Invercargill

New Zealand Tablet, 16 September 1909, Page 1459

Invercargill.

(From our own correspondent.)

A lecture on ' Socialism ' was delivered on" Tuesday evening m the Catholic Club rooms by Mr. F. G. O'Beirne !£™ 1S + rV TT + he leo * U 4?i e Was a - v^ ry able one - The lecturer gave the history of the practical efforts made by Socialists f° r Snnn e eir "Jew. These efforts had been going on tor 2000 years. Socialism was no new thin°- The lectur.er,. devoted most" of his lecture to a history of the socialistic colonies established in America for the past seventy or eighty years. He made a brief reference to ancient forms of Socialism. Community of property and common life were practised in Sparta under Lycurgus and were theoretically advocated by Plato in his Republic In early Christian times some Gnostic heretics advocated ? community of goods, and were followed in this by the Waldenses and Albigenses of the Middle Ages. Modern Communism, or Socialism, arose about the middle of the eighteenth century in consequence of the industrial revolution brought about by the invention of new and more efficient machinery. Only the wealthy could buy and work those inventions, hence two classes soon sprano- up namely, capitalists, or the owners of the instruments of production, and workmen, whom the capitalists employed -These two i classes gradually became opposed to one anotherthe rich became richer and the poor became poorer. Oppression and misery followed the new industrial relationships. Hence the efforts of Communists and Socialists *a bring about something like equality of conditions for all. Men have been experimenting with socialistic colonies now for a considerable time; forty or fifty Socialist communities have been established in America, but all have failed all except the Shakers and the Rappites, who are really religious communities. Mr. O'Beirne traced the history of five or six of the colonies which were most successful,' and which lasted for eight or ten or a dozen years, jealousies and bickerings invariably broke out; the best men left, and the affairs invariably came to on unhappy end. The lecture was an excellent one, and well delivered. The following pupils of St. Catherine's College, Invercargill, were successful in the harmony examinations held last June: — Associated Board of the R.A.M. and R.C.M., London. — Local Centre examinations: Advanced Grade, harmony (full marks 150, pass 300, honors 130) — Gladys c! Searell, 114. Rudiments of Music (full marks 99, pass 66)— Grace E. Paton, 88. Trinity College, London (maximum marks 100, honors 80, pass 60). — Senior honors — Alice Floid Harrington, 80 (honors). Senior pass — Annie Baird, 60. Intermediate Honors — Mary Baird, 91 (honors). Preparatory Grade — Winnie Allan, 99; Winnie Hughes, 99; May Moloney, 99; Mavis Nisbet, 99: Rosie Shepherd, 99; Maidie Strettell, 99 ; Josephine Metzgor, 97 ; Sarah Collins, 88.