The Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 47, 20 November 1902, Page 24

The Catholic World

ARGENTINE.— The Divorce Bill. \\~e ha\c won in Congress after all, says the ' Southrrn Cross ' Tho Divorce Bill was defeated by a majority ot two vot«s— r>o afiainst 48. Jt was a narrow shave hut it was a victory all tho .same, and tho Bill will not coino up agam this year, perhaps not for two years We nope, now, that those canting hypocrites- who have been telling us so much about their patriotism, the benefits ot divorce, and tho culture of Argentine society will find tune to do something practical. They might advocate an doctoral reform bill, or they might employ their energies m checking the epidemic of murder which is spreading o\cr this country. Tho murders that have been committed during tho last couple of weeks are shocking in their details and appalling m their number. But we s " "jßhly civilised, of course, that we want a Divorce Bill and wo can afford to shelve such trivial matters as mst i co and reform ENGLAND.— Westminster Cathedral. Wonirj idea of the cost of the new Catholic Cathedral .it ni'slnimsttt- , may bo gathered from the fact that the decoration of the Blessed Sacrament Chapel alone for tthuh the money is being collected in America, will entail an expenditure of £12.000. The names of founders who arc contributing £1000 or more to the building i ?S? S , a 1 " T . lpcinl benefactors are boim- inscribed in n Look called Liber Vitae,' which will bo preserved in Liio Cathedral for all time, and honored according to Tribute to a Priest. Tlvro could not ha\o been shown a higher testimony and tribute to the religious and public zeal of a priest in the cause of Catholicity Ihan that made manifest on the _.)th anniversary of the ordination of the Rev A L I hattaway tho popular and esteemed pastor of St • Joseph s, \ooholls. This event was made the occasion hy k'Uow-pno.sts and people of much public rejoicing. Jno .mhilarian— a determined, energetic priest and useful citron— is one eminently worthy of all the tributes bestowed upon him on tho occasion of his silver iubilee celebration. In his early days Father Chattaway was a member of the Church of England, and receivedthe rudiments of his education at the Grammar School, Atherstone. At the special celebrations the Lord Bishop of

the diocese, I>r. Ilsley, presided, a reception and complimentary concert being held later in the day. Opening: of * Monastery. A Redemptorist monastery at Monkwearmouth, Sunderland, was opened recently by Dr. Preston, BishopAuxiliary of the diocese of Hexham and Newcastle. The building adioins St. Bcnet's Church, and has cost £4500. It is said to be within a stone's throw of the spot on which, over 12 centuries ago, St. Benet founded the Benedictine Abbey in which the Venerable Bede received his early monastic training At present there are seven priests and five lay Brothers in the residence, but these numbers will be increased shortly, as the house is to serve as the headquarters of the Redemptorist Order in the North of England. Practical Appreciation. The daily papers (says the ' Catholic Times ') have stated that Mrs. Fielden, of Centre Vale, Todmorden, has made a donation of £500 to the Extension Building Fund of the Training College, Mount Pleasant, Liverpool, conducted by the Sisters of Notre Dame ; but they have not, so far as we have seen, mentioned the fact that Mrs. Fielden is not a Catholic. Her letter is a remarkable tribute to the work of the good Sisters. Mrs. Fielden says that at a time when methodical teaching and exact discipline were partially unrecognised in elementary schools, she noted the introduction of both in those taught by the Sisters of Notre Dame, and as an ardent educationist in her 83rd year sho desires to bear her testimony to the enormous and widely-circulated benefits thus conferred upon the rising generation. Facing: the Future. In his paper read at the Catholic Truth Conference, the Rev. Dr. Hinsley, principal of the Bradford Grammar School, touched upon a question which is of vital importance to the prosperity of tho Catholic community. The education, modern and thorough, of the middle class boys and girls (says an English exchange) is a pressing necessity ; but how is it to be met ? To found new grammar schools in centres where at present they do not exist, and that too, in the face of the need of financial aid for the few schools we have already, is a work which may well, viewing the comparative poverty of the Catholic body, give even the friends of secondary education pause. Still, the difficulty is there ; either we must ourselves found these schools,' or our children of the middle classes will inevitably be forced to attend schools alien from their faith, and only too likely, as experience shows, to pro\e prejudicial to their religious convictions. It is hard to see what can be done. We have no Carnegies among us ; but perhaps some of our wealthier members might be led. to come to the rescue. To build a secondary school, or to found burses for scholars in attendance at ono, is a most truly and laudable and religious work. As Dr. Hinsley remarks, the possession of a well-educated middle class is the backbone of any religious community. If it is neglected, the result is injurious to the who'lo body, which, to employ a medical illustration, becomes afflicted with an atrophy of tho spinal marrow, and soon ceases to possess a useful or useable vertebrate column. FRANCE.— A Dismissal. The Government (writes a Paris correspondent) arc not pleased with a number of army officers in consequence of the verdicts of courts-martial in connection with the refusals to obey orders to expel the nuns, and as courts-martial will not pass sentences in accordance; with Government views, tho Minister of War is dismissing officers against whom nothing serious can be alleged. The latest victim is General Frater. who commanded in chief in Brittany. It is said that the reason for his dismissal is the evidence which ho gave before the Nantes court-martial in the case of Colonel St. Remy. Such behaviour on the part of the War Office is almost incredible. General Frater was summoned before the courtmartial as a witness, and as such had to tell ' the truth, tho whole truth, and nothing but the truth ' The truth did not happen to please the Government, so they have dismissed without warning an able and popular oflicer, who had devoted his whole life to tho service of his country and of the army, and against whom nothing can 'bo alleged, and have even depmed him of the pension to which his services entitled him. Military Trial. The trial by court-martial of Major Le Roy-Ladurie, on a charge of haying refused to obey orders in connection With tho closing of tho schools, was begun at Nantes on September 27. The court was crowded. Tho indictment set forth that tho accused refused on account of religious opinions to take command of the company ordered to co-operato in the execution at Doudrnenez of the decrees regarding the closing of schools. The Major subsequently tendered his resignation, but this coming as late as it did was, the prosecution alleged, tantamount to a refusal to obey orders Accused, in reply to a question, admitted that the fact as stated in the indictment was correct. His conscience, he said, forbade him to take part in anti-religious measures. The work which he had been commanded to do was to drive out women and to break down walls. That was not the role of the army. Tho accused further stated he had not tendered bis resignation sooner as he hacl hoped he would not be called upon to take any part in the execution of the decrees. The examination of witnesses was then proceeded with. General Larnal described how he had received the requisition from th,e Prefect, and had drawn up an order in the tenor of tho requisition. Counßel for both sides ha 1 * ing spoken, the court sentenced Major Le Roy-Ladurie to be deprived of his Commission.

RONE — The Pope's Health. Some alarm (writes a Rome correspondent under data September 29) was caused in the provinces a couple ol days ago by reports as to the Pope's health, wired by Rome correspondents hungering after sensational paragraphs at any cost. Needless to say that these alarmist rumors were wholly unfounded, as the venerable Pontiff has been enjoying perfect health of late, and besides granting numerous audiences has spent several hours every day in the Vatican gardens. One of the most notable audiences of the week took place on Sunday last, when the Holy Father received Sir Wilfrid and Lady Laurier, who were charmed with the cordial welcome extended to them by his Holiness. Sir Wilfrid Laurier, whom I saw after the audience, expressed the greatest delight and surprise at finding the Holy Father looking so well and strong. ' When I visit the Pope,' exclaimed Sir Wilfrid, ' il come away with the impression that, by some special dispensation of Providence, he is actually getting younger instead of ageing.' SCOTLAND — Presentation. Rev. Alexander Mackintosh, of Fort-William, was recently mada the recipient of a splendid presentation from his flock, on the occasion of the silver jubilee of his priesthood. A deputation representing the Catholics of Fortr-William presented the rev. gentleman with a purse containing 100 guineas. SOUTH AFRICA — Hopeful Prospects. Dr. Gaughran, the recently-appointed Vicar-Apostolio of the Orange River Colony, has sent home an account of his first experience in his new vicariate. Writing of a visit paid to Mafeking, he observes that the church is small and poor, and that the Catholics are few, but the Sisters of Mercy are carrying on a splendid work there in, their schools. Most of the children who attend them are Protestants. They are growing so numerous that the Sisters find it necessary to enlarge their premises. Concerning Catholic prospects in Kimberley, he observes that the work of the nuns for the children is excellent, and now the Christian Brothers have entered the field in the teaching of boys with the greatest success. There is a decided leaning towards CatholicitUNITED STATES.— Death of an Army Chaplain. The Rev. William D. McKinnon, U.S. chaplain of the 3rd Cavalry, died in Manila, September 24. He Was appointed to the regular army in 1899 from the Californian Volunteers, and went to the Philippines with one of the first expeditions. Diamond Jubilee* Mgr. Bernard O'Reillv, who was the first priest in America to celebrate his golden jubilee, is to celebrate his diamond jubilee, it being 60 years since he was ordained. 'It will be the first diamond" jubilee held in the Catholic Church in America,' said the aged Father. ' I can aspire to no greater honor.' As historian to Pope Leo XIII. he ranks high among literary ecclesiastics, and his famo as a literary worker is firmly established by his research in the fields of art, Church and social history which he has embodied in the literary labors of a lifetime, comprising over 20 volumes. Archdiocese of Chicago The Rome correspondent of the ' Catholic Times ' learns that the Ritrht Rev. Dr. Spalding, the well-known Bishop of Pcoria, has been promoted to the See of Chicago, vacant by the death of Archbishop Feehan. Bishop Spalding is a man of great vigor. Last year, the 25th of his episcopate in Peoria, was of all his years ono of the most fruitful. An Indian Mission Mother Katharine, head of the Order of the Blessed Sacrament, who was formerly Miss Katharine Drexel, of Philadelphia is building a school for the Navajo Indians in the Arizona desert. In a spot remote from civilisation, 30 miles from the railroad, on an oasis of some 500 acres in the midst of sandy 'waste, she will erect school buildings, dormitories, chapel, and all the necessary adjuncts to a training school for Indian youth, to be known as the school of St. Michael's mission. The school is being erected on the Navajo reservation, near Fort Defiance. On this reservation are 20,000 Indians, who, whilo of less dissipated habits than the majority of Indians, are more ignorant of the principles of Christianity. This is due to their habitual reserve. They ha^e ever held aloof from the whites. Death of a Priest. The Rev. Thomas Scully, rector of the Church of St. Mary of the Annunciation, Cambridgeport, Massachussetts, died on September 11th. A native of Ireland, he began his ecclesiastical studies in England and continued them at tho Seminary of the Fathers of Charity, in Piedmont. He then wont to the United States, and distinguished himself remarkably as army chaplain during the Civil War, a temperance worker, and a parish organiser. His death is felt to be a great loss. At least 20,000 people, representing every creed, were present at the funeral. Catholic Newspapers* It is gratifying to learn that the Catholics of America fully recognise the value of the work done by the Catholic Press of the country. ' We,' says one of the resolutions passed by the Federation of Catholic Societies at tho recent Convention, ' pledge encouragement and support to the Catholic Press of the nation, and hereby express our appreciation of its staunch defence of Catho-

lic rights and interests. We urge upon American Catholics a full and liberal support of our Catholic papers and magazines and the encouragement of Catholic literature.' These are words that should be pondered well by those Catholics who are not regular readers of a Catholic journal.