Current Topics AT HOME AND ABROAD.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume 29, Issue 5, 29 May 1896, Page 1

Current Topics AT HOME AND ABROAD.

THE EDUCATION REFERENDUM IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

Thb Dunedin Star, engaged just now in active preparation by a series of education leaders for the coming general election, is rejoicing over the secularist victory in South Australia. The education question, as our|readers have been informed by cables in the daily Press, has been pet to a plebiscite. Three questions wer« a«ked, with results unsa iafi ctory to denominationalisteand ad locates of Bible-reading in public schools We give the results, with the exception of a couple of returns,which cannot alter the significance of the election. Qupsti n 1 : Are you in favour of a continuance of the present system of education in State schools ?— Yes, 50,622 ; No, 17,517. Qaestion 2 : Are you in favour of the payment of a capitation grant to denominational echoole for ■ecular results?— Yes, 13,T67 ; No, 41,331; Informal, 10.344. No doubt the cause of Catholic schools has received a check. Checks, however, do not utterly dishearten those whose cause is pre-eminently just. Politicians looked to this education referendum to enable them to avoid awkward questions at the meetings. It has been aptly called by aMr Qlynn an act of moral cowardice. "It got rid," says the Southern Cross, "of a nauseous difficulty, and the onus was shifted from the shoulders of the politicians on to the people.'' Our contemporary statfs that the question did not place the issues before the people ia a fair and proper manner, "Had the first question been put in the way suggested by the Treasurer, viz., ' Do you favour the continuance of the present system of secular education in State ecbools 1 ' some good at any rate might have accrued, but an amendment was carried to s'rike out the word 'secular,' and this made the question general, and wholesale con* fusion has been the result. For instance, Catholics do not desire 'to accomplish the destruction ' of the present State echool system, nor do they necessarily object to free and compulsory education, but they most emphatically condemn secularism, and were therefore obliged to vote •No' to the first question. The Methodists also objected to ■ecular education, but in order to save th » present Bystem they voted • Yes' to the first question, in the hope of also obtainn^ an affirmative answer to the second. The second and third questions, although not so embarrassing, were rather confusing, and many Catholics voted against the second question, nut because they had any valid objection to it, but because they thought that a majority in favour of scriptural ins 1 ruction might imply that they considered such as a final settlement of the whole question. This unfortunate state of things no doubt accounted for the disproportionate number ot informal votes, and the fact that a large section of iha electors did not vote at all. It is not surprising, therefore, that the Wood side correspondent to one of the dail'es smd ' the referendum question does not seem to be understood by many, ad I think toe result on this will be unsatisfactory.' It cannot be said that the organs of public opinion have given us any sympathy, for, as we have stated, they announced their support of the presen' system, Thp Weekly Herald, the organ of the Labour party, advised an affi mauve answer to the first question, and left the second and third unanswered, and the Christian Weekly, the organ of the Me'hodists voted ' Ye« ' to the first and second, and 'No' to the third, Tne Church Heivs, the Anglican paper, and The Sontliern Cross were the only journals who favoured question three."

STEAM AND BLEOTBIC MOTIVE POWEB.

Accobding to a writer in Zippincott's, there is seriouß doubt as to wht.ther any widespre.d adoption of steam or electric Bubgtitutea for horses will be received in the great cities of the world, but coincident with the possible displacement of the 'horse there «ill be one very distinct advaotage to humanity. States the writer in question : " The horse is capable of many things but nature never intended that he should be at the mercies of bo cruel a taskmaster ns the average street tram-car driver. We are all familiar with the spectacle ct jaded, trembling animals hauling an

overcrowdel car through a busy street with a diiv rotrot the platform who is ever prodded on to make schedule time bj the fear of losing bis job ; whipped and cursed at, and at the end of the road without even a drink sent tottering over the road again and forced to ke« p up a trot to save themselves from being run down bj the car Inhering along bebiod them."

THE NEW DIPTHEBIA CURE.

According to an article by D. C. Bonlger in tbe Contemporary Review, the anti-toxin cure for rliptheria is not altogether en unmixed blessing; O i tbe contrary its use is sometimes attended with truly direful results. Mr Boulger, it appears. underwent the treatment, but the condition to which be wat> speedily reduced left no room to doubt but t^at be hud been inoculated with the serum of a horse suffering from glanders. Ex ct yin one month after he left the hospital he lost tbe power of standing up and in another week that of writing or using his hands in any way. Daring the next ten weeks he remained in an absolutely he' pleas state— a •ort of living death with the brain clear and active and tbe body useless.

CHURCH MUSIC.

The: Rev Canon Robinson, St Paul's, Dunedin, delivered a lecture on church music. According to a rep rt ia the Daily Times ihe reverend gentleman eke'cbed the history of ecclf siastical music from the time of St Ambrose in the fourth century. The tendency of the Anglican Church Homewards, (a* the Rev J. Gibo put it, when, sometime ago he confided to a Times reporter the misgivings that were aroused within him, when ha reviewed the chirg; which hid taken place in church affairs during the period of his residence in the antipodes) is not by any means being confined to matters of ritua , but the Church of England au h nties have so far relented as to not only introduce Caiholic hymns into their churches, but to adapt the music of the Mass to their communion service. Even the words in portions of the Mass have been retained, and wnenever the exprtssion of doctrine is too much at variance with Anglican tenats, the words are " edited " by the substitution of which in many instances are meaningless phrases. O her portions of the music of the Mass frequency apppar as "anthems" in the services of the Anglican church. Asked on one occasion if any of the congregation oojected to the introiuction of these " Romanian " practice*, the organist of one of the leading city churches naively replied, " they might if they knew."

AN ANGLICAN DIVINE'S OPINION.

The Rev H. R. Haweii M.A. holds a leading position amongst the dignitaries of the Anglican Church of the present day, Aa a musician his status is indisputable, bis wirki on music being widely read and the lee ures he delivered recently throughout Australasia evokirg unstinted praise fiom the public Pr<B?. In bis work on "music and morals," he says "no religious service can with impunity vio'ate in however small degree the great laws of beauty, fitness and orler which are involved in the conception of ft Mhs«." So much, then for tbe spasmodic efforts that are made occasionally to improve the musical portions of the ADgl'can service by creating anthems out of portions of the Mags and by embodying "edited" exc p rnts into choral communion services. Probably the attemp sto eff j et some improvements were stimulated by the followirg pis^age id the same rev gentleman's wcrk : " Musica'ly speaking," be says '• there is as yet (tbe italics are oar own) nothing in the reformed churches approaching the grandenr of the great Roman Catholic Mas?, where we have a mind like that of Moz rt or Beethoven steadily working out in strains of incomparab c depth and pathos a great connected series of tbooghts embodying all the varied phases of religiouß emotbo."

CONGREGATIONAL SINGING.

Some articles bave recently been published in favour of congregational singing. Let us Bee what an eminent musical authority— tne Rev Mr Haweia whoa:) opinion we bave a' roady quoted in respect of other matter— has got to s\y on tbis Bubject. 1 In every congregation," be sta'ep, " there must be some who cannot

join evtn in the simplest tune. Some are too old, ioma have no voice, others have no ear for music, but it would be a great mistake to suppose that all who are thus reduced to the state of listeners get nothing at all oat of the einping. If we take note of old and devout worshippers when etme familiar hymn is being sung we shall see their facee lighten np and their heads move in unconscious sympathy and we shall know t^at although their lps are silent they are singing in spirit.

THB NEW PHOTOOBAPHY

It now appears that had not Ei» lfgen given to the world the marvellous nse to which the Catbone rays may be put to in its relation to photography, the discovery would speedily bave been announced by the Hungarian professor Pnillipp Lenard. His experiments had advanced to sncb a stage tbat one step farther and he would bave obtained a shadow photograph such as that produced by the now famous Roatgeo rays.

DEATH OF COUNT MATTEL

The death is announced of Count Mattei of Bologna, who ib, perhaps, best known by the system of electro-boaoeapatby associated with his name. The theories advanced by bim met with the bitter and persistent opposition of allopaths, but notwithstanding these attack", the system has warm adherents in almost every country under the sun. He was created Count by Pope Pius the Ninth for a s'gnal service rendered lhat Pontiff when Ihe Austrian troops crossing the frontier occapied Comacchio and Magaadacei. It was through the ioetrumentality of the Pope, furthermore, that Count Mattti'i sjßtem of medicine was first made widely knowD, for he obtained special permission from the Vatican to introduce the remedies into the hospital of 8t Teresa in Rome, tie fame which he there achieved by his cures rendering him disiingmshtd throughout Europe. According to a report of a medical cflicer in the service of the Indian Government, the Mattei system has been employed wi h gratifying results in tbe disease of leprosy by the Rev Father Muller, 8.J., tead of tbe leper h spital at Macgalore,