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New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXV, Issue 41, 18 February 1898, Page 28

The Anglican episcopate, we are told, would " not like it at all," and that it would be distasteful to gentlemen such as Dr. Parker goes without saying. Another report has it that Lord Salisbury suggested the calling of Cardinal Manning to the Upper Chamber, presumably on account of his exceptional knowledge on subjects of social legislation. The only Catholic prelate who has sat in the House of Lords during recent years was the late Lord Petre, who bore the Papal title of Monsignor, and was one of the domestic prelates at the Vatican.

The Irish Brigade. — Dr. Conan Doyle has been lecturing on " The Irish Brigade " to the Portsmouth Literary and Scientific Society, of which he was formerly bon. secretary.

Rev. H. Price Hughes.— Figures they say will prove anything. A Mr. Price Hughes has just made them prove, to his own satisfaction, that Catholics relatively are only half as numerous in Great Britain and Ireland as fifty years ago, and absolutely there are, he triumphantly points out, no less than 1,911,430 fewer Roman Catholics in the Kingdom than in the earlier years of the Queen's reign. Given another paltry 50 years and " Romanism " would be ■wiped out of England, if not off the face of the earth. Mr. Price Hughes and his friends had scarcely done rubbing their hands at this unexpected discovery when certain unfeeling people rushed in on their enjoyment in a most uncermonious fashion, and commenced belabouring their wits with facts and figures until they seriously began to consider whether life was worth living. In the Westminster Gazette Mr. Michael Davitt said :—: — " Fifty years ago there were eight and a half millions (mostly • Irish* Papists ') of people in Ireland. To-day there are less than four and a half. Is it Mr. Hugh Price Hughes' contention that the difference between the two sums represents a falling-off to that amount from • Romanism ' ? If co, he has only to visit America, where he will find to-day a Catholic population of close upon 12,000,000 (counting the United States and Canada), where fifty years ago there were not, probably, four millions all told. If he would visit Australasia he would discover yet another million akin to those of America, who, if they had been encouraged by wise and just land laws and National Government to remain in Ireland, would give the editor of the Methodist Time* far different figures with which to point the moral of his Christian love for his ' Irish Pspist ' neighbour." Mr. John S. Howell, in the Methodist Times, was equally merciless, and now it is stated that Mr. Hughes has been engaged to run a " Fun with the Figures " column in a comic newspaper. Meanwhile, Protestants are crying out, "Save us from our champions."

Irish Sailors on Furlough. — The Catholic naval chaplain at Devenport (the Rev. T. P. Kent), engaged a special steamboat from the Cork Steam Packet Company for the exclusive use of the hundreds of Irish sailors of the Royal Navy, who take advantage of the long leave granted them at Xmastide to visit Ireland.

A Distinguished Catholic Family.— Miss May Russell, one of the daughters of the Lord Chief Justice, Lord Russell of Killowen, has joined the novitiate of one of the London convents, thus making still another addition to the number of the Russell family who have given themselves to religion.

Honouring the Duke and Duchess of Norfolk.— The Duke of Norfolk's Mayoralty of Sheffield is to be commemorated by the erection of a statue of his Grace, to be placed in the Town Hall. It was thought desirable to recognise in some way the services of Lady Mary Howard as Mayoress. The committee appointed to carry out this object decided that the presentation should take the form of a superb riviere of diamonds, bubmitted by the Goldsmiihs' and Silversmiths' Company. The case containing the necklace bears a gold plate, with the following inscription :— " To Lady Mary Fitzalan Howard, in recognition of her services to Sheffield, as Lady Mayoress, 1895-7."

GERMANY.— Churches that Nobody Attends.— The Prctestant Synod of Berlin, finding no doubt the sphere of their influence becoming more and more attenuated every year in their own Protestant fatherland, apparently desire to give to the benighted Papists of Rome the light that is failing fast in the countries where it was first ignited. A prominent official in the German Embassy, however, has thrown cold water on the scheme in the most thoughtless manner. "We have a Lutheran chapel," he said, " attached to the Embassy, and it is always empty ; and yet Borne of you are calling out for a church." This energetic interference has been interpreted as a desire on the part of the German Governmental authorities to avoid all that may savour of direct offence to the Holy See. At any rate, the idea of the Lutheran temple is not new, and even if the church had been constructed it •would have probably shared the fate of the already existing, but neglected Protestant churches.

FRANCE.— The Death of Alphonse Daudet.— it appears from the European files just received that the distinguished author, Alphonse Daudet, passed away very suddenly. He was seized with a syncope, and, despite medical skill, he never rallied, and died soon afterwards in the presence of his family and the cure of the Church of St. Clothilde, who had been summoned to administer the last rites of the Church to the dying man. Alphonse Daudet was one of the greatest of the French novelists and dramatists of the day. He ■was born in 1840. His most famous works are Tartar hi de Taraitcon, Fremont Jeunr ct lliderainr, -which was crowned by the French Academy, and Lex Hois en Jiril. He was a voluminous contributor to the FUjare and other French journals. His fugitive pieces are innumerable.

PERU.— Political Success of a Stonyhurst Student.— The head of the new Peruvian Ministry, Senor Rornana, was the first of a long line of brothers and cousins who were educated at Stonyhurst.

ROME.— Observance of Sunday.— Thanks to the activity of Catholic associations, Rome is speedily regaining the aspect it wore in the matter of "Sunday observances before the Italian Government transferred its capital there.

The Conversion Of England— The first Roman branch of the Archconfraternity of our Lady of Compassion— the Confraternity of Prayer erected by our Holy Father for the conversion of England— was founded in the Eternal City on December 2i>, the feast of St. Thomas of Canterbury. In accordance with the expressed desire of the Sovereign Pontiff, who has this great object so much at heart, Cardinal Parocchi, the Vicar of Rome, instituted the brnnch m the most solemn manner. In the course of a sermon his Eminence explained the purpose of the Confraternity and exhorted the pious Romans to join in the association of prayer for the conversion of England.

The Greatest Men of the Nineteenth Century.— A celebrated write recently styled the Sovereign Pontiff as the most interesting figure in Europe at the pr, bent day, and now the renowned Spanish orator (Senor Castelar) has expressed the opinion that two greatest men in the nineteenth century were, at its beginning Napoleon I , and at its ending Leo XIII. A somewhat similar opinion of Leo XIII. is that held by the well-known head of the German Socialists, at present Deputy of Strasburg. He lately delivered an addresss, in which he spoke of the Catholic Church and modern civilisation, in relation to the proletariats and eulogised the Pope's attitude on the labour question. °

RUSSlA.— Diplomatic Relations between the Vatican and Russia- — The good relations that exist between Russia and the Holy See were nearly being- suspended by reason of the fact that new Catholic bishops in Russia pronounced the name of the Pope before that of the Oath of Fealty. The Russian Minister to the Holy See had received orders not to return to his post until he had received further instructions. A correspondent at Rome telegraphs that Leo XIII. has now sent orders to the bishops to adapt themselves to the usages of St. Petersburg Government, and swear fealty to the Czar. *

UNITED STATES -The Irish in America-Here is an item that Mr. Price Hughes might study to advantage when compiling his statistics regarding the decline of " Romanism " in Great Britain and Ireland during the Queen's reign. Speaking of the town of Benedicta (Me.), Professor Bateman in the Lewixton Journal says :— •' The peculiarity of the place is the fact that the population is composed exclusively of Irishmen. There is not a family in the entire township through whose veins courses any other blood than that of the Emerald Isle."

Death of Eugene Davis.— The death is announced of the patriot and poet Eugene Davis, which took place in the United States. He was a native of Clonakilty, County Cork ; a brother of the Rev. Charles Davis, pastor of Baltimore, who, with Baroness Burdett-Coutts, did so much for the fishermen of Southern Ireland. He studied in Catholic universities in France and Belgium ; resided for some years in France, until exiled through the instrumentality of aßriiish minister; later lived in Switzerland and Ireland, and finally, in 1890, came to America. His name has been familiar to Americans for many years as a writer of graceful poems and instructive articles treating usually of Ireland and her history,

" Gone tO the A-P.A-"— The old saying. " Gone to the dogs," is calculated to be replaced wMi another and more tig nificant adage in America, namely. " Gone to the A.P.A." All the mos,t brilliiamfc members of that unique organisation which was formed to nawsue America and its institutions from the iron heel of Papal nmf Meh.l aggression, and place it on the pedestal of free, pure and national independence, seem to have had their career cut short before they scarcely commenced to accomplish their lofty self-imposed task Says a New York Journal :— '• Another AP. A. has gone to the penitentiary. His name is Charles Beatty, and he was supreme secretary. He forged a draft for S2C>2.s(> on the Hide and Leather Bank of New York. He was sentenced to ir> months' imprisonment. When he serves this time he is to be taken to Georgia to answer a* similar charge. When he crocs to Georgia ho should call on " Tom " Watson and bid him the time of day. But, in the meantime, what is to become of our institutions while their protectors are servin" time ?" °

Death of a Prominent Catholic— Mr. Charles A. Hardy,, of Philadelphia, president of the Catholic Standard and Times Publishing Company, and founder and publisher of the America* Catholic Quarterly lieneir, died on December 5, at Atalanta City mi his ."JOth year. He was one of the prominent Catholic laymen ia the: States, and was noted for his zeal in the promotion of Catholic interests, and his unfailing good judgment in matters of CathaMc policy. He was born in Philadelphia.

Hibernian Society in America.— News has reached" Dublin that the dispute which threatened to disintegrate the Hibernian Society in America and which arose out of the question of the conditions of membership has been settled by the decision of Bishop McFaul, of Trenton, New Jersey, to whom the matter had been remitted for arbitration. His Lordship's decision as to conditions of membership is that candidates are eligible for admission who are Irish by birth or descent of either parent. Previously the Board of Erin had insisted on admitting such candidates as were of Irish birth, or born of Irish parentage on both sides.

He is a nobleman in God's peerage who goes out every morningit may be from the humblest of homes, to his work and to his labour until the evening, with a determination, as working for a heavenly Master, to bis bebt ; and no titles which this world can bestow, no" money which was ever coined, can bring a man who does not work, within the sunshine of God's love.