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New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVII, Issue 27, 25 October 1889, Page 18

The Most Rev. Dr. Moran desires us to request that thejmanagers of Catholic schools intending to send exhibits to the Dunedin Exhibition will forward such exhibits to his Lordsbip'a address before November 10, so that they may be prepared for arrangement in the compartments allotted to them.

A GRAND concert will be given in the Foresters' Hall, Port Chalmers, on Wednesday evening next, 30 h October, in aid of the local Catholic presbytery, and from the manner in which the tickets are going off it promises to be a great success. Apart from the very deserving object for which the concert is being held, we can say, judging from the programme, that a treit ia in store for those who patronise tha entertainment. It will ba under the patronage of his Lordship the Most Eev. Dr. Moran. For the convenience of visitors from town a train will leave the Duoedin station at 6.15 p.m., returning from Port at 10.35.

A valedictory soiree, as a token of the esteem in which Miss ODea ib held, (sajs the Auckland Star of October 16) was given in the Panmure Hall on Friday evening last, and proved an unqualified success. The pretty and very spacious hall looked at its best, and the large gathering of the friends and weil-wißhersof the young lady thoroughly enjoyed themselves. In fact, it was one of the pleasantest evenings passed in P^nmure for many a long day. Monsignor McDonald, who iB the life and soul of these social gatherings, presided, and at an interval of the proceedings called Mies ODea and the ladies who so successfully got up the entertainment to the platform, and in a few well-chosen words, presented in their name and on behalf of her many friends, a beautiful inlaid writing-desk, to the very great joy of all present. Miss ODea, who was much affected at being the recipient of this unexpected and charming present, said that she felt extremely grateful, and added that the desk would not only be prized very much by her, but would serve, moreover, to call to her mind the many happy days that she bad passed at Panmure in charge of St. Patrick's bchoo! and the great kindness and affection which she received there at the hands of valued friends.

The New York Sun (says the Pilot) thus accurately '• sizes up " Professor Mahaffy, who has been showing the Chautauquans just what kind of a creature a regular Tory fossil is :— " Professor Mahaffy, of Dublin, seems to be a funny sort of philosopher, He is lecturing

at Chatanqua, and started oat with the information that the Declaration of Independence proclaims that 'all men are equal in the sight of God.' He says, too, th*t he knows more Irish than Parnelland all the rest of them ; and nobody twill deD 7 that he knows Greek* galore. What he doesn't knowjwould seem to be something akin to common sense. • What sort of a man is Brother Himesf asked a carious philosopher of the^late Rev. Francis Purkman, D.D., of Bos* ton. • Well,' said the little old gentleman, in his strange, whining voice, • Brother Himes is a fool. Or, speaking the language of the carnal heart, unconscious of its immortal nature, he is a damned fool.' '

Thb Lancet acknowledges the truth of miracles that occur at Lourdes, but explains them as being due to natural causes, and arising from the same principle as the cures worked by faith healers in England. The acknowledgment, nevertheless, overthrows a great many arguments and accusations. Hume's famous affirmation, for example, that testimony, in whatsoever degree, was insufficient to establish the truth of a miraculous event falls to the ground in face of what testimony has now actually accomplished. Accusations of trickery, and superstition, and ignorant credulity, are also refuted, and both reasoner and accuser are proved themselves to have been at beat ignorant of the powers of nature, The Lancet accounts for both faith cure and miracle, as mainly doe to the sufferer's will refreshed by hope. But in many of the miraculous cases reported ai having taVea place at Lourdes, the sufferer had lost all hope, and his will was concentrated on the effort to submit without repining to the rejection of his petition, If a particular state of mind, therefore, be necessary to the natural cure, aome of the cures perf ormed at Lourdes were certainly, in the strictest sense of the word, miraculous. In theee instances the wonder could not hive been due, as the Lancet claims, to natural mechanism, The acknowledgment of the Lancet y therefore, remains unimpaired by the explanation attempted by it,

The death is announced, in the 57th year of his age, of the Bey. Julian E. Tenison Woods, which occurred at Bydney on Monday, October 7. Father Woods, who was a convert to the Catholic Church, was not only widely known for his zeal in the service of religion, but also as an eminent man of science. Among the good workß which be leaves behind him to testify to the value of his career as a priest ia the teaching Order of the Sisters of St. Joseph, of which he was the f ounder.and which increasingly aide in supplying the educational wants of the Catholics of the Australasian colonies. Father Woods had been an invalid for more than a year, and had been attended to at St. Vincent's Hospital, where also he died. — Requiescat in pace.

We have to remind the friends of {Catholic education in the colony that the drawing in connection with the Dominican nuns' artunion is now coming nearer. The object of the art-union, as our readers are aware, is to aid towards the building fund of the schoolhalls and dormitories which the nuns are now, at a heavy expense, erecting. So far very little progress has been marked in the disposal of tickets, and unless some more vigorous exertion is made by friends, the undertaking must result in anything rather than a success.

Signor Crispi. speaking the other day at Palermo, ventured on the prediction that, whatever the Vatican might do or say, temporal power would never again be restored to the Papacy in Italy, This prediction, however, like many another made also concerning the Papacy, was uttered with all considerations of any powers beyond those of the earth omitted. Looking abroad at the condition of Europe, nothing within the boundaries of the horizon may appear to contradict Signor Crispi's conclusions, or to give courage to the adherents of the Papacy. Raising the eyes, however, to the vault of Heaven, things take a different form, ani much is seen that escapes a more grovelling observation. Statesmen ere now have pronounced the settlements made by them final, and boldly prophesied the impossibility of any reversal. Before they can justly claim blind credence for their decision, nevertheless, it ia necessary that they should show a perfect acquaintance, not only with the nature of worldly conditions, but with the designs of Divine Providence. We acknowledge that the Pope relying on Governments would have a broken reed to lean upon and nothing more. But his reliance is elsewhere, and Signor Crispi himself may possibly live to recognise that it has been more effectively placed.

The adventurous disposition which Sir Harry Atkinson views with such apprebation in the New Zealand colonißt still continues; Our population still largely shows itself determined to see something more of the world than is to be Been while it is engaged in struggling for a living in the Colony. The latest returns show that the exodus goes on, and that departures keep considerably in excess of arrivals. But this is a state of things that all those who have the interests of the country at heart must look upon with alarm, and only those who are concerned in the final establishment and pro* gress of monopoly can see with approval. It is absolutely necessary, if the colony # to make headway, not only that the

exodui should be checked, but that it should be completely reversed, and replaced by a vigorous immigration. Will the increased strength which we are told recent changes have given the Cabinet, place them in a position to bring tbe require improvements about ? Or are we to note, at least in one of these changes, tbe appointment of Captain Bus■ell,a special proof that Sir Harry Atkinson remains still of, the same mind, and jubilantly bids the departing settler God speed ?

The announcement that Sir George Grey is to be offered a Home Bule seat in the Imperial Parliament, although Sir George himself has received no particular intimation on the subject, is most likely to bo true. In the veteran statesman the Home Bule party would have a valuable acquisition, and Sir George would have, in advocating their cause in the House of Commons, a much more suitable exercise for his talents than a colonial Parliament could afford him. In the discussion of questions like that of Home Rule, few speakers of the present day would be able to take a more brilliant part than Sir George Grey. His long experience also of the working of self-govern-ment in the dependencies of the Empire, would give his arguments and opinions a weight that even the most obstinate of his opponents could not make light of. In every sens 3, therefore, the selection of Sir George to represent a Home Rale constituency would be a most appropriate one. It would be a due acknowledgement of the merits and abilities of the Member chosen, and it would add materially to the strength of the Home Rule party. It is well that, although Sir George Grey does not decidedly say he would accept tbe offer referred to were it made to him, he seems to express a willingness to consider it favourably.

This is a cablegram published here on Monday : — " Speaking at Manchester, the Hon. A. G. Balfour, Chief Secretary for Ireland, declared that every anticipated result of the Irish policy of the Government had already been realised." Poetic license, as we know, is of old established precedent. Political exigencies, it would appear, confer a similar privilege. The Right Hon. A. G. Balfour knows very well that the Irian of the Government ha 9 been a failure in the past, and is now a failure. He must also foresee that it is destined to be a failure in the future, unless a totally new departure be made of which there seems to be but little likelihood, Mr. Balfour, however, speaks of anticipated results. Can it bs that the Tories foresaw from the outset the necessary failure of all their measures, and entered upon their career of coercion in the devilment of revenge ? The suggestion may appear far-fetched, but the whole course of the Government in Ireland has baen so pig-headed that almost any explanation of it seems justifiable. Wnatever may be the degree of license that political exigencies confer, meantime, birefasad lying is commonly an evidence of desperation.

The results of the sanior public examination "..held recantly at the Sydney University, must provo very gratifying to all interes'ed in the cause of Catholic education. la all 90 candidates passed the examinational of whom were from Catholic colleges, 15 from private educational establishments, and 44 from the richly endowed State High Schools of New South Wales and Queensland. St. Joseph's College, cond acted by the Marist Brothers, heads the list with 10 pupils (all that were presented) ; Marist Brothers' High School, 4 ; St. Patrick's College^ Goulburn, 4 ; St. Vincent's Ladies College, 3 ; St. Stanislaus, Bathurst, 3 ; Jesuit College, H ; Christian Brothers, Brisbane, 2 ; Sistere of Mercy, Brisbane, 1 ; Sisters of the Good Samaritan.l. Toe Sydney Giris' High School and Boya' High School, passed 8 and 6 respectively, and Newi&gton Wesleyaa College 7 — For New South Walei alone the figures stand thus : Catholic colleges, 28 ; private schools, 15 ; State schools, 31. When we take into consideration that Catholics are less than one third of the population of the colony and are heavily handicapped in being obliged to pay taxes for the erection and maintenance of the State schools, we have every reason to feel gratified with the brilliant success achieved in the senior examination.

PabticulAßS (says the Kumara Titties of October 14th) are given in another part of this issue of presentations made to Mr. and Miss Hamill, head master and teacher of St. Patrick's School for the last four years, and who terminated their engagements last Friday evening. We can bear personal testimony to the excellent iesults achievel by Mr. and Miss Hamill duriog their period of trust. Ine ten maps drawn under their supervision by pupils of St. Patrick's School and forwarded to the Dnnedin Exhibition, will be mementos reflecting the highest credit on their capacities for teaching ; and these, with the sound instruction given in all departments of education, should ensure the teachers success whenever they may again resume tuition of the rising generation.

A Correspondent sends me {Truth) a number of leaflets headed " The reasons for tha Grimes Act," which are bein? distributed broadcast over the country by the " National Union, St. Stephen's Chambers, Westminster." I have glanced over them and they contain a mass of lies and misrepresentations. To some of them

woodcuts are appended. One of these is the representation of moonlighters cutting the hair off farmers' daughters. The " moonlighters " are dressed as never Irish peasant was dresßed off the stage. The daughters are beauteous as the Colleen Bawn. Their mother stands by with her hair standing on end. The front door is open, and Mr. Gladstone is looking on with approval. I trust that all who receive thes? leaflets will remember that the late Mr. Pigott was employed for some time to indite this kind of literature. As he is now lost to the cause of forgery and " gooi government," I am curious to learn who has replaced him in his functions.

The Anglican Bishop of the diocese, preachin? a sermon on war in commemoration of the bi-centenary of the relief of Derry, Bpoka of St. Louis, among others, as one of the "forms in white in the presence of God and tha Lamb." Tbe montion of a Catholic saint in such a manner, and on such an occasion, seems of particular significance. St. Louis, besides, is not one of the aiinta whem Protestantism can by any pretence claim as its own, but balongs to an epoch so far considered by the Protestant world as completely wanting in any spark of light, and praiss of the saint as a warrior, moreover, signifies an appreciation of the Crusades, in. which he took a part. We may then, perhaps, hail the event as betokening the iuitiation of a better state of things. Anything, howsoever trifling in itself, that suggests to Catholics a lessening of the intolerance of ultra-Protes-tantism must seem important to them.