Irish News

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 52, 26 December 1907, Page 27

Irish News

»—.» — . ,-_-- .- ANTRIM— Death of a Priest 4 At Portrush on October 31 took place_jthe death- of „'~ Very Rev. Daniel Ferris,- D.D., late rector ,of Sutton,Surrey. Deceased was the eldest' son of Mr. Robert' Ferris, J.P., Coleraine, for whom, much sympathy - is felt. Born in 1845, he received his early education in St. Malachy's College, "Belfast,- from which he entered Maynooth, where, after a brilliant course, he was/ pi--' dained in 1867, at the early age of twenty-two. " Hav-. ing ministered in several^ parishes in his "native - diocese, he severed his connection^ with it and proceeded to Rome, where), after, a. very" brilliant thesis, he obtained ,the degree of Doctor of Divinity. The Right -Rev. Dr. Butt, Bishop of Southwark, recognising his. . ability, appointed Father Ferris rector of Sutton, .and ■ there with wonderful energy he succeeded- -in erecting the church and schools. Owing to ill-health, /brought; on by hard work, he -resigned his pastorate some few " years ago and returned to his native place. "• - _ ARMAGH— An Appeal Some tiire since his Eminence Cardinal Logue appealed to the -bishops, clergy, and religious comimiunities 1 ' of the Irish world for' the means to restore ;tlie famous sanctuary of the great Irish missionary saint and civiliser, Columbanus, at Bobbio. In a recent issue of ' The Irish Ecclesiastical Record ' his Eminence published the first list of subscriptions received. The response has been generous. " ' A glance at the list,' writes his Eminence, ' suffices -to that those who have contributed have done so <with no sparing hand. Were their numte in proportion to their -generosity, w&..would be enabled to do- something ..substantial for the> neglected shrine and sanctuary of one of the greatest " among our country's saints.' The Cardinal excluded the laity -from the appeal,- feeling that the object was - one which would be more appropriately confined to the . clergy and religious. . ** DONEGAL — Sad Drowning Fatality - A .sad drowning accident is reported from Killyfcegs, County Donegal. It seems that- Captain Crosbie, Resident Magistrate, and his wife went fishing in the bay in a small - sailing boat, • and when off Finto.na. a sudden squall struck the craft,- capsizing it, both occupants being flung into the sea. Captain. Crosbie-made heroic efforts to keep his wife afloat, but his " strength failing she sank within a dozen yards of land. . The captain himself floated ashore in a very exhausted condition. . ' DOWN— Newry Town Clerk On November 2 Mr. R. H. Doherty entered upon his fortieth year as -Town Clerk of Newry.. Only three- of the eighteen gentlemen who were then members of the town board now survive — Messrs. J. F. Erskine, J.P., Newry ; Felix O'Hagan, J.P., "do., and Edward Greer, 8.L., ex-Land Commissioner. <9 ÜBLIN— A Presentation Professor Lennox, late of Blackrock College, County ■ Dublin, wast >made the recipient of an address -amd, presentation, previous to his recent departure to take up his position as Professor of English Literature in the Catholic University, Washington. The" subscri>bfers included members of the episcopate, the Universities, and professional and leading commercial" representatives. - _ „ Honorary Degrees The degree of LL.D., honoris causa, was conferred at a meeting on November 1 of. the Royal University of Ireland' upon" Dr. Windle, President of the Queen's College,' Cork, and" the Right Rev. Dr.- Mannix, President of_ 'Ma3 r nooth College. Death of a leading Business Man , ' MiT. Charles K. Martin, whose death is announced from Donnybrook, County -Dublin, was a deputy-lieuten-ant for the County " of Dublin, and -was prominently associated with many large "commercial enterprises 'in Dublin city. He .was a Catholic. The Jewel Robbery - The mystery (says the *■ Westminster Gazette') surrounding the sensational robbery of the State Jewels from Dublin -Castle ~in the early summer is unsolved.. We have the best authority for stating that the "report " circulated from Dublin the other day is unfounded, that . the whereabouts- of the precious ornaments remains \xn-< - discovered, and that the perpetrators of the sojmewhat inexplicable theft are not yet identified. It may be

assumed that -no robbery within recent years' has received ' more attention from - Scotland Yard and its agents all over the world, but up- to the present .the wily thieves have baffled the skill of the "ablest ami .most, experiencedsii/detcctives. -" Though no "tangible clue: has yet~ been divined,':" the police are- prosecuting -their.; inquiries vigorously: - „" -'-/-- ",-_- - i /• ~~ Ireland's Future "' ; - Ever since the Catholic Truth - Society of Ireland was founded (writes a Dublin correspondent), many -very thoughtful and eloquent "..lectures have been "delivered , under. its auspices; but not one more thoughful -~or more eloquent than" that given by General Sir Williani Butler a<t the opening of the annual Conference in tliel Rotunda ,on. October 9. His remarks on the dignity,, the nobility, and the necessity of ".manual labor .should, be taken to "heart' everywhere, but," nowhere more ,thaa in Ireland, where -the trend of- latter-day opinions; "is? ,all in the direction of clerical : or professional callings,; „ ~a "tendency wnich "is fostered.- by :a- system qf-educar' ti.on - utterly . unsuited. .to ' the -needs'- of theV'Cduntry\; Agriculture, industry, a'nid self-reliance - are" General Buteler's cure for the ills 'ii'oirtj. which- Ireland ".is. slowly; wastin©" away.- 'ihev. country, said Sir William, Jiad now to go intp business ~ c £or itself', and it- was 'no use' for her to plead the blade statutes of "a- ~ past- injus- . tice. She should tackle with all her strength the problems, social, sanitary, and educational, -that were • lying before her-. In -the fight that a- future Ireland might have to wage with " the barbarians —of the world, -with the cruelties, intolerances, and exactions ; with the sweaters of " human labor ; with greeds and * lusts of power ; with intrigues of financial rings ; the manipulators of markets ; the fomenters of sordid and unjust wafs^ " in- the struggle with all, the robberies, jobberies, and snobberies cf the modern world, against -which the call to arms, daily grew louder, -Ireland would possess one advantage dyer every other country. She had never persecuted any form of religious belief in the course of h6r sorrowful* history. In concluding, Sir William said there were two. roads before Ire-. land, to-day. On which would she elect to tra-vel ? Would it be the easy road that led downwards to the' rnoirass, the up-to-date plans of the racecourse, the music-hall, the football match, and the public-house ?. Or would she climb) the rougher path of learning that led upward to the old mountains— -to the everlasting fair 'hills of Ireland, on whose summit the great Mother Truth, Catholic truth, sat waiting the footsteps of her favorite child? He' had great faith in The future ~of Ireland because he believed in the past. Through the invasions, ■ spoliations, persecutions, hangings, and burnings of centuries ;they could discern) clear jand distinct one eternal truth existing in Ireland 5 it was faith. The promise of St. Patrick that the fire would not die in Ireland had been kept. GALWAY — Planters give up Lands Early in November -sixteen planters- on the Clan- ■ • ricarde estate, in the parish of Portumna, signed" a petition to the Estates Commissioners surrendering the: evicted lands, and agreeing to take compensation or a;, farm elsewhere to be afterwards .arranged by the Estates Commissioners. - The petition, was handed to the*. Very- Rev. J. Corcoran, P.P., V.l£ - KERRY— Killarney Cathedral - Two Kerry priests have undertaken to visit' Australia to. collect funds for the completion of St. Mary's Cathedral, Killarney. When announcing- the mission, the Most Rev. Dr. Mangan, Bishop of Kerry, pointing out that' it would be almost impossible to complete the • Cathedral out of the -resources of , the diocese, no--bly generous as' the people are," said Australia seemed to him one of the most promising" "fields in which to . obtain* outside assistance. Father Charles O' Sullivan, of" Lixnaw, and Father William O'Connor, of Ferriter, . have responded to the invitation of the Bishop to- un- __ dertake the work. In selecting them, his Lordship was influenced net • only for, their -fitness for the work, hut by the fact that tSiey happen to be natives of Killarney, and must take a special interest in the completion of the Cathedral, because., -it is the church .of .their native parish. MEATH— The late Lord Gormanston On Thursday, October 31, the remains of Jenico Joseph William Preston, fourteenth Viscount Gormanston, were interred at v Stamullen,- in., the family vault. They were removed to v Gormanston' Castle on the previous day, where the body lay in state in the private chapel. On Thursfiaiy morning,- after Mass, which was - celebrated -by the Rev. William Joseph Davis, Stamul- • len, and served by the Hon. Richard Preston, the remains were removed- for^iriterment to Stairullen. The cortege was large, - and representative of every class and creed.

SLIGO — A Brave Woman Mrs. McNally, who rescued seven children from drowning in Sligo Bay, last July, in addition to a presentation from the Royal Humane Society, has'received an illuminated address in an oaken frame from the Liverpool Shipwreck. and Huirane Society. WEXFORD-^Serious Fire at New Ross As a result of a serious lire which occurred in New Ross upwards of £10, out) worth of damage was done. The fire brotoe out in., the most congested part of the town, where large quantities of timber, oil, flour, etc., were stored. The extensive timber yards and steam saw-mills of Messrs. M. Kelly and Co., the flour store of Messrs. Davis Bros, were destroyed, and the premises of Messrs. Doyle Bros., Mrs. Tier'ney, Miss Plummer, and Dr. Walsh were more or less damaged. WICKLOW— GoIden Jubilee The Very Rev. Canon Dunphy, P.P., Arklow, whose .deep interest in the spiritual and temporal- welfare of ihis people is well known throughout the archdiocese _of .Dublin, celebrated the golden jubilee of his ordination on 'October 13, when he was made", .-.the recipient of congratulatory addresses from his" parishioners and from the teachers of the locality. The occasion was also the .fiftieth anniversary of Father Dunphy' s appointment to .the mission in Arklow, where, he has done much for reJligion and education. The Holy Father sent his rhoto•graph to the venerable jubilarian, beautifully mounted, •and with it the ' Apostolic Benediction and a Plenary jßd.Um. aEN E R AL National Monuments ■ Amiongst the important responsibilities devolving on ithe Commissioners ol Public Works in Ireland is the icare and preservation of* ' national and ancient monuments.' Ireland is particularly rich in interesting memorials of her past history, and the Commissioners- not • mnnatunally attach importance to this portion of their (duties. Following their usual custom, they embody in .their report for the year 1906-7— issued as a Blue Boob — a full account of one' of the structures dealt with (during the twelve months. Cloawnacnoise has this year tbeen selected for treatment in this manner, and the illustrated section of the Blue-book devoted to this purpose is of extreme antiquarian interest. Centenarians According to the annual report of the Local Government for Ireland, just issued, there were' twenty- one -centenarians who died in various worl houses in- Ireland ■ 'during the year ending March, 1907. Of these twentyone fifteen were women, three of whom reached the ripe ages of 109, 107 and 105 respectively. The Irish Nationalist Funds A great "Irish meeting was held, at Boston, -U.S.A., on October 28, under the auspices of the United Irish League. Archbishop William O'Connell, the new Archbishop of Boston, made his first public appearance since his elevation to the See, and a letter was read 'from Archbishop Ryan, of Philadelphia. An additional sum of ten thousand' dollars promised to the Irish Nation~ alist Funds. Teachers' Poor Salaries The Protestant Archbishop of Dublin, s. caking re- N ' cently at the meeting of the Synod on the -question of education in Ireland said : 'We must persistently press for an~increased grant from the State, so as to pro-/ vide better salaries for the teachers, whose salaries, especially their initial salaries, are declared by the National Commissioners to be inadequate.- It is tad economy, to say the least, io run the risk of losing our best teachers, after they have been highly trained ' and Jiave proved themselves to be efficient, because they find they can make more of their ability and acquired know--ledge and teaching skill by removing to England or the Colonies and getting employment there. It is possi' le that some changes may be made before long in the system of primary education in Ireland. I fervently hope that they will not be .of a revolutionary character ; but, whether they may be, we claim, as a matter of justice, that they will carry with them a larger expenditure cf * public .money for the education of the country. 1 Land Commission A Land Commission return issued the other day shows that down to the end of August last the total amount applied for the purchase of estates in Irland under the Act of 1903 as direct rates was £53,773 253, relating to 5645 estates comprising 155,158 acres. The amount nf advances sanctioned to the same date was £19,012,355, of which £18,339,405 had actually been paid.