Notes

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 25, 20 June 1907, Page 22

Notes

Pig or Christian ? In his interesting! book of confidences (' Between Ourselves '), Max O'Rell remarks that even the pigs are happy in France. So far as this world's happiness is concerned, under the Clemenceau regime it is vastly more comfortable to be a French pig than a French Christian. The « Outlook ' We seldomi omit a weekly perusal of our esteemed local contemporary, the ' Outlook,' the Presbyterian-Methodist-Congregationalist organ of New Zealand. Through all the varying fortunes through which it has passed since our acquaintance with it first began, it- has preserved the dignity, the self-respect, and the spirit of fairness and charity towards other faiths, that became bone of its bone and flesh of its flesh as it grew up under the fostering care of our friend, the gentle, scholarly, and -broadminded Dr. Wafldell. Judging, however, by the ChristcbJurch ' Press ' "of last week, the ' Outlook ' has been passing through the waters of tribulation—through the waves of adverse comment that over buftct those who conduct religious papers— now rising higher, now falling lower, but never, never still. The religious editor never knows the s great calm '' that once feH^ upon the waters of Galilee till he has laid down

the pen or answered tine great roll-call. He can receive with a welcome the criticism that' is kind and helpful ; inured to weals, he can receive in a chastened spirit the criticism that is helpful but not kdnd. But his spirit is not, as a rule, too broken to smite the criticism that is neither kind nor helpful. We rather think that much of the criticism to which our contemporary was subjected in Christchurch last week was of the las't-mientioned kind. We could wish such sledgehammer censors no more appropriate penalty than to be compelled to edit the newspapers that they criticise—for (say) three months. The chastening lessons of such an experience would probably lead to kindlier thoughts and fairer words for the men who— for love of what they Know or conceive to be a good cause— essay wee'e by week through weary years the heavy and endless task of nuking fresh and ever-fresh compromises among the thousand various and conflicting tastes to which the religious newspaper must appeal. Hirelings and Others ' The atheistical gentlemen,' says the Boston ' Pilot,' ' who are so beautifully mismanaging the government of France were recently given an object lesson of the fruits of their work. A few cases of smallpox occurred in Paris and several towns. In one hospital the lay employees refused to minister to the first victims, whereupon two Sisters of Charity volunteered to nurse the unfortunates and perished in their task. And thus it will ever be : The hireling will flee, but the soldier of Christ will stand firm before all danger.' * An English contemporary has some remarks in a recent issue on the intolerant attitude of the anti-Chris-tian French^ Government towards representation of Chrisi crucified. ' They treat it,' says the journal in question, 'as an enemy that is to have no quarter. It has been torn from the law courts, from the public places, and from the schools. Wherever the agents of the Government have been able to lay hands on it with any pretence of legality, they have violently removed it. Some few days ago the police discovered' that the sacred emblem was to be seen in a public school at Grabels. A commissary was forthwith despatched, with two gendarmes, to take it away. They were returning joyfully from their abominable expedition when the local Catholics, having 'heard of what was taking place, set upon them and gave them a drubbing which they are not likely to forget. Then the mayor arrived on the scene and ordered them to give back the crucifix. This they promptly did, after which they took to their heels. The mayor raised the crucifix aloft, and the people following him to the church, it was placed there amidst every demonstration of respect. In some parts of Prance, at least, the Government's odious crusade is hotly resented.' A Balfour Story The Wexford County Council has given Mr. Balfour a black eye (a metaphorical one, of course). At a meeting held a few weeks .ago, the following resolution was passed by the unanimous vote both of the Protestant and Catholic members of the Council :— ' That we call on the Right Hon. Arthur J. Balfour, M.P., in view of the serious accusations levelled by him at this Council in his speech to Unionist deputations on the 19th ult., to favor us by specifying the grounds upon which he based his allegations that this Council has proved itself unworthy of -trust, and has used the powers vested in it not to further the administrative interests: of the County of Wexford, but as a great electoral engine and machine for promoting party interests. We desire to point out to Mr. Balfour that this great Catholic and Nationalist county contains a population of 9,5,435 Catholics, and 8,669 non-Catholics; that the Wexford County Council has, since the passing of the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898, coopted six members, four of .whom have been Protestant Unionist landlords ; that the County Committee of Ag-

rioulture and Technical Instruction (nominated by the County Council f contains 20 Catholic and six Protestant members ; that the chairman of this committee, who also represents the Council on the Council of Agriculture is a Protestant gentleman ; and in face of these and other similar facts we beg to inquire how Mr.; Balfour proposes to justify the statements for which he has made himself responsible.' Of course Mr; Balfour will neither ' specify the grounds ' nor make the honorable amende. Nor do we hope that the Council's emphatic resolution will cure him of the habit of setting down ' hab-nab, higgledypiggledy ' (as an old author phrases it) whatever is whispered into his ear by his Ora<nge-Tory ' outrage '- mongering friends. But the Balfourian indiscretion may be accounted a felix culpa (happy fault) inasmuch as it brought into the wider"" light a happy condition of "things in Catholic Wexford to which Orange Down and Antrim are hopeless strangers. It is easy to multiply such . instances. Here is one small class of cases that speak for themselves : ' The Corporation of the City of Limerick,' says a Home exchange, ' has presented .an address to the Right Rev. Dr. Orpen on his appointment to the Protestant Bishopric of that place. Such examples of goodwill between Catholics and Protestants are of frequent occurrence in Ireland. The bell of Armagh Catholic Cathedral was tolled for the death of the Protestant Bishop Reeves, the great Celtic scholar; and, when Dr. Gregg was made Protestant Primate, he received the congratulations of the Catholics of Cork.', The « New Theology ' Five years ago (accordinn; to a recent issue of a great London, 'daily) Dr. Parker, of the City Temple, spoke to his cong.regatioi? as follows :— ' Should it c^ercome to pass that the great truths, of Christ's death and resurrection be denied by any future occupier of this pulpit ; should the fact of his gracious Godhead and Dninity be questioned, may the word " Ichafbod " be written over the doors of the City Temple ' (' Ichabod,' we may remark, is Hebrew, and is freely translated ' Th\y glory is departed.') ' Tmo young (men,' '-says the same journal, ' evidently" thought the time had come for the fateful word to be written. They arrived at the City Temple caily in the morning, pusliine; a truck on which were two long ladders. In full view of passers-by they propped the ladders against the building, and one man mounted and chalked the word " Ichabod " in large letters over the portico.'