WAIMATE.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXI, Issue 22, 28 September 1894, Page 25

W A I M A T E.

(From an occasional Correspondent.)

September 17, 1894. The following is a condensed report of a very interesting lecture given by Rev Father Regnault, S.M., last week, as published by the Waimate Times : —

The rev Father Regnaalt succeeded in maintaining the interest of his listeners from first to last of his necessarily lengthy account of the trip he made among the islands of the south-eastern Pacific, in company with Bishops Grimes and Redwood. After leaving Sydney the first place visited was the French convict gtttlement at New Cale donia. The rev lecturer gave a graphic and most interesting de*. cription of this island, showing that he had been a keen observer durng bis three weeks' stay there. He mentioned that Nonmea where the settlement was, was a well laid out town, with buildings suited to the requirements of the place, fle visited the chief public buildings, including the hospital, lunatic asylum, and prison. He

described the system under which the convict population were governed, and while it had much to recommend it, yet there was a great weakness in the system, inasmuch as the youDg lad of 17 was placed in company with the most hardened crimical, thus making reform aimon aa iiupos-ibihty, Tne eonvieia hud a gteat aiitipalLy to work, and rather than do any, they inflicted injuries upon themselves so that they would b 3 Bent to ,the hospital. The on'y punishment that had any terrors for them was imprisonment id o dnrk cell with a diet of bread and water arjd a bare board for a bed. The lecluier eaust-d cousideiubie amudemeul. by li.c LutnuiuUn way in which he described how the convic's maie a proposal to mar-y, for on the island there is a settlement of women >s well as of men, a n d these men aod women are permitted to marry if they fee! so disposed — that is when they have served their terms of imprisonment, There ib a fine cathedral, Beveral churches, including a Presbj terian church, on the island, the latter b^ing the only church besides the RjtnaQ Catholic represented in the settlement. The natives gave the party a hearty welcome. They have been brought under the it fluence of Christianity, and it was in connection with the jubilee of its introduction among them ttut the visit to New Caledonia was made. The Island of Pine?, some 70 miles from New Caledonia, was visited and described, as was also one of the islands of the New Hebrides group. Fiji was lik 'wise visited, and the lecturer gave a particularly interesting description of the Fijian arid his mode of living, and the various customH which prevailed among them. He described the peculiar manner in which they painted their bodies, sometimes one side black and another red, or stnp D d red and blue alternately, while some were altogether black with the exception of a red painted nose. But the glory of the Fijian was his hair, in which he took a special pride. The lecturer referred to the products of the island, and pointed out the almost unending uses to which the cocoanut tree was put by the natives. The manner in which the kava (the whwkey of all these islanders) was made was also amuiingly described, But we have not space enough to rt-fer to half of what the lecturer mentioned in hia two hours' df-senpt on of what he siw oo his trip ; all we cm a Id is that thi lecture was both interesting and instructive throughout, the audience marking their appreciation at its conclusion by a hearty vote of thank*. "

The proceeds of the above lecture are to be dcv tei to the parochial school fund. There has been a notable falling off in the payment of school fees this year. In the cisc of some families this is due, no doubt, to the bad season we have experienced, but I ft el bound to say that in many cases it is due to gross carelessness. The deficiency had become so great as to cause our zealous parisn priest to speak last Stmday in rather forcib'e terms to the defaulting parents, He urged them to make the necessary sacrifices to enable the devoted Sisters of St Joseph to continue the work of educaticg their children with the success, which until now, has attended their noble and ae.fsaenficing efforts. 1 have cften heard of the geceroeity of the "Waimate people, but when I consider that more than o'je half cf the parents do not pay ineir school fee*, I f ul to see where 'he generosity comes in. It is, indeed, sad to know that when we have cuch eplendid schools organized and conducted by those who want in return merely the necessaries of life, there are parents who, while taking the fullest advantage of all the opportunities aff jrded to them, contnbu'e nothing or make no sacrifice, however small, to assist the cause of Catholic education, and to prevent our chi'drei from lc sing their faith. I hope thit the appeal whicn was maie to tfce Cathol.cs of this parish last Sunday will be resoonied to, and that there will be no cause for complaint in the fu'ure. It is the intention of ll ev Father Regnault to deliver his interesting lecture in some of tb* country district?, acd I hope that all those who can be present will make aa (flirt to go and a-sist in st noMe a cause, The lecture, as you will ccc by the above report, is certainly well w. nh hearing, and bristles with anecdotes boh humourous and pithetic.

I hear that our new presbytery will soon he commenced, the tinders are to be received ou We ineeday next. 1 may oe able to tell you more on a future occasion.