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New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIII, Issue 38, 17 January 1896, Page 17

At St JosepL's Cathedral last Sunday evening the Very Rev John Ryan, 8.J., Bee tor Riverview College, Sydney, preached a very instructive sermon, >( on the value of time," to a crowded coogregation. On the preceding Wednesday be addressed the members of the Confraternity of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour on devotion to the Sacred Heart. Father Ryan's practical discourse was much appreciated by the large congregation, and shonld greatly tend to farther help on a devotion which, judging from the large numbers who approach Holy Communion on the first Friday, has taken deep root in Dunedin. The Very Key Father concludes a retreat for the Dominican nuns to-morrow (Thursday), and leaves the same day by express for Christchurch en route for Sydney. ______ The half-yearly meeting of the Dunedin ladieß* branch of the Hibernian Society was held on the Bth inst., when tbere was a large attendance of members. The balance sheet for the quarter being read and adopted, the whole of the funds showed a very fair pro* gress, with the exception of the medical fnnd. The secretary pointed out that tbe proportion of contributions to thiß fund was ridiculously too low, whilst the contributions to the funeral fuad were oppositely too high. A committee was appointed to consider the whole question and report to next meeting. It was resolved that the members of the St Joseph's branch be invited to attend the next meeting, when an en'ertainment will be held. Tbe following officers were then installed, Bro J. Hally. in a most efficient and impressive manner, acting fs P.P.: —President, The Very Rev Bro Father Lynch ; vice* presdtn f , Sister X Falkner ; treasurer, Sister A. Heley ; secretary, Bro J O'Connor ; warden, Sister B. Walsh ; guardian, Sister M. Hughes ; sick visitors, bisters E. Falkner and F. Rosabotham ; Sister B. Rossbotham and Bro Hally were re-elected as auditors. After the officers ruturned thanks, the mietiog was closed with the usual prayers. Sister Mabt Magdalen Manet, who died at the Tnorndon Convent on Friday, 3rd instant, came to the colony in 1851, and at the age of 16 devo'ed herself to the cause of the education of Maori girl? for whom Governor Grey had built the " Providence " attached to the Convent. She spent 45 years in the service of l>ka goud works in St Mary's Convent, having stood bigh in tie estimation of the late Bishop Viard, whom she attended on his deatnbed. She will be long regretted by the Catholics of Wellington, among whom are many mothers of families who found in her an able instructress in youth, and a friend and adviser in their later years. Deceased waa buried at Karori, a large assemblage following her to tbe grave, where the Very Bey Father Dawson read the burial service. — Post. We have been informed (says tbe Cromwell Argus, January 7) that a small cottage at Arthur's Point, owned by Mr Scolee, of Arrowi and occupied by a rabbiter, was struck by lightning on Saturday and burned dowa. The occupant was absent when thehcuae was struck. Battery dust is giving trouble at Waibi. Mr Alfred Dance is suff ring from acute inflammation of tbe lungs in consequence. "No man (says the Waihi Miner) can work in this dust longer than five years and live." It recommends effective legislation, and suggests suction fans by which all the dust (which dust assays 10 oz to the ton) could be collected. The Rev R. P. Collia*, an exceedingly energetic and devotjd priest, t c piivate secretary of Arc^btaiop Oirr, and indefa'igible seer, tary for St Pa'rick's Cithe'lral Bail ling Fa id, dbd in Gaolong oq December 25, through illusion of blood to the brain. He heard confessions to a late hour on Christmas Eve, and was to say the seven

o'clock Mais on Christmss Day. One of the priests found him about that time in a state of insensibility. He passed peacefully away at three o'clock in the afternoon. The deceased priest was born in Youghal about forty years ago, and was an Alumnus Of Maynooth. Father Collins did missionary work in England for five years, and also for a few years in the diocese of Oloyne, Ireland. The Melbourne priests showed their appreciation of his devo'.ednecs by attending the obsequies in large numbers, and by carrying the coffin on their shoulders from the hearse to the grave.

Among the passengers by the s.s. Mararoa from Hobarr, was the Very Rev Prior Vaughan. The Prior was the guest, for a week, of the Governor of Hobart, Lord Gormaoeton, who, most of our readers are aware, in a devout Catholic. Prior Vaughan is brother of Cardinal Vaughan and of the late Archbißhop of Sydney.

The Very Rev Father Dawson, Adm., St Mary's Cathedral, Wellington, left by the Tasmania early in the week on a round trip to the Australian colonies. We trust he will eDJoy a much-needed rest and holiday.

The Retreat of the Clergy of the Archdiocese of Wellington will be given this year by His Grace Archbishop Redwood.

The Vtry Rev Father Maher, CM., Malvern, Melbourne, has just concluded a Retreat for the Sisters of the Mission, Christchurcb, and bepins to-day (Wednesday) a Retreat for the Diocesan Clergy.

It is with deep regret that we learn that a daughter of Mr O'Cummins, Hawera, met with a very painful accident last week, which has resulted in her death. We sympathise very deeply with him in his loss.

The Sisters of the Order of St Joseph, says the News, January 8, who are to take charge of the Catholic School in Waipawa , are expected on Sunday, 19th instant, when a special service will be held in St Patrick's Church, Waipawa. At a concert to be held in the Oddfellows' Hall on the following Monday, the Sisters will be presented with an address of welcome.

A Herculean West Coast Miner. —John Whelan, or as he was commonly called " Big Jack," who died in the Beef ton Hospital, was (■ays the Times) one of the pioneers of the Coast, having landed in 1865, and had passed through all the vicissitudes incidental to a miners'! life. He was a tall, powerful man, standing 6ft 6in, and was endowed with a splendid physique. H« was a noted wrestler in the early days, and no doubt many Greymouth residents will remember when he was wrestling for two days on the camp reserve with a Cornishman. The coffin of the deceased was the largest ever made in Reef ton , being 6ft 9in in length , The remains were followed to the new cemetery by a large number of friends of the deceased, including several of his old mates.

A TEMtTKA man (says the Leader) who has settled at Cheviot writes to us to send him the paper, and says—" 1 like to see the Temuka news, having teen there for 28 yearp, before any show waß held in Timarn. But Cheviot bea's it all. Here we can live. The land is good and cheap. We must prosper here. All the prcfi's do not go to the landlord, as I have worked for them all along. If you knew bow I have succeeded here, in spite of the bad year we hava bad, yoa would be astonished, but I will take a trip to Temuka some day and have a pitch with you." That is a sufficient answer to those who asserted lhat Cheviot would be a failure."

The miners of the West Coast do not earn, the Argus informs its readers, on an average £1 per week, and for the last fifteen or twenty years the limit of their earoings has not exceeded 30a a week.

A LABGE number of our contemporaries, says the Oamaru Mail, make the mistake of supposing that Sir Rjbert Stout acted for the Government in the Midland Railway case free of charge. Personally Sir Robert was barred from accepting a fee, but his firm was not, and it was entitled to receive fair remuneration, which will probably amount to £1,500. Such a chorus of admiration of Sir Robert's supposed liberality would not have been chanted by the Opposition papers had it not been that, as Sir Robert is opposed to the Government. They hoped by creating admiration for Sir Robert to damage the Government. Sir Robert, we are con vinced , does not wish to gain such an unfair political advantage.

ThK Very Rev Father Devoy, S.M., V.G., Wellington, and Dr Watters, S.M., Rector St Patrick's College, returned to Dunedin from the Lakes on Saturday. While in Dunedin they were guests of the Clergy of the Mission. They speak in terms of high praise of the southern scenery— particularly of on the road to

Skippers, in the Wakatipn district. On Sunday morning Father Devoy sang the Missa Cantata in St Joseph's Cathedral, and at the same Mass Dr Watters delivered an able discoune on the Feast of the Epiphany. Both very rev gentlemen It ft for the north on Tuesday.

The Sydney Freeman of January 1 annoucc<;d that Cardinal Moran would preside on January 9 at a meeting of the Maitland priests, when three names would be selected to be forwarded to Rome for the appointment by the Holy See of a Coadjutor-Bishop.

" Hailstones," six and seven inches i a circumference, fell in Oamara during the heavy hailstorm last week. They smashed glass he uses, and even went through corrugated iron roofs. As nsnal, some amusing occurrences are related . Here is one from the North Otago Times. Of course it is not a ben trovato anecdote. "When the hailstorm began a few large hailstooes fell with considerable interva's between each. A well-known Oamaru citizen, hearing the noise on his roof said, « There's those boys throwing stones on the roof again," and rushed off out, hatless, to let them know what he came out for. He found several boys on the footpath, and shaking his fist at them threatened dire calamity. At the earn* time, however, he received a crack on his bare poll that made him wonder whether any meteors had broken loose. He soon realised the cause, and, without apologising to the boys, dived back under shelter."

The Transvaal trouble will verj probably blow over, bat we fear war is not far distant. Frequently recurring international friction will eventuate sooner or later in war, The relations with America have improved. Why T Americans, it seems, possess nine-tenths of the wealth in the Transvaal. American sympathy is, therefore, going out to England as against Germany. The wholesale arrests in Johannesburg by the stubborn Boers, are intensifying irritation. Mr Chamberlain has been given a free hand by the Cabinet. A fierce diplomatic war is being fought by letter and telegram. Meantime, hurried preparations are being made in England for actual warfare, Admiral Bridge thinks England's navy is strong enough to ruin any enemies attempting conquest, and to give reasonable protection to England's vast ocean trade. 4 few hundred trained soldiers in out-of-the-way ports abroad would, he considers, make a raider think twice before attacking. Our volunteers, and even permanent artillery, can scarcely be called trained soldierß.

A mektino of the Bishop Moraa Memorial committee will be held on Wednesday, January 29. All subscriptions should be forwarded before that date.

Professor Morris has a word to say about the class-room story which has been going the rounds of the papers and has been reproduced in America. In common fairness we publish a letter from the Melbourne Advocate of January 4, which contains a strong denial by Professor Morris himself :— •' To the editor of the Advocate. Sir,— l have only to-day been shown a paragraph in your issue of Bth June, based npon a statement in the Weekly Register, and describing a " Melbourne University Incident." Had I seen the passage sooner I would have aßked you to state that the whole elaborate story is without foundation . No " good-natured friend " showed it to me earlier, so I can only now ask you to insert my denial. It is news to me that I entertain "aversion and bitttr feelings towards the Holy Roman Church," I thought that I was careful not to introduce controversial matter into my lectures, and should shrink from wounding any susceptibility. We go far from home to learn about ourselves. You, at any rate, know that lam not Professor of History, and you must have thought it curious that the story should reach you via LondoD, and not at first hand. lam writing by to-morrow's mail to the Weekly Register.— Very faithfully your?,— Edward E. Morris, University of Melbourne, 23rd December.

The Sisters of Mercy from the Gore Convent are at present, says the Western Star, in Riverton, the Rev Father Walsh having given up his residence for their use while here. We notice that the Gore Convent was examined by the Education Board's Inspector and passed a very creditable examination .

With reference to the information (says the Otago Daily Times, January 15) from the Melbourne Age which we published on Monday as to the reason why none of the New Zealand Roman Catholic bishops attended the Plenary Council recently held in Sydney, it appears that our contempory was misinformed in some respects. At the weekly meeting of the Confraternity of ths Holy family held last evening the Very Rev Father Lynch referred to the matter us " certain statements which have appeared in the secalar Press conC3rning the Plenary Council." After quoting the statement* which we republished, the rev gentleman went on to say that the newspaper people were altogether mis informed, and their assertion! were utterly untrue. The very contrary was the fact. Cardinal

Moran and the Australian and New Zealand bishops were absolutely of one mind ai to the great desirability of every diocese in New Zealand and Australia being represented at the second Plenary Oooncil. It was true that the Archbishop and bishops had requested the Holy See to include this Oolony among the ecclesiastical provinces to be represented at thi6 national council. Propaganda, because of the great distance between the countries, of its own accord decided that the bishops of this country should simply hold a provincial council. There was not a scintilla of truth in the assertion that Cardinal Moran was opposed to the inclusion of New Zealand. Quite the reverse ; his Eminence was most desirous that all Australasia should be represented at the Plenary Council. It was well known that he joined the New Zealand hierarchy in their petition for such representation. When Rome, however, spoke, all bowed to its decision, and all the efforts of those opposed to Church would not break the golden links of faith and charity which bound the hierarchies and clergy of New Zealand and Australia.