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New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVII, Issue 19, 30 August 1889, Page 18

THE fiev. Oliver Daly, S J., closed his mission at St. Patrick's Church, South Dunedin, on Sunday. After the 11 a.m. Mas?, celebrated by the Bey. Father Vereker, the usual renewal of the Baptismal vows took place, followed by solemn Benediction. This mission, likewise, has resulted in a marked success. At 2.30 pm. a volunteer Church parade took place in St. Joseph's Cathedral, where the Rosary of the Blessed Virgin was recited, followed by a sermon, and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The Rev. Father Lynch preached on the occasion, and the Rev. Father O'Donnell acted as celebrant. In the evening after vespers, Father Daly preached his farewell sermon at the cathedral to a crowded congregation, and a procession of tbe Blessed Sacrament took place, in which the men of the Confraternity of the Holy Family walked. The canopy was borne by former altar boys. The eloquent and impressive address of the rev. missionary was listened to with deep attention by a congregation that, with few exceptions, had attended on his ministry, with great benefit to themselves, during the recent mission. Lasting effects must be the result.

The question of the New Hebrides is once more revived. Certain authorities at Noumea are advocating immediate annexation, and express themselves anxious to prove that France, after all, has a capacity for colonisation. The result in the Australian colonies is necessarily extreme indignation, and a call to arms is uttered for the purpose of making an effective opposition. The question, however, is not one to be settled between Australia and New Caledonia. It must form a subjsct for negotiations between the Imperial and French Government?. At the present time, moreover, when England's reported, and although denied reasonably credited, rapprochement to the Triple Alliance is causing irritation in France, results may prove somewhat serious,

A steamer long well known as plying between Australia and New Zealand under the name of the Albion, but recently acquired by a

new proprietor, by whom she was refitted and called the Centennial, and trading between New Zealand ports and Sydney, has come to an unfortunate end in Sydney harbour. The cause was a collision with a steam collier named the Kanahooka, tbe Centennial sinking in ten minutes. Two men are supposed to have been crushed to death in their bunks, and the cook of tbe vessel received a severe hurt. The passengers and crew also suffered the loss of their effects— of which, however, a considerable portion has since been recovered.

A mebtino of the Dominican Convent ex-pupilsiclub waa held on Monday evening, when arrangements were made for tennis parties and dramatic entertainments. A very gooi beginning has been entered upon, and every promise is given that the club will fulfil all the 'objects for which it has >been formed. It is hoped ere long that the results of its efforts will be visible without its own confine* The ladies who have already become members are anxious to see their nnmbers still further increased by the addition of all former pupils remaining within reach. The attendance ot these ladies is, therefore, earnestly invited.

Mb. John Dillon, cabling from West Maitland, N.S.W., informs us that he is obliged to postpone his visit to New Zealand until October. Mr. Dillon expects to arrive in Dunedin at the end o! November.

THBpaper|published in McMillan's Magazine by Mr. B. B .Wise, late Attorney General for New South Wales, and whica that gentleman deprecatingly explained as misrepresented, when a short summary of its contents was cabled to the colonies some weeks ago, now that the magazine has been received here, turns out to be oven much worse than the summary had led us to believe. Its extreme folly, however, almost atones for the malice it contains and must neutralise its effect. We are strongly reminded by it of a late trial in London in which a lady figured who had been impressed with the belief that, in all her movements, and in every nook and corner of her household, she was beset by Jesuits against whom she had continually to be on her guard. The consequence being that her persecuted friends although sound Protestants, found themselves obliged for peace e»ke to have her locked up in a lunatic asylum. It was heaven upon earth, Baid one of the witnesß3B examined, when the lady in question was out of the house. Poor Mr. Wise has evidently beeu in a similar way beset by the Irish priest, who seems to ba his especia 1 night-mare, seen even in day-dreams, and who, whether in politics or religion, keeps tramping in hob-nailed boots through his brain in a manner that we admit must ba moat perplexing. It is the traditional "illiteracy "of the Irish curate that is his especial horror. And indeed, the same curate, or soggarth aroon, has been a horror, and a terror too, to many a bigot before the time of the deeply perplexed Mr. Wise. He therefore takes the illiterate curate aa the key of tbe whole situation, political and religious, in all the Australian colonies. We can thus well explain the mess he makes of the matter. The paper in short is a tissue of ignoble bigotry, of foolish unsupported statements, aud such, in short, as may well make the colony blush that a man, capable of being its author, should ever have held office in their Government.

The tendency even of leirned professors, who might be taken aa endowed with breadth of view, to regard their own narrow circles as representative of the bulk of civilised mankind, received a striking exemplification in the course of a lecture delivered last week at Knox Church, Dunedin, by Principal Rainy. The passage we refer to is that in which the lecturer said, alluding to the doctrine of Calvin, " Most men acknowledged that it waa not easy to fiad a doctrine that was more coherent and consistent with itself, nor easy to find a doctrine which at more points touched the apparent sense of Scripture." For " most men " we are necessarily to read most Calvinists, the whole sect taken together, nevertheless, forming nothing like a majority of the human race. We should say that, for any one besides a Calvinist. nothing can be more abhorrent than the doctrine of Calvin from both the apparent and the real sense of Holy Scripture. Another remarkable passage in tbe Principal's lecture was that in which he referred to the state of the Scottish peasantry, three hundred and thirty years ago, as one of extreme poverty, and attributed to the reform wrought by Knox the amelioration also of their temporal condition. But, if we recollect aright, Tytler, who may perhaps claim, to rank as high as Principal Rainy in matters of history, gives a different account of the peasants' lot at the time in question. At any rate, it would be interesting to obtain the Scriptural proofs, that, no doubt, the Principal can produce, for the temporal prosperity that certain theologians claim as proving a superior form £^m Christianity. On Ihe other hand, is it not said, for instance, that the children of this world are wiser in their generation than the children of light ? And surely it would be reasonable to suppose that their wisdom would be applied to worldly ends, the only aim they have in view. The prosperity of Dives, again, did not prove the superiority lof his religious condition to that of Lazarus. Ihe sense of Scripture

touched by this particular doctrine of Calvinism, since is seems to be bo, is evidently apparent only, if it exists at all.

The fatuousness of the Tory party has had an illustration in a letter addressed to Truth, by one Mr. Harry C. Clinton, of Park House, near Gloucester, who writes in strong indignation at what he calls the " perjured evidence " of Irish M.P.'s, and Irish priests. "What a dreadful farce it is," he says, « for a court to sit day after day, listening to the atrocious lies of such men." He offers then to bet Truth £1000 that the decision of the judges is against the Parnellites. Truth, however, refuses the bet, and says he would still refuse it even if a thousand to one were offered him— he being, as he says, "in the know." Mr. Clinton, meantime, merely calls attention to the well-known fact, tbat the judges were appointed to arrive at foregone conclusions, and that hardly a doubt as to their decision has ever been felt. It is, besides, too bad of even a Tory to try and make money by a bet on a matter of which he has certain knowledge. His fatuousness consists in his supposing that anyone can be taken in by him.

Wb lately heard a complaint made in the colony as to the powers of certain Germans as smart men of business. It seems, however, that the matter is not confined to New Zealand. Truth, for example, gives an instance or two of something of the same kind elsewhere. One of these instances is that in which two commercial travellers, one an Englishman, speaking only his own language, and the other a German, the master of several tongue 3, met at a seaport in the Levant, the consequence being that the German took half the Englishman's business before he left the place. Another instance is reported from Portugal, where something of the same kind occurred. Truth accounts for such occurrences partly by the English conceit of superiority in commercial affairs, but also partly by the ignorance of modern languages arising from the kind of education given in English schools. Something, however, may also be owing to tbe system of cramming that is now in vogue, and which is certainly disastrous so far as everything relating to the intellect is concerned. However it may be, Germany apparently bids fair to eupplaut England, so far as commerce is concerned, in all parts of tho world.

We take the following neat suggestion as to the capabilities of Mr. Balfour from Truth :— " 1 understand that tha Shah, whose intelligent interest ia English politics is notorious, has bsen much impressed by what he has heard of Mr. Balfour's Irish administration. Immediately after landing on Monday, his Majesty derived much gratification from the account of ths arrest of Mr. O'Brien, which was translated to him from an evening paper. I have good authority for saying that if Mr. Bilfour were open to accept a high office at Teheran, he might practically name his own price." We may add that the Shah is not the uninterruptedly amused and innocuous potentate in Persia that he appears to have been in England. Hence his desire to confer high office at home on Mr. Balfour. The taper fingers o f this dandy may well seem to his Majesty particularly well fitted to handle the bow-string.

Mb. Balfoub cannot ba spared just yet to handle the Shah's bow-string, however congenial the task would be to his taper fiagers. He is Bill wanted for work of a similar kind in Irelan I, anl it will only be when honest disgust at his conduct throws him out of office that he will be free t3 take another suitable engagement. His last act has been to sentence Mr. W. O'Brien to two months', and Mr. Gilhooly to s:x weeks', imprisonment, for backing up some unfortunate tenants against their persecuting landlord. Decidedly Mr. Balfour is employe 1 with more satisfaction to tiimself in Ireland, than he would be ia Persia. With the bow-string or the kourbash he could only punish one victim at a time. Bat under coercion he can at once grind down a whole country's side, and chastise the men who valiantly attempt to protect them.

A strike of dock labourers in London ig working havoc on English shipping interests, and paralysing the commerce of the country. A very sinister feature of the matter is tint it is pkyiog into the hand of German competition, already sufficiently formidable. An attack on the docks by the strikers, who number some eighty or ninety thousand men, is feared, and bodies of military are kept in readiness for a moment's call. No military watchfulness, however, could prevent incendiary undertakings among the shipping if such entered into the plans of the men on strike. The situati jn is decidedly threatening.

The fate of the Otago Central Railway Bill last week was exactly that which was predicted for it. It was thrown out by a coalition of railway cliques with membars of the Opposition desirous to give the Government a blow. The railway cliques, however, though they may gain some satisfaction of an incomprehensible sort from their success in hindering the construction of the Ofago line, om hardly hope to better their position in the matters respectively in

which they are particularly interested. Thia would involve farther borrowing, againit which the Government is resolved, and which the Opposition would hardly venture to propose. An effort, mean* time, is to be made by the Otago membars to have an amended form of the Bill proceeded with thia session. But surely the colony at large must see the advantage to it, if only from the development* for example, of the rich goldfields, which depends upon the construe* tion of this line.

Ghooly Khin, the Persian mimister to tha United States, has shaken the dust off his slippers and returned to Persia, because when American newspapers told the truth of the Shah be could not preveat their editors from keeping their heads oa their shoulders. Verily the Shah's appreciation of Mr. Balfour, is easy to understand. Is it not a pity that that Statesman is not equally restricted as to the people who displease him by free speech and troth telling in Ireland, so that he should shake the dust off his patent leather boots and follow Ghooly Khan's example? It is a pity to separate worthies so well fitted to become colleagues in the service of an appreciative and likeminded master.