Current Topics

New Zealand Tablet, 14 November 1918, Page 14

Current Topics

Peace Time and again, for the past three years, it seemed to us that we heard clearly the beating of the wings of the angel of peace : and when the hopes aroused were highest something or other, characteristic of the stupid or worse politicians in whose hands we are, always occurred to disappoint us. During the past week, however, the weary angel has come so close to earth that it needs no prophet to foretell that peace is certain, and that it will probably be arranged before these notes are circulated. The rumors of the Kaiser's abdication have now become definite ; and there is also news that the Crown Prince has resigned his right of succession. There can be no doubt but that a complete change has come over Germany and that the despotism of Prussianism is at an end. It is precisely to this fact that wo owe peace. No matter what lies our press told us we did not beat the German army in the field. The retirement was not a decisive defeat by any means; and as far as her military power is concerned there is no reason why Germany/fighting on a short line, should not keep the Allies at bay for many years. Not the collapse of the army, but the fact that the civilians have got the upper hand in the Government, is the real cause of Germany's swift debacle. And while we recognise with satisfaction that Democracy has conquered in Germany, because of the fact that it, and not our armies, conquered, we must be prepared to find that when the settling day is come President Wilson will not readily lend an- ear to the other oligarchs who will clamor not only for annexations but also for the crushing of the German people. Indeed, from the howl of wrath that greeted a few remarks of Lord Milner's recently it is to be expected that the Jingoes will take their disappointment badly. Lord Milner, being a German as well as one of the governing clique in England, ought to know what he is talking about when he discusses German affairs. Therefore the following summary of an interview with him, given by a representative of the Kreiu'rir; Stardard, is interesting just now : "Lord Milner deprecated attempts to dictate drastic changes in the German Government, or condemning the new German Government too hastily. A complete transformation of" that Government, ho said, was now in progress. It was in the interests of the Allies to see that a stable Government was maintained in Germany. As reparation must be obtained,'' he concluded, "we don't want Bolshevism rampant there." This statement seems to mean that if we would accept the overtures made now by the reformed German Government worse things might be in store for us. There might be a long war, ending in a revolution in Germany similar to that of Russia; and out of such a revolution might easily grow a force which, combining with the Russian .1 >olsheviki, would be the end of the Milners and (.'arsons, as well as of the Wilhelms and Karls. And what a pity that would be! And there are some benighted persons who think that the day of the little Orange oligarchy which has made a by-word of England's war aims by its defiance of the will of the British people, by its organised mutiny in the army, and by its continued oppression of a small nation and its disregard for scraps of paper and pledges, is drawing in just as surely as the day of despotism in Germany. Germany now seems to have been saved from despotism. Once more, with all due respect for the learned editor of the Wanganui Chronicle, let us pray that God may save England from the Orange tyrants who have played the Kaiser's game so well before the war, in the middle of the war, and at the end of the war. From the day, over fouryears ago now, when' the Orange papers told the vorld that they were assured of the help of a powerful Continental monarch- in their determination to burst up the British Government, to the present hour, Carson and

his gang, at home and abroad, have, played-^th©, game of Prussia only too well. What is to be their reward? ',. t Bigotry "\>/rir For some time past the American Government, with that thoroughness which has characterised its efforts to win the war, put down its foot on the efforts of the bigots who chose this time of strained nerves and unbalanced feelings to forward their own dirty ends. The No-Popery calumniators met with scant courtesy from the American authorities who made it clear that they were not going to allow a gang of unscrupulous mercenary ranters to cause internal dissensions during war time. Indeed, it has been now made clear "that the American Government looked on the No-Popery movement as a part of the well-organised German propaganda and treated it as such. It were well if the same view had been taken here by politicians who are now with good reason accused of actually encouraging the spread of sectarian strife for their own political ends. We have pretty clear evidence that some persons have staked a* good deal on the issues raised by Howard Elliott and his Christian disciples, and that while Sir James Allen was determined not to allow the scurrilous "Protestant literature" to circulate in tho country during war time, some of his colleagues were quite ready to discount its harmful influence on the winning of the war in consideration of the assistance they hoped to derive from it at the hustings. For his manly stand we give Sir James Allen the credit which is his due with as much sincerity as we attacked him when we believed he deserved censure from us. It will be recalled by our readers that at the time of the Post Office Inquiry Mr. Hornsby made an honest speech, vibrant with the indignation of a fair-minded man who was disgusted by the vile tactics of the P.P.A. We are glad to be able to publish here a letter from Mr. Hornsby to the N.Z. Times, in which he warns the public against the real danger of those efforts of the P.P.A. and their patrons in high places: A WORD OF WARNING. To the Editor X.Z. Times. Sir,—The United States Government ha 3 investigated and traced to its source that portion of the German war propaganda which manifests itself in the creation of sectarian strife. The U.S.A. Government draws attention to the ascertained facts that in Protestant countries the German propaganda aims at attacking Roman Catholicism ; in Roman Catholic countries the Protestant belief is struck at. The "literature" of this movement all comes from the United States, but some of its disseminators have already felt the heavy hand of the law. An appeal has been made by the American Government to its people to discourage the movement in every possible way. May I draw the attention of your readers to this matter in the hope that such of them as have been induced to take up this side of German propaganda will realise why and how they are being made use of? As the U.S.A. Government points out, this sectarian hatred propaganda is designed to disintegrate where unity really means everything. [',',, J. T. M. Hornsby. Carterton, October 22, 1918. When the general election comes to separate the grain from the chaff the honest men in Parliament, as distinct from the politicians, will not be forgotten by the people who love truth and justice. The lesson of the last two elections is clearly that the day of the political pot-hunter is over. It will give us all great pleasure to wish God speed for ever to the poor old footlers who have helped the rich to become richer because they were the rich man's lapdogs. A nice point for meditation for profiteers just now is what will happen if we too get a Government for the people, of the people, and by the people.

The Pope and the War Work Concerning the Sunday Repose, Truces, and the Graves of the Soldiers. — On receipt of information.

that in certain places the prisoners of war were forced to work on Sundays, the Pope proposed to the belligerents that they should observe the law of rest from servile works in this respect. He wrote on August 23, 1915. England, Belgium, Serbia, Austria, professed their satisfaction, on September 8, 24, 25, and October 28, respectively. Russia replied, October 25 t .that if the Russian prisoners were also exempt their Government would accept the' proposal. Turkey wrote, September 18, that in conformity with the desire of the Holy father they would change the day of repose to Sunday in future as far as the prisoners were concerned. On October .9, France intimated that the matter had been arranged on the lines indicated. The Italian General, Zupelle, informed a Prelate deputed to wait on him that henceforth even internal occupations would be disposed with a view to securing the Sunday rest for the prisoners. When the Pope saw the world deluged in blood at the approach of the Christmas of 1914 he entreated the Powers to agree to a truce at least on Christmas Day, the birthday of Christ, the Prince of Peace, inviting them to do this "as a sign of homage and Christian piety towards our Lord Jesus Christ." Sir Edward Grey, on behalf of England, received the proposal favorably; the Kaiser expressed his sympathy with the suggestion ; Belgium agreed, conditionally on its acceptance by her Allies ; Turkey was well disposed also; France declared that she could not act without Russia in the matter ; Russia refused, alleging military reasons. The proposal lapsed owing to want of unanimity. _ .; France and Germany both made representations to the Holy See in May and July, 1915, that owing to the numbers of unburied corpses heaped up on the western battlefields it was desirable that a brief truce should be declared in order to allow the belligerents to bury their dead. It was suggested that on Fridays, from 3 to 6, fighting should be suspended. The Pope interested himself deeply in the matter; but on July 213 the Cardinal Secretary of State informed the Nunzio of Bavaria that the agreement could not be secured. The Pope's efforts to obtain an assurance from the belligerents that air raids should not take place outside the zone of fighting involved correspondence which so far cannot be made public. The Holy Father's interest in this problem may be gathered from (1) his condemnation of raids on unfortified places, expressed in the Allocution before the Consistory of December 4, 1916; from his suggestion to the Powers, in March, 1916, that the use of airplanes be limited to observation purposes and to actual fighting along the Fronts. The suggestion was not considered acceptable for reasons which seemed good to those concerned. From Britain and France many earnest prayers were directed to the Pope by sorrowing relatives of the fallen, concerning the tombs of their beloved dead in Gallipoli. In April, 1916, Monsignor Dolci said to Enver Pasha: "The hearts of many French and British ladies, who have lost loved ones in the war, are attached to this country's earth, which they would water with their tears and strew with flowers because it is the grave of the sons, brothers, and husbands whom they loved. In their sorrow they have addressed themselves to the Holy Father, imploring his mediation to secure that these tombs be kept sacred and guarded religiously." In March, 1916, the Pope, through the Secretary of State and the Apostolic Delegate, began negotiations with the Turks to obtain this pious concession. In April, 1916, it was agreed that "the tombs should be held sacred and guarded religiously." It was sanctioned that photographs of the graves might be taken and sent to the various Governments, and that the religion of the fallen men should bo marked. This happy result brought to the Pope a chorus of grateful thanks from bereaved homes all over France arid the British Empire. We see how much has been done by the Father of the People under these heads. We see also that when he failed it was not through his fault or through his want of love for his suffering people, but through want

of Christian spirit among some of the belligerents, who refused to hearken to his earnest appeals. To rob war of all its terrors was not in his power, any more than it was possible for him to stop the slaughter; but what other Head of a people or of a Church has ' done anything in comparison with the work done by the Pope, who is to-day in New Zealand calumniated and abused by men who do not know what Christian charity or justice means ? Beneficent Work of the Pope on Behalf of Individuals.—What the Pope has done for individuals during the war would fill a large volume were it all related. We shall be content to mention a few cases here which must suffice to show in how many directions his unbounded charity found an outlet. On September 11, 1915, the Pope obtained the reprieve of the Russian journalist, Demetrio de lantchevetsky. condemned to death for treason by the Austrians. The Kaiser commuted from capital punishment to imprisonment the sentences passed on Joseph de Hemptinne (November, 1915) ; Count de Belleville, Signora Thulier, Luigi Severin (November, 1915) : Mine. Pellot (January, 1916); M. Freyling (February 27, 1916). Three German citizens Theodore Heber, August -Koglin, Alvin Krug—were pardoned by Fiance in June, 1918, at the instance of the Holy Father. Many Italian prisoners accused of carrying on secret correspondence, were liberated by the Turks in August, 1916, and sent to the Vatican a message to the Pope in the following terms: ''Deeply moved by your great goodness, we lay at the foot of your august throne our humble sense of gratitude, combined with protestations of unalterable filial devotion." Many Austrian priests were detained as prisoners of war by France. In November, 1914, at the Pope's request the Government consented to regard them as civilians. Princess Marie de Croy Solre, condemned to ten years' imprisonment for having harbored Belgian and French soldiers, was treated with greater leniency as a result of the Pope's mediation with the Government. July 24, 1915, the Pope intervened for the liberation of over a hundred French hostages deported from Roubaix to Gastrow. On September 7 he received assurances that they were liberated. In September, 1915, he obtained the freedom of Doctor Saussine, prisoner of war from August, 1914. In June, 1916, in union with Spain, the Pope proposed the exchange of the journalist, M. Santchevetsky, for Monsignor Szeptycki, Archbishop of Lemberg, whom our Russian Allies had kidnapped and hidden. To 11.11.11. Anna, Landgravine of Hesse, on November 5, 1915, he was able to supply definite information regarding Prince Maximilian, who died peacefully in the Monastery of Cats. Information concerning many missing men was forwarded to bereaved relatives on various occasions by the Vatican, and good work is still being done in the same department. Material Aid for Sufferers. —When we do our part by subscribing to collections for the aid of the Poles or Belgians we very likely never suspect what interminable red tape was wasted before it was made possible that the good tilings gathered here by charitable people could find their way to the sufferers, and assuredly our press never went far out of its way to tell the public what a large part the Pope played in obtaining the necessary permission from the Powers concerned. Since the beginning of the war the Vatican has been busily engaged in communication on this matter on behalf of Belgium, Poland, Montenegro, the occupied Kalian territories, the occupied Austrian territories, and other regions where sufferings and privations were endured by non-combatants. Through the Pope's mediation large sums of money and quantities of provisions have reached not only the civilians but also the prisoners. He raised in America and elsewhere a large fund for the Belgian children, contributing generously himself and exhorting the American Hierarchy to do all in their power to help. He sent countless packets of clothes and medicines to the Italian prisoners in Austria, while encouraging in Italy

of itsiqiiofca; * and these >. people t made .. a great noise* bethe work of those who devoted themselves to helping the widows and orphans of the soldiers. Among the many buildings which he put at the disposal, of the Bick and wounded may be mentioned the Hospital of St. Martha; the Pontifical Leonine College; = the :German College; the de Mero de Technical Institute; the Massimo College—all in Rome. Outside Rome, the Pontifical Seminary of St. Luigi at Posillipo; the Pontifical. Seminary at Chieti; the Pontifical . Seminary at Catanzaro; and the Pontifical College of St. Thomas at Cuneo. Reading the record of the Pope's activities in the sacred cause of charity during the past four years we are compelled to ask in his own words, appropriated from the Gospel: What more could I have done for my vineyard than I have done for it? For the poor and the suffering he has labored and has not spared himself. He seeks no earthly reward. And though he has won the hearts of all those sufferers whose lot his beneficence has ameliorated his heart is pained by the sea of outrage and calumny.poured forth upon him, in spite of all his good works, by the mercenary ranters who, posing as ministers of the Gospel, have no other end in life than that of stirring up sectarian hatred. By their fruits ye shall know them!