PEOPLE WE HEAR ABOUT

New Zealand Tablet, 30 January 1919, Page 33

PEOPLE WE HEAR ABOUT

The only woman elected to a seat in the House of Commons was the famous Countess Markievicz, the "lady in green" of the Dublin rising. She was elected for St. Patrick's, Dublin. From her earliest childhood she had a romantic love for Ireland and everything Irish. She was always riding and driving about the country and getting to know the country people. And on her long sketching expeditions she would sit in the cottages for hours talking to the peasants and hearing all sorts of odd stories and legends about Ireland's past and her futile struggles for freedom. These stories took a strong hold on her imagination. She was further influenced by her intense sympathy with the poor and those suffering under oppression. This feeling led her to throw herself with enthusiasm into her work during the big Dublin strike, when she fed 600 children every day for six months, working day and night to do everything in her power to relieve the terrible distress prevailing in Ireland. The variety and oddness of her talents have always been a source of surprise to her friends. Wood-carving, panelling, play acting, scene painting, writing, and doing beautiful embroidery are a few of her most typical indoor activities. From the latest news to hand it is reported that a move is being made to bar the countess as an elected representative in Parliament on account of her husband, a Pole, not being naturalised. The principal event in Victorian Catholic circles (writes the Melbourne correspondent of the Freeman's Journal) is the arrival of the first Rector of Newman College, within the University of Melbourne, the Very Rev. Albert Power, S.J., M.A., who came to us with the highest credentials as a teacher in the fullest and most complete sense of that term. In him we have notonly ripe scholarship, but ripe experience in the study hall and the classroom of higher education, where the searchlight of up-to-dateness (to coin a term) played on his methods and their results. As the complete system of primary and secondary Catholic education in the archdiocese of Melbourne was the brightest jewel in the mitre of the late Archbishop Carr, so the placing of the coping stone on that system by the Building, equipment, and staffing of Newman College is and must continue to be the brightest jewel in the mitre of Dr. Carr's successor, the Most Rev. Archbishop Mannix, who made the project a personal matter, and raised as a nucleus for Newman College no less a sum than £40,000 —and that, too, from a handful of people. Then Mr. Donovan, filled with admiration at the courage and remarkable success of the Archbishop's plan of campaign, endowed the bursary fund with £30,000, followed last year by the late Mr. Brennan, of Yarram, with £20,000 for the College Carr Memorial Chapel. The latter had already given £25,000 to Newman College. But to return to the rectorship. Since the opening of Newman College, at which 40,000 people were present, the Very Rev. J. O'Dwyer, S.J.', acted as rector. So popular did Alma Mater become that its halls were crowded with students, and "more room" is the cry. In passing, it may be said that few, if any, residential colleges afford so much convenience to students as does Newman College. Father Power was director of studies at Riverview for six years, and has been absent from Australia for a score of years. He will take up his high and responsible duties after the Christmas recess. Very little is known in Australia about Mr. De Valera, the Sinn Fein leader (says an exchange). Of one who has taken such a conspicuous part in Irish affairs the Home papers have been strangely silent, and the .cables have only caricatured him. However, Mr. John Dillon's victor was nominated for four seats at the general elections, and was returned unopposed by his former constituency, East Clare. He was beaten at South Down, and by Mr. Joe Devlin in the Falls Division, Belfast.' In the East Mayo contest, against J£r.-Dillon he scored 8975 votes against his opponent's

4519. Mr. De Valera is an American by birth. His father was a Spaniard and his mother a native of Bruree, Limerick. As an infant De Valera was taken to Ireland by his mother, and after the usual primary school education he finished his secondary course of studies at St. Munchin’s College, where his career was marked by brilliant successes. From there young De Valera went on to the professorial staff of the Blackrock College, outside Dublin, and there he was a keen student and lover of Irish history. When the tragic events of 1916 convulsed Ireland, heart and soul De Valera threw himself into the struggle. His. stirring championship of the participants soon led the authorities to arrest him, and, though released after a time, it was only temporary, and we find him re-arrested on some charge a few months later and lodged in prison. The Irish people, however, had taken him to their hearts, and when the first vacancy occurred—that of East Clare —he was nominated and triumphantly returned. His fire and eloquence soon made De Valera a rallying figure, and under his leadership Sinn Fein candidates were nominated throughout Ireland, with the result we know. The recent death of Right Rev. Mgr. Francis Silas Chatard, Bishop of Indianapolis (writes the Rome correspondent of the Boston Pilot), recalls the fact that he was Rector of the American College in Rome 50 years ago. Though, as the Gerarchia records, he was a student of the Pontifical . College of Propaganda Fine, he was chosen as Vice-Rector of the American College, and on May 24, 1868, appointed to the rectorship of this institution. Towards the end of the year following his election in 1869 and the first half of the year 1870 the American College was a very important element in the ecclesiastical world of Rome at this period, when the Vatican Council was in session. American Archbishops and Bishops were to be met with in its halls, and it was a centre of much interest. Mgr. Chatard’s urbanity and judgment were found equal to the occasion. Ten years later, in 1898, he was nominated Bishop of Vincennes, the second Rector of the College and the second to be raised to the epicsopate. Mgr. Louis Hostlot succeeded to the rectorship, but five years afterwards he died, after a brief illness. Mgr. Schulte undertook the direction of the college in the very difficult time that followed,- until after a few months Mgr. Denis O’Connell, a former student of the college, came here as Rectoran office he filled during 12 years. Some years after his retirement he was appointed Rector of the University of Washington, and then Bishop. He was succeeded in the rectorship of the American College by Mgr. William H. O’Connell, who in 1901 was nominated Bishop of Portland, Me., being consecrated by Cardinal Sattolli, Archpriest of the Lateral! in that great basilica, such being regarded as a high honor. Later he, the fifth Rector of the American College at Rome, became Archbishop of Boston, and seven years ago was named Cardinal— first student of this college to reach this most elevated dignity and to become Boston’s first Cardinal. Mgr. Thomas F. Kennedy succeeded Cardinal O’Connell, and his rule continued during 16 years, until his death in August, 1917. His rectorship is the longest in the college records. It was under his rule that the college attained the highest number of students. This fact indicates the advancement of Catholicity in the United States during recent years. Mgr. Kennedy was appointed Bishop, and afterwards Archbishop. Thus five out of the six Rectors of which the college has had till now reached the episcopate. The present Rector is Mgr. Charles O’ Hern.