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New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 12, 21 July 1893, Page 17

The Dunedin Star of Tuesday, the 18th inst, quotes what purports to be a Papal encyclical given by Cardinal Gibbons to the American Press on June 21. Wo have not ourselves received any American paper of so late a date, but we see no reason to question the authenticity of this document. The Star says — " it will be seen that hia Holiness endorses the action of Moneignor Satolli, his Legate, whilst upholding the decisions of the Baltimore conference." But what the action of Monsignor Satolli signified we find explained by a high Protestant authority, that, namely, of a Metho list bishop. Bishop John H. Vincent writes a 9 follows in The Forum for May, 1893, pp. 264-5 :~" The policy of refusing the aucraments to parents who persist in sending their ohildren to the public school is modified, but the increase and improvement of the parochial schools are eDJoined. It muat be remembered that the Church is no more loyaj to the public school under Mr Sitolh than before; and it fully expects, ona of these days, by a sudden and maßterly stroke, to secure the incorporation of the parochial schools into the Government system of ' free schools.' In many placrß in the United States today, to a larger extent than our citizens know, concessions have been made by local authorinee. Parochial Bchool buildings have been rented by the public school boards, ' sectarian' schools held in them, and sectarian teachers in gown and hood paid out of the pubhc tieaiury, Thia is now being done ia several States. The Faribault,

Still water, and Poughkeepsie plans are substantially a surrender ol the Nation to the Chorea. . . . The new prlicy represented by Mr Satolli will not reverse this Romanising tendency." The Star, and the party it represents, therefore, have evidently not ranch to gain by pointing to the example of Monsignor Satolh's action in America. Ac to the modification of the rule of withholding the sacraments from parents sending their children to the godless schools, the degree in which it extends may be gathered from the document published by the Star. We quote it as follows :—" The principal propositions offered by him (Mgr Satolli) weie drawn from the decrees of the Third Plenary Council of Baltimore, and especially the decree that Catholic schools are to be most sedulously promoted, and that it is to be left to the judgment and conscience of the ordinary (the Bishop) to decide according to circumstances when it ia lawful and when unlawful to attend the public schools." — Unlawful attendance, we need hardly explain, still involves the exclusion of parents from the Bacraments. Finally, wo may add by way of postscript, that it is to the advocacy and support of the sys'em as explained by Bishop Ymcent that Sir Robert Stoat has virtually pledged himself to the Catholic constituents of Inangahua — and tnis system Sir Robert must now support and advocate unless be would acquire the reputation of a mere vulgar political trickster. To the advocacy of this system also our contemporary the Grey mouth Argus is pledged. Indeed we are not sure that the Dunedin Evening Star himself is not in a similar pickle. We note with pleasnre that tickets for the Dominican Nan's artunion are still going freely off. There is room, however, for very much more, and it is hoped the friends of the Convent will give all the aid in their power. At the meeting of the Dunedin 8t Cecilia Society on Monday evening Miss Burnes (Christchurch) played as a piano solo, " Fantaisie impromptu " (Ohopin), and, for an encore, " Ventre a terre " (Kowalski) ; the Misses M. and K. Druovn played, as a pianoforte duet, "The Sultan's Grand March"; Mr T. Deehan played a flute solo, " Fantasia on Irish airs " ; the Misses O'Neill, M'Laughlin, and Knott sang " The three old maids of Lee." Mr J. Deakei brought a very enjoyable evening to a close by singing " Mrs 'Enery 'Awkins,** and, ia response to an encore, " You get more like your dsd every day." Each of the members present was presented by the president with a copy of the Triad. WE record with great regret the death of another kind oli friend, that, namely, of Mr Cornelius O'Driscoll. Many friends on the West Coast and ia Duuedin will join with us in a heartfelt prayer for the repose of his soul. Particulars of the sad event will ba found iv a Napier letter published in another column.— R.I.P, Pbeisuke on our space and time obliges us to hold over several articles to our nest isaue Communications from Westport and Ellesniere have only reached us as we go to press. Lohd Salisbury (says the Dublin Fireman of June 3) has now completed the message which he came to Ireland to deliver. The great Unionist leader, the sworn champion of the integrity of the Empire, the Imperialist who proftsses to dream of a day when the British Empire will be linked with links more durable than bind it now, has delivered hia gospel and fulfilled his mission, His gospel remain?, and it is a gospel of pure separation. The speech which he delivered last week in Derry is a declaration of inveterate and open hostility against the mass of the Irish people. To Lord Salisbury the Celtic people of Ireland and the sympathisers with them are as much "The Irish enemy " as they were to Cecil, to Strafford, to Cromwell, to the violators of the Treaty of Limerick. His travesty of Irish history, his caricature of the Irish nation, are valuable only for thia — that they reveal to the world and to Irishmen the beliefs and the Bentimentß in which the Unionist policy towards the ma*s of the Irish people will always have its root. According to Lord Salisbury there are two nations in Ireland. Between them there exists a dividing, a deep antagonism that cannot be bridged. Tbe Unionist policy is to be framed in the light of the conviction that the Irish people in the rnaßS are a nation of conspiring robbers and assassins engaged in an endeavour " to efla^e all the essential privileges of men in the caße of the minority." We cannot exactly sfty how many of even Lord Salisbury's own followers accept his leading of Irish history and his appreciation of the National spirit of Ireland. We fain would hope that his speech to the minority in Derry — for they are a minority even in Derry — will excite aB much disgust among Englishmen as it will among Irishmen. When the House of Commons resumed tbe consideration of the Home Rule Bill in committee (says the Dublin Freeman of June 3) it wae confronted by upwards of GSO amendments, occupying 48 pages of the notice paper. These amendments upon the clauses are exclusive of the motions for new clauses or relating to the varioui schedules of the Bill.

Mgb. Pehsico, heretofore secretary to the Sacred Congregation of the Propaganda, has been promoted to the office ol tbe Prefect of the Sacred Congregation of Indulgences and Holy relics, in plac« of Cardinal Sapiacci, deceased. LOBD Salisbury;, in his speech at Derry on Friday, (says the Liverpool Catholic Times ol June 2) indignantly rcpudia-cd anj desire to brouoe lbligiuua animosities Ye I m the same bieulh, i Je coarsely assailed the Irish clergy, referring to them as " a Umentab y disciplined corps of Celtic priests." The Celts are sometimes aiid to be boastful, but in worthless boasting as to the superiority of hirus.lf and those who agree with him, Lord Salisbury can easily beit all competitors. The Bine Book on the Kanaka question (says the Liverpool Catholic Times) reveals the fact that at certain Protestant mission stores the stock consists not of Bibles or hjmn-books, but of cases of Old Tom gin and beer, bags of shot, and boxes of percussion caps fur Enfield rifles. The Government agent asserts that the only missionaries who are really busy and zealous in religious work are the Catholic clergymen — tbe French Jesuit piiests. THE Financial Debate is still proceeding. The principal speech on Tuesday was that of Mr Scobie Mackenzie, who, how«ver, does not ■eem to have said much that we bad not heard before. He did not deny the surplus, but said that it had been already in existence, and that it was, to use the language of Mr Toots, of no consequence whatever. Mr Mackenzie also repeated hiß charge of imposture, and again displayed an anxiety for the bursting up of the large holdings. He instanced the purchase of the Cheviot Estate as a proof that the Government intended nothing of the kind. Here, however, we perceive a non sequitur. Surely if thi Government paid too much for the tstate in question they should be all the more eager to get others free of cost. Mr Mackenzie also added to the fame of the Nero Zealand Times, by loudly explaining of it. But the fortune of this paper is made. For our own part we had always regarded it as a newspaper like another. Now we feel almost inclined to put down onr name upon its subscribers' list. Fin-illy, that ia in the order of our paragraph, not in that of Mr Mackenzie's speech, Mr Mackenzie complained that two of the civil servants had begged of bim not to be seen speaking to them. Mr Mackenzie meant by this to prove that a state of terror existed in the Service. Might there not, howerer, be some other reason. Perhaps, for example, Mr Mackenzie had dirty hands. Civil servants, we know, as a rule, are swells. The debate, meantime, was adjourned. THS Wellington correspondent of the Otago Daily Times announces the appointment of the Hon Mr Montgomery as a Minister without portfolio in tbe Upper House. And here we have Moliere's doctors once more. They are for ever turning up. In answer to a question of Mr O'Cooor'e, Mr Beeves said that he could do nothing towards forming Dight schools as it would be irregular for his department to step in between tbe education Boards and their own day schools. The children, then, mast be taught by rulo or not taught at all. To save all tbe lives in the world no physician must deutrt frtmthe laws of the Faculty. Mr O'Conor's question, meantime, is significant of a marked failure in tbe famous system, Mb W, Hitciuson is troubhrg himsdf on aquesiiou of doctors' fees. The ca6C of Dr Lindu Ferguson aud Mr Mundy baa vexed his sparing soul, and be appeals to the Premier to prevent anything of tbt kind — that is, to prevent specialists wt o perfoim an operation in one or two minutes and so perfectly that nothing further is needed, from charging twenty guineas, But hire is the Socialist principle of labour-time plainly c-onadled. The more skilful the operation, ii might seem, the better worth paying for. Fancy, for instance, estimating the merit of a painter by the time he bad taken to fill bis canvas. 8o reckoned any unwieldy daub might be worth ten of the priceleßß gemß of art. Let ub hope the common sense of the Premier will avoid the risk of branding New Zealand as a land laid out for mediocrity or hardly even for that A it can find encouragement elsewhere. Had such a beggarly spirit prevailed when the old world waß younger than it now is, where would have been the magnificence that forms the boast of Europe? But then they had their Lorenzos and L«O6. Now we havu our Hutchisons and Moadys. The doctor who spares his patient and doe a his work quickly and perfectly is tbe doctor who deserves his fee.