Current Topics

New Zealand Tablet, 15 March 1917, Page 21

Current Topics

Saint Winefride's Well Run DryIn Holywell, the English Lourdes, consternation has been caused by the fact that the ancient well of St. Winefride, which has been flowing for fourteen hundred years, on January 5 ran dry. Owing to tunnelling in the neighborhood, for the purpose of draining some old lead mines, the flow of the water has for some time been steadily decreasing. The flow, which was normally over 2000 gallons per minute, has now ceased. The spring has been celebrated for the miraculous cures that for many hundreds of years have been obtained by bathing in the waters. Drawn hither by its fame, the blind and the lame and the infirm for centuries have sought its healing virtues, and the discarded crutches, chairs, and votive offerings hung over the well attest to the efficacy of the shrine. In 1870 a hospice was opened for the reception of poor Catholic pilgrims, and since then interest in the shrine has revived. An eminent mining authority is of opinion that the water might be again restored to its original channel. What Losing A lasce-Lorraine Would Mean to Germany Before the war France produced 22,000,000 tons of iron ore to Germany's 29,000,000. Now that France has lost the Briey district the proportion would be, on a pre-war basis, Germany, 46,000,000 : France, 8,000,000. France lacks coal, which hitherto she has obtained from Germany, chiefly mined in the Sarre basin, to the north of Lorraine, between the Moselle and the Rhine. Should France get back Lorraine, and annex the Sarfe basin the military problem of the future will be much simplified by the fact that Germany will not have iron enough again to bid for the hegemony of Europe, while her dependence on her neighbors for the raw material of her industries will restrain her commercially. The Effect of America's Coming Into the War Should America declare war it is hard to see that Germany may not benefit by it. While remaining neutral she has been of the greatest help to the Allies. American factoiies have worked day and night to supply their needs. War material of every description, raw products, copper, iron, coal, and corn have been poured into Europe from the States. If the United States has to get ready a huge army of her own it is probable that all the factories will be commandeered by the Government, and that the Allies will be seriously embarrassed by the stoppage of supplies. The American Army and Navy At present the total number the United States could put into the field would be about 200,000 men. The regular army consists of 15 regiments of cavalry, with 760 officers and 4807 men ; a coast artillery corps with 170 companies, 667 officers, and 17,930 men; 31 regiments of infantry, with 1520 officers and 23,666 men; three battalions of engineers, with 186 officers and 1817 men; and 5920 men of other branches. In addition there are the 'State militias, comprising 8975 officers and 118,926 men. The fleet consists of 12 dreadnoughts of from 20,000 to 34,000 tons; two semidreadnoughts of 16,000 tons, and 20 pre-dreadnoughts. They have 16 armed cruisers, some of them very old, of from 8000 to 16,000 tons. They have three fast light cruisers, a little larger than the Emden ; six of 3000 tons that are twelve years old, and can do only 16 knots. Five old boats can do 20 knots. There are 60 destroyers and 40 submarines. The new programme adopted by Congress is for 10 super-dreadnoughts of 34,000 tons each; 6 battle cruisers of 35,000 tons; 10

scout-cruisers, 50 large destroyers, 9 deep-sea submarines, and 53 coast defence under-sea boats. All must bo built or building oy July, 1919. The Dictator Most people are of opinion that Lord Northcliffe is an Englishman, while it is a lamentable fact that the future Napoleon of England first saw the light of day at Chapelizod, Co. Dublin. In 1888 he started Answers and began to make a fortune. In 1894 he purchased the Evening News, and in 1896 the Daily iij.aU, yellowest of yellow journals, began its career. He went on starting new papers and buying old ones, until finally the Times met its fate and fell into his clutches. These valuable services to humanity, and the judicious application of his great wealth, were rewarded in 1905 by his elevation to the peerage as Baron Northcliffe, first Baron of the Isle of Thanet, and the lowering of the English nobility even another step. He was in his own way a genius. Hitherto the English press was respectable and respectful ; it aimed at instruction and avoided sensation. Northcliffe saw that the English people were tired of respectability and instruction. They wanted shocks and thrills, with interludes of sentimentality, which, accordingly he gave them. The Daily Mail took the masses by storm; through the Times he went for the classes. He carefully adapted his tone to suit his readers. What m the Daily Mail was naked abuse and open appeal to passion, was refined, more or less, in other papers, and attenuated in the Times to grave hints and dignified reproaches. By finding out betimes what the Government were likely to do, and by then clamoring that it should be done, he at length succeeded in persuading the people that he controlled the Government. Mr. Asquith's patience and reluctance to go to extremes, and his well-known contempt for yellow journalism, enabled Northcliffe to proceed to lengths of abuse and misrepresentation that would have been impossible in any other country, or under any other Government, and to secure an influence discreditable both to himself and to the English people. i Peace Prospects In a recent interview Cardinal Gibbons expressed his opinion that the peace proposals of the German Government and the answer of Mr. Lloyd George mark the beginning of a movement that will end in peace. ' The way was left open,' he said, and I hope and believe that as the belligerent nations continue to discuss peace their enmity will decrease. The British Premier was very cautions, but he left the way open.' A short time ago Mr. Stead, whose opinions on all matters connected with the war are of considerable importance, forecast that the negotiations would end in a Peace Conference, which the difficulty of settling the Balkan question would probably render futile. As the Allies are still striving for a decisive victory and the Germans are very far from acknowledging that they are beaten, peace may still be a long way off. Up to the present the Germans have had good reason to regard themselves as victors ; and if our press would lead us to imagine that we have, reason to be optimistic we must admit that the German press has no less cheering influence on its readers. A peace that would leave the chief belligerents in statu quo ante might be termed a peace without victory, but in truth it would be a defeat for both sides. One thing seems certain: before the Allies are in a position to dictate peace to Germany they will have to persuade Germany that she is beaten, and to do that will entail a long campaign yet, and a more terrible, in all probability, than any we have had. A peace at present would do no more than postpone the war for a time. It is likely that Kitchener's prophecy that the war would last three years will be verified, and that after a gigantic struggle in the coming months we shall have peace, decisive or otherwise, in the autumn.

Conscription of the Brothers We have in all New Zealand a devoted little band of sixty-two Marist Brothers, and five Christian Brothers, who are oblates in the glorious cause of education, serving God and their country nobly by teaching our boys how to become good Christians and worthy citizens. We recognise that Church and State are deeply obliged to them, and it is to be regretted that we have not in every town in the Dominion a boys' school taught by the Brothers. Their life is a trying one, and their remuneration is not of this earth ; humanly it is no wonder that few men, in this material age, are willing to devote themselves to a calling that entails complete self-sacrifice. Too few though the Brothers are, the Government wants to reduce them by sending them to the front. We say they are indispensable, and that we cannot let them go. We are told that we can send our boys to the State schools, and we answer that we will never do that as !ong as it is in our power to educate them. The State school may be anything else you claim for it, but it is not education; for education is not training children to lake an intelligent interest in life, as Mr. Hanan told us it was a few days ago. The opinions of the thinkers of antiquity, and the verdict of Christianity, as well as the lessons to be learned from the failures of all the predecessors of Mr. • Hanan, are enough to convince all men capable of reasoning that religion is the most important factor in the training of the young, and that there is no hope for the nation that excludes God from the schools. Our faith, and the laws of the Church oblige us to do all in our power to procure for our children a Christian education. So important is this duty that parents who send their children to a State school, where there is a Catholic school available, may be cut oft' from the Sacraments. Therefore it is clearly a matter of conscience for us to use every means in our power to prevent the Government from being led by their bigoted supporters to force our teachers into military service. There is no justification for such a step, and its only motives are contempt for religion and insane statesmanship. All through the present crisis let Catholics remember that they will have to fight for justice and fair play, and that they must not yield an inch, or ever again trust to the fickle faith and venal promises of politicians. Conscription of the Clergy The English law provides that clergymen in Holy Orders and regular ministers of all denominations shall be exempt from military service. The following order explains the position as regards students: ' War Office, ' January 28, 11-iG. ' (231.) Roman Catholic priests and students not to be accepted for military service. ' Roman Catholic priests, or students who have already entered on their professional studies in immediate preparation for the priesthood are on no account at any time to be accepted for service in the Army. All recruiting authorities, including military representatives, advisory committees, and local tribunals, should be informed accordingly. ' By command of the Army Council, ' R. W. Brade.' The Situation in Ireland The news cabled regarding Home Rule prospects is grave. When we remember how the cables are controlled and censored it seems almost hopeless. Mr. Redmond is a man of extraordinary self-control and prudence whom nothing short of a serious crisis could have caused to take the course of action reported last Saturday evening. Two years ago he made the initial mistake of trusting to the honor of the Government. All precedent was against him ; all the lessons of Irish history, the policy of the leaders from O'ConneJi to Parnell, the common sense -of the people should b>ye yarned him,. At alj timss a gentleman himself, |j£

erred in thinking he was dealing with gentlemen. And so thousands of young Irishmen gave their lives in return for a promise worth nothing. Northcliffe, from the beginning assured his supporters that it did not matter that the Home Rule Bill was on the Statute Book and Northcliffe knew his England well. Last Easter Lloyd George begged the Irish parties to settle _ their differences in view of the extreme urgency of the,’ situation. Ulstermen and Nationalists responded loyally, agreeing to all he asked, and it availed nothing. The Government tore up the ‘scrap of paper,’ and even English papers denounced the proceeding as one of the most dishonorable and disgraceful incidents in political history. On that occasion those who read the report of the passage in the House between Mr. Devlin and the present Prime Minister had an opportunity of forming an opinion of the Welshman’s, character which should not lead them to build much on his honor. Now comes the Nationalist manifesto branding Lloyd George, the Prime Minister of England, as a political liar and hypocrite. It is directed to the President of the United States, and the Premiers of the Dominions of the Empire, and at the bar of justice and humanity it impeaches the English Government as an enemy of the rights of a small nation, and as guilty of the crimes with which they charge Germany. To every child of the Irish race, in America, in Australasia, and in Great Britain it appeals for active support in the crisis bi-ought on Ireland by the perfidy and treachery of English statesmen, who are trafficking with truth and honor, who have made the traitor Carson one of themselves, who are ready to sell Ireland to him as they have already sold the good name of their own country, and who by their own actions give the lie to their protestations that they are in the war for the liberty of man and the lights of nations. We hope that not only those to whom it is directly addressed but the entire English people will be aroused by this indictment of the Government. England’s destinies are at present in the hands of a clique composed of some remnants of the ancient nobility, combined with that new nobility whose patents of honor rest on successful jobbery and whose patriotism is inspired by Mammon. Jew, German, and effete Norman, they are dragging the name of England in the dust. It has been asked how many members of the Cabinet are shareholders in the Essen works. It has been written by neutrals that the war will not stop while capitalists profit by it. At the door of that Cabinet lie the deaths of the thousands of brave young Irishmen who gave their lives in return for a lie ; and one day they will have to answer fox' the misgovernment of England as well as of Ireland. For the people will awakexx and demaxxd that they be governed by men who will rule the people fox* the people, swayed by ideals of honor axxd humanity and xxo longer by greed axxd hatred. Till then what hope of Justice has a sxxxall nation froxxx the Lloyd Georges and the Carsons We trust that Sir Joseph Ward’s spinal condition may have improved sufficiently during his long rest to enable hinx to prove how real is that love of Ireland of which he has often told us.