Notes

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXII, Issue 24, 16 June 1904, Page 18

Notes

A Good Investment

The Catholic paper has been aptly called 'an insurance policy on the faith of every member of the household ' ' Depend upon it,' says the Milwaukee ' Catholic Citi/en,' ' a Catholic family brought up to read year after year a good Catholic weekly, and all departments of thq weekly, will get a thousand fold the value of the subscription paid.'

Street-corner Controversialists

There are just a lew clergymen in New Zealand who. persist in reminding the patieait reader of their icsemblance to the big drum of the Garrison Band An esteemed subscriber expresses surprise that we have not taken to task a pair of them who have been lately throwing a series of epileptic jerks and spasms at a sparsely attended no-Popery corrobboree in the Sou'h Island. We recommend to his consideration the following bit ot practical wisdom from Samuel Butler's great classic : — ' That man is sure to lose That louls his hands with dirty foes ; For where no honor's to be gained, 'Tis thrown away in being maintained ' Good old Don Quixote took a some what similar viewwhen he gave the following sane and friendly counsel to Sancho Panza : ' Friend Sancho, for the future, whenever thou perceivest us to be any ways abused by such inferior fellows, thou art not to expect that 1 should offer to draw my sword against them ; for ,1 will not do it in the least. No . do thou then draw and chastise them as thou thmkest fit. But if any knight come to take their part, then will I be sure to step in between thee and danger.'

That Bribe

A cable message in Tuesday's daily papeis iuiis as follows :—: — ' A vehement scene occurred in the (French) Chamber of Deputies'. The personal attacks of M. Millerand, the Socialist member for the Seine, goaded M. Combes (the Premier) to declare that two million francs had been indirectly offered him (M. Conubcs), on behalf of the Grande Chartreuse monks, to introduce a Bill in thenfavor, and that M. Millerand at that time was urging, in the higher interests of the country, that the biiber's name should not be divulged A committee has been appointed to inquire into the circumstances. It is understood that the alleged briber is a manufacturer, not a politician.' We fear that this is a case m which ' some one has blundered ' Many months ago. before their expulsion from France, the Superior of the Grande Chartreuse monks publicly declared that the son of a prominent member of the Combes Ministry pledged himself that, it a payment (or rather bribe) of two million uancs -veie made by the monks, they would be allowed by the Government to remain and carry on their good voik in the country. The sordid n-qucst was ui'liu, nantly lejected by the monks The statement that the bribe was asked created at the tune a lively sensation in France, and to this hour it has not been authoritatively contradicted or denied. We fancy t'"e cable-man must have tangled irp the (ale

The Victorian Referendum

The final returns of the Victorian referendum (socalled) on the Biblcvin-schools scheme are ' long a-eom-m' ' The votes were cast on the first of June It is the fnteentft as we pen these lines, and still the submarine wire is silent The latest information to hand, as we wiite, is contained in the llobait ' Mercury ' ol June 9. It gives the results up to that date as follows :— 1 Are you in iavoi of the Education Act lcmatnmg secular as at present ? ' YES, 62,561 ; NO, 12,615. ' 2 Are you in lavor of such legislation as ohall cause the scheme of Scripture lessons lecommended l.y the Royal Commission on Religious Instruction to be taught in State Schools during school hours to children whose parents desire the teaching ? (Such lessons would be given subject to a conscience clause exempting teachers who object). YES, 53.373 , NO, 4!),(J7-1. '3. Are you in favor of the prayers and hymns selected by the Royal Commission being used ?' YES, 53,732 ; NO, 49,566. ♦ The tangle of contradictory results shown in these returns will be teased out somewhat by reference to the following instructions issued by the Premier in regard to the counting of votes :— 1 That the fact of any of the questions at the referendum on the subject of religious instruction in the State schools being left unanswered will not invalidate a voting paper. ' 2 That if a voter answers " Yes " to question No 1. the inference would be that he desired no change in the present condition, and logically he would answer No " to questions liuwbeis 2 /and | 3 But :f he answers " Yes " to questions 2 and 3, then it follows that nc should answer " No" to question No I. A voter answering " Yes " to the fust and also to the second or third questions would stultify himself, and ins vote would be practically useless, because lie would be voting both for and against a change ' Itl will be seen, toy referring back to Ihe figures given above, that, cut of the electors who voted on the fh-st issue, 2132 failed to express their opinion on the second question and 1861 on the thiid. The first question, however, dominates' *the whole situation, and, so far as the returns are to hand, they show a heavy defeat) for those who advocate the sectaiianising oi the public schools oi the State.