Commonwealth Notes

New Zealand Tablet, 22 December 1921, Page 30

Commonwealth Notes

NEW SOUTH WALES. price again, at the meeting of the Anglican Synod of ;V Sydney the other week, the conscience-stricken Anglicans /• themselves for their betrayal of the children 40 years - , ago (says the Catholic Press);. A motion was tabled: 'That the Synod s expresses its . disapproval at - the failure of the L:. parishes to voluntarily assess themselves for religious education in. the diocese, i and requests the standing committee v to devise a scheme whereby the work of the Board of Education may be financed- more effectively, and especially by - providing regular, contributions from each parish." Speaking to this motion, the Rev. F. W. Reeve said that the Church of England had > missed a magnificent opportunity \ for prosecuting religious instruction in the public schools of the State. The school children had increased in numbers, while the religious stipendiary teachers ■ had decreased. There were over 97,000 (Church of England children in the diocese of Sydney, only" about one-third of whom were in . the Sunday" schools. The Catholic Church was setting a striking example in that direction, and had no fewer than 59;000 school children under religious instruction. . "We =!■•. are letting all these children drift," added Mr. Reeve, "and we are doing nothing. lam a strong Protestant, but I would rather, see these children become - Catholics than that they should be brought up without any thought of "God or knowledge of the principles of the Christian faith. (Applause.) In the present circumstances, they will be > growing up atheists. We should either do something to remedy; such a deplorable state of affairs, or hand the whole thing... over to the Catholics, or someone willing and competent to do so." (Applause.) Other speakers stressed j| the need for increased activity in religious instruction in ''-" the schools, of the appointment of more paid teachers, and of impressing upon churchmen their great responsibilities in . the matter. The motion was carried.". Under the heading "Sham Patriotism" the Catholic „.; Press says —The Lord Mayor of: Sydney has been venomously attacked for flying the Australian flag at the Sydney Town Hall, in strict accord with the terms of the Defence Act. His critics were the same ill-informed and malicious mob who were indignant with the G&vernor of New. South Wales when., he authoritatively stated that there is no disloyalty :in Australia. -If they were loyal citizens they . would have been rejoiced by his Excellency-'s declaration; but the people's realisation that the Governor's statement was the simple truth would have robbed them of their stock-in-trade. Hence, the tumult of protest! At the time of Lord Kitchener's death, these same ignorant jingoes were indignant because certain flags in the harbor were not flown at half-mast. They know nothing of the regulation against the lowering of the naval ensign during war. . In the same way the Governor-General was lately criticised in -Melbourne-for not having a flag on the Government } House halyard for some military celebration. As he was ; not in residence at the time, the flying of the special brand of flag allotted to him would have been quite improper. In " Great Britain, universities, colleges, clubs, corporations, and municipalities, all have their own distinct flags, which are unfurled in .honor of national, celebrations. It is only in Australia that one particular flag, and that not the flag of the 1 country, is forced on the community until it has entirely negatived its original, purpose.

J . - VICTORIA. "~V The Archbishop of Melbourne, the Most Rev. Dr. Mannix, who was a welcome visitor to Corowa on the occasion of the opening of the splendid new ; church, gave wholesome patriotic advice as to the necessity of always placing the Australian flag first. In the course of his remarks his > Grace said: —"The-Archbishop of Sydney said to me that >f>; he had the greatest distrust of politics, and he never went into them deeper than his ankles; but I never wet my toes. I have . always, »; since I came to Australia, endeavored to keep Australia in its proper place, and with Australians - living in Australia "that; is the '■: first place. It is popular ; r now to talk of putting Australia first, but when * I put i the suggestion forth in war" time I was termed a traitor by the : leader of the Government in Australia j but that was probably said in a fit of temper, which probably has been regretted since. •- There are so many people in Australia who

think of Australia than they do of England or London. There are too many-people here who put Australia in thfc-' second place or no place at all. lam not an enemy of the Empire, nor do ;I / claim to.be even an enmy of England; I put both in their proper places. With regard to : Aus= ? tralia, it comes first with me, and what I owe to Engalnd ./ is through Australia. I was surprised when,l came out to _ Australia to find that during war time, 'j when celebrating some victory, they ran up certain flags in order to celebrate it. Here; in the heart of Australia, there were people i; to;; be found who ramup a .flag-which was not the Australianr flag, -but- a flag! of -the Empire. . They .Tan up• the UnionJack instead of their Australian flag j which they ought to be proud- of,: but. were apparently ashamed -of; i; When you • want to run up a flag, run-up your own flag, as you have done here to-day* I have noobjection■•to : the Union Jack; : but the first; flag should be; the. flag of Australia,- of which 5 * you ought to be proud;•; For*saying these things I have ■"■■ been denounced as. a traitor to . Australia and - the Empire. It matters very little to me what names they call me. I am satisfied with the plain, simple name I was christened.; I am following' the dictates of my conscience. Australians should he ! proud of Australia and he ready to >work and fight forit, and no other -place-should take its place in the hearts of Australians." ' . v • The drstvisittoßallarat. since his return to Australia of Australia's greatest .Churchman and leader > 'Grace the Archbishop \of < Melbourne, whieh 'took) place -on Saturn day, the 26th ult., was. the occasion for an .extraordinary demonstration,?-of , welcome -from the Catholics: efißallarat and surrounding district* (says . the Tribune, Melbourne).; Not only was the visit of > Dr.-M*nnix a source of i great joy to those who have long; looked ;up to his. leadership/, but; it was fortunately the occasion of benefiting, to a substantial extent the funds of St.; Josephs Home, Sebastopol r that magnificent home for boys has been so r :capably conn ducted i for years by -the Sisters of h Nazareth,' I and which,! shame to say, does not receive penny; from the Bailarat City Council. •. Long before the scheduled time of the arrival of the train from Melbourne which was conveying Dr. Man* nix to i Bailarat, the people cbegan ito > congregate ton-)ithei station >platform, the bridge overhead and the vestibule; and street outside the station. As the train drew up to .the! platform there was a .loud of cheering • which : was . renewed over and over again as the distinguished figure of the Archbishop, > accompanied by ; the Mostßev. . Dr. i Foleyj' could be seen moving along the platform;. As his Grace: slowly went i• along, smilingly .acknowledging the-:greetings;' the people waved hundreds-of flags and cheered again,; and the St. Joseph's Home Band played Irish airs. = Just then . it was beginning to rainy.but the unfavorable atmosphere' could not damp the -ardor of Ballarat's truly Irish welcome to Australia's greatest Irishman, and :^ the ! scene of enthuse dasm is one that will linger for some time in the minds of those concerned in it/. V Speaking recently at the Communion breakfast of the 1 i Catholic Men's Society of Victoria, Archbishop Mannfx • said no country f. could ever be nobler or great hinieMsnitpossessed v good citizens. He? impressed upon those present: -to endeavor to become good citizens in .their own private I life, which should be beyond all reproach. They should-not; be men of unstable S character; they should not be men .with * dishonest principles in life| nor should' they be men unoleaw t in body and tongue;; Those Jcind of men would not con- ■ tribute much to the oountry they served. He advised them i v to be men of absolute truth; men ofsterlings honestyj men of grit and?- character, r: THey- should not vforgefe those who had done much for them in itheir infancy. They should not puti ton airs of importance. Above all, let them be, clean in ;mind> word, thought-and action; They should always be honorable men*- and- act honorably 'and chival-; rously to members of the other sex. - ' .'•:':•;-