Notes

New Zealand Tablet, 22 July 1915, Page 34

Notes

An Excellent Record We direct attention to the report of the secondary schools Inspector, which appears elsewhere in this issue, on the fine work done by the Greymouth Convent High School during the past year. A Catholic school which is practically training a large proportion of the public school teachers in the district certainly occupies, as the Inspector says, 'a unique position.' Our congratulations to the Greymouth institution on so successfully-main-taining its remarkable standard of all-round efficiency.

King Victor Emmanuel's Proclamation ' ffX\ The kings and presidents'of the belligerent-nations;: have rather risen to the occasion in the matter of their war proclamations, and the King of Italy has proved no exception to the rule. On assuming supreme command of the land and sea forces,'. King Victor. Emmanuel issued the following order of. the day:- . •••"i. Soldiers of Land and Sea. ; ■•'* The solemn hour of vindication of the national claims has sounded. Following the example of my great ancestor, I assume to-day supreme command of the land and sea forces, with sure confidence in the victory which your valor, your self-sacrifice, and your discipline will bring. The enemy whom you prepare to fight is seasoned, and worthy of you.. Favored by the ground and by scientific preparation, he will offer you an obstinate resistance, but your indomitable dash will certainly defeat him. Soldiers! Yours is the glory of hoisting the tricolor of Italy upon the sacred bounds which Nature has set as the confines of our country, yours the glory of accomplishing the work undertaken with so much heroism by our fathers. . ' Grand Headquarters, May 26. ' (Signed) Vittouio Emanuele.' The Ammunition Deluge and the Reason Why , Mr. J. H. Thomas, M.P., who has recently been to the front, has been explaining to the English people precisely why it is that such huge quantities of ammunition must be used in the war:— '.lie had made inquiries and asked what was the real meaning of requiring so much ammunition. The reply was that it was impossible for any move to be made until the barbed wire was cleared absolutely by high explosives in order to give our men a chance. Last Sunday fortnight the French fired 200,000 rounds of ammunition in one day. Certain of our English officers were sent to see the result, and they came back and said that not a trench, no barbed wire, or a human being was to be seen. The result, was that the French made a tremendous advance. The next day we made an attack for forty minutes with the same kind of explosive. An attack was made immediately afterwards by our men, but they were mowed down by machine guns because the barbed wire and other obstructions had not been destroyed. We have got to save lives even though we waste ammunition. One life is worth all the ammunition in the world.' The Pope's Appeal It is sincerely to be hoped that the Emperor of Austria will respond to the appeal which, according to Monday's cables, his Holiness the. Pope has addressed to him in a letter exhorting him to respect international laws and the laws of humanity and spare towns containing priceless works of religious art,' and also that he will respect the Holy Father's protest against the bombardment-of Bari. At least' the Sovereign Pontiff has given Franz Josef clear and timely warning, and a plain indication of Jiis duty as a Catholic monarch. The city of Bari, the principal city in the province and archdiocese of tho same name, is situated in Apulia, Southern Italy, on a peninsula which extends into the Adriatic. It contains many precious relics, and has very many historical associations. Being a seaport facing the Orient, Bari—anciently called Barium — have received Christianity at a very early date, and according to a local tradition, St. Peter himself preached the Gospel there and consecrated the first bishop. In 1097 some Bari sailors, on their return from the East, brought with them the relics of St. Nicholas, Bishop of Mira, for which Roger, Duke of Apulia, built a • splendid church this became the object of great veneration and of innumerable pilgrimages. About this time "Urban 11., being in Apulia, went to Bari to venerate the relics of tlie holy wonderworker and to consecrate the basilica. Here also he held a council, attended by 183 bishops, to consider the reunion of the Greeks with the Church of Rome. The. most celebrated religious edifice of Bari is the Church of San Nicolo, one of the most beautiful

examples of;-, Norman . architecture. ■lt consists of an upper and a lower 'church,, both richly adorned ■ with precious marbles. The cathedral dedicated to the Assumption, is likewise remarkable for the two high' bell towers with which it is flanked. The population of the city is about 65,000. ' -