DIOCESE OF DUNEDIN

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXII, Issue 20, 19 May 1904, Page 19

DIOCESE OF DUNEDIN

On Monday evening last Miss Staunton gave a very successful social and nVusical evening at her residence, Dowling street, to the assistants of the Home Rule stall at the late Caihn Ban Fete. A reading-room is being fitted up in St Joseph's Hall, so that members now will have an opportunity of spending a pleasant evening in the study of good literature and the latest magazines. The St. Vincent de Paul Society, Dunedin, is doing an incalculable amount of good among the poor and afflicted, but finds its sphere of usefulness restricted for want oi funds, and consequently the ladies of this admirable Society would be very grateful for monetary assistance or for parcels of clothing, which would be Icmnd \ery useful at the present time The St Joseph's Ladies' Club met on Wednesday last, the principal business being the enrolment of new members, and judging by the large riumber that came forward to ioin there is no doubt as to the success of the Club tor tt.e coming session The members are m\ited in turn to contribute to the evenings enjoyment cither by music or reading, for it is desired that the Club should not only be a source of pleasure hut also of profit to tilie members. Dramatic and sewing classes will be lormed immediately The inaugural meeting of the memhers of St. Joseph's Men's Club was held in St Joseph's Hall on Friday evening, when there .was an excellent attendance, which augured well for the success of the current session. A vacancy on the committee was filled by the election o»' Mr W. Rodgers Eight candidates' for membership weie nominated and declared elected, thus bringing the number o,f new members who have loined this year up to the very satisfactory total oi 28 It was announced that the committee had made arrangements flor the starting of an elocution class, the lirst meeting of which will take place to-morrow (Friday) evening The inaugural lecture was delivered by the Rev Father Murphy, piesident of the Club, the chair being occupied by Mr T Deeiian. The subject of the lecture was the Church and Civilisation In the course of his remarks tbe rev lecturer showed what the Church had done and was doing in this respect. Jn the first place he defined what true civilisation was, and showed what the condition of pagan Gieece and Rome was at tbe Birth of Christ, how slavery prevailed to an extraordinary extent, and 'wealth and power were in the hands of a tew. At that time women had no rights, and were looked upoti as inferior in every respect to men. Children were only allowed to live at the option of the father The Church by degrees changed all i his ; slavery was abolished ; the position of woman was e'evated ; the child was received as the gift of God, and its life was sacred. The poor and afflicted were cared tor in the monasteries and hospitals In eloquent language the rev. lecturer then described what tbe Church had done for the preservation of the classics,

and after referring to the religious upheaval of the sixteenth century, he went on to speak of what had been done in modern days by Catholic charity for the industrial classes, referring in an especial manner to the interest taken in the workers by the late Pope, whose Encyclical on Labor was recognised as the most statesmanlike and luminous pronouncement on the respective tights of labor and capita] that had ever been given to the world. On the motion of Mr. J. Hally, seconded by Mr T Hussey, a he>arty vote of thanks was accorded to the Rev. Father Murphy for his interesting and instructive lecture From the balance sheet of the Cailin Ban Fete we learn that the gross receipts were £861, in which is included a sum of £243 19s 3d from the art union The expenses came to £223 1 9s 3d, leaving a credit balance of £637 0s 9d. The rent of his Majesty's Theatre amounted to £108, amd yet the fete was conducted with less expense than any similar undertaking of recent years. The stallholders and tiheir assistants, as well as the members of the committee of management are to be warmly congratulated on the splendid result.