Scotch Notes.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVI, Issue 28, 2 November 1888, Page 3

Scotch Notes.

" THAT this meeting of his fellow-countrymen tenders to Mr. Michael Fiannigan its deepest sympathy in the painful position in which he has been placed by the uncalled for action of his Grace the Archbishop against which we most strongly protest ; and we beg to assure Mr. Fiannigan thtt his dignified and manly defence of his political opinions has raised him immensely in the estimation of his countrymen, not only in Edinburgh, but throughout Scotland." This is a resolution passed at a meeting of the Catholic Irishmen of Edinburgh on August 27, and it explains the purpose for which they were assembled. Mr. Daniel Donworth who took the chair alluded very forcibly to the action taken by Archbishop Smith the only dignitary he said of the Catholic Church between Land's Ind and John o' Groats who had acted in such a way in regarding the Papal decree although the other Catholic Bishops of England and Scotland were fully as much concerned for the morals of their people as was bis Grace. He attributed the evil influence brought to bear on the Archbishop to the Bey. George Angus, at the mention of whose name a number of the audience began to hiss. Mr. Fiannigan, however, stood up and begged of them to desist, as it should not be said that Catholic Irishmen had hissed at the name of a priest. The resolution was seconded by Mr. Sorden, who testified highly as to the respsct in which he held the Archbishop where there was any qupstion of religion, but claimed an unrestricted right to his own opinion in politics. The following resolution was also paesed unanimously. " That this meeting of Catholic Irishmen, whilst willing to pay dutiful obedience to the teaching of the Church, respectfully submits that the Plan of Campaign has not been condemned, becaube the grounds on which the Holy Inquisition based its decree — namely, 'loca tores and conductores,' or letters and hirers— do not exist except in very few instances in Ireland, the law recognising a dual ownership in the soil ; and therefore, in our opinion, the tenants are peifectly justified in combining for the protection of their interests."

The Key. George Angus seema quite unable to confine himself within any bounds of decency. He now wiitea to the Scotsman, a becoming medium, no doubt, through which a Catholic priest may make known his mind on Catholic matters. The object of his letter is to explain what he would have said had he been i ivited to a conference of the clergy of the diocese of St. Andrew's, held to consider the manner in which Mr. Fiannigan had been deposed by the Archbishop from the Presidency of the Young Men's Society, and the events connected with it. From this meeting, it seems", Father Angus was excluded, and evidently not without sufficient reason. Father Angus, as we perceive by this letter, is an old soldier, and not an exminister of the Kirk, as had been reported. It is a pity, however, that he did not leave the peculiarities of the barrack behind when he exchanged the sword for the soutane. In the lettei alluded to, as in all his utterances, this singular ecclesiastic expresses his heartfelt contempt for the workingtnan. Mr. Fiannigan, for example, iscontumehcusly described as the chairman of a sort of working-man's club, that is, the Catholic Young Men's Society, and as having taken part in the meeting referred to above, and about which Father Angus writes, with a journeyman tailor. But Father Angus wholly mistakes his position. The priesthood is neither gentle nor simple ; it forms a class apart, and, while od the one hand it may claim equality with the haute noblcste, or even stand by the side of the throne, on the other it must needs be at home in the hut of the beggar. Thus the swineherd may, and has, become the Pope. It is related, for instance, of the famous Abbe Maury that one day when he was receiving in a noble manbion the coneratuUtions on his eloquence and triumphs in the Assembly of a brilliant gathering of curtiers, a servant man with many excuses approached and told him a peasant at the door demanded to see him and would take uo refusal. The Abbe, recognising his duty, and knowing that to him prince and pauper should be alike, hastened from the room. At the door he found his fatner, a shoemaker from a distant province, who, hearing of his son's greatness, and not being inclined to trust to rumour, had travelled on foot all the way to Pans to see for himself if they spoke the truth. Father Angus, no doubt, under similar circumstances would have turned his back on the old man and left him to the derision and rudeness of the lackeys. Not co the Abbe Maury; betook his father by the hand, and led him up into the brilliant saloon. There among the assembled lords and ladies of the court, he embraced bim over and over again, and related with delight the old man's exploit. To the honour of the vieille noblesse belt said, they entered thoroughly into the spirit of the scene, and admired the Abb 6 ten times moro than they had done before. While all this sneering at the working man, therefore, is, in any case, indecorous and absurd, it is wholly out cf calling with the"profVasion of the priest, and throws doubt upon the vocation of the man who exhibits it. The letter to which we refer is an insolent taunt addressed to Mr. Fiannigan, whom it sneeringly recommends to appeal to Rome. It is 10 be hoped, however, that it haa not obtained the approval of Archbishop Smith, championed by the writer evidently with such an assumption. If his Grace identifies himself in any way with Buch utterances the situation must be serious indeed.

The crofters' commission has brought to light further details relatiDg to the condition of the people in Orkney, that show a very deplorable state of affaire. On thn estate of the Earl of Zetland, for example, the unfortunate tenants have been ground down in a moat disgraceful manner. Their wages for manufacturing kelp were one Bbilling a day. They worked constantly for ten hours, and had themselves to Bupply storage, cartage, and everything necessary to load the vessels with the produce of their enforced labour. The penalty

of refusing to work in this way was eviction, and it was unsparingly carried out. Has not the Irish agitation already had its good effecta even in Great Britain 7 To it is the appointment of the crofters commission primarily due, whence has resulted the letting in of light on this white-slavery.

The Duke of Buccleugh has explained that he holds his tenants in the highest estimation and has all possible commiseration for their position. He would be delighted he gives them to understand to yield them every assistance, but his circumstances do not permit of his doing so. The Duke, it seems, is swamped by tbe vastneas •( bis possessions, which consist of 450,000 acres of land. Whether the tenantsjwill accept hi 6 Grace's excuses as reasonable or accord him tke pity he claims from them remains to be seen. But if they do, soft h«arts will be proved to liave still their existence in the human bi«ast,

It appears to be the firm conviction of piout folk at Dunferm* line, that the just value of a Sabbath day's, or at least a Sabbath svening's, service is threepence. And if a congregation are unanimous not only in estimating their Bervice at that price, but also in determining to pay it, the result may be a very pretty sum. Fifteen hundred three-penny bits, in a word, were fojnd the other evening in tbe collecting basins of a certain church in the town referred to. The iesult is, of course, looked upon as the proof of the congregation's estimation of their pastor's labours. No evil-minded gossip who attributes it to the fact that a threepenny bit is the smallest silver piece coined, is to be held deserving of credif.

An association called tbe Scottish Parliamentary Labour Amkciation has been formed at Glasgow with Mr. Cunningham Graham as its President, and Mr. Kier-Hardie as Secretary. 80 f»r as the association is formed for the bona fide purpose of obtaining the representation of labour in Parliament, it has the sympathy of the Liberals and Irish Nationalists, but unfortunately it lies under the suspicion of having also an intention of domineering orer tha Liberal party, and, if that be impossible, of dividing it; so that many who would otherwise hail its forma'ion gladly, are not inclined very favourably towards it. The suspicions in question are strengthened by the (act that the chief members of tha Association are the men who took a sinister part in tbe Mid-Lanarkshire election and persisted in an attempt to return their candidate at the risk of keeping the Gladstonite out and returning a Tory member in his plaoe. The proceedings of the Association will be anxiously watched.

Loyal Glasgow has been shocked in all its proprieties by a body of tradsa delegates sent from Paris to visit the Exhibition. Never before has a douce community been so rewarded for its hospitality. At a dinner given to these guests, as a matter of course the health of her Most Gracious Majesty was drunk, and " God Save the Qaeen was played." The guests, it seems, not being masters of the English tongue drank their wine without understanding the toast ; and not being used to English music did not recognise the "National Anthem." On being enlightened their indignation knew no bounds. They had been made drink long life and success to a monarchy ; they had been made join in a prayer for salvation for a queen. Were they not ready to barricade their city at a moment's notice and die on the barricades in resisting any monarchy. Vive la Commune 1 Salvation for a qaeen I They did not believe in salvation for anybody. Toere was no such thing in fact, but if there were a queen should have no share in it. She should have every bit of its direct contrary with something more added if they had their will. Not being able to throw up th« wine they had swallowed but obliged to keep their involuntary monarchic libations on their stomachs, they vomited forth laudations of revolution and furious condemnations of all that was royal . The red flag was also improvised for the occasion, whether in the form of a pocke' -handkerchief or a flannel shirt it is not possible to say, but in either case it was duly honoured. The consternation of the worthy citizens who entertained the party is not to be described, and French politeneßS has fallen considerably in the estimation of the public generally.

Another sign of the times has been given at North Ayr. At a meeting of his constituents addressed by Mr. Elliot the Unionist member for the Division, a vote was passed condemning the Irish policy of the Government. This makes it almost certain that the whole county will return Home Rulera at the next elections.

Edinburgh is not likely to gain muck in reputation (from tke testimony of visitors from foreign parts. It is not long sines a minister from Canada dealt very severely with the religions services in the Presbyterian churches, whose attempt at ritualism met with big disapprobation. And now a minister from Pittsburg in the United States gives a deplorable account of the evidences of drunkenness to be seen in the streets. More drunken men and women, he says, may be see nin Edinburgh in a day tban in Pittsburg in a month. Evtry second person you meet, he says, seems to carry on his face th» emphatic marks of dissipation. But, perhaps the good minister is misled by contrasting tbe pallor of the Yankee countenance with the rnddy cheeks of the North Briton. Bad as the temperance advocate* think things are in America, he adds, they are far in advance of those in Great Britain.

The French working men were not destined to leare Scotland without receiving proofs that, whatever may have been thought of their conduct at Glasgow, there were, nevertheless, people in the country by whom it was highly approved of. The delegates on their return journey reached Edinburgh on Sunday, September 2, where they were received and entertained hospitably by the Trades Council. One of the speakers, of whom there were several od the occasion, thanked them warmly for their action referred to. He (said, in proposing the toast of the coming revolution, that he would ask permission to thank the citizens of Paris for cot drinking the health of that very fortunate old lady who sat at the head of affairs, and was the

apex on which the whole rotten system revolved. But, verily Her Most Gracious Majesty and the British Constitution are strangely spoken of now-a-days. A concession was also made to the prejudices nv. " 81 . tor8 in °mi»i°g the customary grace at the supper, and that although it was tbe evening of the Sibbath day. What, then, is Scotjana coming to ? Let us hope the answer was not returned in the parting valediction of the visitors as they moved off from the terminus en route for Manchester. It was, once more, Vive la Commune. '

A great conflict between poachers and watchers has taken place at Gutter Hole fishing station, near Newburgh, on the Tay. The poachers, who had been for tome time under suspicion, numbering about dO, were surprised by a party of watchers, who intercepted their nignt and attempted a capture. Several severe injuries were inflicted and received on boih sides, and, in trying to escape to Mugdrum island, two young men wno were bad swimmers were drowned. With the exception of four who were captured, in a more or less Druised and maimed condition, all tho poachers escaped. A great deal of excitement bas been caused by the affray, and, as is inevitable in cases of this kind, a good deal of the popular sympathy is on the side of the offenders against the law.

The Rev. Jacob Primmer is now the minister who esteems himseli to be of all others the prop of the Kirk in Scotland, especially where Popery is concerned. Tba Rev. Jacob, it appears, has been outraged completely by the late pilgrimage to lona. It says something, however, for the better spirit of the times that, on his betaking Himself to Oban, the very port where the pilgrim* embarked and where prejudice against them should have been felt most strongly, be could hsrdly get an audience together, and of the few who did go to hear him one half at least left the ball at the beginning of bib lecture. It is a new thing and certainly a much better thing in Scotland that Btrong language against Rome is not highly relished everywhere.