Intercolonial

New Zealand Tablet, 14 April 1910, Page 595

Intercolonial

• -: During the visit of his Lordship Dr. Dunne to Canowindra, he made a special appeal to the people to build a convent for the Sisters The result of that appeal was the jcollection p°P £IOOO, including - £4OO from the Rev. . + he Sisters of Mercy in the diocese of Maitland met at the Mother House, Singleton, on March 28 for the purpose of electing a Rev. Mother in place of their late lamented head, Mother Mary Stanislaus Kenny. Mother position agda 6n Meaney was chosen to fill the important No fewer than 21,000 officials (says the Catholic Press ) will be engaged on election day on behalf of the Government in attending to the multifarious duties connected with the taking of a Parliamentary poll throughout Australia. If gathered together in one centre in Australia these officials would be entitled to return one member to the House of Representatives. In fact, this small army exceeds the number of electors who constitute a division in some of the. smaller States. a Since the St. Patrick’s Day sports carnival on Saturwy, the 20th inst. (says the Catholic Press of March 31) the Cardinal, who was on the Agricultural Grounds from 2 0 clock till a quarter to 6—during the afternoon he delivered an address on Home Rule— been rather-gravely ill at St Mary’s presbytery, where he has been under the care of Dr. MacCarthy. He is now improving to the doctor s satisfaction, but though convalescent it will probablv be some time before he resumes work with his customary activity r? 8 Eminence was unable to take part in the Holy eek ceremonies at the Cathedral, and on Easter Sunday he heard Mass in the presbytery oratory. His Grace the Archbishop of Melbourne, addressing a meeting of young men recently, said;— ‘ It was all very well while the peace of Europe was being maintained, when the power of England was unchallenged; but, considering the growth of navies and armies on the Continent of Europe, no one could tell when the navy and the army of England would be engaged to the very utmost, and if that "day should come Australia would he seriously menaced, and if the young men of the different generations did not prepare themselves for eventualities of that sort they would be neglecting their duty to their country and their children, and the grandchildren would have reason to rue the day when those who went before them were so infatuated and foolish as to think that the p rich spoils of this country would be overlooked for all future time.’ , mer +nr a ) l r, 4 . , Duhl S> Bishop of Rockhampton, has issued a pastoral letter which was read at St. Joseph’s Cathedral recently, on the subject of the Bible-toachmg in State schools referendum. It sums up the position thus 1. For conscientious reasons, we maintain our own schools wherever that is possible. 2. Secular education in these schools is up to the required standard. 3. Religious instruction in them is properly imparted and adequate. We do not ask the Government to pay for teaching religion in our schools. What we now ak is that having once recognised the principle that religious instruction should be given hi 1 the schools, and seeing that in our schools that is being done in the only Way acceptable to Catholics, the Government should make u s a fair allowance for results in secular educaSpeaking at the St. Patrick’s Night concert in Melbourne, his Grace the Archbishop said:— ‘ Other things may change, but one thing remains always constant, and that is the love of an Irishman for. his native land, and the desire he has to see her native Parliament re-established in College Green. lam not going to discuss political questions, but I cannot help making a reference to the results of the recent .British elections, which have brought Home Rule not only within the range of practical politics, but I believe within the reach of the Irish Parliamentary Party. It is providential that one great obstacle to the introduction of Home Rule is being rapidly removed, and that is the settlement of the land question in Ireland. The outlay connected with that settlement involves a vast expenditure. 1 hat expenditure would present a very serious, if not aii insurmountable, obstacle for a native Parliament, but now that the money has been advanced, or is being advanced, by the British Treasury, there can be little difficulty in the course of the years in paying it back, and - then that one serious difficulty will be removed from the path of Home Rule The granting of Home Rule will, I believe, cement almost every class in Ireland. Those who have stood apart up to the present, those who have formed sections, those who have separate interests, now that the land question is being settled wall all unite in advancing the political interest of their common, country. Ireland has to look back with , sorrow on a considerable part of her history, hut so far as her ancient history is concerned she can look back upon it with unmixed pride— in regard to the missionary zeal of her children, the development of the arts and sciences, the advance of architecture, and the cultivation of music. May God bless Ireland and give her that consummation she looks forward to—local government.*