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New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 22, 28 September 1894, Page 18

On Sunday next at 3 p.m. the sacrament of Confirmation will be administered in St Joseph's dihedral by the Bishop of Chrislchurcb. On Sunday, October 7, the F^ast of the Most Holy Rosary, his Lordship will open the new cburc'i of St Patrick, Sou'h Dunedin,

High Mass was celebrated at St Joseph's Cathedral, Dunedin on Sunday at 11 a.m. The Rev Father M'Mullen acted as celebrant the Rev Father Eoward as deacon, and the Very Rev Father Lynch, Adm, as sub-deacon. The preacher was the Rev Father Howard, who delivered an excellent sermon on humility. Farmer's Macs was performed by the choir. In the evening at Vespers tha preacher was Father M'Mullen, who preached on prayer.

At the quarterly meeting of the H.A.C.B S., held in Dunedin on Tuesday evening, it was agreed that the branch should take part, as a body, in the opening of St Patrick's Church, South Dunedin. The Very Rev Father Lyncn, who was present, said that this would gratify the Bishop very much. Afterwards two of the members, Brothers Fenton and Oarr, waited on his Lordship, who expressed to them bis gratification and interest, and wished them success and prosperity. He thanked the Society for their charity and gave them generally, throughout the colony, his blessing.

A very pleasing en:ertainment took place in St Joaeph's schoolroom, DunediD, on Monday evening, in commemoration of the feast of the Rev Mother Prioress — a festival observed yearly prop rio moiu by the pupils of the Dominican Convent High School. Tht play chosen for tbe occasion was " William 1'ell," rather an ambitious undertaking for 6uch young performers. The performance, nevertheless, was excellent, -the dialogue fluent and intelligent, aod the acting spirited. Tbe scenery was particularly well devised, the rugged Alpine surroundings being artistically reproduced, and the

dresßes were appropriate. A tableau shown by a red light at the conclusion, and in which the whole dramatis persona, with some picturesque addition?, took part, was most effective. Between the acts, on the floor of the room, in front of the stage, the little children of the Kindergarten went very prettily through their choicest exercises and dances, with a pianoforte Rornmp*nim*nt to th«ir singing. A quartet of the elder pupils also executed a graceful skirt dance, and one yonng lady sang with great sweetness a difficult song. E very th'ng went off with infinite Buccess, and much to the enjoymont of the audience.

Ax order issued by Bishop Watterson, of Colurobns, Ohio, approved of by Mgr Satolli, and adopted by Archbishop Corrigan.as applicable alsc, if desirable, to New York, has made a sensation in theUoited Sates. Many people, especially the wilder advocates of total abstinence, have bailed it aa tantamount to a denunciation by the Cnnrcb, of all usi of alcholic liquors, and, on the contrary, by certain saloon-keepers, and their organs in the press, it has been otnewhat insolently defied. The order was to the effect that, in the religious Societies already existing in the diocese, no saloon-keeper or othtr prrson engaged in the liquor trade Bhould be made an officer, and thit into no such Society formed in the future should any such person be admitted as a member. The Bishop had been induced to take this step by the particular action of a Society known aa the Catholic Knigh-s, who, in disregard of the statutes of the diocese, had carried on at their entertainments beer selling, beer drinking, and promiscuous dancing, and generally by finding that the class of persons in question, to quote his Lordship's words, " tried todominaU toe Societies and|in too many cases succeeded in using their membership for their own selfish ends, and often to the injury of otber members and their families, and the dishonour of tha Societies themselves and religion." The Bishop, however, explained that he did not mean to condemn the liquor business in itself or every ona who was engaged in it. That the Church disapproves of the liquor traffic aa it is conducted in the United States has long been notorious. A decree of the Third Council of Baltimore, held in 1884, in fact,' cond«mned it, and enjoined on Oatholics, if so engaged, the necessity of getting out of the business as soon as possible. The trade indeed, is scandalously abused, and, bb a rale, the saloons are' centres and hot-beds of vice. It is, nevertheless, not to ba understood that the intention is to brand with disgrace everyone eng»ged in the trade— though doubtless, locally, the innocent will suffer with th 6 guilty— according to a common and inevitable law. The case referred to is a particular one, and is not by any meana to be takan as of general signification. Much less is it to be understood that a new departure has been taken by the Church at large, and that she has condemned, or will condemn, a legitimate use of any of God's creatures—alcohol or anyo'her. America, we may remuk in conclusion, is a country of many peculiarities, and exceptional measures adopted there are not to be regarded as necessarily having a baaring on tha condition of things elsewhere. Our American cousins, in°a word may be left to consume their own— sensations.

Among the n^mea of the students who have passed the examination for the M B.C.M. degree of the Edinburgh University we find that of Mr Alexander Joseph M'llroy, of Dunedin. Dr M'Uroy, as we may now call him, was edncated first at the Christian Brothers' School in this city^and St Aloysms' College, Waikari, and afterwards at St Pa-rick's College, Wellington. Everywhere, both as school boy and student, he showed the marks of talent, and it may be taken for granted that he has before him a highly creditible career as a physician. We understand that he will maka himself acquainted with the London hospitals and gain experience there before he returns to practice his profession in New Zealand.

Here is a cablegram under date Lonion, September 24 : — "Addressing a meeting in Djblin Mr John Redmond vehemently demanded the release of those imprisoned in connection with dynamite outrages, on the ground that the outrages were the result of pure and high motives." Our rule has been, from the first, so far aB possible, to avoid reference to the unfortunate part taken by Mr Redmond. We hoped thus, to do not much, but the little we could towards making reconciliation easier and helping to repair a destructive breach. If the cablegram quoted be true— and we can hardly credit it-we find that we have happily, though with a false hope refrained from censuring madness. Nothing else could account for such an utterance as this.

li' report speaks the truth, King Humbert is showing the cloven foot. He is said to have changed hi 9 ambassador at Paris owing to an effort made by the official in question to bring about a reconciliation between France and Germany. Further report charges him with an attempt to involve England ia a war with France, relative to the rumoured intention of this power to annex Madagascar. It will be worthy of the position filled by the usurper if ha succeeds in making mischief.

Bomb dissatisfaction has been caused among the residents at Cardrona by the refusal of an application made by them for the establishment in their town of a postoffice and savings bank under the charge of a civil servant. The request eeema by no meanß exacting, and it is to be regretted that the department has not given it a favourable hearing. Where the postal arrangements and others depending on them are not satisfactory much inconvenience and annoyance are felt, and it is decidely a grievance that a respectable body of Bettlers, many of whom have done good work as pioneers, should be subjected to anything of the kind. The Hon the PostmasterGeneral, perhaps, may be induced to reconsider the matter.