THE DECREE OF THE INQUISITION AND THE ARCHBISHOP OF DUBLIN.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVI, Issue 17, 17 August 1888, Page 17

THE DECREE OF THE INQUISITION AND THE ARCHBISHOP OF DUBLIN.

N another column wu be found a report of the interview between the Most Rev. Dr. Walsh and a representative of the Dublin Freeman's Journal, in reference to this now famous Decree. From this it will be seen that this Decree has not any diiect political significance, nor had it any intention to affect politics directly. So far as the Holy See was concerned it was a Decree confined exclusively to a purely moral question, and was meant, not for the public Press, but for the information and guidance of the Irish Bishops. That the newspapers were enabled to publish it before the Irish Bishops received any information from the Holy See concerning it, was owing, not to any action of the Holy See, but to a breach of faith on the part of an official in the Roman Court, who is well-known, and who, if proofs can be obtained of his delinquency, will have to pay the penalty. It would appear then, that an agent of a hostile English newspaper was enabled to get at a Roman official and publish an official document of great importance to many millions of men. which was never intended for the newspapers, and then

££»? ™- %T lfic f nee which * as entirel y forei « n *<> «■ Ind W hlß . dlshoi ;f st Proceeding has led to all the turmoil E? l ♦ u D f 8f all the P aßßionat e writings and speeches of ESS? 5 l , schl « f -^kers stands the London ziwrf, which i*s laboured mdefatigably to put on this document, for political purposes, a significance which it does not bear, and to torture it into a meaning which the Holy Bee never intended. This ST? ""5 ♦? £" 8S t0 declare h S ave an authoritative interpretation of this Decree, which interpretation was an audacious assumption and falsehood. The Bishop of Limerick has Ij" *.C. C , < ;urß; urße J a u s re S ards ifc which, we venture to say, will not be followed by many if indeed by any, of the Irish no S P Kf w ?? e °- rOe ltßelf is hindiQ S sof this there can be o?ft f\£ u T ltS P™ ctical application the interpretation 2*5 • ?18? 18h °PP s | and J in the last reoort, of the Holy See iteelf, is required. It must be borne in mind that circumstances alter cases, and that a principle which in one set of circumstances is binding, ceases to be so in another. Circumstaßces of such a character in Ireland are conceivable *hich would render the Decree inapplicable, and it is for the Bishops in the first instance, and lastly for the Holy See, to decide whether such circumstances actaally exist or not. Again, it is quite possible that, on account of local reasons, this Decree might be obligatory in Limerick, for example ££, \w aU * mim £' Bay in Dublin « Ifc is a «"•* « isl fortune that ardent Tory politicians, particularly English Catholics, should have permitted themselves to endeavour to force the hand of the Holy Father, and to twist the Decree of the Congregation of the Inquisition into an instrument SS g £ i rW . ard eir own P° lifcical views - The injury done to the relations that ought to exist between the Catholics wi ! a J!i and 4 lreland » and *> the interests of religion, is One good effect, however, has followed from toe act JO n of the English Government and certain English SEa V The ,?J 1 y i . 8 « J now thoroughly understands the Irish question, which has thus secured the sympathy of the Holy Father. For this Irishmen are more than thankful, 1 ni, Sl>Pre ?5 0D Of Dr " Walsh 's exertions to put the facts of the case before the Holy Father has been made manifest by the magnificent reception given to His Grace of i,ublm on his arrival in that city. But we must not keep our readers any longer from the report to which we refer

Among the great works of religion in Australia, by no means the least is the institution for the deaf and dumb, conducted by the Domimcannuns at Waratah, in New South Wales. The nuns, who Si?? I adfl ? ted f ° r the taßk re <l aired of them, and whose «2Srf 88 f ar at Cabra >aear Dublin, en eye a high £j iw * d;d ;° Ceßeof M^t^nd, where they came at the invitation of SLt?* Z ?'" Murra7> The " presence in Australia has been attended by the happiest results, and has been the means of relieving 2H TOE PatentS ° f a hCaVy char & e ' and of conferring on many £ fa! t* c d " n an , eXCellent Nation, and, above all, a sound trainSL fc li th ' * tbiDg DOt t0 be ac l uired e ™ n und « the most favourable circumstances in any of the State institution, and often m such institutions effectually hindered by instructions of a very contrary nature. The inflation at Waratah is the only Oathohe house of its kind in all the Australasian colonies, and it is open aUke to children sent from every colony and every district. The nu n s are ready to receive all the pupils sent to them, and although parents n fair circumstances are expected to contribute, according to their means, to the support and education of their children, no child is refused because of an inability in its parents to make such a payment, or any part of tuch a payment. The institution is a charitable one in the strictest and truest sense of the words, and, as it offers its benefits !w n tO^ aII tbe colonie9 ' without exception, it is but right and just tliat all the colonies ahould contribute to its support. The nuns have met with much success in lheir undertaking, so that, some short time nnce, it became evident to them that they must provide larger accommodation to meet their increasing needs. To this end they have erected a suitable Jbuilding in a convenient situation, and which is to be opened formally on R osar y Sunday. In doing this, however, they have mcarred liabilities which, of their own responsibility, they are not able to meet, and for relief from which they depend upon the charity ot the colonies. They, indeed, have themselves given all they Aaa to givr— aid who could give more than the devotion of their whole lives to an arduous and self-denying task ? But their trust In the sympathy and charity of the Catholics of the colonies will certainly not prove unfounded. They have undertaken a bazaar and art.umon to pay off the debt incurred by them, and will thankfully receive any contributions that may be forwarded to them in aid of their object. It is earnestly to be hoped that New Zealand, which has Fronted by tbe good nuno' services, will not be backward in coming

to their aid.— And our experience gives ns a right to believe that it will not.

Another slight mistake made by Lord Salisbury in his Mansion^ House speech was as to the neutral attitude he declared to be asiumed by European statesmen towards Bulgaria. The Russian Government has not been long in contradicting his Lordship in the matter, and we may probably take the announcement made by it as an immediate consequence of the speech, and something like a slap-in-the-face to the speaker. It demands the deposition of Prince Ferdinand, the continued exclusion of Prince Alexander, and the appointment, under the direction of a Russian Commissioner, of a Prince of the Orthodox creed. This is an outspoken and extreme declaration, that not only makes the result of the renewed alliance with Germany apparent, but exhibits Lord Salisbury as very much astray in his calculations as to the state of affairs. But that the Minister for Foreign Affairs should prove so completely mistaken, and in thiß instance he could not have spoken, as. for example, in the Jcane of Ireland, with the intention of misleading his hearers, is an ominous circumstance.

The display at the Mansion Houße, in short, was anything rather than creditable to the Government or reassuring to the country. Not only did Lord Salisbury, as Prime Minister, show himself ready to sacrifice the interests of the Empire, as in the case of Egypt, and, as Foreign Secretary, betray an ignorance of the intentions of foreign governments, but another member of the Government frankly acknowledged that there was a failure in the fleet, on which the life of the country must depend in case of war. The nava manoeuvres just concluded, he confessed, showed that other tactics must be adopted to defend London were a bombardment of it threatened. In fact, there is every reason for us to believe that, considering the defective state of the men-of-war which has been so fully exposed of late, and the seeming impossibility of departing from old methods no longer serviceable, many years would still be required to place England on a favourable footing with regard to war. Her old superiority at sea was gained by|,the sailorly qualities of her seamen, in whick by nature as well as by training they excelled. But all this seems lost by the substitution for ships properly so-called of floating machines. As engineers or machinists Englishmen have no particular pre-eminence. But we can easily believe that the speeches at the Mansion House have, as reported, given much^atisfaction on the Continent, and from that fact the Minisvy may derive as much credit as they deserve, and the country all the confidence with which such a fact is capable of inspiring it.

Tory Government in Ireland, of which Lord Salisbury makes hiß boast, has had another characteristic exemplification in the eviction riots which have just taken place at White Gate, in the County Cork. The military, we are told, were called out and charged the people, injuring many of them seriously. This looks like good government, the maintenance of the peace, and generally the restoration of tha golden age, does it not ? Brutal cruelty, the exaction of rackrents, and the propping up of tyranny seem a better description. And Lord Salisbury has the effrontery to declare that he finds the point of a bayonet a comfortable seat. But as for bis boasting, the Irish people have so much in common with the Czar of Russia that they can very practically give him the lie.

" The rain it raineth every day." The past week has been a time of gloom and moisture. Floods, landslips, the interruption of traffic » damage to water races and mining works, such things have been the order of the period, throughout the greater part of Otago, and in some districts of Canterbury as well. A good deal of damage has been done in one way or another, and, coming now at the time when things in general are not at their brightest, it is doubly unwelcome The sun-shine however, has at length reappeared, and we must hope' for a speedy recovery.

At a meeting of ladies held in St. Joseph's schoolroom, Dunedin, on Tuesday, it was r-esolved that the bazaar in aid of the Dominican Convent building fund should take place at the Garrison Hall on November 28, 29, 30, and on December I.— We are requested to acknowledge the receipt of art-union blocks and remittances from the Rev. Father O'Leary, Lawrence ; Mr. David Fitzgerald, Waikaia ; the Misses Bonney, Dunedin ; and als* per the Rev. Father Vereker'

At the meeting of the Dunedin Catholic Literary Society, on Bth August, Mr. O'Connor read a paper on " Magnetism and the Mariner's Compass," giving an account of the discovery of the magnet stone and its application and improvements, and of the working of the modern compass. Mr. O'Connor showed that he had a complete knowledge^ of his Bubject, and the paper contained a lot of useful information, and was considered very creditable by the critics both for matter and style, Mr. Jackson gave a reading from Max Adeler, and Mr. Faulkqer recited the poem " The Plan of the Campaign " which appeared in lost week's Tablet. The Literary Society have already

made a start in getting up the entertainment to be given by them on *$LZ?I X? ST month> ?e? c proceedß are tobe a pp lied * Qid»i. <n *h due on the St. Leonard's Church, which *m the district of their Rev. President, and no doubt the effort of the members to give some practical proof of their esteem for this gentleman will be heartily responded to by the Catholic community

Wb (Cathdio Press June 23) have rea 3 on to believe that the Holy See will shortly issue an explanation of the recent Rescript which will considerably surprise the theologians of the Times and the

Mybbs and Co., Dentists, Octagon, corner of George street. They guarantee h best class work at moderate fees. Their artificial teS gives general satisfaction, and the fact of them supplying a tern £2.^1^ the gums Me healin * doea *% si£ «E inconvenience of being months without teeth. They manufacture a single .artificial tooth for Tea Shillings, and sets equally mXate The administration of nitrous oxide gas is also a great boon to those needing the extraction of a tooth. Bead-[ADVT.]