Current Topics AT HOME AND ABROAD.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 18, 31 August 1894, Page 1

Current Topics AT HOME AND ABROAD.

ODDS AND ENDS.

The annual demonstration of the Women's Franchise League was held in Dunedin the other night. It disclosed the fact— by no means unexpected, that the fair enfranchised had a very good opinion of themselves. It also disclosed the fact, not quite so much expected, and possibly not so lasting, that they had a very good opinion of one another. The chief demonstrant, if as a guest we are not to take her rather is demonstrated, was the Mayoress of Onehnnga — a lively lady with something to say — also of the expected kind. We perceive, in fact, that the other sex no longer monopolises the character of the " agreeable rattle," at least when the lady is in a good humour. Tea and talk, however, is a very appropriate female demonstration— especially the talk. Our Yankee cousins, meantime, give us a pertinent woid or two:— "Mrs Cawker (quoting)— Half the world doesn't know how the other half lives. Mr Cawker.— lt ought to join your sewing society to find out." Mrs Tates, for example, bad a good deal of information to give concerning that half of the human race called man. Take this as a specimen : — A girl of the period, writes as follows in the Westminister Review :—"I: — "I am only eighteen years old and can boast of a latebkey and am never chaperoned. If I ever have children of my own I shall deem it my first and sacred duty to bring them up daily and hourly ta a just and practical knowledge of tbs world into which they are boro." And a pretty pickle of a world it must be. It is, nevertheless, pointed out that BUsßed Thomas More, in his "Utopia" claimed that girls should be educated as highly as boys. He argued against objections as follows :—": — " If the reproaches cist on the female understanding were sound, they would bnt afford so many additional reasjus for bestowing on it all possible cultivation.' 1 Here ii a matter for our prohibitionis's. — In reply the other day to Mr Pinker ton, who asked the Government to encourage local tobacco industry by remitting the duty on the manufacture from native-grown or imported leaf, the Colonial Treasurer stattd that the revenue derived from the imported article was £60,000 a year. But what a waste of money is thus made apparent. There is plainly acase for the f »ir enfranchised, whose sex, as a rule, do not smoke. The excise, meantime, as explained by Mr Ward, ia Is per lb, the duty on tobacco imported being 2s. This, the Treasurer said he considered inducement enough to woald-be growers. In a letter to the Wellington Post the secretary of the Federated Trades Union Council explains that a decision of the late conference held in Auckland, relative to the Chinese question, has been forwarded to the Government, and that it is expected that the matter will be dealt with this Session. It is proposed that a poll tax of £100 per head be levied, and the tonnage of vessels carrying men immigrants doubled. It is complained that bo long aa the general public frequent tbe Bhops kept by the Chinese their ostracism is hopeless. To prevent their threatened invasion of the cabinetmaking trade, a union, respective v of employers and employees is proposed. A special brand for the furniture made by Chinese labour ie also recommtnded. This is rather hard on Sir Eobert. Has be, then, after all, failed to gain the great heart of tbe people ? We quote from a letter in the Sydney Worker ;— " Stout looks too frtßb, too much like a well-to-do English village parson. He generally tells a stranger that there are two parties of Liberals in New Zealand, the Independent Liberals and — we forget the name of tbe other — ' Individualistic' probably — it doesn't much matter, for Stout does not belong to either of them." As for tha village parson, (he writer had evidently taken a queer squint at his reverence. The Bishop of Auckland, we are told by telegram, denounces the Divorce Bill as a mißchievoua measure. This, however, is understood. The attitude of the Catholic Church towards the matter

remains uncompromising. Bnt even should the 811 become law it will not affect the Catholic body. For them, as a ru e with few exceptions, it munt be as though it had not been pasied. It is to the credit of the non-Catholic clergy that they also are adverse. Even the Anglican Primate is acting properly in tbe matter, and has not been misled by his strange mistake about tbe action of Pope Clement VII. The Hon Mr Ward, in a latter to the daily papers has given his quietus to one Mr H. Oat way, who had ventured on an advrrte criticism of his statesmanship. Mr H. Oa'way is the spent of tbe Buckeye Harvester Company. According to Mr Ward, however, he is a versatile genius, has taken a turn at the Picturesque Atlas, and now canvasses for a'patent'corset.as well as a reaper and binder— in these progressive times, perhaps, finding strange affinities. Mr Ward, whose company is interested in a rival machine— exclusive possibly of the corset— the Masses-Harris reaper and binder, » scribes to Mr Oatway a sinister motive of a twofold kind— political ani businsis, his political animosity arising from the fact that the Treasnrer had proposed a method for collecting through the customs department income tax from firms and individuals outside the Colony. The Treasurer speaks also of certain itrictures oa the book fiend passed by him in the House. Mr Oatway'a business animosity Mr Ward ascribes to the unsuccessful rivalry of the maohine for which be canvasses against that for which his (Mr Ward's )company is agent. An explanation given by tbe Treasurer of a proposal made by Mr Oatway that the duty shouli be taken off binding-twine is more complex. It, nevertheless, shows that the duty, while it favours a local industry, is no hardship on the farmer. As to that discussion which took place in the House the other evening relative to permitting women to continue in setting type it seems absurd that anyone should n:>w question their right. The (quality, or rather identity, of their standing with that of men baa been admitted, and exceptions can only be inconsistently made. Mrs Tates, in fact, at that demonstration in Danedin, acted only consistently in claiming for her sex a right to sit in Parliament, and before very long we shall find them all openly agreeing with her — that is all the shrieking sisterhood — *p, no doubt, most of them do already in their insides. The heart, perhaps, as a more sentimental organ, can no longer be properly mentioned in this connection. Everything, in fact, for which they have bodily strength, women must now be acknowledged as capable of undertaking — and bodily strength fcj everything elße they bave a right to acquire if they can. Typesetting indeed, why, if wa may judge by their talk, they might succeed in exploding the gas-engine. It may be natural that some Irish members of Parliament are impatient, and inclined to resent tbe delay of the Government in undertaking to call tbe Home of Lords to account. At the time at which we write, the most recent news states that there is a division among the party on tbe question, but that a majority including Mr Justin McCarthy are in favour of waiting. It is in fact very doubtful as to whether, so far, the rejection of an Irish measure alone wculd stir up the feeling in tbe country necessary to tbe success of an attack upon tbe Lords. Their influence still is very powerful Their rank counts for a good deal, their enormous wealth for much more. In order to combat them with any chance of success, English interests must be nearly and sensibly touched. Bat oonsideiiag what tbe temper of the times is and what the temper of the House the seasonable hour cannot be long deferred. Mr Justin McCarthy, therefore, and those who agree with him seem to bave chosen the wiser course. Mr Cbanucey Depew attributes the labour trouble in the United Sates to the abrupt and permanent curtailment of production and consumption arising from tbe financial crisis of lait year and the subsequent uncertainties of tariff legislature. Tbe strike arose, he says, from the ambitions design of a man named Debs, editor of a Socialist labour magaeine, who was also a high ifficial of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen, and who formed tbe idea of combining all the railway employees— amounting to one million— la hit own order by which means he could control the railways and coerce their managers. He tock advantage of a dispute between tbe Pullman company and their employees and ordered a boycott of their

tart, This the railway companies resisted, refusing to pat their passengers to any such suffering. Debs consequently ordered the lints to be closed, and business was paralysed over about two-thirds of the area of the States. The riotous element Mr Depew describes ac the turbulent portion of the immigration congregated in cities. The final results, nevtrthelesp, he speaks of as good. Every vested interest is more secure and the rights of everyone more safe. Legi imate labour is better protected and more sure of its rights and of justice. The destruction of property attendant ol the strike and the riot 8 seems almost incalculable. Besides the cars and buildings burned and the tracks torn up, an immense quantity of goods was lost, fruit and other perishable freight going utterly to ruin, tfany of the cars burned, too, were laden with merchandise. That the effects are still severely felt, a cablegram, within the last few dajs, has informed us :—": — " The Governor of Illinois has appealed to the people to support 1000 families left starving." So much for the ambition of Mr Debs, based on Socialist and anarchist views. The loss of life, meantime, appears to have besn sot quite so great as was reported. The riotous spirit, nevertheless, does not seam confined to undesirable immigrants huddled together in American towns. The wrecking of aooliery, for example, is reported from Burton Hill, near Glasgow, in which 2000 Scotch strikers were engaged. The canse was the employment of non-unionists. Coming so soon after the rejection of the Evicted Tenants' Bill by the House of Lords, the following cablegram, under date London* August S3, seems suggestive :— " The Irish Land Acts Committee report! in favour of drastic legislation in the interests of tenants. and advises the sub-commissioners to fix judicial rents without appeal. A minority of the committee complain that the report represents only the views of officials of the Land Commission." Bir George Grey's broad-minded viewa do not seem to be very favourably received in high Conservative quarters. With rpgard, for instance, to his well-known aspiration, expressed, once more, a few weeks ago in London, the Standard recalls to him the fact that, at the time of the war of independence, Americans were more closely related to the pare Anglo Saxoi stock than they now are — but that nevertheless, the war against the colonists was exceedingly popular tn England.— Of its popularity in America all the world is aware < Why, even its commemoration remains popular there. Observations taken in Sydney of the shearers brought over, two or three weeks ago, from this colony by the Wakatipu were not very favourable. Comments on the unwelcome arrivals were far from complimentary. The crisis over there is spoken of as momentous and if the squatters wia the day it is expected that they will per* maneotly make considerable reductions. A man no doubt should be free to go where be likes, or to accept the employment that suits him« Nevertheless it may be as well occasionally to leave combatants to fight it out between them. This shearicg trouble once more proves the need for compulsory arbitration. The men contend that they are only holding out for the fulfilment of an agreement entered into with them in 1891. And) again, conference has been refused and Arbitration rejected. The pastorallst assumes the bully's place, and demands the acceptance of bis terms without a word of explanation. Surely the Government, on whom he calls for pro'er.tion, nay, for aid, in tho way at least of protecting the men he calls in from without to help him, has a right to a say in the matter, and to inquire whether or not it is required to back up injustice. Compulsory arbitration would leave the mater no longer donbtful. "The liar "—this is the comment of an indignant Briton that we found on the margin of the July number of the North American tleview, which at present lies on the table in the reading room of the Dunedin AthesMim. And in fact, the article thus commented on is not very flattering to the true born Briton. It is one on the Bta'e of affairs in Egypt, by Madame Adam — the famous Parisian journalist"Perfidy and falsehood," she ejaculates "impertinent hypocrisy.' 1 11 Unikilfnlnese," she says again, "contradiction, disorder, waste, administrative in justice, inefficiency, unsurpassed crimes of ' creatures ' of the English, cruelties of the police— such is very nearly the balance sheet of occupation." A delicate &ugge advenes*, moreover, attends on a statement made by <he lady, to the effect that the late Khedive detested England. " Tewnk, unable to control himself, showed his spirit of revolt against the oppressor, and secretly placed himself in communication with the National party of Egypt. Then he died suddenly. His death fu'filled the wishes of Lord Salisbury. 1 ' It made the Tory Premier, we are told, ready against the general election " for all audacities." Madame Adam is now anxious to know whether the young Abbas will be victorious over his t; rants or vanquished by them. Oa a lesser scale, too, it woull seem that the bar* bariim of Caliph Omar, towards the Alexandrian library, has been repotted by English hands. The writer charges an officer of the arm; of occupation with, in a drunken fit, burning " the precious documents and scientific reports, the fruit of thirty years' labour of the French and American missions." She accuses England also o* lowering the standard of education, and trying to keep Egyptian youth ignorant, in order to check the growth of an enlightened pat-

riotism. The writer concludes by an exhortation that, with the final aim of restoring Egypt to the Egyptians, the rights of the people Bbould be defended, aud foreign colonies among them protected. Decidedly the article is one on whose margin the true born Briton seems excusable, even though somewhat rude, in writing—" the liar." Onr contemporary, the Dunedin Evening Star, of Baturday, publishes, in refutation of the Encyclical on the Union of Christendom just issued by the Pope, the encyclical of an Antipope — Kalimos (Goosequill) I, In aback p&ilour somewhere in thin city, if not a garret in Bond street, his holiness Bits in eta^, and in a much clearer light ■hanthat enjoyed by Pope Leo takes quite different views of things in general, and some things in particular. Bat could cot our Gooiequillcut it dom«v» hat shorter 7 That is a dreadful rigmarole in which to say nothing at all. " That's where Paul and I differ," for instance, is a sentence neat and emphatic, exactly summing up, too, all that this wearer of a triple crown—of audacity, folly, and twaddle— can mean, admirably suited, moreover, to one of the elements that control the Star Where, in fact, would the Evangelical stump be if it could cot venture to differ with Paul? Our Antipupe, again, by using the traditional words would save paper and ink, an ink that be Bays contains " no acrimony," and which, we admit, does seem sufficiently watered. When next, therefore, our Goosequill issues an encyclical let him. remain within due bounds. He will be quite as comprehensible and will lose nothing in elcquence or torce, Onr old friend, " Ulyssep," too, is once more to the fore, and also delivers an utterance from that stump; His subject is his personal lights as to the position of the Catholic Church in America. Our friend says he may as well give up all hope of winning either the confidence or esteem of the Tablet, and there he is pretty right. Had he, nevertheless, even now the grace to acknowledge, with doe apologies, bis misrepresentations, forgeries, and garblings, we should at least admit that there was some hope left for him. The occupant of the Evangelical stump, meantime, stands too clearly revealed to require much waste of words. The Tablet, at least, may claim one merit — that of bringing Chad band out in bis true colours. As to what Chadband has to say, it is of the usual sort, the distempered view given by a dishonest tongue of matters which it pays to calumniate. " Ulysses," of course, mast earn his money. The shame abides with the unholy alliance which hires a knave to do its dirty work. Mr Frederic R. Coudert, in dealing in the Forum for July with the new Knownothingiem, makes the following reply to the standing charge, that the adherents of the Catholic Church are largely to be found among the poor, the illiterate, »n1 the morally degraded :— " If this be true, then indeed, so long as the Church retains the slightest claim to a divine origin and a divine purpose, so long must that reproach be imputed to her. She is, it is true, and h&B always been, the Church of the poor and the illiterate. She alone has preached the Gospel to them. She alone has won their confidence, and she alone has sought — and often with triumphant success-— to raise them from degradation to a higher standard, She has in this followed tin example of her Master and Founder. His walks were among • the poor, the illiterate, and the morally degraded.' His hands did not shrink from touching the leper, from blessing the sinner ; they were raised to heaven in favour of those who had no friends on earth. He sent His Apostles for the express purpose of doing that wbicb, if we credit the statement which I have quoted, brings odium upon the Church I Perhaps this may be so. Then, let her continue to earn that odium in the largest sense. The hatred which good works bring with them, and the contempt which humble charity may create, will not long endure, aud certainly will not spread far among our people." A late demonstration of the A.P.A, took the shape of tbs tarring and feathering of Adjutant-General Tarsney of the Colorado State National Guard. The mob tod their victim that their first in* tention had been to give him 100 lashes and then hang him He had offended the A.P.A. by his support of law and order in some recent troubles. It is a suggestive fact, meantime, that the preei* dent of the Association, a worthy named Traynor, is also president of the Impeiial Grand Orange Lodge of the world. A characteristic article from this gentleman's pen, we may add, appears also in the North American Review for July. No one, nevertheless, at least in the Dunedia Athec&um, has written " the liar " on any of its mar* gins. Truthful Irishmen perhaps are more polite than indignant Britons. It is recalled as a curious coincidence that President Carnot had signed the decree by which the Archbishop of Lyons was recently punished for certain expressions condemnatory of the Government, by being temporarily deprived of his stipend. The Archbishop it was also who gave the dying President the last rites of the Chnrcb. His Grace's stipend waa immediately restored by President Perier: Concerning the disposition of M, Perier, there is some difference of opinion. Authorities, however, who have the means of knowicg, declare that he is favourable towards religion, and that, in this respect, as much as possible may be expected from him. Some rumours have arisen about the burial of M, Carnot. It is said that

hia widow has had his grave in the Pavheon blessed. If, indeed, his body were there at all, for it is further whisparpd that the coffin interred was empty — the condition of the corpse not permitting of its being publicly cooveyed.— M. Carnot himself, »s a Minister, had taken part in secularising the building. Death, however, brings Strange changes, and bajpy are they who in. time conform to them. In the address of General Brinkerhof, president of th« National Prison Congress recently held at Sr Paul, Minn, it was stated that while education wag advancing crime was atendily miking headway. " In 1850 the ratio of prisoners was one out of 3442 ; in 1860, one out of 1647 ; iv 1890, one out of 757." But we have >'Pen told, as, for example, by our friend •' Ulyses," that bb education advances Catholicism declines. The inference is obvious. The Bey H. B. Haweia, who is certainly no part-san of the Catholic Church, and who oow, indeed, giving rein to his imagination, makes some stup : d charges, nevertheless, in an article in the Joly Fortnightly, admits that the Roman question it by no meang settled. He expresses astonishment at the popularity, still growing, of the Pope, and declares that in event of a great change, which he believes possibly to impend, hie Holineis must recover the temporal power. Such an admission from soch a quarter means a good deal. The riotous element, apart from the turbulent immigration of American cities, has also had an illustration in New South Wales. The shearing trouble along the Darling River has taken a more serious tone. On a station named Orafcsmere, especially, there bas been bad work. An affray has taken place there between the police and a body of men attacking non-unionists, in which two of the assailants were severely wounded. At Wilcannia six hundred and fifty men are encamped, and an outbreak in the big sheds at Broken Hill is anticipated. If arbitration would have prevented all (bis a grave neglect is apparent. In any case by refusing a conference, the pastoralists have laid themselves open to suspicion and risked the Igbs of sympathy. The rejection of the Electoral Exesutive Bill has given to party government a prolonged leaee of life. Poasibly it may last the time •f the present generation, and possibly also it may attain to such a

proper use as to serve its purpose fairly well, Meantime we do not tee that the fact of a man's voting against his convictions, on which some stress has been laid ag an evil conDecttd with the system in question, is neceiearily so heinous an iff nee. It may mean that he takes a more modest view of his own rapacities, and admits tha' others may be better advised, or it m»y m p an that, Beeing the impossibility of carrying out what he believes to be best, \e wisely deteimlnes to snppert what be sees to be pagnable. Standing <ut for his convictions ia such a case would make a man guilty, at least, of quixotism, and might subject him justly to a charge of inordinate conceit. If, on the other hand, a man sacrifices bis honest convictions to interested ends, and doubtless party government occasionally offers him such an opportunity, ho acts discreditably. The system imposing euch action on him as inevitable must be thoroughly evil. That party government necessarily does so few will vuntareto maintain. The death of a steeplechase rider, well known in Australia as Tommy Corrigan, by his horse falling in the V.A.TC. Grand National at Caulfield, h*s been widely regretted, enptciallyjin sporang circles. The sporting editor of the Sydney Herald says be had ridden more races over timber than any other man in the world, and seemed tj bare a charmed life :—" But the 'pitcher went to the spring once too often, and got broken at last,' and the lion-hearted prince of steeplechase riden has been laid low at tha sport he loved so well. He has jumped bis last fence ; but his memory, like that of Got dor, will live while ' posts and rails ' hold a place in the hearts of Australians and the ' rattle of rails' is music in their ears. The sportsmen of Australia are sore to pay a high tribute of respect to a ' brave man gone where we all must go.' Like most of his countrymen, Oorrigan had an innate lore of sport, and his place of birth being close to the Curragh of Kildaie, it is not surprising to learn th it soon after his arrival In Victoria be turned bis attention to horse- racing, being then between 12 and 13 years of age. The deceased jockey was 40 years of age, having been born in the County MeAth, Ireland, in May, 1864.

In connection with the planting of an orange tree at the Dominican convent of Santa Sabina, Strathfield, N.8.W., a* recent It performed by the Cardinal Archbishop of Sydney, the Freeman's Journal recalls a tradition ef the Order :— " The legend tells how, eorly in the thirteenth century, St Dominic planted an orange tret at Santa Sabina, on the Aventine Hills, near Rome, and how the tree remains in vigorous life, fruit-bearincr, up to the present. It is told how, once since ita foundation, the Order of 8t Dominic seemed to falter and wellnigb to fall, and how at this juncture the tree, up to then so hardy and unequivocally healthy, simultaneously gave signs of approaching if not of premature decay. At that tim«>, according to tradition, a holy man joined the Order, through whose influence the Dominicans increased in numbers and influence and usefulness. In ratio, it is said that all the signs which presaged decay in the tree vanished, and the old tree once again gave signs of being vigorously healthy. Owing to the phenomenal age of the Santa Sabina tree, and to the sanctity of ita planter, this legend ia much esteemed by the Dominican Order." Rolf Boldrewood in a book of adventure in the South Pacific writes as follows : — " At the Marist mission in Tongatabu I was received most kindly by the venerable Father Chevron, the bead of the Church in Tonga. His had been a life truly remarkable. For fifty years he had laboured unceasingly among the savage races of Polynesia ; bad hal hair-breadth epcapec, and passed through deadliest perils. Like many of his colleagues he was unknown to fame, dying a few years later beloved and respected by all, yet comparatively nnhonoured and unsung. Daring the whole course of my experiences in the Pacific I have never heard the roughest trader speak an ill-word of the Marist missionaries. Their lives of ceaseless toil and honourable poverty tell their own tale. The Catholic Church may well feel proud of these her most devoted servants." In America where the alarm of the anarchist's bomb bas already been felt, due appreciation is shown among non-Catholics for the peaceful proposals in the late Encyclical of the Holy Father. " Unquestionably," writes the New York Sun " the time is ripe, or soon will be, for a moral co-operation of all men calling themselves Chris*

tian* against revolutionary teachings which threaten the destruction alike of religion and civiliaation. The necessity of such a combination against anti-social forces has been repeatedly affirmed by Leo Xtll., and is proclaimed with special anxiety and fetvour in what peihapg will prove to hi his last encyclical." The clearer *iew mtanti no, commanded from a Bond street, Dunedin, garret or some such exalted tower of ob4erv»tion p>o h-poobs anything of the kind. Bat — bet'er late than never — let us apologise to the honest grey goos . Sure kalamot represents no gojsa-qui'l at all, only a bit of a sick— \ broken reed — and what except a blot or a scribble could be expected fr> m that I Chinese hatred of the " foreign devil," roused afresh by the war with Japan, his just had expression in the murder of a Presbyterian missionary who, unfortunately, was met by a band of soldiers in the Btreet at mid-day and stabbei and backed by them. The blood of Catholic missioniries and their converts has loig reddened the soil of China. Jipau, too, h*s thug been deeply dyed, and in Corea torture and death is even yet the ordinary destiny of the Catholic priest. Quite recently a gunboat wai sent there to check the fl«rG3 persecution of the French missions, Danger, or increased danger, for danger there always is, to the missions, bas been the first thought of Citholics in connection with the war. But, doubtless, as in the case of this Presbyterian minister, all foreigners in Chinese towns are now more or lesa in jeopardy.