A NEW DEPARTURE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XIX, Issue 3, 17 October 1890, Page 17

A NEW DEPARTURE.

+. BE escape of Messrs. Dillon and O'Brien from the clutches of coercion is a startling event. It is one, moreover, as to which, perhaps, opinion may be divided. Gentlemen, honourable men, legally arrested, and liberated on bail, and yet who do not await their trial, but betake themselves to flight, and leave their bail to be estreated. What are the conclusions that are to be derived from conduct like this ? The men have grown tired of the struggle, their experience of prison life has proved too much for them, and they have sought for safety in another country. Considering what John Dillon and William O'Brien have suffered for their country, even were we to admit that these conclusions were just, and we have purposely stated the case as strongly as possible, it must still be allowed that their services had been too great to permit of their being blamed. They might rationally plead that they had done all that could reasonably be demanded of them, having sacrificed the flower of their youth and the best years of their lives, and at the irreparable loss of opportunities for professional advancement and the injury of bodily health. No such excuse, however, need be made for these gentlemen. They have not shirked the fight. They have not given up the struggle, or retired permanently to another country, in order more safely to continue it there. They "have but made a new and unexpected move in tactics to defeat an unscrupulous and determined enemy, and to derange Tiis cold-blooded plans. And, indeed, it may well be urged that coercion has been submitted to all too tamely. One after another, or sometimes two or three together, the Nationalists have obeyed the legal but iniquitous edicts of their pursuer, and entered his prisons, leaving their party weakened in carrying on th^e contest. One exception only had so far occurred, when Mr. O'Bkien gave his custodians the slip, and cast derision on the whole regime of coercion by passing through the very thick of it, and keeping the appointment he had made to speak at Manchester. A similar movement is that Mr. O'Bribn has now made in company with Mr. Dillon. Why, in fact, should these gentlemen submit themselves to the caprice or the desperation of Mr. Balpour ? Their obligations are certainly not to the party of coercion, even though it may have the law under its control and be able to manipulate it so as to serve its purposes. Their obligations are towards tho Irish people, whose cause they have undertaken to champion, and whose liberties it is their task to vindicate and secure, — and the step that seems to them most conducive to the fulfilment of their obligation is the step they are called upon to take. If Mr. Dillon and Mr. O'Brien, then, had reason to believe, as we may conclude was the case, that their presence on American platforms, arranged for many months ago and again appointed at the recent conference in Dublin, was necessary for the maintenence or progress of the struggle, they were completely justified in taking measures to keep the appointment— however irregular they might seem. And what, in fact, are the worst accusations that can be brought against them ? That they have broken the law ? — a law especially and iniquitously passed to hinder and defeat them in the just objects they have in view, and bo administered as not only to outrage justice, but to strain legality itself. That they shrink from sufferings to be endured in prison ? — sufferings only to be encountered, when it is possible to avoid them, by some gallant kmght errant who adopts the part of Don Quixote. Imprisonment means squalor, and foul contact, and stagnation, — things that every decent man must necessarily shun so far as it lies, in his power to do so. The leaders of a great and important movement are no more called upon to place themselves voluntarily within reach of legal penalties than is the commander on a battle-field obliged to expose himself unnecessarily to a heavy fire. Success depends upon their power of action, and wherever this can be best brought into play is their place. Had Messrs. O'Brien and Dillon, therefore, the intention of remaining permanently in America, and if they believed they could best serve their cause by staying there, they would be doing no more than fulfilling their duty in carrying it out. The strong probability, — indeed we may almost say the complete certainty, — is, however, that when the object with

they ti hZtaE? ♦ 7 ?'T Dg has been fnlfilled, K T I? ' e J a . nd) T en althoa * h {t be t0 find them' selves once more withm the fangs of the tiger. Our feelings in the matter nevertheless, are by no means Quixotic, uZir D -° dCßire t0 Bee their coora * c P ut the proof TincWM me p CantOUr ueßnu eßn i t8 ' a 8 P erha P ß ifc may > i* <*>*- indnL^l' ?T* thßt , hiß Vi ° lence i8 > at beßt > mi «P^d fefl f £2X"!f ?k * ent u lemen in <l^tion are consequently left anmterfered with on their return, so much the better. mn th! r? C v T** 11 " 16 ' i 8 that by their s P irited <™ d ™t they run the risk of a more severe sentence, ultimately to be in117,^ W « ««t conclude, therefore, (hat their *$&£*£* c red upon deliberately and with saffi -

wh J^h* Cer . eni0 °! e8 afc Gore ' ° f which a report will be found elset£?;. , ! preat ° atholic e7ent of the * eek - Marking, as dZ^\T 7 the^ neral Progress of the Catholic Church in the STLri U \ mpMtl ™[* TT > the establishment here of a branch of the £ U i*T One ° r J' °' the Sißte " Of Me «*' th^ wera of very tK B s. r*. His Loid§wp the Bißh °p ™ iMd tn « *°^* i Xre *?,£ y - " Dd f ° Und them atteDded * cl °«* «« 100 them and i,°K T gm ° g ****** pr °° f of the «• upon ttSJJ ?a ?° advancemenfc already made undar the guidance of *tl th.° h .' /h«/ h « Bißb °P «P"~* h*maelf i delighted of th We may add that Ui9 t0 f0 ™« d the U * dmir K able work ' aQd to help towards defraying the ShEST I^ *? bGen iDCarred iD c( > nne otion with it, that the dent, and do not need to be pressingly urged.

nierarcbr to£ ™ ' the PP ° P6 haß Bum ™™d the Irish fufbnffh r II NoVember « The ■««» of information is doubt£m£L rf " 8 that Beemß im P robabl « in the report. If His SSt, tr M to mtke aDy iDquir * into Irißh ***»*><" may very ?£ iTd CMe ' lt i 8 nn * tarally tha prelatM of the co n *y *- *

ment mil assist those who may need assistance through it » Of

of a teddZ ZTi a C ° rre9 P° adeQt > * "«»' you an account Mr M?ct?£ th ?\ took P lace at D «fieM, between Miss Laffey and Mr. McCarthy, but in my description of the affair I made a very great mistake, and although I described the good things provided for M an apology to the donors for my seeming neglect.

mmmm mmmmm amende we are called upon to make. °

W< T??° LAR Ohri9tiaDi^ then, is still well to the fore The fol-

SSSSSSS2S3

education. Our contemporary lays dowj tbe law for Catholics witb almost as much authority as if he were a theologian of the Church We think it very doubtful," be says, " whether the Catholics woul< join with the Anglican Church for the purpose named in the telegram It would be against their religions principles to work for any othe cause bnt their own, and the establishment of State-aided Protestan schools is not one of their causes. Bather than that Catholic school should be placed on an equality with those of other denominations we believe the Catholics would prefer to remain in their presen isolated but proud position of independence."- Yes, honest friend but, don't you see, Catholics would be working for their own cause if by aiding to obtain justice for the Anglican community thej obtained it also for themselves ? As to your belief about their pre ferring their "proud position of independence," it is altogethei mistaken-perfect nonsense, in fact. Catholics are quite willing It have their schools placed on an equality with those of other denominations, and would gladly co-operate with any measures that migbi be adopted for such a purpose.

Wb recommend the following paragraph, taken from the Dublin Natwn, of August 23, to the special attention of our contemporary the Napier Telegraph:-" A victory has been scored on the educatior question. Thanks to the Archbishop of Dublin's unfailing persi* tence ir. pressing the claim of the Denominational Training Oolleeei to equality of treatment with the State Training College, and to Mr Sexton's energy in keeping Mr. Balfour to bis pledges, the victory has been won . Mr. Balfour has stated that the Treasury has resolved to treat the Denominational Training Colleges in precisely the same way as Marlboroagh -street. It adds to the pleasure of the success that, although it is mainly due to the agitation of Catholics and of Nationalists, its fruits will be shared by the Protestant schools and teachers. This shows that the question of denominational education in Ireland is not a narrow sectarian issue, but one affecting all the creeds.

At Mr. Santley's farewell concert m Sydney on the evening of sepi ember 22, among other performers Miss Colbourne Baber a vocalut hailing from Dunedin, was present. The lady shared in the honours of the night.

A vest note-worthy passage in the panegyric of Cardinal Newman, delivered in Sydney by the Cardinal Archbishop, and whole conclusion we publißh in our present issue, is that in which his Eminence accounts for the numerical sterility of the Catholic Church in England. The first and most significant of three reasons his Eminence gives for this is, to quote his words, " the national antipathy against Ireland and her Catholic people manifested by many of the clergy no less than of the laity in England." His Eminence is to be congratulated on the boldness of his statement and falling from such lips it should produce a due effect. It is a point that even for the sake of those who harbour the antipathy referred to should be insisted upon, so that the enormity of the matter may be forced upon their attention, and its remedy Berionsly undertaken by them. As things are, however, any mention of it excites anger and people occupying a less independent position can only make it at their risk. It is well, therefore, to find the truth so proclaimed as to ensure for it a respectful hearing.

The most curious incident," says Truth, "in connection with the gcnag over of Newman to Borne is the fact that Mark Patti«m would have gone over with him if he had not happened to misa a tram, an accident which gave him time for further reflection, with the result that he presently drifted so far from his old moorings that he came to be within a quite measurable distanae of pure atheism "—We trust it may not be uncharitable to regard as fortunate an accident that prevented Mr. Pattison from incurring responsibilities for which he was evidently unprepared, and which must have a^ded to the guilt of his infidelity. The profanation also that under the circumstances must have attended, more or less, on Newman's reception into the Church was providentially avoided.

Thk London correspondent of our contemporary the Otago Daily Times narrates certain rumours which, he says, prevail relative to Mr. Parnell s leadership of the Irish party. The rumours are, of course, to the effect that Mr. Parnell has grown tired of his party, and that his party has grown tired of him. « Certain incidents in the House, 1 ' concludes the correspondent, •■ have led one naturally to a conviction that Mr. Parnell's lieutenants have more thaa a suspicion of his mention to retire from public life. How otherwise can one erplain the want of unanimity displayed by Messrs. Sexton and Healy (not to include Mr. Dillon also) except on the hypothesis that they are reallybidding for the reversion of the leadership of the party. At any rate, I give the rumour for what it is worth ; in politics it is always the unexpected that happens."-But if it is tbe unexpected that happens, Mr. Parnell must still continue in bis leadership— for tho time is hardly to be remembered at which his resignation was not

looked upon as imminent. As to the worth of the rumour, it is simply nothing.

Yas, Sydney Smith was right. It would take an auger to drive a joke into the brain of a Scotchman, that is when the joko touches the Scotchman perrocally. Our North British friend is too canny to receive at a stroke what may inquire consideration. And as to the joke that is weighed and pondered, there, indeed, is savourless salt. Mr, Toole, for example, in one of his characters the other night at the Princess Theatre, referred in a jestiDg sort of way to the tragedy of Macbeth, mixing the part up together and at last reaching a conclusion, to tbe effect that one Scotch gentleman had killed another Scotch gentleman. There was for a moment a lull in tbe apptesiative merriment, and a silence that might be felt. We noticed something of the same kind some years ago when the late Mr. Rose gave an entertainment in Danedin. One of "Arthur Sketchley's " most amusing delineations was that of a Scot en lady, whose acquaintance his wife had formed at a watering place. It did not take, however. The ominous silence filled the hall. If Sydney Smith, therefore, was < 4 poking fun." as thesaying is, at his friends in Edinburgh, no wonder he adopted his theory of tbe auger.

Thk Melbourne Sun gives an instance of the intolerance of an Orange lodge at Ballarat in arraigning two of their brothers for respectively proposing and seconding a motion for rescinding a rule that excluded Catholics from a certain debating society. In one instance, however, the result was fortunate. One of the brothers arraigned had his eyes opened ani renounced the 83 stem. "The Roman Catholic Church, ' he said, " has been frequently charged with not allowing ita members to exercise their own jadgment, but the Orange lodge are now doing the very thing that they decry in others. If this is orangei9m, I have had enough of it." Bat all that is needed for the decay of Orangeism, at least in these colonies, is that it should be thoroughly understood by every honest and wellintentioned man belonging to it. The Sun gives its approval to the step t-ken by the ex-brother alluded to. " Mr. W. H. Hill," it says, " is evidently a very sensible young man, and his opinion will be very generally endorsed throughout the colony.

On Friday next, the bi-centenary of the Blessed Margaret Mary special devotions will lake place in St. Joseph's Cathedral, Dunedin to be followed by a general communion on Sunday.