GENERAL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVI, Issue 22, 6 October 1898, Page 10

GENERAL.

A Celebrated Irish Family— The French MacMahons.— It is rumoured (writes the Paris correspondent of the Edinburgh Catliolie Herald) that Comte Patrice de MacMahon, the son and heir of the late Marshal MacMahon, intends publishing the memoirs left by his father. They would be an invaluable contribution to the history of our own time, and it is to be hoped that, if they are published, the editor's blue pencil will not be too much in evidence. It is curious to note, by the way, that Cotnte Patrice de MacMahon, son of an ex-President of the Republic, has married into the French Royal Family, his wife being Princess Margaret of Orleans, daughter of the Duke of Chartres. A Novel Prize : Enterprising Journalism.—' A free trip to Ireland ' is a tempting offer to Irish Americans in the States. It was the prize offered last year in the City of Syracuse State, of New York, by the celebrated Irish organisation — the Ancient Order of Hibernians— to the member who would enrol the largest number of new members within the ensuing 12 months. Needless to say there were many competitors for so attractive a reward. A vigorous campaign of enrolment was entered into on all sides. The membership of the order received a great accession of strength, and as a result of the competition the prize was won by Mr. Michael Fitzgibbon, a member of the Syracuse Fire Brigade. Mr. Fitzgibbon is an Irishman born, and as it was 19 years since as a youth, he had last looked upon the shores of that country, it will be understood how anxious he was to avail of the splendid opportunity which he had won for himself.

Myeks and Co., Dentists, Octagon, corner of G-eorge street They guarantee highest class work at moderate fees. Their artificial teeth give general satisfaction, and the fact of them supplying a temporary denture while the gums are healing does away with the inconvenience of being months without teeth. They manufacture a Bingle artificial tooth for Ten Shillings, and sets equally moderate The administration of nitrous-oxide gas is also a great boon to those needing the extraction of a tooth. Read advertisement.— „% There is no telling what the effect of a newspaper paragraph may not be. Some time ago the Westminster Budget printed a short account of the day's work done by the Emperor and Empress of Germany. A few days after the following jeremiad from a domestic servant made its appearance :—: — I re> din your paper that the empor and is wife get up every mourning at 5 p.m., and that all three children are drest at 6. Wood you tell me plees what they are about at that our, they can doo nothing bat bern the hoil. Nor cen the children be comfoble as no fires is made up. What time do there servents get up and lite the fires I my missus she says look how the servents get up in the empor's house, why can't you. Will you plees put no more about the empor and his wife getten up into your paper. My missus she jawr me arter it. Ef you Pay the empor and his wife get up at 5 p.m. in the mourning, what time is us poor servants to git up ? Praps you dident think on that, bat be so kind as not to rite about gettin up erly. The cardinals of the Church are of three Orders : Cardinalbishops, cardinal-priests, and cardinal-deacons. The first cla-s (are now six in number, and they have no titular churches, but preside over the suburban Roman Sees. The cardinal-priests are fifty in number, and they are übually prelates of arohi-episcopal or episcopal rank. The cardinal-deacons are fourteen, and are generally, though not necessarily, priests, a notable exception having been Cardinal Antonelh. the famous secretary of State under Pius IX., who never advanced farther in Holy Orders than deaconship. The ranks of the Sacred College are seldom tull, however ; and there are usually from ten to a dozen or more vacancies. At the present time the oldest cardinal, in point of years, is the Cardinal-Deacon Theodolphus Mertel who was created in the Consibtory that was held by Pius IX., March 15, 1858.