DIOCESE OF AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXVIII, Issue 50, 13 December 1900, Page 4

DIOCESE OF AUCKLAND.

(From our own correspondent.) December 6. Rev. Father Croke has organised a series of six concerts in his widely scattered parish, and has obtained the services of several lady vocalists from the city for the round trip. Mr. John Hart well, who for the last 11 years has been organist at St. Patrick's Cathedral, has sent in his resignation, and at the end of this month he will relinquish his post which he has so long and honorably filled. Mr. Hartwell's retirement will cause regret not only to the choir, but to a large number of the parishonew. His Lordship the Bishop, the Right Rev. Mgr. O'Reilly and the choir are to tender to him a complimentary organ recital and concert. Commenting on the cabled account of the outbreak of Hooliganism in that unenviable quarter of the Empire's capital — Whitechapel—a writer in the Herald says :— The horrible doings of London Hooligans remind me that I read in an English journal recently that modern society shows a tendency to revert to the ideals and manners of savagery. This outbreak of Hooliganism, which appears to be spreading in England, shows that a seotion of the people, in spite of Board schools, and all other efforts to redeem them, are going back to the conditions of primitive man. The criminal records of recent years, in Australia, New Zealand, and the Old Land, must be very disheartening to those who, a few generations ago, looked upon free, secular, and compulsory education as the cure-all for crime. It looks as if those obstinate people, who all along failed to see how the mere teaching of reading, writing, and arithmetic was going to build up a godly, righteous, and sober nation, will come out on top after all. though it won't give these people much satisfaction to be adle to say, • I told you so,' when the mischief is done. The complimentary concert tendered by the Catholics of the Sacred Heart purish, PonMonDy, to their deservedly popular pastor, the Very Rev. Dr. Egan, 0.5.8 , was held in the Opera House last evening, and was a most pronounced success. The building was filled. The Right Rev. Mgr. O'Reilly. Rev. Fathers Patterson, O'Carroll. Darby, and O'Hara were present. The selections 'La Fete dv Hameau ' (Bouillon) and ' Waltz Militiire' were rendered by a powerful orchestra under the conductorship of Mr T. H. Bosworth. The Waiata Quartette were heard to advantage in their part song, and Mr Arthur Ford's fine tenor voice was well suited to his Hong, ' The dream angel,' for which he was doubly encored. Madam Casier created a favorable impression, and was in excellent voice. Her numbers were ' A May morning ' and ' Love's request.' A feature of the programme was Mr Frank Clark's contributions. With a trio of humorous character Bketohes he appealed greatly to the risible faculties of the audience, and was very amusing in an imitation of • A schoolboy's recitation.' An original sketch, entitled ' A phrenological lecture on the colonial skull,' by Mr Henry Gray, also evoked great merriment, and another appreciated item was a dance by the Misses Fuller and Feldman, the two little children, attired in nautical costume, acquitting themselves very creditably. Mr Albert Lucas gave a dramatio recital (in costume) of 'Mark Anthony's Oration.' Other successful items were as follows : — Song, ' A summer night,' Miss Annie Taylor ; mandoline solo, ' Alice,' Mr A. A. Partridge ; song, ' The deathless army,' Mr Wilfrid Manning ; and humorous song, ' The baby on the shore,' by Dr. Egan. Mr Alf. Bartley efficiently performed the duties of accompanist, and gave general satisfaction. The proceeds of the concert are to be devoted to the improvement of Dr. Egan's presbytery. The Right Rev. Mgr. O'Reilly opened the hospital bazaar at the Thames, having gone down at the special request of the committee to perform the ceremony. In the course of his speech on the occasion Monsignor O'Reilly said he had been requested by the ladies of the Hospital Bazaar Committee to come and declare the bazaar open, a duty which he had very much pleasure in fulfilling, and he would take the opportunity to thank them for this high honor. Although for the last few months he had left the Thames, he was glad to see that he was not forgotten, and that the little he had been able to do in connection with the hospital had been made a mountain of by them. He was very pleased to be among them on this occasion. It was not through his own wish that he did not permanently reside among them almost immediately. Referring to the objeot of the baza&r, Monsignor O'Reilly said that the old hospital was now a thing of the past. It had done very good work in its day, but it was no longer fitted for the requirements of a place like the Thames, a better hospital was necessary, and the Trustees had called on the people to assist this good and necessary work. The

result was that the Thames people, as they usually did, had responded most generously. The ladies had undertaken to get up a bazaar, and those present could Bee before them the amount and the beauty of the things brought together. He had the honor of presiding at the first meeting (in connection with the bazaar) of the Paeroa ladies, who, as well as the ladies generally, had taken up the work with great enthusiasm. Now they saw the result. It would be like trying to refine pure gold, or paint the lily, to describe the beauty of the work before them. He hoped that the public in general would appreciate the efforts of the ladies by purchasing every article in thp =italU • he hoped that before the bazaar was over each would be the result. With a view of marking thp juhilee of the arrival of the Order of the Sisters of Mercy in Auckland, a number of ladies of the various parishes in the city and suburbs hav Q been working very assiduously for the past few months, and as the result of their efforts a fancy fair and sale of work were opened on Wednesday afternoon at St. Mary's Convent, Ponsonby, by the Right Rev. Dr. Lenihan. In declaring the fair open, his Lordship referred to the work of the Sisters during the past f>o years in teaching and training the young, and said there could be no better proof of the success of their methods than the display of work in the hall. The stalls, which were ranged round the building, were filled with handsome and useful goods, and the work stalls were particularly well worth inspection. The stallholders were as under :— Art union, Misses S. Lynch and Riven, assisted by Mrs. Harris and Miss Jones; fancy (foods, Miss Lynch and Mrs. M. Brown, assisted by Misses Sainsbury and Corbett ; dolls, Mesdames Leonardo and Swan, assisted by Misses Regan and Corley ; strawberries and cream, Mrs. and Miss Lonergan ; refreshments, Mesdames James O'Brien, Haven, Mahoney, and Stichbury, assisted by Misses Haven, Walnut, and Sheath ; fancy goods, Mri. Dignan and Misses Hobbs and Mahoney, assisted by pupils of the convent ; candy, Misses McCabe and London, assisted by the Misses McCabe ; gipsy tent, Miss Outhwaite. At the art nnion stall were displayed the beautiful vestments brought out from Home by Bishop Lenihan and presented to the Sisters. Among the work of the pupils there was some very creditable wood-carving, which showed that the young people have a decided taste for this artistic work. During the afternoon and evening there was a very large attendance of the public, and the stall attendants had no reason to complain of the business done. During the afternoon Mr. Hunter's band played a number of selections on the lawn, and in the evening an enjoyable programme was rendered by the pupils. A cantata, ' Violet in Fairyland,' was tastefully rendered, and the children also performed a maypole dance and a floral march most effectively. The training of the children reflected the greatest credit on the Sisters, who prepared them for the concert. During the evening His Lordship the Bishop presented a number of prizes and certificates won by pupils at the convent as follows : — To Misses May M'Guire and Ivy Ansley, who pasßed the junior Civil Service examination at the beginning of the year ; Misses Matilda Brown, N. Lynch, Corbett, M. Casey, and Demp«ey, who passed the sixth standard examination under public school inppectors : Misses Alva Ralph, Gertrude Bray, Janie Aniodeo, and Elsie Bray, who secured certificates in the preparatory grade at the Trinity College, London, examination, 18'J'J ; Misses Ellen Brown and Matilda Brown, intermediate division, honors ; Violet Fitzpatrick and Nellie Mahoney, junior division, pass.