The Catholic World.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXV, Issue 17, 27 August 1897, Page 25

The Catholic World.

BELGIUM. — Superiority of Catholic Schools. — Belgian Liberals, like French Radicals, bear little love to the teaching Congregations. During their regime, which, happily for the country, was brought to an end in iBB4, everything was done which could hamper the schools directed by the religious Orders, whilst all possible encouragement was given to the teachers of the State schools. The "Congregationistes" were reproached with ignorance, with want of capacity — they might teach the Catechism very well, but so far as secular instruction went they were an absolute failure. In 1885, however, the Catholic Government instituted a system of annual " concours," or competitions, between the various schools in the kingdom, and the results were such as to give a rude awakening to the maligners of the religious Congregations. A short time ago the Abbo Keesens, speaking in this connection in the Senate, quoted figures which brought into interesting relief the comparative efficiency of the official schools and the establishments of the Brothers of the Christian schools. The competitions were held each year from 1885 to 1895, when they were dropped. In nine years out of eleven the pupils out of the Brothers at Liege carried off the first prizes, leaving the communal schools far behind. At Verviers the result was similar. In the same period at Tournai the Brothers gained 800 prizes, or an average of 70 each year. They presented 71 pupils for the " concours" in 1889 and won 70 prizes, amongst which were 44 firsts ; in 1890 the 76 pupils they presented carried off 75 prizes, amongst which were 58 firsts and 16 prix d'honneur. At Brussels the defeat of the Communal schools was still more crushing. In the competition of 1892 the communal schools gained, in proportion to their average number of pupils, but 5*54 per cent, of the prizes ; the Catholic schools, on the other hand, obtained 10.13 per cent., or nearly double ; in 1893 the communal schools obtained 5 95 per cent, of the prizes, the Catholic schools 10-12 per cent, again nearly double ; in 1894 the communal schools had 5.87 per cent., the Catholic schools, 1048 per cent. ; and in 1895 but 504 per cent of the prizes fell to the communal schools and B*ll per cent, to the Catholic. In the face of these facts the Abbe Kessens might well say, " If teachers who carry off the highest distinctions are still to be classed as ignoramuses, what qualification mu3t be given to those who are so conspicuously unsuccessful 1 "

FRANCE.— The Imprisonment of a Priest.— The Abb 6 Bailly, cure-doyen of Donzy, has undergone two days' imprisonment for an offence which, in the opinion of the anti-religious fanatios who infest France, is one of the most abominable — viz., that of disobeying the edict of a mayor, who, in his contempt for " superstition," has placed his veto upon all religious processions within the limits of his jurisdiction. The Abtifc Bailly is now classed with old offenders against municipal authority. Twice he Teas fined five francs for having disobeyed the mayor in this same matter of processions, and the third time, although the pecuniary penalty waa the same, it was emphasised by the addition of two days' imprisonment. It has been a common occurrence, since we have enjoyed in France the sweets of liberty, so amply distributed from the time of the tiiumph of the " priest-eating " Republic, personified by Gam - betta and Jules Ferry, for the clergy to come into collision with jugrx dr pn'u' for not appearing to understand the edicts of local mayors, and fines have often been imposed upon them ; but the announcement that a priest has been sent to prison because he has walked in an open-air religious procession is rather startling even to Frenchmen, who are not to be easily moved from their indifference with n gard to the quarrel between the malric and the presbytery, which, in many 1- calities are regarded as endemic.

Great Excitement. — At Donzy and throughout a considerable district in the department of Nieore the excitement has been great in consequence of the sentence which has been carried out upon a priest who, for a quarter of a century, has been the cure of the same parish, and whose undoubted popularity is founded not only upon sacerdotal zeal, but upon benevolence of character. In infringing the decree of the Mayor Dubois the Abbe Bailly was to have been arrested at the beginning of the week, but as he did not feel disposed to facilitate the work of his persecutors he kept within the presbytery, and for two days the gendarmes mounted guard outside. They were not armed with a warrant that gave them the right to enter the house. This, however, came in course of time, and the cure, wisely realising that it would be useless to resist any longer, surrendered. Before allowing himself to be arrested he put a surplice over Mb soutane, and it was thus that he passed through the streets between two gendarmes on his way to the railway station, while the indignant parishioners shouted : " Vive M. le Cure ! " '• Vive la liberte I " The gendarmes, wishing to avoid this demonstration — which was not quite to their taste — had tried to get a cab for their prisoner, but there was not a man who would allow his vehicle to be used for such a purpose. The cure was taken to Cosne, and he was accompanied in the train by many of his parishioners. At Cosne station there was a strong body of police waiting, headed by the Sub-Prefect, On Friday he was released from prison, and his return home was the occasion of another popular demonstration. The mayor and his myrmidons at Donzy have certainly not strengthened their position by this further act of tyranny. It should be stated that a year ago the Abbo Bailly's stipend was suppressed by the Government. Those who supposed that this measure would have tamed him must now realise their mistake.

PORTUGAL.— A Princess Takes the Veil. — Princeso Adelaide, widow of the first Dom Miguel of Braganza, head of the former royal family of Portugal, took the black veil on Trinity Sunday, when she was receivedi ved as a professed choir nun at the Benedic* tineabbey of St. Cecelia of Kolestnes in France. She is the mother of the present Duke of Braganza, and her six beautiful daughters have all made brilliant matches, one, as the wife of the former Archduke Charles Louis of Aubtria, expected to bo Empreßß of Außtria, Prin*

cess Adelaide, who haß been a novice in the abbey mentioned since June 12, 18i>6, was herself a famous beauty. She always had a tendency toward conventual life, and the fire at the Charity Bazaar in Paris, May 4 last, in which, with many others, the Duchess d'Alencon lost her life, decided her to take the black veil, which she begged for on the very first day after passing her noviceship. ROME.— Corpus Christi in Rome— For the second time since the occupation of Rome by the Italian Government the Feast of Corpus Christi was this year celebrated with a comparative freedom. Processions of the Blessed Sacrament took place around the exterior of the Basilica of St. John Lateran and many other churches in Rome. The Holy Eucharist was in many parishes carried to the sick with all the old, traditional ceremonial, the priest in vestments, the clerks with lighted candles, and the faithful following reciting prayers. No mistake, however, must be made as to how the greater liberty now enjoyed was secured. The Municipal authorities of Rome have not of themselves withdrawn from the position which they had formerly taken up, but the parish priests in spite of judges and jurymen, have succeeded in asserting their rights. They justly held that where Socialist, Republican, and even anti-clerical demonstrations were freely allowed, it was absurd to regard as dangerous to the public peace the time-honoured open-air observance of rites belonging to the religion of the vast majority of the community. The Impeachment of Signor Crispi.— The Italian papers are daily full of notes and comments on the Banco di Napoli scandal in which Signor Crispi's name is largely mixed up. Indeed, the whole affair would most likely have already been forgotten by the public were it not for this fact of Crispi's connection with it. The news daily published is of the most contradictory kind, but it would seem that in reality there is a decided intention on the part of the authorities to bring the former President of the Ministerial Council to trial. Whether this comes from party spite against the leader of the late Ministry, or from a righteous zeal in the interests of justice or from a desire to appease public opinion it is hard to say, but the result in any case will be the same. It is pretty certain that nothing can be brought home to Crispi without compromising at the same time other persons in very high station, and the trial will, no doubt, end in smoke. Its one result would be to cast a dark shadow on the career of him who was regarded as one of Italy's latter day glories. He seems to be preparing for the issue, and has begun to limit his expenses by selling out his town residence in Rome. The New Prefect of the Congregation of Rites —The nomination of Cardinal Aloisi-Masella as Pro-Datary left a vacancy in the Congregation of Rites. The office of Prefect of that Congregation is generally entrusted to one of the younger Cardinals who has energy in abundance to devote to an exacting office. The Holy Father has just chosen his Eminence Cardinal Camillo Mazzella for the position. Cardinal Mazzella must be personally known to many both in the British Isles and in the United States As a simple priest of the Society of Jesus he laboured for many years in the latter country, and it was here that he composed many of those theological works which have earned for him such repute as a clear thinker on highly abstruse questions. After returning from America to Rome he was placed at the head of the Gregorian University, where students from all parts of the world had occasion to profit by hit, wisdom and learning.