GENERAL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVIII, Issue 20, 17 May 1900, Page 9

GENERAL.

A Tory's Appreciation —Mr. W. J. Evelyn, formerly Tory M.P. for Deptford, has sent to Mr. Dillon a cheque for £100 as a contribution to the Irish Party f und^, evoked by the attitude of the party towards the war. The Pope and the Queen. — A Rome message received in Ireland about the middle of March stated that his Holiness the Pope had telegraphed congratulating 1 her Majesty the Queen on her decision to visit Ireland, and at the same time expressed his hope that discord between the two nation" would bo removed. Hfi Holiness, it is stated, had also addressed through the Cardinal Secretary of State telegrams to a similar effect to Cardinal Yaughan and the Archbishop of Dublin. Lord Cavan and the Queen's Visit— The following letter from Lord Cavan appeared in a recent issue of the London Times : —Will you allow one who voted for the Home Rule Bill, 1886, and was with others successful in returning a Home Rule member in 1892, a few lines of space 1 I had, and hope I still retain, the friendship of many Irish members. May I express the wish that, should her Majesty visit Dublin, we may, in a heartfelt manner, all join in giving our Queen an absolutely unique reception ? We are not agreed on the war. I have three sons all serving the Queen (two in South Africa), and their father fought in the Crimea and China. But may we not all sink our differences, at least, during her Majetty's visit ? If others are of my opinion, let us join hands. My health will not allow me to be present, except in ppirit ; but I will gladly send the Lord Mayor of Dublin £250, if he c^res to write to me, towards the expenses of the reception, and the same sum will follow should the reception committee get into debt This is Ireland's great moment. A Difference Of Opinion-— Writing to some of the Dublin papers Mr. J. H. Parnell says : — I noticed a letter written by my sister, Miss Anna Parnell, on the wearing of the shamrock by Irish soldiers, as commanded by her Majesly. Having been asked if my sister's views were mine also, it is best to deny they are, as I hold quite the opposite ones. Instead of casting a black veil upon oar National emblem, it iB time the dark spot wrongfully hanging over it so long was lifted, even if the example has to be set by Royalty. I think these acts on the part of her Majesty are very far-reaching, bringing to the front not only her brave Irish soldiers, but the shamrock and all other Irish products. Small beginnings make big endings. lam sure these acts will be a benefit to Ireland. Who can tell the importance. Everything Irish has been under a cloud for a hundred years ; let it go ; we want a silver lining to it now. We have Royalty here ; let us make the most of it for the welfare of the country. It is the brave Irish who began this change in English sentiment. Let us, then, do all we can to oacourage the visits of her Majesty and of all other foreigners to our rich and beautiful country. At the same time we mu<t not give up our National rights, but fight for them and Home Rule. Who can tell but these gracious acts on the part of her Majesty may be the means of furthering our cause. St- Patrick's Day- — The National festival was observed in all parts of Ireland in the customary manner. Masses were celebrated from an early hour in the churches in town and country. In a few places in the North of Ireland Orange factions tried to create disturbances, by cursing the Tope and abusing Catholics, those wearing green favors being specially singled out for attack by these worthies. In Lurgan they attacked a Catholic procession, invaded a Catholic quarter of the town, and indulged in their usual practice of stone-throwing, doing a considerable injury to property. The sight of a green favor seemei to have the same effect on these bigots as the proverbial red rag would have on a bull. On the other side of the Channel things were different. London (says the Irish Catholic') was in clover. It would, probably, have been in shamrock if it knew the difference, and if the supply were sufficient, but it did not know, and was quite satisfied. It was a city decked in green, from the Irish flag floating over the Mansion House to the knot of green ribbon on the coster's donkey in the Old Kent road. Ireland's national color was everywhere. It floated over aristocratic clubs in the West End and business houses in the city, it fluttered from omnibuses, it decorated driver's whips, horses were decked out with green rosettes, and practically every man, woman, and child to be seen in the streets was ' wearing of the green.' England's attempt to appropriate the Irish emblem was almost universal, but the confused associations attaching to its display are probably already forgotten. In accordance with custom, Pontifical High Mass was solemnised at St. Patrick's Church, Southwark, on Saturday morning. His Eminence Cardinal Vaughan was present in the sanctuary, and Bishop Brindle was the celebrant. There was an immense congregation, every member of which wore a spray of shamrock. Father Arden, the well-known Franciscan preacher, delivered an impressive panegyric on St. Patrick. At the Law Courts the Lord Chief Justice wore the shamrock below his ermine collar as on previous St. Patrick's Days ; but this year all the other justices followed suit. The officials at the Government offices, perhaps more especially the War Office, were lavish in their displays, and, to all intents and purposes, the ' order ' which was issued to the army might have been extended to every Government department. The military and other bands discoursed Irish music, and indeed it was ' Ireland over all,' as one Englishman expressed it, ' We are all Irishmen to-day,' and, to tell the truth, they tried hard to be, if only for the occasion. Scenes of tumultuous enthusiasm were witnessed at the music halla, where Irish songs were all the vogue, several parodies on the ' Wearing of the green,' mostly of the Jingo variety, being.gang. The Preventiol of Foot and Mouth Disease— At a recent meeting of the Dublin Cattle Traders' Association a discussion* took place on the ravages of the foot and mouth disease among cattle

which are still painfully remembered by Irish traders and stockowners, and the following letter gave much satisfaction to the meeting : — ' Board of Agncult"re, London. >>ir,- lam directed by the 15".-ird of Agriculture to inform you (hat they are glad to take note of. an 1 arc very grateful f > ih > off r (if ( <> opoiation in the nna-ur s ncie-^ ny for the prevention of the spread ot foot and mouth di-»ea-<> which you convey to the Board in V"Ur letter, a copy of which has been forwarded to the VetfHnary Dep-irtment of the Privy Council in Irelam'. — I am, etc . P. .). Ci; \k, ik. assistant secretary." The memher" present believe that by the co-operation of theßriti<h Board ot Agriculture, ilielri-n Wiurmaij brp'rumin and the In«h Cattle Trader-- and >tockowner>" Association, Ireland should have an excellent chance ot being saved Irom tlie reiniro.iueuon of the disastrous epidemic which, the secretary stated, had broken out in two more of the English sbires. It was also hoped that the newly-created Irihh Board of Agriculture, although still in but the process of formation, will lend a willing hand in staving off so great a possible evil. Dissatisfied Orangemen-— The Orangemen (says the Belfast Jmh Wnkly) are a progressive type of humanity ' That they are still standing on the banks of the Boyno is again illustrated by the resolutions of the ' Trinity College Grand Orange Lodge,' who, on the 7th of March, expressed their ' want of confidence in her Majesty's Government, and especially in the Irish portion of it,' for having appointed Mr. T. P. Gill to be secretary of the Board of Agriculture. For this high treason to the principles of Orangeism the Trinity College luminaries ' call on all our brother Orangemen in the United Kingdom, for the reasons which we have stated, to withdraw their t-upport from such men, who had proved themselves utterly unworthy of it.' The contemptible bigotry betrayed in the resolution may pass unnoticed. It is worthy of note, however, that a ' Grand Orange Lodge ' actually has a habitation and home in this stronghold of Protestant teaching, whither the Catholics of Ireland are invited by the Government to flock. An Editor Who Understands the Situation— in its reflections on the announcement of the Queen's visit to Ireland the M fst)>nHster (lazitti says- — 'Irishmen may object to our politics and attack our Governments, but they do not complain when they are called upon to occupy the fighting line They provide the best of soldiers and the most successful commanders. This is nothing new ; it has been a commonplace of British history since the beginning of the century. The only pity is that there is no green in the Union Jack. The Queen's visit to Dublin will, we hope, for the time being, bring a truce to politics Other Royal visits have been more or less marred by the fervor of Unionists who have sought to turn them into loyalist rather than into loyal demonstrations. But the Queen's age and the great respect in which h< r person and character are held are things to touch Irish hearts, and her presence for a few weeks in Dublin can do nothing but good. Yet. when all is said and done, Ireland, with its SO irreconcilable members, and its hostility not merely to the policy of one Government but to the whole system of English government, remains for us the standing example of failure in Imperial statesmanship.'