THE REV. A. C. GILLIKS.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIV, Issue 40, 28 January 1887, Page 15

THE REV. A. C. GILLIKS.

TnE Rev. A. C. Git,i,tes is porsistant and somewhat comical. He seems in a hail way for a fight, and reminds us of the pugilist who was mouldy for a beating. Bishop Moran, he seems to think, is afraid of him, and consequently, like the inebriate at the fair, he crows loudly. Bishop Mora.x, no doubt, knows why he is silent, and also what it is he intends to do ultimately. But it appears to us that there is nothing for the Bishop to answer, so far as the Rev. A. C. Gillies is concerned. The Bishop, some two months ago, in reply to a communication made to the editor of the Evening Star by " a Protestant Minister,'" who, it now appears, was the Rev. A. C. Gillies, asked for a clear statement of his thesis and quotations from St. Thomas and Liguoki with reference. After nearly two months this rev. gentleman writes a reply in which, however, he neither gives a clear statement of his thesis nor any quotations whatever from St. 'J homas and Liquori. I hi? conditions laid down by the Bishop not Laving been complied with there is nothing for the B'shop to answer. In the Star of the 20th inst,, the Rev. A. C. Gillies wants to know why Uie Bishop ha? neglect* d to give an answer to what amounts to

nothing. True, this rev. gentleman asked a number of questions, and essayed the tactics of Sir Robert Stout byendeavouring to induce the Bishop to prove a negative. But, until the Rev. A. C. Gillies states his thesis in clear terms, and gives quotations from St. Thomas and Liguobi, there is nothing to answer. In his last letter, the Rev. A. C. Gillies, after the manner of his kind, runs away from St. Thomas and Ligtjori, from whom he boasted he was ready to make quotations, to Dr. Vaughan on the Syllabus. We have not read Dr. Vaughan on the Syllabus, but we have no doubt that it is able, and that were the Rev. A. 0. Gillies to read it attentively and dispassionately, he should derive great benefit from it, and be helped thereby to the acquisition of a trifle of common sense. We are sorely tempted to give tit for tat and subjoin some racy quotations from Luther, Calvin, John Knox, and some other worthies of the socalled Reformation. But we ask ourselves cvi bono, and resist our impulse at least for the present.

The mission of the Redemptorist Fathers has been continued during the week at St. Joseph's Cathedral, Dunedin. On Thursday evening, the 20th inßt., a solemn Act of Reparation to the Most Blessed Sacrament was made— the altar being decorated for the occasion in a very brilliant manner. Wax candles and flowers were contributed in profusion by the members of the congregation, and under the direction of the Rev. Father O'Farrell, they weie arranged with a taste that could not be surpassed, and so as to harmonise with and enhance the beauties of the surrounding architecture and the fine carving of the altar. The effect of the whole may be described as superb iv the extreme. The sermon was preached by the Rev. Father Bergman, and was a most eloquent discourse, combining forcible and convincing argument in proof of the great mystery of transubatantiation with fervent devotion to the Heal Presence. — The prayer in which the missionary afterwards addressed the Most Holy was in tensely moving, and found its way straight to the hearts of thoss who took part with him in the adoration. On Sunday, at the 11 a,m. Mass, Father Bergman preached again, a most striking sermon on Faith, and in the evening Father Hegatty delivered a dtirnng discourse on the General Judgment. On Monday evening Father O'Farrell preached on Intemperance, dealing with hte subject in tha touchiug and impressive manner, and with all t.ie eloquence, for which the sermo'm of the good missioTar}' are rem irk'tble. Every evening daring the week, in fact, one or other of the fathers has edified and instructed a crowded congregation in a manner that cannot fail to produce a lasting effect. The instructions and Masses in the morning have also been well attended, and the numbers who have visited the confessionals, and thus the best possible evidence of the fruits of the missionaries' labour?, have been such ns must even satisfy the Fathers thpnT-'elves. We ne<xl not add that they have been most unsparing in their labours, and given up entirely and incessantly to their holy work. This QFri lay) evening, a sermon on the Passion will be preached, and on Sunday the mission to adults will terminate. Thtt to the children will commence on Monday.

The Dominican Convent High School, and St Joseph's School, Dunedin, will reopen on Monday, the3lst inst : — Punctual attendance on the part of pupi's is requested.

The following interesting details, which wj tike from the Auckland correspondent uf th r ; Otiqo Daily Tunes of the 21st inst., throw a little additional ligat on those congratulations 1 ite!y uttered by the Premier at Christchuich concerning the raoiul effects of the secular system. Prison statistics, we learn once moie, do not explain everything. — " The Herald, commenting on the speech of the letiring president of the Wesleyan Conference, says : 'The prominence which is now given to the gambling mania among the subjects attraciii g the attention of religious bodies reveals a consciousness that the vice is fast usurping the place which has long been held by drunkenness as the bane of social life. This gambling spirit is at the present hour poisoning the minds of our children. Society has nffixrd a stigma to drunkenness which is to an extent a deterrent, but to gambling on horse raciug or athletic contests uo disgrace is attached yet ; bo that women as well as men, children as wfll as their fathers and mothers, young men and maidens alike ar*> giving themselves over to this new and terrible power without any sense of shame or peril. We observe that the president of a Sjuthern racing club Ins asserted ''that the totalisator was preventing gambling, an young men did not rob their employers to invest on i1"."i 1 "." Possibly this may be so in Dunediu, though what there is in the totalisator to produce such gocd results we tail to see, as we fail to imagine why Dunedin should differ from other places in this respect ; for that the totalisaior prevents gambling, oi that it saves young men from temptation to rub their employer^, is contrary to our experience iv. Auckland. There is at present doing penal servitude in Mount Eden the steward of a loc?l steamer, who, with all the pißSJipre-mo iev of a trip on him, went to the laces, and sinking £30 on the totalisator, followed it up in his lecklessness with £20 ou debauchery of the money the

property of his employer. And there is hardly one in Auckland bnt who can tell of a case in his experience of some young fellow in difficulties, or suddenly levanting from such pilfering and embezslement. Disguise it as we may, the fatal malady has seized our peoplei and unless the legislature promptly and effectually interposes, the people of this Colony, young and old, are on the verge of a grave of social demoralisation.' '"

The address delivered by the Premier on Tuesday evening to his constituents of Dunedin East was more remarkable for the incidental admissions to be foand in it than for the elaborate explanations and glorifications of the policy of the Government. We find, for example, that a protection tariff is to be introduced, not for the sake of fostering colonial industries, but as the means of providing above all things for the enormous and constantly increasing expense of the secular schools. Sir Robert Stout evidently does not believe that Protection will do anything towards establishing manufactures in the colony, for in that case the revenue derived from imports — no matter how high the tariff, must certainly become diminished. Sir Robert is prepared to make use of the popular cry for Protection, in which it is clear he has no faith whatever, to work out his own ends. The Premier also expects that colonists will consent to be deprived of many conveniences and necessaries which they now possess, in order to sustain the Godlo=s schools. The address in question was, as is usual with the deliverances of the learned speaker, full of theories and fads, and a fine philosophy could be discerned throughout its rather hum-drum details.— The expenses of the civil service are to be reduced by the gradual introduction into it of the celibate female element — or, in other words, by recruiting its ranks from those young ladies who are destined to become old maids, and consequently will not need high salaries — a cup of tea and a drop of milk for the cat being cheap luxuries. Freehold property in land is finally to be forbidden, and all the original propositions we have ever heard Sir Robert propound, are to be brought forward again whenever the opportunity offers — whenever it is safe to do so without endangering the one thing necessary— that is, the Premier's tenure of office. In reply to a question Sir Robert declared boldly that he was not a man to change his mind 1 The man nevertheless is the same who having published a pamphlet denouncing secular education strongly, became the arch-secularist of the Colony ; who having condemned titles, and written and taught against them, was himself glad and thankful to accept the first that was offered to him ; who, having written energetically in condemnation of the prison management of Captain Hume is now the Inspector's very humble servant. They say, however, 'that no man knows his own character, and perhaps Sir Robert really c insiders himself steadfast, honest, and consistent. At any rate, the p)sition in which he finds himself fully justifies him in openly deriding the intelligence of the men who have placed him theie.

Caffrey and Perm have been sentenced to death at Auckland for the G^eat Barrier murder, with a recommendation to mercy. — An agitation is being conducted to secure a reprieve for the first nam'xl prisoner.

Thk trial of Thomas Hall for the murder of Captain Cain is now dra rgine its sickening length in Danedin. It occasions a good deal ol interest among people who have a taste for the study of horrors.

The funerals of the poor fellows who lost their lives in Dunedin on Sunday took place on Welnesday. — That especially of Edward Henry Esquilant was numerously attended, and attracted an immense crowd in the s'rjets. The volunteers, of whose force he had been a member, mustered strongly, and a long procession of the friends of the deceased la I's family also followed his body to the cemetery. Many of the shops in the leading thoroughfares were closed and the utmost sympathy and good feeliug were shown on every side.

The European situation still continues doubtful, especially in these colonies where one cablegram directly contradicts anotherso that no rational conclusion can be formed. Appearances, however, seem on the whole to point towards a probable war. Matters, moreover, seem additionally complicated by a debate which has taken place in the American Senate respecting the fisheries, and in which several speakers threatened war with England. A speech again in which Mgr. Freppel, in the French Chamber advocated the open annexation of the New Hebrides, and rejected the claims of England and Australia, has occasioned some sensation. Meantime, some disposition on the part of Mr. Chamberlain and his party to make concessions to Mr. Gladstone evidently points to the reconciliation of the Liberals of all sects, and promises a peaceful solution of the Irish question.

Mil. John Morley, according to the following paragraph appears to have been paying some pretty compliments to Lord Salis-bury-—"John Morley, in a speech at Edinburgh, has likened the Conscivative party to a blind man led by a lively dog. He advocated Home Rule for Scotland and Ireland."

One satisfactory lesult has arisen from the attempted tyranny and extortion of Loid (lanncarde (says United Ireland of Dec. 4): People who h.ivp been apathetic or afraid have now put off their indifference or their terrors and come boldly forward to take their place

in the popular ranks. This was the result at Eyrecourt, on the Clan icarde property, where last Sunday Mr. John Dillon, M.P., Mr. D. Sheehy, M.P., Father Egan, of Woodford, and Father Langan, of Banagher, addressed a magnificent aggregation of rackrented Connaughtmen. Hitherto there was no branch of the League in that part of t^e country ; now there is a strong and enthusiastic Eyrecourt branch. So much for Clanricarde's masterly tactics. We take tae following from the Dublin Freeman of Dec. 4 :—: — "We regret to learn that Sister Mary Francis Clare, the famoub Ivun of Kenmare, is reported to be dying in Roosevelt Hospital, New York. | The distinguished authoress and religious has beeu lying ill for severaj weeks, and the worst apprehensions are entertained. The news will be received in Ireland, where her name is so familiar, and her works BO widely read, with unfeigned pain." " This (says the Catholic Times) is an announcement which will bi.ng unfeigned sorrow to Irish hearts at home and abroad. Mary Francis Clare is a woman of extraordinary powers of mind, and they have all been employed for the benefit of Ireland's faith and Ireland's national cause. Her love o£ her poor countrymen and countrywomen brought on her serious troubles and raised up many obstacles to the accomplishment of her beneficent work, but she had been ever ready to sacrifice, herself for the good of those whose interests she had so closely at heart. In that time of great need, the days of the recent famine, the noble charity which she cultivated found expression in heroic efforts to relieve the prevailing distress and owing to her genial and practical sympathy numerous were the aching hearts that were soothed, and the eyes that were brightened which before had been dimmed by tears. Heartfelt will be the prayers that the warm-hearted and highly cultured lady may be long spared to continue her cp r eer of genuine philanthropy." The Pall Mall Gazette, referring to the interview with Archbishop Walsh, quoted by us elsewhere, says the Archbishop has done well for the fog he has dispersed, but he has done oetter in the clear outline sketched in the interview. OUB hint, says United Ireland, as to the proper mode of dealing with scoundrels, in uniform or otherwise, who embark in the nefarious enterprise of manufacturing conspiracies and informers has not, we are delighted to see, been quite thrown away. The Cork Examiner gives a detailed report of a case in which a Sergeant O'Halloran, of Ennis, is charged with having attempted to get a farmer named Loughrey, of Crusheen, to invent outrages on promise of large rewards, and actually gave him ten pounds by way of beginning. Loughrey told his friends of the villany and lodged the money with a professional man. He subsequently met O'Halloran by appointment, and losing his patience at his incitements to scoundrelism, dealt him a blow with a tumbler. The assault was witnessed by several persons, yet no steps have been taken to prosecute Loughrc}. Such is the remarkable story we have from Clare ; and if it be accurate, as it seems to be, it accounts fully for the fate which has overtaken the Delahuntys. The Dublin Freeman, iv a paragraph protesting against the giving of the mail contract to a German line, which would entail the closing of Queenstown as a port of call, to the great injury of Ireland, speaks thus :—": — " Where will this Germanising cease? This is a question for Englishmen in particular. German noodles in the army and navy drawing huge salaries, Germans sending door-cases, window-frames, and even coffins to these countries, and, last of al^ Germans carrying English, Irish, and Scotch mails. It is time to cry stop." We have already seen how the Leaguers tricked the police at Ballymote and sent the force on a wild-goose chase by train to Sligo. The following details, which we take from United Ireland of Dec4, refer to the same series of meetings : — "But the real fun of the day was enjoyed by Dr. Tanner, M. P., who camp, quite unexpectedly upon the scene. The doctor managed to furnish pretty lively occupation to the whole military and police forces iv and around Sligo all the day, leading them a Will-o'- the- Wisp dance over hill aud dale ) and paused at appropriate intervals to address the crowds which kept up with him, while the men of buckshot were lying panting at the foot of some eminence unfavourable for military evolutions. He then got quietly into a boat, and rowed up the river 'towards Sligo, now and again pausing to deliver a speech to the amused spectators on the banks, and winding up by addressing a really magnificent gathering a little distance outside the town. The pursuers, who had been toiling over a mountainous country while this strange aquatic propaganda was going on, came up, b'own and exhausted, just when the meeting was over. Altogether • 'so full of fun for the Nationalists, and of chagrin far the Govl; . . at and theii proteges the landlords, has never been seen in Sligo." It is announced that St. Patrick's College, Wellington, will re-open for the reception of students on Saturday, February 5. Studies will be resumed on Monday the 7th, and students arc requested to be punctual in their attendance.

Inaction of tbe kidneys and Urinary oigans causes tue woist of diseases which American Co's Hop Bitters cures, Read