Archdeacon Devoy's Travels.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXIX, Issue 30, 25 July 1901, Page 30

Archdeacon Devoy's Travels.

Attbk an absence of 11 months (says the New Zealand Time*) Arohdeaoon Devoy has returned to Wellington. The Archdeacon went to Lyons to attend the chapter of Mariat Fathers, and whilst away visited Engrlaad and Ireland, France, Italy, and America. He waa particularly interested in hie American experiences. New York, with its overhead trams, and fast-running street trams ; with its bustling commercialism, and reokless disregard of human life ; with its rush and roar, and scream and bustle — contrasted with iti beautiful gardens with their flowers and fountains, and bands of mono — appealed 10 the traveller very strongly. At Salt Lake City also he found much to interest him. There he met an old schoolfellow of St. Mary's College, Dundalk — Father Larkin — officiating aa rector at a college of 90 students, and there he heard the leading lawyer of the Mormon oity at a prize-giving in connection with • declamation contest, declare to the assemblage the indebtedness of America to Australasia for a number of their most salutary laws. Archdeaoon Devoy visited the Mormon Tabernacle and listened with pleasure to a great recital that took place in connection with the visit of a prominent visitor from New York. There he heard ' The Holy City ' sung by a Salt Lake City vocalist as he had never heard it eung before. The Tabernacle has marvellous acoustic properties, and although it is capable of seating 20,000 people, it is said that one can hear a pin drop from any part of the building. There is a magnificent organ there, and the choir contains 400 trained singers. There is a wonderful street 25 miles long running through Salt Lake City and its confines, along which the electric tram runs for the greater part of the distance, and one can ride nearly the whole way for five cents I The Archdeacon went across to Park City and descended 900 ft in the Bilver and lead mines, being much struck with the wonderful parity of the air in the various passages. He could have gone down 400 ft farther, but refrained from doing so. He picked out a piece of the silver-lead ore, which he has brought back as a trophy, also some quartz for the museum at St. Patrick's College. At Virginia City, in Nevada, he saw the mines from whose bowels were dug the silver which paid for the erection of the palatial buildings with which San Francisco abounds. Several strikes were afoot in the latter city when the Archdeacon was there, one incidental on a refusal of the retail butohers (under threat of stoppage of supplies by the trusts) to allow the tickets of unionists to be placed in their windows The method of conducting a strike in America was amusing to a visitor in view of our different New Zealand practices. There the employers placard their buildings with big letters pointing out that they are the injured parties, while the employees constitute themselves into sandwich men and parade up and down solemnly warning prospective customers against patronising the proprietor who is a sweater or a wagecutter. If these men cease in their weary parade to try and state a case they are instantly pounced upon and borne away by a lynx-eyed constabulary.

Archdeacon Devoy was very maoh struck with the sensational methods of daily journalism in America, murders, lynohings, and divorces being the pabulum upon whioh the multitude is fed daily — to their inevitable detriment. He saw much to admire in the ' New World,' but maoh also to wonder at and condemn. Complaints are general amongst tourists, he says, in reference to the provisioning and service in connection with the Spreokels steamships, which could never auooeed on existing lines in the face of active competition.