Here and There

New Zealand Tablet, Volume L, Issue 35, 6 September 1923, Page 37

Here and There

Native Indian is made Vicar-General.News has been received at the national offices of the Society for -the Propagation of the Faith that the Very Rev, Gnanapragasem, a native Indian, has been appointed Vicar-General of the diocese of Trichinopoly by Bishop Faisander, S.J. It is the first time in the history of the Indian Church that a native is raised to that dignity. Furthermore the Bishop has handed over the Coromandel Coast, comprising 70,000 Catholics, to the Indian secular clergy. It is not unlikely that this is the first step toward the creation of missionary dioceses under the control of native clergy, in accordance with the wishes of Pope Benedict XV., as expressed in his letter, .Maximum Hind.

Retreat in Chinese. —The picturesque residence known as “‘La Sapiniere,” purchased by'Abbe Blain a few kilometers from the town of Verviers, for use as a vacation and retreat house, was recently the setting for a scene which might have been imported straight from the Celestial Empire, (says an exchange). Sixty-one Chinese students, coming from the large cities of France and Belgium, assembled at “La Sapiniere’ ’ for a three-day closed Retreat. The preachers were a missionary priest from China, Father Lebbe, who is in Europe on leave, and a Chinese priest, Father Wang. To add to the original character of the retreat, both priests were dressed as mandarins and all the instructions and services were conducted in the language of the Celestial Empire. To make matters complete, the Chinese flag was run up alongside the colors of Belgium. On the second day of the Retreat, three of the retreatants, who were still catechumens, Aver© baptised.

Sir John La very’s Rejected Portrait.—Some comment has been occasioned in art circles by the fact that the directors of the Tate Gallery have refused to accept Sir John Lavery’s painting of his wife (says a Home paper). This picture is regarded as one of the distinguished painter’s finest portraits, and its merits, not only as a beautiful piece of portraiture of a beautiful woman but as a work of art, have been recognised in artistic circles in England and on the Continent. It was purchased at a handsome figure by Lady Canard and presented by her to the Tate Gallery. Following so rapidly on the rejection of another great Irish painter’s work, namely, Sir William Orpen’s “Unknown Soldier in France,” by the War Memorial Committee, the rejection of Sir John Lavery’s portrait has led to a good deal of speculation as to the motive actuating the directors of the Tate Gallery. in an official statement they indicate that refusal to accept the work should not bo taken as reflecting on the artist in any way. It is pointed out that as a matter of fact the Gallery is adorned with Sir John’s painting of Pavlova in her famous dance depicting “the Death of a Swan.” Sir John Lavery himself has readily signified his acceptance of the explanation of the Governors of the Gallery who, he admitted, had a right to accept or reject any picture for which they might not have a particular liking.

Anglo-Catholics in Congress.—The only fly in. the ointment of the Anglo-Catholics, who have just concluded their congress, was the Bishop of London, whose presidential address seems much to have chagrined the High Churchmen. As Bishop of the diocese, it was obvious that Dr. Winnington-Ingram could not be ignored, and after a telegram to the Vatican, in which the assembled 16,000 AngloCatholics sent their respectful greetings “to the Holy Father,” the die-hard address of the Bishop of London very much cast down the thousands in the Albert Hall who heard it. The gist of the Bishop’s address was to the effect that Rome takes upon herself a much too superior attitude, and until this is toned down nothing much can he expected in the direction of reunion. The position was not further improved by the Bishop of London’s request for two hymns to be suppressed at the congress meetings. One of these, Keble’s “Ave Maria, Blessed Maid,” was written nearly 100 years ago; it has been sung throughout all parts of the Anglican Church, and after all this time the Bishop of London feels it is scarcely in tune with the “Church of England’s reserved, but deeply reverential, attitude towards the Virgin Mary.” As the London Tablet says: “Our charity towards separated brethren goes, so far that we must condole with the moving spirits of the congress in having to shoulder the grievous burden of the Bishop. of London’s presidency.” Actually, the Bishop of London was

the only member of the territorial Anglican hierarchy in England present at the congress. Some of the coadjutorbishops were there, as well as many bishops from overseas. But of the episcopal bench in the House of Lords the Bishop of London was the sole representative. That in no way diminished the fervor of the congressists. They had a good press, and managed to get their functions reported without any absurd misrepresentations. Their churches were crowded, and one of the first items of the congress was to send a respectful telegram to the Pope, who has possibly never before been addressed by Anglicans as Holy Father. The disciples of Kensit attempted to demonstrate at the great outdoor procession through Trafalgar Square; but the Church Militant held its hand, and let the police deal with that kind of (Protestantism; which they did very effectively and instantly, Lloyd George and Zion.—ln his latest excursion into journalism Mr. Lloyd George has worked himself into a fine fury as the champion of Zion and the confounder of the anti-semites. How utterly unreasonable anti-semitism is—declares the ex-Premiermay be gathered from the fact that it is almost confined to nations who worship Jewish prophets and apostles, revere the national literature of the Hebrews as the only inspired message delivered by the Deity to mankind, and whose only hope of salvation rests on the precepts and promises of the great Teacher of Judah. Properly speaking, this disposes of the accusation right away, since there are no nations that worship the Jewish prophets and apostles. But it is evidently the great Welshman’s playful way of having a gentle dig at the Catholic Continental nations, who take the Jews as they find them. Mr. Lloyd George, in his mind’s eye, sees Palestine devastated and denuded of its farms and vineyards, awaiting only the inflow of Jewish agriculturists and farmers to make it once more blossom as the rose. Unfortunately the bucolic arts seem no longer very popular in Jewry. The money-lending business, rigging the exchanges, high finance, and, in Central Europe the retailing of smuggled food-stuffs at exorbitant rates appear to be the national industries of to-day, and are at the bottom of all the feeling which Mr. Lloyd George so deplores. The modest request which the “exiles from Zion,” as Mr. Lloyd George describes them, have made to the nations is extremely modest as it appears in print. But the revolt of the 700,000 I alestiniau Arabs was not against any modest request, but against the openly declared determination to “make Palestine as Jewish as England is English.”