Current Topics

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XVIII, Issue 4, 23 May 1890, Page 1

Current Topics

AT HOME AND ABROAD.

Hebe is another very remarkable cablegram, published by our daily contemporaries on Saturday :— " The Pops is desirous of being restored to temporal

ABSUBDLY REPORTED.

power. The Jesuits and bishops, with tha exception of the Italian, are favourable to his aspirations." — The Pope ig desirous of being restored to the Temporal Power ! This is news, indeed— almost as well worth cabling to the colonies as the fact that there is a Pope in existence. But, doubtless, even Mr. F.s aunt had ome meaning, deep and hidden though it might be, in her remarkable declarations.—" There's milestones on the Dover road," for instance, — In the profound mind of some telegraph agent or newspaper correspondent some meaning is also in all probability attached to the information alluded to. But inscrutable, we know, are the minds of telegraph agents and newspaper correspondents. Who, therefore, shall interpret to us their meaning ? Ii it, perchance, to be found in the second part of the message ? The Jesuits and bishops, with the exception of the Italian, we are told, are favourable to the Pope's aspirations. But, verily, this is a piece of news almost as good and useful as the foregoing. In the exception, however, we seem to find the essence of the whole affair. The Italian Jesuits and bishops, we are told, are the exception. They, it appears, are opposed to the aspirations of the Pope for the restoration of the Temporal Power § The Jesuits we may probably leave out of the question. The average bigot, whatever may be his particular way of thinking otherwise, invariably includes the Jesuits in whatever, as a bigot, he has got to say. Therefore, we may take for what it is worth the implied absurdity that the Italian Jesuits are at variance on this matter of the Temporal Power with the members of their Order who belong to other countries. The Jesuits, in short, have got into t^e cablegram in something of the same way as the head cf King Charles I. used to get into the manuscript of Mr. Dick. What this cablegram, then, is probably meant to suggest to the col«nies is that the Italian bishops are opposed to the Pope's demand for the restoration of the Temporal Power. In other words, the bishops most affected by the existing state of things — who at every moment of their lives feel the inconvenience and hardships attending on the usurpation, who are hampered in all their actions, whose charitable resources have been plundered, the revenues of whose sees are in someirßtances with-held, and whose personal liberty has been curtailed and placed in danger by recent penal enactments, these bishops are opposed to a demand whose fulfilment would remove from them all these disabilities and restore them to the position rightly belonging to their high office. The credibility of this piece of news is, therefore, apparent. No sensible man knowing anything at all of the matter could for a moment receive such news as true, or even probable, What the particular effect of spreading it abroad may be we cannot tell. As the Roman situation is at present, however, even the most foolish and contradictory icport may not be without some importance. Something has possibly occurred to call out another remonstrance, or a repeated condemnation of the usurpation, from the Holy Father, and an intelligent agency has cabled information respecting it in the manner we see.

" Bullits and Bibles," such is Count Caprivi's hope for the civilisation of Africa. The new Ger-

NOTHING NEW.

man Chancellor, if reported aright, says that be views the colonial policy of the empire with misgivings, but that retreat is now impossible. His reliance, therefore, he says, is placed upon bullets and Bibles. The association, perhaps, may seem a little startling at first sight, but on reflection it will hardly be found so. — At least the composure arising from familiarity may be felt respecting it. Have we not, in fact, been familiar with Buch an association form of old ? It has about it the genuine Puritan ring with which history has acquainted vi. Such worthies, for example, as William the Silent abroad, and Cromwell at home, men of piety and valour all of them, have given by-gone ages practical examples of it. But,

in our own day, Africa itself haß bad practical experience of it. — What people have ever been reputed of more devotion to their Biblea than those sturdy Africans, the Boers, who, nevertheless, where the civilisation of the native races was concerned, have had a firm reliance on the efficiency of the bullet. In this regard the Germans can introduce into the conntry little which the Dutch had not previously introduced, though their greater strength and much vaster resources will doubtless enable them to work on a larger scale and with more striking results than the Boers have been able to attain to. The Bible and bullets and the Koran and bullets— the African tribes have had abundant experience of both associations, and it wonld not be surprising to find that they had come to look upon both as pretty much the same. The fear is, meantime, lest the Bibles having failed in the task allotted to them, and, indeed, if in this case als.i we may reason from analogy, the probabilities are in favour of their failure, the bullets may be called upon to make up for what is wanting, and the beginning of more evil days has dawned upon the people of Africa. There is, besides, some slight cause for alarm in the boldness of the manner in which Count Caprivi has spoken out and the complete absence of concealment with which he has expressed his confidence in a union of religion and blood-shed. The matter smacks over much of the olden times, and seems to indicate that the ideas of the day are not quite so firmly settled in new channels as we had been led to suppose. Circumstances, perhaps, might arise in which bullets and Bibles would have a wider application than to Africa alone. The expression is certainly one very capable of sinister interpretation.

As the question of Freetrtde or Protection is one

ALL FOB PROTECTION.

that seems always current, and which, therefore, possesses a continual interest, the following

r err arks which we take in Bubstance from oar contemporary, La France Avstrale, of Noumea, will be appreciated by our readers — differently, however, as they happen to be respect* ively Freetraders or Protectionists, Our contemporary, we may add, takes the article frcm the Petit Jcnrnal, a Parisian newspaper, by which it was published a propos of the appointment by the Chamber of Deputies of a committee to investigate the all-important question. The Petit Journal, then, beginß by stating the argument of the freetrader that the consumer should be permitted to buy in the cheapest market. But, he replies, the consumers who are not also producers form a minority in the country. The power of the consumer as such, moreover, depends on his selling his own produce at remunerative prices. If, then, says our contemporary, by a too widely opened competition, you injure production as a whole, the consumers as a whole also will be obliged to restrict themselves, and consumption will suffer by it. Our contemporary takes a? an illui. tration the case of a workman whose produce yields him a wage of cix francs a day. He will spend five francs and save one. But unloose foreign competition, so that his produce can only be made to yield a wage of four francs and a half. The workman's means as a consumer will be reduced, and he will be unable to save anything. It is, therefore, the producer, says our contemporary, that we must consider. It is to him that we must ensure the just remuneration for his labour, and he in time will become a valuable consumer, furnishing to the other producers of the country an ad van tageous market, la answer to the argument that each country should import from another what it can produce more cheaply, our contemporary quotes the case of France as a wheat-growing country compared with the United States. The Freetrade doctrine, he Bays, will have this wheat admitted to benefit the French consumer. Those, however, who have raised wheat in France would be ruined or very nearly so. The operation being repeated yearly, they would have to suffer losses which would discourage them. Land would fall in value and the public wealth would be injured. Several other examples of a Bimilar kind, says our contemporary, could be cited. But as to treaties of commerce, our contemporary treats them with the utmost contempt. They were invented, be says, by England and almost for her own sole profit. The Petit Journal, in fact makes short work of the arguments in favour of Freetrade — although we fancy he has by no means said the last word on the subject.

The Emperor of Germany will have the peace preserved at any cost. From the tenour of his Majesty's declarations, we may gather that he is

WILLIAM THE BLUSTEREB.

even prepared to go to war for its preservation. — His Majesty continues to travel around in the character of chiefconstable of Europe, calling on all the nations to behave themselves properly, or it will be worse for them. Such a lesson, he says, will the transgressor receive, he shall not be the better of it for a century. It is, nevertheless, to be feared lest his Majesty's undertaking may result differently from his seeming intention. He would preserve the peace at any cost, it appears, and yet he turns the thoughts of the world towaids imminent war. In fact, it is impossible to avoid the conviction that either the German Emperor is aware of a design on the part of Eome other potentate to begin hostilities forthwith or that he himself is seeking an excuse to do so. His movement, under such circumstances, would be made in the interests of peace and all to keep a troublesome neighbour quiet. But, supposing that his Majesty knows of a sinister design on the part of another potentate, is the action taken by him likely to curb it ? If the potentate, in question, is a poltroon, it may be so ; but if he has the spirit of an ordinary man in him, the contrary is most likely to be the case. So far as we can judge from his present conduct, the Emperor is a mere braggart and bully, whose bounce the nations of Europe cannot much longer stand. And it cannot be denied that there are appearances out of which a very pretty little war scare might arise. The Portugese, for example, continue exasperated against England touching their claims on Africa ; and possibly their anger may not be made calmer by the different line of conduct adopted towards them by Lord Salisbury, from that he has assumed towards the Germans. — Towards the Portugese his Lordship is all sternness and. resolution ; towards the Germans he is all civility and accommodation. Country which the Portugese claim is declared English ; tenitory hitherto claimed as English is admitted to be German. Little as a people may be, they do not like to be so distinctively Bnubbed, and the consequence is likely to be a vast increase in Portuguese bitterness. The Portuguese, imoreover, appear to have the sympathy in the matter of their neighbours, as we may, for instance, perceive by an enthusiastic reception given to Major Pinto, the hero of the African imbroglio, the other day in Madrid. Should Lord Salisbury's complacency be pushed beyond its rather elastic bounds, and should any dispute arise between him and the German Government, we may, therefore, conclude that the Germans would have the hearty support of Portugal and Spain. Of course the matter could go no further than a diplomatic contest. England, under no circumstances, could defend with arms the territory claimed by her, for she has been warned by the Emperor William that her doing so would incur for her a chastisement to be remembered by her for a century. There are other countiies, moreover, to be considered bi sides England. There is, for example, Russia, who seems to take as especially addressed to her the menaces in favour of peace uttered by the German Emperor. She does not however, seem inclined to give much heed to the threats, for she is evidently attempting to pick a quarrel with the Tuiks, by which the Eastern question would be very practically re-opened, and all Europe, with perhaps a considerable part of Asia, set ablaze. There IB no difficulty, then, in speculating as to what the Emperor William may have in his miud respecting the dangers that threaten the peace of the world. We have, in fact, Vemharras cits rickcsucs, fiom which we may choose in the matter. The doubt is, as we have said, as to whether the way taken by the blustenDg Emperor to preserve the peace is the right one for the purpose, or whether, indeed, he is sincere in his professions of a desire for peace,

The Right Rev. Dr. Nevill is a man of peace, and a most accommodating prelate — that, at least is the conclusion to be drawn from the letter read

A DOUBTFUL COMPROMISE.

from his Lordship at St. John's Church, Roslyn, on Sunday, snd which may, perhaps, be recorded in the ecclesiastical annals of the district aB the candlesticks letter. As we gather from the Bishop's letter, there are two parties in the parish divided in opinion as to the use in the Church of certain ornaments, definitely described by the Bishop as the choral screen, the brass candlesticks and the smaller branched ones, together with the processional cross One party clung with all their souls to the retention of these articles. The other, though not with equal veLemence amoDg themselves, some being able to put up with the articles in question, but others finding them a serious stumbling-block— and a weak creature he must certainly be who would stumble at a candlestick, even although it had branches attached to it, are bent on their removal.. We gather further from the Bishop's letter that his Lordship himself shaies the devotion of the first named party, also clinging to the candlesticks, the screen and the processional cross, and it wouid be his heartfelt desire to see them preserved in their places. They were not so preserved, however. Tne party of opposition, it appears, taking advantsgj of an opportunity, and daring the grave breach of ecclesiastical discipline incurred with all

its penalties, boldly and bodily carried off the articles from the church. Dr. Nevill, nevertheless, is a man of peace. Even the daring removal of candlesticks cannot separate errirjg sheep of his flock from his bowels of compassion. He compromises the matter and makes allowance for the nnregenerate heart. His decision is that the disputed articles remain excluded from the church, and in the safe keepirjg of a fit and proper person, except on certain festivals and the Sunday following each of them. There it is th9n. The church will be strictly Protestant in appearance all the year round, but shall assume the garb of rank " Popery " at stated intervals. For one portion of the congregation the feasc is to be sanctified, for the other portion it is to be desecrated, by there-in-troduction of the church furniture so differently regarded. " The better day the better deed," pleads the Sabbath -breaker with doubtful coherency. The festival, implies Dr. Nevill, shall sanctify to some the ecclesiastical furniture that at other times must be to them the abomination of desolation. It remains to be seen how the compromise will work. Will the party of opposition continue faithful attendants all the year iround, but seek the ministrations of other and more congenial pastors on the days appointed for desecration. The other party may, perhaps, content themselves by looking forward in less hallowed hours to good things to come. To those, meantime who look on from the outside, if the matter be trivial, a great fuss about nothing seems to have been made ; but if conscience enter into the matter, as it is difficult to see how, in anything connected with religion, it can avoid doing, it must appear that no compromise can be honestly observed.