Here and There

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XLIX, Issue 42, 26 October 1922, Page 37

Here and There

:X Just one hundred years"ago the theatre-loving citizens -of Dublin were highly pleased at the visit of the incomparable Edmund Kean, who appeared in a round of <Shaksperean characters •in the "Old Royal." Dublin, in Jthose ; far-off days, possessed a daily paper entirely devoted to theatrical matters. The title of this journal was The Original Theatrical Journal, and its motto was: "Nothing extenuate nor set down aught in • malice;" Kean began ■his engagement on Tuesday, July 16, and concluded on Monday, August 12, when he appeared in a scene from "The Roman Actor" as Octavian in "The Mountaineers," and as Tom Tug (with original songs) in "The Waterman." In the latter part, ,we are told, he evinced his extraordinary versatility. "He really astonished us in his ; singing—and although the deficiency of his physical powers :»; J vocalist precludes the possibility of his producing in »a .theatre a very decided effect, yet his taste, sweetness, delicacy and expression were the theme of universal wonder ; and admiration." It may be . interesting to recall that Edmund Kean and his distinguished son, Charles appeared together m the Old Royal during the month of May, 1829. V .] Two of the favorite haunts of Arthur Griffith will, alas! see him no more. For years, and until official duties tied him to State affairs, as regular as the clock he sallied from Fleet Street into Aston's lane at half-past twelve every Saturday. Then he literally plunged at .second-hand book barrows. His nearest friends did~hot dare, interrupt his "prowl" from, one barrow to the next Book after book was taken up and examined, and it was very rarely that he did not sail off with a volume or two at the end of his hour's cruise. His taste in books was nothing if not Catholic. Prose and poetry had equal charm for him, and the writer has seen him buy an old tutored volume of sermons. The other spot in Dublin ■ which he regularly frequented for several years was the newspaper room in the basement of the National Library. The old papers of the '4B days especially came in for his scrutiny, and it is scarcely an exaggeration to say that : Griffith was as familiar with the Irish press of 80 70 60 years ago as with the newspapers of to-day ' His knowledge of speeches, articles, paragraphs of the dim jnd distant past was uncanny, and his memory for what be,once read was so acutely accurate that he seldom had occasion to refer to the "source" when writing . out a quotation to his purpose".

V;.:The Dublin Mansion House, to the historical associates of which the Lord Mayor recently referred, dates SL n year 1710. It was in that year that a citizen named Dawson, from whom the street takes its name, erected a mansion, which, with "its gardens and park" was.purchased in 1715 by the Municipal Council, who, at that time, 'were minded to buy a house for the constant residence and habitation of the Lord Mayor The Cor poration gave £3500 for this house and its contents, free : o .* all rent, /-except one loaf of double refined sugar, of «x pounds weight, to be paid , to the representatives of Dawson at every Christmas yearly, if demanded, Dawson to erect an "additional large room, 33ft lOins long and 14ft Sfej he well wainscotted and completely furnished, an<l#e Corporation to keep in good repair, ready for the reception of each Lord Mayo?.", The schedule of goods and. furniture set put in the original lease is a curious document-" Twenty-four brass locks, six marble chimneypieces, the tapestry hangings, silk window curtains and window seats and the chimney glass in the great bed chamber, the gilt leather hangings, a chimney glass in the Danzic oak parlor, the window curtains and chimney ESS J? the large ; room -" 'The Round Room, it need, hardly be recalled, ,; ; was ; erected at the expense of for the purpose of entertaining the mon-arch-%hom Byron described as "The fourth of the fools and' oppressors called George." •:"

m .< W quite a few weeks ago the name of. Monsignor Seipel,was comparatively unknown tov the majority of people in the various countries of the world "Then all at once, the'strong personality of the Chancellor of' the Austrian Republic emerged from ; obscurity, a „d "to him has fallen the task of arousing the Empathy of the world for the distressed people of Austria. Some weeks : ago

(wrote Johann Pircher,- of Innsbruck, recently) V I had the privilege of being received by him, and from that interview I have carried away a strong impression of his intelligence, his decisiveness, and his firmness of character 1 ' _ Mgr. Seipel is a; Domestic Prelate of his Holiness, and his age is something under 50 years. Now the Chancellor of the Austrian Republic, he was already at the time of his promotion to this- office the recognised leader of the Christian.. Socialist Party. It was he who led that Party in the electoral contests of October, 1920, and to victory -a victory that, surpassed the hopes of the friends of the Christian Socialists, and inflicted hard political blows on their opponents. In the old Parliament the Christian Socialists held 62 seats-after Mgr. Seipel's victory in 1920 they had 83. seats, a gain surpassing those of all the other parties combined. . ! * I™ .As far as his personal sympathies go Mgr. Seipel is a T a ? I st * But Le has never .hesitated, 'when the interests of Austria have demanded it, to rally loyally to the Republic And it is in this same spirit of' loyalty! cl^v!ff ? i he extreme and ***** -eds of the country, that he -has cast his vote in favor of seizing the Sain * 6 Jmer Impefial family ** ** nisof

th. As head of,his Party, Mgr. Seipel has had to suffer all the knocKs and Wows that fall to a political leader. He has been attacked and vilified by his opponents. Yet even tnectT nrrVw 1 " 1 P ° litiCally do not hesitate to and lm m 7 V mSpire him Fr this statesman and politician, who knows all the wiles and dodges of politics and the tactics that a political leader must; employ remains for all that a devout ' and sincere priest, ffis IS whichr lej his . attitude ■■«* perfect 'Christen charity, which he carries into the arena of party politics are those of a minister of Jesus Christ pontics, And rooted as he is in these principles, he has never Sfft U + he ° ld d6VOti S X toth 6 CaUSe * Ohristiat eSucation for the young. , He proved his mettle by placing a Catholic at the head of the Ministry of PublL Edui corn" ? the disgust of the anti-clericals at Home and the scorn of the radicals outside Austria. And alongside with this he has sternly discountenanced the anti-Jew^ 7™t tent ci h " Certain *** in ' Austria Las *™S

;For the rest Mr Seipel is not a "clerical" i n the narrow sense m which that word is understood by the ant! clericals. As to the Christian . Socialist' Party**?' aims theTnes n nf T * feSSi ° nal P«* —what abng the lines of the great and powerful German Centre Party In the grave crisis through which she is passing Austria couldinot have a better or more-firm hand"at the helm of the ship of state than that of Mgr.Seipel. He s a sincere^ friend of peace, ' aS well as a fervent believer in international . agreement. He allows no occasion to pass when he can give his testimony on behalf of the reconciliation of the peoples of the basis of justice, of their nght to a normal life, and for a definite policy of peacethroughout the entire world. . P V As against the party in favor of fusion with Germany, he believes ha Austria will manage to survjve-for this ruler of the new Austria has a soul profoundly Austrian, lhere are many who believe with him that Austria will .recover, and the priest Prime Minister, who has already done so much for the moral re-birth of Austria, is expending al his efforts for the economic resurrection of his native land...

Irish Troops Blown up A' party of National troops were recently proceeding from Cork to Fermoy in an armored car and Crossley tender, and when they reached Tubbereenmire Bridge about 80 miles from the Cork road, a mine exploded under the Crossley tender; in which were eight men. ‘ The car was blown to pieces and three of the occupants injured One had the side of his face and head blown away, and succumbed to his injuries,, another received serious wounds in the leg, and the third was ‘ wounded by splinters.