Convent Inspection

New Zealand Tablet, 9 August 1906, Page 22

Convent Inspection

Once a year the dull grey monotony of life in the British House of Commons is broken by a petition for leave to bring in a Bill for the inspection of convents. The request comes from The Stupid Party (as they are irreverently called in the House), and it coincides pretty closely, as a rule, with the advent of whooping-cough and influenza. This year the request was made by Mr. T. L. Corbett, M.P. After the good man had greatly alarmed himself and amused the House with statistics 01 the pi ogress of monastic and conventual ' Popery ' in Great Britain, Mr. T. P. O'Connor ' took a hoult iv the flure.' ' He said that the Nationalist members had listened in almost unbroken silence to the hon. Member. (Laughter.) The hon. Member must be perfectly well aware that there was not the smallest chance of his Bill becoming law this session, and therefore the hon. Member did not bring it in with any view- of its passing into law. The hon. Member had pursued this course in preparation for July 12, the anniversary of the battle of the Boyne. (Great laughter.) In Ireland there was going on a movement, which eveiy honest man welcomed, which every decent Protestant ought to welcome— (laughter)— namely, a movement for the closing of that e*a of religious conflict, hatred, and passion, in connection with which seas of Irish blood had been shed. (Nationalist cheers.) But still apparently there were some who were determined to fan the dying embers into flame again, and the hon. Member was one of the gang. (Nationalist cheers.) He (Mr. O'Connor) mistook the temper of the House if it did not ignominiously reject this ignoble attempt to revive the embers of religious bigotry. (Nationalist cheers.)'