RAMPANT HOOLIGANISM.

New Zealand Tablet, 26 August 1920, Page 33

RAMPANT HOOLIGANISM.

One can hardly believe that in Ireland such a state of things could come about as that reported concerning the Catholic orphanage and day schools outside Athlone (says the Irish Catholic of recent date). The religious community who have charge of the establishment, having satisfactorily settled with their employees on a question of wages, found themselves confronted with a demand to dismiss the steward, who had been 30 years in his post. This demand being refused, we read that every window in the gate lodge was smashed, and the gatekeeper, a young man named Talbot, was taken out of his bed in the early morning, savagely assaulted, and tied to a tree, and his wife was compelled to fly in her night attire to the convent for protection. The parents of pupils attending the schools, in consequence of threatening letters, withdrew the children. Then efforts were made to prevent provisions and necessaries being supplied - to the orphanage, in which 200 girls are being reared and educated, but these happily failed. No wonder there is intense indignation in Athlone over such unmitigated hooliganism. Those guilty of it are a disgrace to their religion and To their native land. The willingness of the people of the locality to send volunteers to protect the schools and orphanage is the only gratifying feature of a deplorable and shameful business. '