Intercolonial

New Zealand Tablet, 14 October 1909, Page 1635

Intercolonial

™ } Ie g P rice 0:E fourteen guineas was paid for a rare daffodil^ exhibited by Mr. L. Buckland at the Ballarat .display. It was -exhibited .by a Ballarat grower. •.. The Archbishop of Melbourne is steadily regaining strength. His Grace intends spending some time in Echuca and Deniliquin before returning to Melbourne. ' The Rev. Father P. Corbett, pastor of Picton (N.S.W.) passed away on September 23, in. the 40th year of his age. The deceased was a. native of Kilfinane, County Limerick, ffe was educated at' Mount .Melleray Seminary and All Hallows College, and was ordained priest in 1893, and came out to Australia in the same year. Several of the priests .of the archdiocese (writes the Melbourne correspondent of the Freeman's Journal) have been lately indisposed. The Very Rev, Dean Hegarty, ? . » V.'** (Kyneton); underwent an operation at St. Evm's Private Hospital by Dr. J. .Murphy. The Dean is progressing favorably. The Rev. P. H. Boyle is doing well at Mr. O'Hara's private hospital. It, is not often one hears of four brothers devoting their lives to the service of the sanctuary,' but that can be said of the brothers O'Neill (writes the Melbourne correspondent of the Freeman's Journal). „- Jtfew years ago one of them died, and last week another -went, to his reward, leaving the pastor of Castlemaine (Vie.) and Gawler (S.A.) to mourn. Some four months ago'the/three brothers returned from a visit to Europe. " " ~ Madame Melba, through her private., secretary, has written to the Very Rev. W. Quilter, inviting the. members of St. Francis' Church choir to attend her concert at the Exhibition Building on Saturday, October 16. ' Madame Melba,' the letter says, ' extends this invitation' as a testimony of her friendly feelings for the musicals association which formerly acknowledged her claims to artistic recognition in the days of long ago.' The diva. was the leading soprano in St. Francis. " " The parishioners of Erskineville (says the Catholic Press) have lost the services of a devoted and -talented pastor, in the person of Rev. Father Reginald H. Bridge, who died- in St. Vincent's Hospital on September 27. Deceased had been suffering for some, considerable time from an internal complaint. A few weeks ago he was taken suddenly ill at Suva, whilst on a cruise amongst the 'islands of the Pacific. After a three .weeks' stay in the local hospital Father Bridge was brought to Sydney, and was taken to St. Vincent's Hospital in "a very critical condition. Deceased was only 43 years oki, and was beloved not only by Catholics, but by persons i,of all shades of, religious belief. His demise was a great" shock to the people whose spiritual aid he was. -" , „ In ■ compliance with the request mader by "the Bishop of Maitlahd in his first pastoral letter, thajb-an effort should be made to liquidate the debt of £2000* -on the old Sacred Heart College buildings at West Maitland, with a view of establishing a diocesan orphanage as a .memorial to the late Bishop Murray, a meeting of the parishioners of the" Cathedral parish was held in St. John's school, West Maitland, recently, when the Rev. Father Victor Peters presided , over a large and representative'" attendance. The object of the Bishop is to have meetings held in every parish of the diocese, so that every Catholic might have an opportunity of assisting in the movement initiated at West Maitland for the purpose of perpetuating the memory of the venerable founder of the diocese. The Premier, Mr. Murray _ (says the Advocate), gave a sympathetic reply to the large arid influential deputation of churchmen and laymen which "waited on him thef other day to urge fresh legislation to combat race suicide and juvenile immorality. The leader of the Government promised to bring the matter before the Cabinet, and to prepar.e the necessary legislation. The Very Rev. Dean Phelan, V.G., was unable to be present with the deputation, but he forwarded a letter expressing his regret. 'I am with "you in spirit,, and in full sympathy,' he wrote. 'His 'Grace the Archbishop denounced these life-destroying agents at the opening of the new Carlton "- Church,' .and read a pamphlet •on this subject . . . and finally had established an order of knighthood to cope with the growing evils in this direction. These facts eloquently express our views,' concluded the Dean, 'and our hearty co-operation in any action to prevent race suicide.'

To give within a fortnight eight concerts, attracting in the aggregate considerably over 10,000 people, is a' record not vouchsafed to many (says the Age). To send those same people away full of enthusiasm is something even better, for it shows that, equally with the power to atti-act, there is also the greater power, to charm ; best of all, to do it with" work, for the most' part, of the serious and artistic order,. This is Miss Castles' achievement.- And she emphasised it in her final concert in the Town Hall, the audience, as before, being overwhelmingly large and enthusiastic.