CHRISTCHURCH.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIII, Issue 48, 26 March 1886, Page 16

CHRISTCHURCH.

(From our own Correspondent.) Last Sunday, St. Mary's Orphanage occupied the lion's share of the attention which the congregation had to spare from the services of the Church. It was th« day appointed by Father Ginaty for the return of the books of the art union, and by books it was understood that he meant the butts only. Before and after each of the service of the day, this work went on briskly, and was supplemented by an active canvas conducted by the missionary rector in person The result of this was very satisfactory. I learn Cbristchurch has in fact, earned for itself a high place in the list of rahscnbers to this splendid Catholic institution. In the anneal which Father Ginaty made to the congregation to subscribe well to the art union, he mentioned that he was himself a subscriber, and said that while, understanding and appreciating his chance of a prize- which if he got he would present to the Magdalen Asylum.— he hoped he would not get a prize at all Aereat many of us understand and appreciate our chances of prizes but not many go to the point of wishing that they may not be successful. «. w ?übßcn? übßcn P Monß are coming in freely. I hear, from all parts for the Magdalen, and it is a fair inference from what has passed that the Bisters will soon be, if they are not already, actually on their wav out. Needless to say, that the need of a good financial start is pressing and that the efforts to secure it are as eoergetic as ever. Father Ginaty hopes that the whole Colony will make this great charity its own. ' Since this project was made public, that curious creature who pretends to be an "Escaped Nun," has thought fit to taka up the rescue of fallen woman, as you know, and to devote the proceeds of some of her entertainments to that good purpose I am not in a position to say whether her Christchurch friends followed the Dunedin example, by doing her the honour of selecting lier to be the first recipient of monies destined expressly for fallen or destitute women. I mean that I don't know how her testimonial if she got one, was paid for. But Ido know that &uo and some of her lady friends made some amusing statements on the occasion of the n^™' , £ mon £ 8t oth er wild things, some one said she had heard Cardinal Manning boast publicly that he had trained forty young men to Press-work, who, having gained a footing in the leading London journals, were valuable to Catholicity, not do much for what they had put into those, papere.but for what they kept out. Theaeeloqueotand pious ladies went on to wonder whether some of these forty youna men were on the staff of the Christchurch newspapers. It was their ingenious method of accounting for the absence a>f full reports of the proceedings of their prophetess. The local sensation of the hour is the behaviour of the Charitable Aid Board to the master of the Lyttelton Orphanage. The matter has very little general interest beyond showing that in local Rovernment all is not jrold that glitters. Many of us have been calling for local government ever since the Provinces were abolished, and the fir tfruit of the first; instalment of that principle has diagusted ni s?i* ,* 1 ' "ything more unjust or more inexpedient it would be dimcult to get any. respectable body of men to do. The session of the University Senate has not been particularly instructive to the pnblic here, for the simple reason that the newspapers thought fit not to report the debates. To those who are aware that the University controls the future status of law, medicine, education and dentistry in this colony, to say nothing of that marvellous modern aspiration known to the initiated as "cultchaw," the session dofanot appear to huve been particularly interesting. Exception has been taken, I see by a northern journal, to the establishment of decrees in " pedagogy," the latest of the Premier's fads. The fact is, However, that the Senate has really shelved this important question It has made the course of study so stiff that no pedagogue is likely to apply. The Premier met with a more direct rebuff in his attempt to get the Senate to abolish itself in favour of the Elective

University Commission he favours. The Benate did not " see it " all. Another report is in circulation about a powerful syndicate negotiating for the construction of the East and West Coast Bail way. The .'report is quite correct, I am in a position to say. A powerful London syndicate is negotiating. Whether the syndicate will agree to the terms, which are as they originally were, is another question. I fancy it is unlikely. If they do, the occupation of the Railway League will bo gone. That body has become distinctly political, and is getting daily more energetic. As an organisation it is, if not put an end to by the agreement of the syndicate to make the railway, likely to be of the greatest value to the Government party at the elections after next session. Its pamphlet is nearly ready, the compiler having reached the last pages of hi* manuscript, giving the history of every movement made since 1870, for the construction of tho line. It will prove of yery general interest. Nelson and Westland will be particularly pleased to find in the list the story of the company which was organised within their borders among the " seventies " to make the line, and only desisted on the distinct promise of the Government of the day that the work would be a Government work. Tolnnteers arc preparing for the Easter encampment and review to be held at Oamaru. Canterbury will, I have reason to believe, be well represented in spite of the unaccustomed hardships of camp life, and the appalling prospect of a commissariat which only proposes to charge 2s. per day per man. The quartermaster is, rnmour says, an experienced man, so that the arrangements are pretty sure to be good, No scrambling, and food contractors kept up to the mark.