DIOCESE OF CHRISTCHURCH

New Zealand Tablet, 30 August 1906, Page 15

DIOCESE OF CHRISTCHURCH

(From our own correspondent.) -n August 27. raihof.r. 111 ?! 1 1 I &OC J aI , evcnln S ™ connection with the the local h U a n on^i lf°^^ Add ' ril^ n was beM in most 10 fcc^JV-an^i^SSe, 'InTStenSce « succ^sfal^nSniF 10 ? 1 ° ter a - ld or ft anis « of the recent Sn^SntJ > r baZaa^ ln aid of NuTse Maude's consumptive Camps, writes as follows lio the local papers .-< May I again trespass on your space to say S^^T\ tb^o^^oo^^er^ gS ■ CHC H Sn° he l •taVs!^^retld!■en eC K d Sffi prize^SnSS C nf nt FlCadF ICad given theM »»y the iSt This k ill \ and - have returned the cheque." l-his s the second instance of the highest motives he in* shown by the children, and I think ?L sh ou d fin"?hown°in WW tt a h7h 7 W , lth - any feelhlS which ma^ liecn sehTol competitS" 111^ by thoßß Plejlldiced gainst the S ent Ml on Al fl th hn;n cad ( ™ h ? T th Mrs " Mead is at " P«SLVcS-.* s'SSf ? SaS^S^tJ SS experiences an-d impressions of travel ™We had 'he S fi, a grand tdp ««oughout, so far as wither nice fellow-passengers _ aild a comfortable ship ate S „ned. At Monte Video we had eicht hours' stay Tud saw all the sights-a. really SttcdrS

fhf n M. ch lur<ihe1 ur< i hes ' of c o«rse very old except one, the Uapilia, Jackson. This latter was built and endowed by one Jackson, an Irishman, who smarted a poor man ajnd died immensely wealthy, and one of the most respected citizens. At Rao'de Janeiro? we only had one hour on shore, but long enough to go O ve£the Cathedral, one of the finest, I believe, in the southern hemisphere. The interior is all black and white marbles and the paintings ami sculpture are marvellous. Kio itself is a wonderful city with a population of 250 000, but, I should say, a ho£bod of disease The heat was groat, and the -city iaot too tle;an, but they are modernising it with Yankee capital and trains an d it should be a fine city when rebuilt. We had a day at Teneriffe, a real Spanish town After dinner we went Uy electric tiam up to Laguna, the old capital of the island. Unfortunately for us it was raining, so that we coudn t see much, but had a good look over the Cathedral which is over one thousand years old— a huge -building, but not beautiful in any way The interior of the Cathedral is very sti iking, with very old earnings altars, and paintings. Arriving in London, after ten years' absence, it seemed somewhat strarego to me at first, but now I am used to it again. I feel I couldn't live and work here acain unless absolutely compelled. The poverty and wealth side by side, the rush of business and traffic, are all appalling, and the atmosphere very close and muggy.' Railway fares he fiuds are dearer in the vicinity of the Metropolis than in New Zealand excursions excepted, which are very low ; whilst the travelling conditions on most of the lines are good Going up to Newcastle, a distance of 270 miles each way, cost 21s return. They attended 11 o'clock Mass at the Oratory (Brompton), an 4 had been greatly impressed by the singing of the choir. Mrs Mead had been to the Westminster Cathedral three times by day, but so far personally, he -had only seen it from the outside. ' There is a fine Redemptorist church at Clapham Common, where we go when staying near. Also a smlall osEatyory (St Mary Magdalene) at Wandsworth.' He had also been to St George's Cathedral, Southwark, and to a little church with humble surroundings at Walworth. One Sunday they went to Wie Jesuit church, Farm St. for High Mass, and heard Father Bernard Vaughan give one of his famous seimons on the ' Sins of the Smart Set.' He has staitled -London with these sermons. The same evening they went to Ogle St Langham Place, expecting to hear Father Burke! C.SS.R. (one no doubt well remembered in New Zealand), but he was too ill to preach. Mr and Mrs. Mead intended to go to lieland about August 4, for three weeks, visiting Dublin, Conk, Killarney, etc., after which they would piobably (go to Brussels. Whilst in the north of England they visited Fountain's AUJiey, Ripon, Durham Cathedral and Castle, all built by Catholic hands. The abbey is owned tyy the Marquis of Ripon. ' I prkle myself (ihe continues)* that I have advertised New ZealamCi all I knew. The countiy folk ca'nrtot, or will not, believe the conditions of labor and life I tell them of. Here in Sussex, the farm-laborer -gets 16s per week (some 14s). But even ihcy are better off than the Londoners ai> 30s In London all the workhouses arc overflowing, there are thousands of unemployed, aiKi those who obtain work are slaves. This is a lovely country, none more beautiful, but as Father Kearney (a genial and typical Irish priest whom I h-a-d the pleasure of meeting) says, 'it has reached its zenit-h.' Mrs. Mead (he says in conclusion) is taking a course of lessons from Santley, who thinks she has a splendid voice, and there is a possibility of her remaining for six months to continue her studies. Mr. an-d Mrs. Mead were present by invitation at the wedding of Dr. Arthur O'Brit-n, son jof Mr. and Mrs. M. O'Brien, of this city.