Intercolonial

New Zealand Tablet, 5 March 1914, Page 27

Intercolonial

In connection with the recent public examinations (says tho IV. A. Record ), a competitive examination was held for candidates for the State Public Service. The pupils of the Christian Brothers in Queensland won 10 out of 15 places in the professional division, and 36 out of 65 in the ordinary division. Busy workmen are still engaged in laying the foundation for the completed Cathedral (states the Sydney Freeman’s Journal). Daily about ten to twelve thousand bricks are laid, and it is expected that shortly the position of the flooring will be reached. The gigantic operations there in progress attract the notice of hundreds of passers by, who are now realising that within a few years one of the grandest efforts of the faithful Catholic body will add to the architectural splendor of our fine city. \ The attitude of Mr. -Maurice J. McCarthy, whc advocated Catholic rights in the matter of education at the Labor Conference, to which he was the delegate of the Darlinghurst P.L.L., is generally admired (says the Catholic Press). He is only 24 years of age, and was educated by the Marist Brothers at the Sacred Heart School, Darlinghurst. He is on the literary staff of the Sun, and was a candidate in the Labor interest in the recent City Council election in Lang. He intends being a candidate at the next municipal. contests. ‘ Nearer and nearer are the separated Churches drawing to the true one.’ This is the comment made by the Sydney Freeman’s Journal- on the following incident: —Rev. W. T. Hughes-Jones, pastor of the South St. Kilda ,Congregational Church, preaching at the Elsternwick Congregational Church last Sunday, said that he made it a practice to pray to his .mother in heaven. She had always prayed for him when she was on earth, and he believed he' was doing right to pray to her to help him now. Murmurs of dissent from the congregation followed - , and when the preacher had concluded the sermon a listener rose and remonstrated with the preacher.' He said that practically Mr. Hughes-Jones had expressed his belief in praying to the saints. This was against the principles of Protestantism, and he personally deeply regretted to hear such an utterance in a Congregational church. There was a strained silence. Mr. Hughes-Jones listened with bowed head and closed eyes. Then he said, ‘ Let us pray.’ In the prayer was a petition that men would be led to discuss the differences in religious thought without bitterness or narrow vision. The Melbourne Advocate reports a special ceilie which was held by the Melbourne Gaelic League on Sunday, February 8, at the Gaelic Hall, 321 Little Collins street. A large and enthusiastic gathering was present to view the past twelve months’ work of the League. The special feature of the day. was an address in Irish and English by Mr. J. Connellan. It was certainly the best attended gathering since the inauguration of the branch, and this was due in a great measure

to the interest that the general public for some time back have taken in the League. The president extended a warm welcome to all visitors, and invited each person to become a member, and by so doing help to keep and nourish ‘lreland’s manhood.’ An attractive programme rendered in first-class order was well received. Mr. Connellan then addressed the 'gathering, and for about half an hour kept his hearers’ attention, while he unfolded to them the birth and future development of the Gaelic League. . An ounce of fact is worth a ton of theory, it is said, and certainly a pithy little fact which the Rev. Dr. Kelly, of St. Brigid’s, gave to the representative assemblage at the opening of the Educational Exhibition, was very telling (says the Melbourne Advocate). The audience, he said, might smile at him for referring to the Catholic people as poor, but he added, as an illustration, of the truth of his saying, that in order to meet the extra expense entailed in preparing his own school exhibit, it had been necessary for him to run a picture show, and he had gone around personally himself to sell the tickets. The audience held its breath a little, as though realising, for the first time, that perhaps the magnificent school buildings and well equipped schools of the Catholics in the country were not called into .existence by the waving of fairy wands, but were the result of sacrifice in money and labor. Dr. Kelly followed up his advantage by remarking that it was all very wearying and humiliating, but the Catholics were prepared to continue these sacrifices, and increase them, ‘ rather than haul down our flag on religious education.' It was well that such an audience should have had brought home to it thus picturesquely how real are the sacrifices which the Catholics have to make to maintain their schools, and how deep is the conviction which makes those sacrifices not only possible but pleasant. Every seemly device has to be resorted to, , especially in the poorer suburbs, to keep our schools. And let us add that it is not the public generally who are unaware of all that is done and sacrificed. - Our own people do not always realise that the main burden of the schools falls, not upon the Catholic laity, but upon the clergy, nuns, and Brothers, whose immediate concern they are. How many Catholic families are there who would nob give a shilling straight away rather than undertake Dr. Kelly’s duty of going around, like a poor theatrical, selling tickets. But do they do either?the work or the giving. If every Catholic would give a shilling a month to the schools the conductors would be lifted from a condition of grinding care to one of comparative affluence. . ‘