible, and, in the main, the same manners and customs, but they disagreed on the one question of religion. The New England States adopted the system of public schools, but the Virginian States rejected it. Both systems had been in work for years, and the public schools, according to the last census, had advanced the States in which they existed far ahead of the other States in purely secular instruction. The States

in which the public schools' system was in force had a population of 2,666,000, and out of them only 8543 could neither read nor write. The States where the private schools existed had a population of 3,000,000, out of whom 262.000 were wholly illiterate. This, it waa claimed, was a triumph ot knowledge over ignorance, and was taken to show the light that public schools bring to the intelligence. But turn to statistics of another kind. The States that adopted the public schools' .-ystem had 2459 criminals in prisen, while those States that adopted the other system had only 471. Thus the former had one native-born inhabitant out of every 1084 in gaol, while the latter had only one out of every 6670. Then the public schools' States had one suicide per annum to every 13,000, and the other States had only one suicide per annum to every 56,000. The former had one per annum who died of the effects of criminal lust to every 84,000 ; and the latter only one per annum to every 128,000. The public schools' States had one insane person to every 800 ; and the denominational States one to every 1280. Taking all the States together, not one of them approached Massachusetts as a breeder of criminal classes, although that State had far and away developed the public schools system to the greatest degree. The Alta California, one of the leading American newspapers, said that we must look for the cause of the general rowdyism, idleness, and viciousness of the rising generation nowhere but to the training it had been receiving. The prison reports of America stated that all the young criminals can read and write."

There are two gentlemen who, of their own accord hare come prominently before the public in connection with the catastrophe at the Octagon, Dunedin, and from whose " tricks and manners" we learn that the ridiculous not only occasionally approaches the sublime, but may even issue from circumstances attending on the sad and horrible. One of these gentlemen is our old, and exceptionally high-spirited, acquaintance, Mr. Denniston, and the other is the peripatetic reporter of onr contemporary the Lyttelton Times. Mr. Denniston, as we say, we know of old ; he is a noble soul brimming over with a fine and continual indignation, and as hard to hold in as a three-year-old colt. But we look upon him as spoiled by his nationality and profession ; instead of being a Scotchman and a lawyer he ought to hail from the county Tipperary and to head a faction with a shillelagh in his hand from Monday morning till Saturday night, and round again. It's face to face with three or four boys of the O'Ryans, or the O'Kellys, or the O'Neils, or somebody else with a strong spice of the " divil" in them he should stand. It actually brings the tears to our eyes to see him pitted off against nothing better than a bit of a coroner, or a " peeler" or the likes of that ; he's completely thrown away. The other gentleman tells us that he himself was once a warrior too ; but we have only his word for it, and we think more of one stout Wow dealt before our eyes in the street, than of all the reminiscences of warlike hours that could be written from this till doomsday. However, we will take his word for it, and when he tells us he has often faced the " music of the batteries" we will believe him. We will even believe he would rather do so again than again take the liberty he has taken ; and it is certain he ought to do so, for it is a grievous impertinence of any man to consider that the fact of a young lady's having met a most deplorable accident and bereavement justifies him in patronizingly alluding to her personal appearance in the newspapers. Our ex-warrior, however, now that there is no fighting to engage his powers, has taken to journalism it •eems, and it seems, moreover, he has elected himself a kind of censor of the Press in general, so that our stationary reporters had better mind their p's and q's or they will have all their shortcomings published to the world, find that in the choicest prose imaginable. That "centre of population more favourably situated" than Dunedin, (which we suppose is a military way of saying Christchurch,) will be forced to entertain a very poor opinion of them, if they do not look sharp. Our ex-warrior came down here "personally to institute inquiries," and he saw and heard no end of wonderful things that our good-for-nothing lot of reporters had never told him a word about. In the dark he saw a detective in a dark eutry watching every movement he made— and that is a sure token of eyes trained by campaigning. He saw a mob of boys with their " irrepressible mirth silenced" and that is a contradiction in terms only to be swallowed in presence of a determined fire-eater, such as an ex-warrior is sure to be. And,

in short, he saw all that was to be seen at least, and possibly a good ' deal more besides. However, he is a most entertaining person full of observation and philosophy, and that " centre of population" that forms his head-quarters must be proud of such an acquisition. He is quite right ; we have not a reporter in the town that is a " patch" on him ; his present inflation and conceit are unrivalled, whatever may have been the nature of his former courage.

In pursuance of the evident intention of the Imperial Government to stir up such an anti-Irish agitation as will prevent all chance of the spread of the Home Rule movement in England, there seems to exist a determination to revive the Fenian panic, so long dead, and for whose revival there cannot be the least rational grounds. With a view to this end, it is clearly resolved to engage the services of that Press whose falsity, unscrupulouaness and violent prejudices have, as Mr. A. M. Sullivan recently told the Whitehall Review, done so much to prolong and widen the division between England and Ireland. An opportunity for this, it appears, has offered in a threat, genuine or invented for the occasion, made to wreck the Queen's special train on its passage along certain of the English lines, and in consequence of which precautions were taken in connection with some of Her Majesty's recent journeys. The matter, if bona fide, seems to have been very vague, and no particulars had transpired that could justify an accusation of any party or individual in connection with it, but, nevertheless, ono oE the London weeklies has not hesitated to hint broadly to its readers that Fenianism it was that prompted the murderous iatention. We need, then, expect nothing less than a revival of public indignation in England against this cause, which is now a mere phantom, and which no one, at all well informed, so much as suspects of a lingering existence in any part of the United Kingdom. But the end desired will be served all the same ; Ireland generally will be confounded with the detested system, and alarm and hatred against all thoughts of doing her justice spread broadcast throughout England. This is now the task that evidently lies before the English Press, and we have no doubt it will be undertaken and executed con amove. Mr. A. M. Sullivan certainly used very strong language on the occasion to which we have already alluded, but his language was not one bit too strong. There are no words in which to express the infamy of the journalist who lends himself to pander to the desires of a party or Government, so as to hurt grievously the interests of millions of his fellow subjects, and excite against them, all-undeserving, the hatred of the nation to which he belongs, and which he deceives and hoodwinks into consenting to tyranny.

We have discovered a receipt for preaching " evangelical " sermons, and much that had hitherto puzzled us has become as clear as the day-light. We find it in a paragraph descriptive of the country life of the renowned Mr. Moody, whose apostolic labours seem to have resulted in setting him up very comfortably for this world as well as for the next. The paragraph tells vs — "He is especially fond of raising poultry, and is said to be studj'ing illustrations for sermons from the fowls." There is no doubt that the cluckiug hens, and geese < specially, may furnish him with much matter for his eloquence. In fact, we have ere now believed that it was possible to discern in such sermons as he and his fellows preach a good deal that was suggestive of the origin in question. We are by do means surprised, therefore, to find the poultry yard resorted to for inspiration by these preachers of righteousness.

According to the gentleman who utters " London Town-Talk " for the Melbourne Argvx, the general reading abilities of the public of our t"mes arc hardly calculated to benefit the world much. He says no magazine of the day can succeed if a story be not included in its contents, the plain sense of which is that nine-tenths of the people who purchase magazines do so altogether for the sake of the few pnges of light reading they contain, and never think of so much as glancing over any of the graver or more useful matter to be found there. This is a very striking proof that modern education is more of a show than of a reality, and the question may even arise from it as to whether or not there is, after all, so very great an advantage gained by those who, knowing how to read, devote themselves to frittering away their time, impairing their memories, and, it may even be loosening their morals, for it may be doubted whether a very large proportion of the fictioa that is printed can have any other effect on those who study it. For our own part, we are not ashamed to confess that we consider the man who, not knowing bow to read, finds enough to interest and occupy him in bis business, his thoughts, and his observations, is likely to be a being superior to the man who seeks no resources in himself, but turns his acquired powers to the use of enabling him to kill time by the contemplation of what some one possessed of little more learning or intelligence than be has to narrate concerning the foolish thoughts, tame adventures, unruly passions, and silly conversation of imaginary characters. Heading the ordinary fiction of the hour, in fact, so as to constitute it a regulaz occupation, is simply an idlo and vicious habit, and if it be all

that is understood to form what is called a " reading people," all we can say is, we consider it any thing but a reproach to be stigmatised as a non-reading people. M. Paul Feval has, indeed, already told us that the men of our times read nothing worth reading, but are content to take their information from the daily papers, and, if we recollect aright, Mr. Frederick Harrison has said something of the same kind in a paper published by him in a recent periodical ; so that, on the whole, we begin to suspect the present generation of ordinary readers is a generation that have had their minds poisoned or enfeebled, or it may be both together, by the perusal of unlimited trash, and that for the most part is all they have gained by the universal spread of enlightenment.

Mn. Lecky, the historian of Rationalism, tells us in one of the most eloquent passages written by him that it was the Catholic teaching concerning the dignity and privileges of the Blessed Virgin, that raised womanhood to the high position held by it in the ages of Faith, and since, in a lesser degree, enjoyed by it throughout all civilization. But we might of our own observation almost gather this by seeing how, as the world separates more widely from Catholic doctrine, womanhood sinks in the scale of humanity, and bids fair to degenerate into the slavish and odious position occupied by it under the ancient Paganism, and amongst barbarous and non-Christian peoples in modern times, or even into a position still more degraded ; and of the many sights we mark of this we find none more disgraceful than the public exhibitions now so frequent in America, and of which we occasionally read notices in our contemporaries. Take for example the following paragraph clipped from the correspondence of the N.Z. Herald. The writer is describing pedestrianism as exercised by females, with some sketches of the competitors. He says :—": — " Miss Von Berge is also on the track for ' exhibition walks.' She is a carthorse style of female, with a huge body and swinging step. How she foots it, heel-and-toe. Heavens ! She comes down upon the flat oE her foot like a thunderbolt ; being neither pretty, but large and coarse, she excites little interest, The two champion ladies are accomprnied all day long by ladies who walk for pleasure, thus relieving the monotony for the jaded tramps, who must be jaded, though they are too plucky to reveal the same." What can be more revolting than this ? The brutalizing influences of such sights, or even such descriptions, are of themselves enough to corrupt and debase any nation in the world. Verily the contempt of Catholic teaching entails its own punishment.

We are informed by the Cooktown Courier of a recent date that the poor missionaries have had another escape from those blood-thirsty natives. It seems that last June the Ellangowan anchored in Dudfield harbour and was robbed by the savages there of some stancheon bars. This took place during the night and next morning the holy men ventured to approach the shore, principally to recovei their property, but also it is reasonable to suppose with ;i view to speaking a word in season for tl.c conversion of the heathen. They were, however, attache! with spears and stones, but fortunately the captain of the Ellangowan, not a missionary mind but, so to speak, an ante damnee employed by the missionaries for matte, s of this kind, mari aged to shoot one of the attacking pa; ty, aud th-it at once settled the matter. The poor missionaries wero permitted to J'go in peace," and the bloodthirsty nitives carried off their dying or dead comrade in a terrible fright at what they had ignorantly brought on themselves. The Ellengowan then sailed off and gave information to the Captain of H.M.S. Beagle of the affair, and he took it in hands and soon recovered the stolen bars, " the natives having previously heard of the terrible things he could and would do if they were not restored." So prospers the propagation of the gospel of peace in the South Seas. Our holy apostles <;o thiustiag themselves into situations amongst the savage people in which they know beforehand, as well as possible they must expect to suffer from treachery and violence — or rather to be attacked by then, for they manage to suffer mighty little— and then they inflict summary justice by a kind of Ly ich-law on the unfortunates who have but acted as their customs are known to direct. This may lie called Christian missionary work by those wlio please so to name it, but we hold that those who please on the oth ;r hand may most justly name it buccaneering, or something, at least, nearly akin thereto.

It is no wonder at all that the Presbyterian Synod of Otago wants to control I'rofesspr Macgregoi's logic and psychology. We do not, indeed, see- how it could be otherwise, for how in the world could the logic and psychology of any man be considered to stand on their right legs when he accuses the Synod of " fighting ?" What could be be supposed to know about the working of the human soul after such an accusation as that, brought against the soul in a state of perfection ; and, to boot, if he had had a particle of reason about him he never would have made it. Logic and psychology, indeed ! The logic and psychology that can do nothing better than declare the salt of the earth to exist in a condition next door to fisticuffs are mighty queer science, it is quite time somebody or othergained the whip hand over them. But that is not the whole of it. Not only

does the Professor accuse our venerable apostolic college of "fighting," but he actually says that, while they do one thing " ostensibly," they have the intention of really doing another. Is this logic and psychology, we want to know ; or is it downright, unblushing impu- , dence ? We wait for an answer, for while the matter lies between Presbyterian Synod of Otago and Professor Macgregor, we ourselves are quite unable to determine anything about it. However, there is one thing we plainly perceive — the prayer meetings at the University have not benefitted Professor Macgregor one pin. He is evidently totally unregenerate, and the poor Chancellor has had all the trouble of wrestling in supplication for him in vain. It is a pity to gee so much good, pious, breath wasted. Fortunately, however, it ia an exception to the general rule, and there will be lots of other conversions to atone for it. Meantime, we learn that the Synod is about to establish a theological college with their surplus funds, and no doubt their intention is highly praiseworthy ; that is, if it be just and legal. But as matters are situated at the present moment, perhaps it might fall in more consistently with their national prudence if they would make up their minds to " bide a wee." The fact is, the theology they elect to teach just now may turn out not to be the thing at all that is required a few years hence. Presbyterianism appears to be, at least, on the brink of a state of transition, for it is judged partly to incline towards Episcopalianism and partly towards Socinianism, as may be seen by an article from the Saturday Jfevie?v published by us in another column, under the heading "Scotch Dogmatism." Therefore, the Synod had better deliberate somewhat longer, (of course, Professor Macgregor means deliberation when he speaks of " fighting,"), await the turn of events, and not risk the danger of setting up a theological college which might hereafter prove a sore bone of contention between rival factions of their own divided sect.

" Puck," an American comic weekly, gives a likeness of the famous preacher Talmage, who is now, or at least was lately, creating such a furore in London. The likeness, which is evidently a good one, presents to us a shrewd, wide-awake, knowing, Yankee face, and disciples of Lavater even without any further information would have no difficulty in concluding that it belonged to a man quite capable of getting along capitally through life, in any calling it might please him to adopt. He, at least, would by no means seek inspiration for his preaching amongst the hens and chickens. The comic paper sketches, comically of course, the preacher's career amongst English church-goers, and one of the groups with which he is brought into contact represent members of the various clerical bodies, from the Anglican bishop in his lawn sleeves to the extraordinary nondescript dissenter, who may be met with in remote places ; but one and all they appear in high dudgeon, evidently devoured with chagrin at the devotion that attends upon the sensational stranger. We should think this group is very happily imagined ; it must be excessively aggravating to the easy-going, humdrum, ministers in general to find their preserves so trespassed upon. A preacher like Talmage is calculated to do them an immensity of harm ; services conducted by him are a species of dissipation as ruinous to the religious mind as would be a course of sensational novel reading to the student of reading-lessons in a schuolbook. To return to the ordinary fare would be a trial far greater than many could bear, and even the most staid would be tempted to regard their accustomed minister, at least for a period, as more or less of a bore. Decidedly those parsons the chief feature of whose worship is the sermon cannot feel very happy in the neighbourhood of such men as Talmage, and the worst of it is they cannot be imitated ; sensationalism of any kind must be the gift ef nature. Any imitation of it is the flattest of the flat.

The news by the San Francisco Mail which reached Auckland on Tuesday last seems anything but re-assuring. The Government seem to be warmly following up their plan of exciting disturbances in Ireland, and consequently rousing the indignation and resentment of England, never a very difficult task, against the Irish people. In consequence, we hear of an attack made by the police upon a Home Rule procession at Lurgan, which resulted in one of the processionists being killed and two severely wounded. It is added that the people wrecked Lord Lurgan's lodge — his gate-house, we presume, and Rome houses of Protestants ; that is — if there be any tiuth in it — the " houses not of Protestants viewed in a religious point of view, but of some persons belonging to that sect who were aiding and abetting in the murder and maiming committed by law in the streets. The Irish Volunteer Bill has been thrown out in Parliament, but a proposal is advanced to enroll unarmed Irish Volunteers, whatever that extraordinary class of semi-military men may look like. It is possibly considered necessary to teach them to know their right foot from their left, as we have heard of its being done in old times, by attaching a bit of straw rope to one of the members in question ; and bo to sharpen them up for any emergency that may arise. Our experience, however, of the Irish peasantry has been quite sufficient to assure us that they need no such training, and that, further, they are quite sharp enough to understand and resent the impudent slight that is offered to them. Unarmed voluntcera, indeed I Pray are

they in any way connected with that famous corps, the horse-marines? There are a few queer items, too, related of the Pope, as usual, emanating from the bewildered imagination of some dozing journalist or telegraph clerk. It seems His Holiness las again snubbed the " Ultramontanes," chastised the Belgian bishops, and frowned on the little-game of the Jesuits. It is no wonder at all, then, if somebody in Baltimore says they want to poison him. Nothing less could possibly be said, and we are only astonished to find it has been drawn so mildly. We would say at once the true Pope had been poisoned and a stuffed one on Jesuit wires set up in his place. Russia is again, it would seem, carrying on her small school-boy menaces of England. Once more we hear of unlimited cruisers being ordered at New York, and we may, in a short time, daily expect a descent of Cossacks upon these shores of ours. It is, however, a comfort to know there are a few gentlemen in the place always ready to do whatever fighting may offer itself to them ; they will protect us, and we shall rest at peace in their shadow. Let the Cossacks come. The Czar has, moreover, slighted England by excluding her from the invitations, issued to all the rest of Europe, to send representatives to witness certain great military manoeuvres commenced on July 25th. Russians are also said to have armed the Bulgarians heavily, and to be endeavouring to stir up the Albanians against Austria. On the whole, there would be nothing to surprise us in a renewal of hostilities in the East, as matters there seem far from settled, and Austria, aided by Germany, is reported to be endeavouring to coerce the Porte, so as to obtain for herself a strong footing in Turkey. The relations between Russia and Germany seem far from friendly, and the Russians are building forts upon their German frontier. In America, the yellow fever is raging at Memphis, and some cases have also occurred at New Orleans ; while in Europe cholera has made its appearance, two deaths being reported as occasioned by it in London. Under existing circumstances, there are worse places of residence than we find in New Zealand.