WESTPORT NOTES AND COMMENTS. (By Old Identity.)

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 4, 25 May 1894, Page 29

WESTPORT NOTES AND COMMENTS. (By Old Identity.)

May 13th , 1894.

THE MISSION THE all-absorbing topic in locil Catholic circles during thp pa=)t month has been the visit of the Y:ncc" f " i n Watum-* R wn n "Visitor" has alreaiy supplied your realer3 with an extended report, it would be superfluous for me to r^fer at any length to the highly successful mission, suffice it to say that the fruits of the good Fathers' labours are particularly marked by the zeal and enthusiasm shown by the large numbers of 8t Canice's Church congregation who have entered the ranks of the Bociety of the S<*cred Heart. The League of the Cross, also established in our midst by Father Hanley, includes some of the leading members of the congregation. Your own.Jaa a Moderate, is pleased to notice that the Leagu rs are remaining true to their temperanca principles without becoming rabid. EDUCATIONAL The teaching Btaff of 8t Canica's School has undergone an entire change since last wrning. The falling off of revenue unfortunately necessitated dispensing with the ner vices of the schoolmaster and his assistants. The tapering off of harbour works expenditure has seriously affected the financial position of the school as well as the general prosperity of the town. St Canice's school is now in charge of the Sisters of Mercy. The Catholics of Westport have maintained this school at their own sole cost for upwards of 11 years. The High School, held at the Convent is progressing favourably. Many of your readers will remember the agitation created here a few months ago by half-a-dozen of the Protestant clergy petitioning to introduce Bible-reading into the local State schools. The old school committee refused the request, and in order to test public feeling upon the question, two clergymen were nominated as candidates at the late School Committee election, with the result that they were put in their places — at the bottom of the poll. I don't think there is much likelihood of the local Protestant clergy showing the same practical spirit in the matter as their Catholic neighbours. Of course, if they could manage to spread the teachings of their numerous creeds at the expense of the rate-payers well and good. Is it not suprising the lengths some individuals go at election times, particularly if they have a personal grudge against one of the candidates? A clear case of this description occurred in the Bullsr district during the late General Election, and as it bears upon Catholic education and a sequel hangs thereto, it is worth relating : It was well-known from the commencement of the campaign for the Bailer seat that both candidates were opposed to justice being done Catholics in the matter of education. Tois was not only painfully apparent to Catholic eltctors — who were on that account, in miny cases, quite indifferent as to the result of the is*ue, — but also to every other intelligent elector. Notwiths aniing this fact, a local ' rag," published on the eve of polling day a most virulent and unwarrantable attack upon Catholic Education claims, and In language very strong warned its readers that Mr O'Conor was an out and out supporter of State aid to Catholic schools. In fact it went so far as to Bay that support of Eugene O'Conor's candidature meant placing maul and wedges in the hands of Catholics to burst open the Colonial cheat to provide funds for the euppmof their schools. How well the Yankee journalist with his screeching eagle of liberty, knew the time to fan the flame of religious intolerance in the minda of illiterate peop'e to seive his own spleen. The motto of the paper referred to is " Virtue. Liberty, an i Independence. ' IMPORTANT TO LOCAL BODIES. At the last meeting of the Borough Council an account for £60 was presented from J. L. Munson it 00., publishers of the U idler Miner, The account came as a surprise tj most of our City Fathers. Cr. Munson strongly advocated payment of the account, or at least sufficient to pay bis races. He was very anxious to be qualified at the next Borough election. After discussion, the account was held over for consideration at a special meeting. The Council adjourned till Friday evening, 4th instant, for this specific purpose. At this meeting, the mayor, Councillors Horn and Carr wanted the accoant further held over pending legal opinion as to the Council's position in voting money from the Borough "chest" to a firm one of whom was also a member of the Council. Th^ municipil Corporation Act wai quoted and also a letter of warning to a local body in the North Island from the Auditor-general under similar circumstances. Eventually the account was considered vriatim, with the result that it wag whittled down to £36 53, and passed for payment. The Auditorgeneral (Mr Fitzgerald) takes part in the next act. LICENSING COMMITTEE. I am pleased to notice that two local Catholics, Messrs Robert Carr and Michael Organ, J.P., were successful candidates at the rtcent Buller Licensing Committee elecion (polling 1091 and 934 respectively) and I am also glad to announce the return of an esteemed townsman, Mr James Colvin, who is by the way, an

".rd n r:t Hcrr.e E'i'cr, ba > ]in' y from the Ccu^t" Den"""! " T<Vi " I™**! option poll resulted in favour of leaving matters as they were, and also the election of a Moderate committee, in spite of strong opposition from the Prohibition party. BISIOP MORAY'S HEALTH. "Old Identity," in common with numerous other frieuda in thiet distinct, was indeed gratified io learn by the last issue of Ihe I ablet, that nis LordsbiD .Bishop ftioran, the aoie champion oi Catholic rights in New Zealand, was making rapid improvement towaiJs convalescence from his protracted illness. We can ill afford to lose an ecclesiastic of his grit— whose able and consistent advocacy in matters educational is admitted by friend and foe alike. THE LATE MIS 3 HELENA KENNEDY. Much sorrow waR felt and expressed by a wide circle of friends in Westport when the sad intelligence was received here of Miss Helena Kennedy "a death, which took place at the residence of her sister (Mrs Higgins), Greymoutb, on the 4th instant, after much safiering from rheumatic fever. The deceased waß a most amiable yonng lady and was beloved by all who knew her. She was the sixth daughter of Mr and Mrs Kennedy, of Ahaura, and was 18 years of age. — May her soul rest in peace. IRISH NATIONAL FEDEBABION. The Hon Mr Tole, president of the Auckland branch of the Irisk Na'ional Federation sent congratulatory telegrams to the branches of the Federation recently established (by Mr M. J. Sheahan, J.P., of Auckland), at Westpoit, Denmston, Addiaon's and Charleston.

According to the Westminster Gazette, Lord Bute is a great friend of the new Premier, who i 8 his coeval, and who was his most in'imate associate at Chrißt Cburch. At the late jubilee in Carlsbad in honour of Labitsky, a Catholic priest composed the hymn, a Protestant minister wrote the woids, anJ the Jewish Synagogue furnished the singers. The largest increase in gold production ia any part of the United States last year was in Colorado, where the approximate increaae amounted to 2,000,000d018. The only State in which a decrease was shown wag at Nevada, with a falling-off of about 575,000 dollars. The unusual circumstance of five generations living in the same village is now existing at Skillington, near Grantham, where there are living Thomas Dufferin, who is 97, his son, aged 73, grandson, 48, great grandson, 26, and great-great-grandson, 6. The head of the family is etill hale and hearty. The Westminister Gazette asks : " Who shall say that the true spirit of democracy has noi entered the aristocratic House of Lords ? Toe Most Noble the Marquis of Salisbury lately walked to the House in a soft wide-awake. Later Earl Spencer appeared io the inner lobby of the Commons in a ' bowler,' and more than that, went on foot in it to the Admirality." It is stated that at a conference of engineers and experts as to the petroleum wells near Shepton Mallet, confident opinions were expressed that indications were in favour of oil being struck in quantity at a depth of about two hundred feet. Tenders for boring are to be called for immediately, the floating of the company being assured. A telegram from Battia, Corsica, sta'es that a court martial was held on Saturday on board the Entrepremant on Clement Adam, bluejacket, aged 39, accused of having thrown a piece of iron at his con> manding officer. Adam confessed the crime, but in extenuation said he bad no intention of injuring the superior officer. He was, however, condemned to death. Liter accounts of the bomb outrage in Paris, April 4, at the Restaurant Fovot state that the force of the explosion was most terrific and smashed the windows of the senate, besides hundreds of windows eUewhere in the neighbouring streets. Toe anarchist named Meunier who was implicated in the explosion at the Cape Very in Paris in 1592 haß been arrested in London on suspicion of being implicated in the present outrage. He made most dtsperate resistance when arrested by the police. Iv the January R< i v w of i?< views (says the Brisbane Australian) there appears a very characteristic article on the Sydney Bulletin, from the pen of Mr Juho Tighe Ryan. The article in question retlec's the greatest credit on the author, and is of the greatest possible interest. It shows how a journal, unique in policy, has become the most soccessful and influential amnngst Australian journals. Mr Ryan was formerly on the Btaff of the Queensland Tiiries, and his bright sketches in that newspaper were greatly admired. His taste lies solely in the direction of literature. He comes of a good old Tipperary family, being a native of Cloaonlty. His people live at Ipswich. He has two sisters in the Order of Mercy in this Archdiocese. We are glad to note that Mr Ryan is making his mark down South, and we wish him a brilliant career. To the March number of the Review of Rei-irns Mr Ryan contributes an interesting and picturesque character sketch of the New South Wales Premier, Sir George Dibbs. We are so accustomed to the faint praise or the absence of any praise at all with which the literary attempts of Catholics are bo often received, that we (Bombay Catholic Examiner) gladly quote|from the Athi ii<eum the just tribute of commendation which that periodical has just bestowed upon one of the best known of our English Catholic writers, In a recent review of Father Ga6quet's book upon the " Black Death" the Athenaum pertinently observes :—": — " It is a long time since an English Benedictine monk has done such good work as this, and it it not a little significant that, just as it is becoming apparent that the parochial clergy'of the Established Church are ceasing to be men of learning and culture, Jesuits, Oratorians and other battalions of the Papal army should be sending forth scholars and accomplished students who are taking prominent positions as teachers of history among vs — teachers, too, who deserve a bearing and will retain it.