Irish News

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 32, 26 August 1925, Page 47

Irish News

; CLEAN FILMS FOR IRELAND.—U.S. DOCTORS VISIT HOSPITALS OF DUBLIN THE DAIL AND DIVORCE.—THE OLD ORDER CHANGES.-A GAELIC UNIJ V ’ , VERSipY.—A PRESBYTERIAN VICTORY.

ym*. . ;> v , . Before leaving Ireland, where he had come for a brief business visit, Mr. Randolph. J. Pugh, the British managing director of the First National Pictures, Ltd., acknowledged the reasonable attitude, of : the,- Catholics in' Ireland ho have been agitating for a rigid exclusion of objectionable films. Mr. Pugh said the Irish outlook on films . was good, wholesome and necessary. He considered it unthinkable that a class of entertainment that nightly attracted-the patronage of millions should claim to be free from supervision. Those who had a real stake in the industry, wished for their own sakes to see it kept clean. * * * The American and . Canadian doctors got I;,, a public reception in Dublin. Giving their first thought to their business, they at once devoted their attention to matters of professional interest. »They were particularly attracted to the great Catholic hospitals of the city, witnessing the treatment and the opera- - ions without any formality or spectacular preparation. v A fact that struck them was the number of world-famous physicians and surgeons whom they met in the Catholic branch of the profession and whose —Blayney, Barnaville, Meade, McArdle, McErlean and others were familiar to them through the textbooks and the medical press. y 9 9 9 The Bail (writes the Dublin correspondent of the London Catholic Times) has rejected the Senate’s resolution dealing with divorce a vinculo matrimonii , which, had it been adopted, would have made divorce theoreti- -? cally, though not actually, possible in the Free State. Urging this decision, the Presi* • dent emphasised that the Senate’s scheme was open bo two grave objections; (l) It made provision for the introduction of divorce bills, which, in turn, would encourage meaningless expenditure ; and (2) it involved the discussion of such measures seriatim/, with all their unsavory details. Since Parliament had no intention of condoning any relaxation of the marriage code, it was much wiser, he maintained, to make their position absolutely clear, to state explicitly that ■ divorce ■ petitions would not be entertained.' This view, which is held, of course, by the majority of the electorate, was unchallenged in the Dail, though Mr. Thomas Johnson (leader of the Labor Party) suggested that the marriage laws should be determined by an amendment to the Constitution, holding, apparently, Lord Glenavy’s theory that Deputies are attempting to legislate illegally . by ' resolution. On this nice Constitutional point legal opinion is said to he divided. '* • • „ ; • 1 • r i . .. . f', ' -A-, ’ * * * 1 - The long-delayed Local Government elec- \ tions have been held, and the resultsspeak-

ing generally—are highly satisfactory. Even in the West (where the anti-Treaty machine remains a force) representative farmers and trade unionists have been returned in for- • j I « I? “-m * midable numbers. The swing towards moderation has been most marked in Clare. There the new County Council is predominantly Constitutionalist, the Republicans being outnumbered by almost three to one. As the official Ministerial organisation refrained, very wisely, from contesting the elections, it is somewhat difficult to estimate the exact number of Moderates returned; but the Local Government Department should have little difficulty in working harmoniously with the new Councils. • • • •: 1 I The Governing Body of University College, Galway, have submitted proposals to the Department for Education which, if sanctioned, will result in the Western College being transformed into a. Gaelic University. The scheme does not contemplate drastic changes at the moment; it provides for the gradual introduction of Irish as the medium of instruction, and for the ultimate employment of an Irish-speaking staff. As Galway, though an English-speaking town, stands at the edge of the Gaeltacht , strong arguments can be adduced in support of the Governing Body’s plan. ' . v • * • The Northern Government have “surrend- > ered” to the Presbyterians on the education question: simple Bible instruction “of an entirely undenominational character” —whatever that may mean to be imparted in transferred and provided schools. This, as a. condition of their appointment, lay teachers will be required to give. The Minister of Education reserves the right, however, to veto the dismissal of any teacher whose interpretation of the undenominational programme displeases his immediate employers, the local regional commitee. Thus an important reservation, which at some future date may give rise to bitter controversy, guards Lord Londonderry’s position. Nevertheless, the Protestant churches are satisfied that victory is theirs. , ’ ■ The Catholic minority (which refuses to transfer its schools to the regional committees) is not, of course, directly affected by the new pact between the Protestant authorities and the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland ; but the calm assurance with which undenominational Bible teaching is provided for at the expense of the community throws an interesting sidelight on Belfast’s mentality. : Apparently,* it occurred neither to the Cabinet nor to the leaders of the General Assembly that Catholics were taxpayers. Otherwise, they would have consulted, one must hope, representatives of - the minority when arranging for religious instruction in State-supported schools. '