The Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, 13 February 1913, Page 55

The Catholic World

FRANCE USELESS EXPENDITURE. The Paris Univers has the following item from which may be drawn a number of morals; — St. Alband’Ay is a fine village situated in the mountains of Ardeche. In the village there are 157 children of school age. There are four schools to accommodate these children— free or Catholic schools, and two lay or government schools. The two free schools have eightyone boys and seventy-one girls; the two lay schools have four boys and one girl. The cost of the two lay schools is 6000 francs a year, the five pupils costing about 1200 francs to educate, each boy coming to 750 francs a year and the only girl costing 3000 francs. The free schools on the other hand do not cost the treasury anything. ' AN EDIFYING SIGHT. The first Sunday of Advent the good people who attended Mass at the Abbatial Church of Notre des Ermites, France, beheld M. and Mme. Benoit Kaelin, followed by their twenty-four children, approaching the Holy Table. The oldest child was fifty years, the youngest twenty. GERMANY THE POSITION OF THE CENTRE PARTY. The decision of the German Bundesrat of the Imperial Council making the anti-Jesuit Act more rigid in its repression of the activity of the religious Orders against which it is directed has had an excellent effect on the discipline of the Centre Party (says the Catholic Times). As in the case of every party which has fought in the political arena for many years, the Centre , has had some critics even in the ranks of its friendspeople who, whilst agreeing generally with its programme, have differed from it on this point or that. The Bundesrat has silenced these critics and objectors. All the Catholics now feel that it is their duty to put aside subordinate questions for the moment, and in the matter of religious liberty to press for equality with nonCatholics. They have closed up their ranks and with perfect unanimity demand fair play. A meeting which has just been held in Cologne to voice this claim was one of the largest apd most important in the history of the Centre Party. By a resolution which was adopted it called upon the Bundesrat to revoke its recent decision and to abolish the obnoxious law in accordance with the will of the Reichstag, repeatedly expressed. If this demand is not complied with the agitation against the Act will become more and more formidable, and the Government will have to reckon upon an extremely difficult situation in the Reichstag. PORTUGAL THE RUIN OP THE COUNTRY. El Universe, of Madrid, states that it is informed by a London correspondent who is in the closest relationship with King Manoel that there is no truth in the rumor that the Portuguese Monarchists intend to make another attack on the Republic from the Spanish frontier. The Monarchists have been well advised (says the Catholic Times) in resolving not to take such a course. The best policy for them to adopt is that of allowing the Republicans themselves to give the Republic its quietus. If the Republicans were well-meaning, well-conducted men, with honorable principles and an earnest desire to serve their country’s interests, they would probably succeed, sooner or later, in making the , Republican regime acceptable to the people. But they are self-seekers - who do not understand disinterested motives. They have fomented disorder and kept it alive have endeavoured to wreak vengeance on those who have in any way obstructed them in the execution of their schemes and have mismanaged, muddled, and squandered the nation’s finances They have brought Portugal to such a condition that even a considerable number of those who

were formerly in favor of the Republic and helped to make it popular at the outset do not disguise their belief that the only method by which the land can be saved from utter ruin is the re-establishment of a military dictatorship. ROME A GREAT EDUCATIONAL WORK. There can be no doubt that the work done by the Irish Christian Brothers in Rome is immensely to the benefit of the Church, the city, and the country (says a Rome correspondent). It is needless to dwell on the devotion with which the Brothers apply themselves their labor of —the training of those who seek knowledge. There is perhaps no place in the world where this work is subjected to keener examination than in Rome, for the city may be said to be international in the educational sense. It is therefore a testimony to the excellence of the results brought about by the Brothers’ efforts to say that all who investigate them admire them. Whenever occasion offers many people who are eminently qualified to judge in this matter bear witness to the good fruit due to the Brothers’ zeal. Expressions to this effect were heard from many at the distribution of prizes to the successful students of the Brothers’ Free Night Schools, a ceremony which was performed by his Eminence Cardinal Bisleti. There was a representative gathering of British and Irish residents, with a distinguished visitor or two. It was stated that in the night schools there were last year over five hundred youths and men drawn from all walks of life. They desired to improve their minds, and the Brothers afforded them ample opportunities. English, French, German, indeed all the subjects that may be considered serviceable for those who seek to earn a living amongst progressive people, are well taught. The Dramatic Club showed what it could do by putting a play on the boards, and those present were unanimous in regarding it as a remarkable proof of the intelligence and ability of those who took part in it. TWO IRISH NOBLE FAMILIES. The titular church of the Cardinal Archbishop of Seville has a special interest for Irish Catholics. On the floor outside the balustrade of the high altar are two marble inscribed slabs of large size let into the pavement, recording, as Donovan’s Home has it, ‘ the virtues and the vicissitudes of members of the noble families of O Nial and O’Donnell, whose remains repose beneath their monumental slabs.’ King James I. of England having determined on the ruin of O’Nial, he together with his wife, his two younger sons, and nephew, and the other, O’Donnell, Earl of Tyrconnel, with his son and brother, fled their country for ever, and reached Rome, ‘ the common parent of all nations ’ Here in this church the epitaphs recall the fate of these banished Earls,’ and to this spot on the Janiculum Hill the pilgrims from Ireland turn their steps when they visit the Eternal City. UNITED STATES DEVOTED TO THE SERVICE OF GOD. Miss Martha Hickey, the last of a family of seven to embrace the religious life, entered recently the novitiate of the Sisters of Notre Dame, the Summit, Walnut Hills, Cincinnati. There were seven in the Hickey family, five brothers, who are all priests of the Cincinnati archdiocese, and two sisters. One sister has been a Notre Dame nun for many years. Miss Martha is the youngest, and since the death of her mother a tew years ago, has „ been alone in the world. Her decision to enter the convent makes the last link in a remarkable record—a whole family devoting themselves completely to the service of God. The brothers are all prominent pastors. Rev. William D. Hickey is pastor ot bt. Joseph’s Church, Dayton, and Dean of that district ni Rev. Charles H. Hickey is pastor of Sacred TT^f rt C —f Ch An Day^° n Vr- Rev • Edward P- is pastor of Holy Trinity Church, Middletown ; Rev. John Hickey pastor of Holy Name Church, Mount Auburn Cincinnati, and Rev. George, pastor of St. Mary’s Church

GENERAL THE OZANAM CENTENARY. The movement for -the celebration on the 23rd April next of the centenary of Frederic Ozanam is becoming general on the Continent. In Milan, where he was born, a special committee which has been appointed to promote it, has decided to bring out a cheap edition of his life, and in Paris, where through his activity and his fearless devotion to the faith his influence became so powerful for good, the Catholics are taking steps to make the commemoration worthy of the man. The English-speaking people (says the Catholic Timet) are about to enter into rivalry with the foreigners in paying tribute to Ozanam’s memory. Nothing could be better than that some project such as that adopted at Milan for making his life better known and the stimulus of his ex a mole more widely felt by the rising generation should be initiated by his admirers. The world needs to-day as it did in his lifetime lay apostles governed by the spirit that animated him. Too often there is ground now for saying what was said to those around him before he founded the Societ}’’ of St. Vincent de Paul: You are full of talk and theory, but there it ends.’ Ozanam was no mere theorist. He was essentially practical and was ready to make any sacrifice in order that Catholic ideals might be realised.