Religions Activity.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 3, 28 September 1907, Page 11

Religions Activity.

• .WEEKLY NOTES ON CHURCH :,■::-..'.; -wore;----'--;;:■;.,•:'• ' ; 'i'S An important movement has been in; progress for somo time, past, to .bring about closer iuiibri' betwe'en.'tlio Presuyterian. arid 'Anglican Churclic.s i in Australia. Wti learn from an ". authpritativo sourco that a_ very extraordinary degree pf been displayed'by-, the representatives . of tho two churches, in respect of'both : doctrine and polity. The.meetings ■).'■. at'.which" tlio- matter has' been dis-■ cussed have beon held in private, and . the resolutions adopted will bo trans- .■■■'. mitted by,the representatives of tho - Anglican Church' for 'consideration' by the Lambeth Conference, to be heldnext July. Until they >como before | the conference, they aro not likely to bo made public. Meanwhile, union J . between the Anglican aild Presby-' torian Churches may not be- near at hand; but it. is at least' a sign of tho: times - that. the leaders' 'of both churches, as wo have been informed,. seo eye to eyo in tho more important matters of ■' church!'.' lifo.V, aild'; work. , So far the negotiations afreet/only- the ' Australian churches, but it is under-: . .stood that'- - developments,, of. a like, • nature.niay cbniouiito oyideiico before long in New Zealand.''--':'...' : ' : ' . .' PAN-ANGLICAN CONGRESS. ■ The" Pan-Anglican''-Congress-- to'-, bo. held in London next Juno, prior to 'the. Lambeth Conference in July,, under the auspices of the United , Boards of Missions,'...will be unique '( in the history; of. the Church of lnnd. At .a' recent , r -meeti'i l j'S6F;:;.»)ii<!., Lower House-of thO'Con/--..dt,ib'n : 'nfi Canterbury /tho '-"following: :'fes6liibipii> :. was. .:adopted:—"That'_' this'.'''' : Edwor' House.of the Convocation of; Cante r :: > .bury welcomes the scheme, v of .the \ I United Boards of Missions' for "holding a Pan-Anglican Congress; in ...London next year; prior to tho Lambeth. Conference ;: and hopes that it may be heartily, and liberally' supported by tho Church, --at'liomej/so' that' : by, means of .the ..deliberations to bo, held, and' of tho great: thank-offering of men and mpnoy to in con-: nection therewith, the ••: Kingdom of : our Lord-and .- Master, '-Who'.is the world's only Saviour, may bo mightily advanced."'-.( Tho mover of the resolution; Canon Pirch, pointed out I . that there had'been something like a Pan-Anglican Synod in the Lamboth Conference of Bishops, but , there''had:never before, so far as ho knew, been any attempt to hold a ' Pan-Anglican Congress. comprising bishops, clergy, and laity from all.tho . branches' associated with'tho Church.' Jt;could not bo.doubted;'.that' the. 'Councils' and 'of tho bishops in the -Lambeth ..Conference would be considerably,'helped by the ;.' fact of this' very general and free congress ■. having' becri;. held-yii v-thd. - month preceding.' If. the congress iresuited iri:a great.,widening,:in-a great ,upliftingj.of. .the..whole.icoriceptiou l of. .missionary, .work/jas .the. primary, duty' 'of-the Church it .must resiilt in a very '-.. -great;-..- blessing'. oh ."'tho caused of ■', Christianity as-a whole.- ' , . -, ■■-..: The.Bishbp of;Dover,'jwH6;seconded :-•■ the thought' . .had bo6n,a fve'ry happy! idea ."of ; thp''exe--cutives of-the .Boards'of'Missions to hold a Pah-Anglican" Congress immediately before,.' the Lambeth Conference. Ho "did: riot :foar .that! tho ..-.. thaiik-offoring would be . a.' failure, but he trusted: that,.'tho rcsp'onso would be : a': very .liberal, arid- a very'.' noblo one. '■'•.,,..-.--.".. .■■ ./-'■•v ,,; ; .:.-';.,';' ,-■': The . New, Zealand Church will mako; a contribution to the thank-offering; '. •'/■:■ I '!-<■ '~nSELF-DENIALrK;';"!,v;. ,n SELF-DENIALrK ; ';"!,v; • :,In , every.;..tpwn-.'v;and ; :;settlement,' from Thursday-Island to Tasmania, frorii beyond Auckland ■', to the Bluff, .•.during the next few weeks, will the, ; ipollecting-card and. collecting-box of the Salvation Army have niado their "■.-, appeal.. .From .September -'.24:;- till October 24 .'is .■ "Splf-derii'al :month;" ■' For. twelve the: - Salvation . Army; .casts: its bread'.upon,the waters. ..where.it •■ may.: Teach .the-- poor and •needy.; Then , - for one '. month it stretches-a tremendous net to catch . the certain, harvest, with; .'which is purchased other bread. Evriry corps ■ and representative, of'a corps in 448 towns in Australasia . whero the Army .has,a icentro;andßß6i;.outposts worked frorii thoso centres,:is busy at this moment ;.V)'ith. a■ :corne.r--;of::the riot. ■'• It" is hoped to raise: ]by -this year's appeal m. the North .Island £6000, . as. against , £5400' last -year) and in'the whole. Doriii"nion,£li,ooo,. V as .against. £10,435,:.';.1h0.-.total.- sum -collected'last year .-.invAustralashv . was £30,981';'.45.,,,7d.:' ! The- whole ■in-- - ' stitutional work of the and "it 3 manifold activities-•' are silppdrtcd by the: result ; lbf'thes'p appeals. ■' %'.-■ : •-" \-\- _The month "of general giving ends . sirnultancously '-; with'"-.'- a 'Week of i special -sacrifice by.-,the - members of the Ai-niy themselves.'; During this ' week . every Army, member throughout Australasia-:will bo expected'to ■'■•give-up something' which ho would really miss, and devote its value to the_ Army's work. Tho .sacrificd'. is mado every, year.. Tea.'. or butter or tobacco—something whose deprivation ■■*-' "°,. w dl feel—evory man denies him'-' ' splf.iMany give up; their . whole , weeks income,. and.go; on*.bread and water, for' a weelc. Nearly every . officer dpes this, says Brigadier Albiston, with-approval. And the spirit of self-sacrifice proves always catching.' Young men decide to "give up their cigarettes, farmers' one. week's produce,of the potato field or dairy, to augment the fund.. ■> '■■ . i '.it is from -the, Army's, private self...denial that the. general self-denial I movement.- has.grown.. "'. In 18S8 tho Armywasin sore straits for money, , and the authorities of tho Church' of ', England offered to finance tho work, and Jet the Genoral conduct it iu his own-way,-provided ho would coiue in - under; their wing., Tho ' General, as Brigadier Albiston tells tho storv, was ; in a great dilemma. Ho did not know' whore funds .would come from . if ho declined .the offer. '■■■' Ho prayed for guidance,' and it .seemed '.to -flash /in upon-him that ho must appeal to l--' the _ Army itself. But the Salvationists wero poor, and ho had'appealed to them so many: times before.Still it was borne in oil him that hp ; must ask them to mako a "real sacrifice. Ho inaugurated tho"self-denial' week; tho Salvationists responded, . and outsiders asked to come in, too. Tho movement 'grcwand .'widened, till now it has reached' immense proportions. _ But it has not grown faster than the Army's-work and needs; ' Army appeals-do nbt require milch pressing. When a campaign was' undertaken in Wellington some time -' ago to, raise funds for a. .Home for orphan and-destitute'girls, ono man collected in three weeks £1700. METHODIST' UNION FOR ENG- ■... LAND. ■~.-,:,; ■■■.-• On Scptomher 17; 'as was announced by cablo, three of .the minor Methodist bodies, after some years of negotiation, consummated -their -union. They wero the Methodist - New Connexion, tho Bible Christians,: and the United Methodist Freo Church. Tho Methodist New Connexion left the main body, of Methodism as early as 1797, under tho,leadership of the Rev. Alexander • Kilham,- ; moved by questions of government. Seoing that the Connoxion has 88,522 Sunday School scholars, it should ha,vo at least 250,000 peoplo in its fold altogether. It has about,2lo ministers. The Biblo Christians were not the result of a secession, but 'of the. missionary zeal of a lay-preacher. They date from 1815, 'arid-.aro. found, mainly in tho West, of England. They also havo about 210 ministers and 50,000 Sunday school scholars, indicating

'-.'■••' '' . ■ about. 150,000. pooplo. Tho United Methodist Frco Churches is the largest of tlio thrco bodies. It is composed of a union of throe sections that broke away at different times on constitutional questions and afterwards united. This body has. about. 480 ministers and VJ-1,6-62 Sunday school scholars, and probably ministers ■ to half a million people in all. Tho'now body, which will represent somewhat less than a million pooplo, is .to.be known, a3 "The United Methodist Church." Tho ceremony of union very | appropriately too'i; phico in Wesley .Chapel, City Head, London, which stands on tho site, of'the old 'foundry in which John Wesley formed his first society in 1730, and tvhero lid subset' qucntiy built this chapel.. "''!.- None' of : the Methodist divisions took place'on points of doctrine. Administration and government formed, tho trouble, 'tho parent' body .being .'distinctly conservative.; Only. .two, minute fragments arc'now outstanding, ',representing about. .100,000 people Tho rest'of tho Methodist Hock in tho Old Country, is jjow. gathered into thrco■ largo organisations, oho of which,' the Primitive Methodists,, was not a secession, but 'the creation' .of men specially'devoted ;to" outdoor preaching and- camp meetings. • ' /' f Statistics of Methodist adherents in the United Kingdom arc not available, but their Sunday school'scholars, as published in ." Whitaker;" affoi'd a ,cluo to their total numbers. .These are:—' ' ■ " r ■ ' ... ■' : , • Scholars. ,' .Wosleyan Methodists ... 1,013,319' 'Primitive Methodists .:. ' 477,114 i Tho United ".- Methodist '." '.■'...■■ Church ..'.'• .... .330,125 ~ Two small bodies... ~:. '50.363 AN IRISH PILGRIMAGE.. J/Croagli' Patrick, the mountain rendered for ever holy : by tho footstepsof: Ireland's national'apps ; tlc' (says tho; ■Dublin correspondent of the" Catholic Times"), was. oil Sunday; 'July .28, tho scene of a. wonderful dcmonstra- ; tion of Catholic fervour, in which close on twenty thousand . pilgrims'-.took.' ■part .'Old and young, ; as well as. thoso in the/prime of life, buoyedup with a' ; firm 'determination to succeed; faced the laborious ascent to the oratory on tho summit,- which is. 2500 feet above: tho level of the sea, and.it may safely, he - asserted, that: one; and .all' feel amply-'rewarded for-their, trouble. . .On. the mountain-top the scene was ex-tremely-edifying. .Beginning, at sixo'clock, Masses were celebrated halfhourly; and ho fewer than.2oo people ! received Holy Communion while.they, were in progress.' Numbers- of pilgrims in baro feet performed tho stations continuously.during the,day, and impressive sermons were delivered, ataong tho'preachors being tho Rev. F. O'Donnell (Hobart), Rev: ' M. M'Namara (Adelaide), .and' Rev. W. Ganly .(Mplbourno);' The pilgrimage of next year "is. already being anticipated as a. great'national event. :'.'NEW. WORK FOR .METHODISM. .- The fascinating proposition, of Mr.' R., .W.. Perk's; M.P., that the forces of Methodism throughout tho world—', Wesleyan Methodists, Primitive, Methodists, and other allied demonstra-tions—should-bind themselves .in one mighty bond to grapple with* Hid'great -economic."and social questions of tho day, has now been laid before tlio nual' British: Methodist Conference' by its author. :: ;i'.. \; ; : )' '■ ■} ■•'■ Mr;. Perks .has expended ton years of study upon his project, and has -travelled the/ Vorld'. expounding his; views. His.lscheme eiii'hraees-'tho establishment of co-operative Methodist' labour bureau throughout tho world; the. forming of great;. Methodist'.' employment agencies; the building up of a.pr'actical loan society,'with-branches iii ■' every country; ' andvithc gradualb building 'up of other ; " kiridred' vinstitutions to weld Methodists ;tP'gethbr; r ih'' a bond of self-help the' world' over.' "The time has .conic," said Mr. Perks, ".when tile :Methodist:; l Churcli,j. with;.. 'its---'' 1 vast influence : and ' resources, should alvance to a universal brotherhood'." : '•'. ,' '..' ' . : '; '■ ','.- Tho question of 'emigration'was .his first objective, lie explained.: Hero tho Methodist Church, he-said, could do ;vast .things by the. formation of .a universal bureau,' which would' not' only 'send-a Methodist emigrant to far-off lands, hut would guide, andyinstruet him'oyen at tho uttermost ends' of the earth. ..In this''direction,' ho said, Methodism ■ had ; 1 facilities , which neither, tlio Church Ai<"" , y nor the Salivation Army.possessed. -In pvory city ■in the colonies - Methodists _ could be found iir responsible' ' official • and 'mercantile posts/'' " 'Self-help ' must ho tho motto,";said Mr- Perks; only tho organisation was at present .lacking. - '•" , :.- i'.""■"-.. '.■ ► ', ; ..■Referring to.the problem ofuncm-. -ploymont, Mr. Perks appealed to tlio business men' of Methodism to aid poorer brethren, not by unorganised or.undirected charity,-.but by a'practical bureau, with wide-flung branches which could' 'trace and, succour oven tho most."helpless,'hopeless human being," and givo hinr yet another chance in life. In addition to an emi'gration'department and an employment 'agency,' Mr. Perks said there |.should, naturally and easily grow out of them' an all-important loan society, and also a.savings bank. ' No committee wiil,'it appears, bo appointed to deal with Mr. Perks's scheme, at his Town '.request indeed;. but the; suggestion will lie awhile in tho minds of tho leaders of Methodism, .who will seek-information from all sources, and ■ discuss tho matter seriously among themselves;, ■'---~ , ! BAPTIST UNION! . Tho annual conference of tlio Baptist Union of Now Zealand commences in Auckland on Wednesday; October 9. As this is the twenty-fifth conference special semi-jubileo • celebrations, 'aro to bo held. , This does not mean that .the Baptist: denomination has only been represented in tho Dominion .foiv twbnty-fivo . years." :-■■ As a. matter of fact, the jubilee'of-tho establish merit of the "first Baptist Church was cclpbrated in Nelson in 1901. The Baptist. Union is a 1 voluntary association of tho churches, formed; for tho sake , of closer affiliation and' united aggressivo effort.' During .the twenty-live years-of its cxistonco. it has done splendid service. A largo number of now churches have ; been established, and vigorous Homo mission work has been' carried on in previously neglected districts. Last year tboro were reported 41 churches, 23 ministers, six ' homo missionaries, 135 local preachers,- 407 C. 'members, and 5039 Sunday School scholars. The -Union has. inaugurated a scheme for : the education 'of syouiig • men for tho ministry, which has proved most efficient, Tho Rev. :.T. J. North, of Wellington,, received his training for the ministry under the Union. The " New- Zealand /'Baptist,'-' the organ of tho Union, is a--vigorous-.monthly, magazine.. The Union's, foreign mission work has been mo3t successful. Its activities are confined to Tipppnih, Eastern Bengal, wbero. some million and a quarter pooplo have no other Christian ministry than that rendered by tho Now Zealand Baptist mis- ' sionaries. Amongst these people there are six young Nov. 1 Zealandors at work. Missionary work of every kind is undertaken,.tho most noteworthy of which is'the medical work'. "At Chandpore, under Dr. C. North,' is a fullyequipped Mission Hospital, upon which tho Indian Government Inspector has commented in the highest terms. Tho income for foreign, mission work last year amounted to over £2000. . ; ' JOTTINGS. ! As tho largest Anglican parish in Now Zealand, St. Peter's, Wellington, has many poiut3 of interest. The

Ro'v. G. P. Davys states that its character has entirely chiulged during the past ten or fifteen years. Formerly it was'a'residential parish, and largo numbers of families attended the church. Tlio growth of Wellington has transformed it into a parish of warehouses, boarding-houses, and occasional slums, and its congregation has altered correspondingly. From a parish church, St.. Peter's libs become a city church. St. Paul's is feeling the same tendency, though'its parish still contains a large residential population, and St. Mark's will doubtless feel it later. Having outgrown the parochial state itself, SC Peter's will 'scon take pride in "a fair cluster of daughter parishes.. Brooklyn, which lias now. a small'church-room, will 'probably achieve parochial indopend-; once 'when <''s is replaced, within tho next two. i,. three years, by a new church, and K' : n' hoped that five years iionco will sco a substantial church erected alongside tho little churchroom of St. Michael's, at Kclburiic. Tho Rev. Mr. Parker, agent of tho London' Missionary Society, who has been carrying on mission work in Southern India,-will arrive, in this city in-time to preach at the Wellington Terrace C'ongregationalist Church to-morrow week. Afterwards he will givo two addresses. -' . The Boys' Institute in ■ connection with St. John's Presbyterian Church is in a flourishing condition, and a largo number of lads arc. attending tho various classes, including the athletics branch.. Tho.Sunday evening meetings are well, attended, and an obvious'impression is being made upon th<s boys. ■ ■ •,"■',.. At St. Paul's Church, .Wellington, .011 Sunday evening hist, tho Rev. T...H.. Sprott commenced a scriGS of addresses dealing with the. Apostles' Creed in the light of modern thought. Referring to tho' history of the creed, Mr. .Sprott said the early Christians had no sympathy with the theory, so common at the present day, that so long as a man's life wa3 right it did not matter what ho. thought: or-'be-lieved. :' They had more respect for tho intellect,' which they.treated seriously. They contended that a man was,what, lip really thought and believed..- If a man's' acts had no connection with his thought and belief.there.could bo no rational basis of conduct. A creed, provided it was true, was no more a fetter on the intellect than any other form of truth. ..All truth fettered tho mind to tho extent that no.sane ma.ii was 'fr.7o' to. treat it in. his thought asthoigh.it did.not exist.. . ~During tho. last two or three years, for the first time in the. history, of tho Anglican Church in New Zealand) a largo number of young men, and of a good typo, have, been offering them-, selves for ordination. At tho present time there is a dearth of eurates, and St. Peter's has been in want of one for four months past, but the Rev.. G. P. Davys is convinced that tho dearth is only temporary. The present is a transition time.. Tho'Churcli 'in"-Now Zealand has got past the period'■ when it'relied entirely upon England for its clergy, .and is .endeavouring to fill vacancies .with its oiyn.men, hut though.,its own. men aro'ebming on, they are not all, ready yet to take positions. It is hoped that a New Zealandcr will fill the vacant curacy-at St Peter's. '' . : ' Does religion touch tho people? '.It is significant that when the services of St.. John's Presbyterian Cliurch ■were. transferred to tlie Town Hall, .during the progress of repairs to the church, 'the hall was. packed on the first Sunday night,,and on tho following, .Sunday, evening, though for „\v£ather..i.t was the worst Sunday of 'itnewliploWinter; Dr. Gibb estimates that.-heiiaddressed no less than -fourteen., hundred people.. Last' Sunday again there was' a largo attendance. Tp-mprroiv St. John's services-.will'he 'lipid 'in'.thc renovated church, 'whoso anniversary'will be celebrated. ■'• The Roy. H. van Stavoren, who has returned'.but. recently from a visit to' the. Old, Country, , states that the.' Zionist '.'movement, which aims at tlio restoration of tho Jewish rape to Palestine, is weakening, very', materially, ■ especially in England,': and on many parts, of the Continent. ■ Leading Jews,in Germany and America,, like Mr. Israel Zangwill and others in.England, havo given up their adhereneo'.to the Zionist 'mpvoment -and joined tho . rival It-o movement, or Jewish territorial organisation, which -has tho.moro practical, object of,acquiring somd place of immediate relugo for the persecuted Jews ■ in Russia ami other countries. " I have not the slightest doubt," Said Mr. van Stavercn, " that it will be in some part of Australia, whether in "Queensland or iii Now South Wales 1 do not know, but somewhere in Australia, that this haven of rest will be found." As to the remoter scheme of gathering together all tho Jows in Palestine, ho could only speak 'somewhat sadly. " That must come in.Gbd's own time'; the prophetic visions of the seers of old will he fulfilled according to tho promises made; God in His own timo will establish that, but tho timo, I fear, is very) very distant." ' The. General Assembly of the, Presbyterian Church of New Zealand will meet, in St, Johu'.s CJiurch on Tuesday, November 5. A largo attendance is expected,- and .the Assembly Arrangements' Committee, of which.Dr. Gibb'. is convoner, will have a busy time finding accommodation for the members. The..business of the As-, sembly. is likely to prove, verjr interesting. Great prominenco will be given to tho work- among tlio' young, and si rally of the-Young. Men's and Young 'Women's Biblo classes and organisations promises to bo a striking feature. A .committee,.'of Assembly has had under consideration tho question of tho introduction'of liturgical forms for the services of the Presbyterian Church, arid . while tho proposals have met with a favourable reception from a'considerable part of the, Cliurch, there is expected to bo fairly intense opposition on the part of- another section. A midway opinion is expressed by Dr. Gibb,who stated, in answer to' an inquiry, that while in his opinion it would ho a pity if the Presbyterian Church wero to abandon a free form of service in favour of a fixed or liturgical form, it would, be well if some part of tho service were' liturgical, such as, for example, tho prayers usually included under the title intl'icessidns. Komo. of these almost demand a more, or less fixed, form, anil the outcomo of the whole matter, in Dr. Gibb's opinion, .will be,, sooner or later, if not this year, a form of service partly fined and partly free. To some extent this, method obtains already at St. John's, St. Peter's Church lias received a bequest of £700 from an anonymous giver towards the construction .of a mission hall in Taranaki Street. Tho mission work in this locality, hitherto curried on. in a room above a store, was started three years ago. A section was purchased a j'ear ago on which to build a hall, and it is hoped that by Christmas next tho building will be seating its two hundred ■ worshippers. Tho seven days' Feast of Tabernacles is being celebrated in the local synagogue, and all synagogues the world over, at present, in precisely tho same manner as it was kept by tho Children of Israel in the wilderness 3203 years ago, according to tho Jewish reckoning. In the 23rd chapter of Leviticus it is commanded that "ye shall take on the first day the bougho of goodly trees, branches of

palm trees, and the houghs of thick trees, and willows of tho brook, and yo shall rejoico before the Lord your 'God seven days." In accordance with this ordination, citrons obtained from Adelaide, myrtles, palm branches, and widows have been in cvidenco at tho local synagogue. Tho further command '" the eighth day shall be an holy convocation unto you," will bo observed on Monday, together with tho rejoicing or the law. The Rev. 11. van Stavero'n has rcceivod two very beautiful scrolls of the law, ono presented to tho congregation by Mr, Joseph-Nathan, of Wellington, in honour of the Rabbi's. visit to England, and tho other presented .by Mr. aiid Mrs. .Marx, of Wellington. These are being used in the present celebrations for the first timo. In' connection with the'celebration by Roman Catholics of tho centenary of St. John Chrysostom it is hoped, says the English " Tablet," to devise means for giving a new impulse to tho movement for the reunion of the Greek and Roman Churches. The 'Auckland Presbytery has confirmed the call of Knox Church to tho Rev. A. White, of Havelock, Hawke's Bay. The Presbyterian Theological College cohiniitt'eo havo selected the ■ books' of Isaiah, John's Gospel, and three Epistles and Revelation as tho portions of Scripture for Bible knowledge examination for ministerial candidates at.,tho beginning of' next session. The same, portion is appointed for air the Biblo knowledge examinations in each, grade. Tho committee hope to, offer two "or. throe scholarships for .competition. ' ' ; The creation of new sees and building or completing of .cathedrals are 'prominent features" of ' Anglican activity in England at the present time. A fund inaugurated for the institution of a new bishopric of Essex, and Herts /is doing .well, tho sum of £5000,' asked for in connection with a special, day of ..intercession, having boon -over-subscribed .to tho amount of £6000. Tho. total now roaches £42,000. The question of a cathedral for Essex will, shortly come up for' settlement. Meanwhile tho Bishop if Hip'on, anxious to, promote the further subdivision. of his" sec, has _ declared his willingness, under, certain' conditions, i to surrender £1000 of its present, income; in order that .two sums of £500 each may be .available towards the bndowment of two now bishoprics, ono of which; would, havo its seat at Leeds. The completion of-the western towers and'.spires of Truro Cathedral has been suddeifly, rendered practicable by the promise of £20,000 for that purpose by, Mrs. Hawkins, of .Portland Place, London, who wishes the gift to bo a memorial of the late Mr. C. H. T. Hawkins, of Trowithen, Prohus. The donor requests that.any surplus may be applied to the building ofa cathedral, school for choristers arid boys,-within tho precincts ol the cathedral.' ■ . . ..": Tho recent opening and blessing by Cardinal Moran of additions to St. -Joseph's Convent, Porth (Bathurst district of "Now South Wales), was made the'occasion of reference to the growth of tho'Order of, St. Joseph. Tho order' was'inaugurated at.,-Perth-' a littlo over thirty years ago in a very small' way; and very. soon began-,to flourish. ' Indeed,, in tho • words of Bishop Dunne, it grow like a mustard seed, supplying not only every part '.of thoßiithurst dioceso, hut sending branches .to tho Goulburn and Maitland dioceses, as well as to New. Zealand and Tasmania. ' ; .bn Tuesday, July 23, tho monument and' tomb .which havo been erected iii the Basilica of St. John Latoran to receivo tlio remains pFLeo.'XIII, at tho expensp. of the Cardinals wljb wero '..created. duriug.Vhis Pontificate, . wero' • solemnly .' unveiled.,' - There were soveral Cardinals- present, and an address was read ,to them by Signor Tadolini, tho artist who raado tho monument. It.i's'yot a secret (says tho Homo ; correspondent of tho "Catholic Times") when the body of the' late Pope .will' bo transferred to St; John's; but" tho . toriib. is roadyV Se-veral'tombs of Popes are.already iiv the 'Church, of St. John Lateran. In' the .monument to Leo XIII Tadolini has produced a work, which does great credit to Roman art. Only about £200 is now, required.to enable .a commencement to, be made with tlio building of the hostel at Kelburne, as a.niemorial to Bishop Hadfield, for tho training of candidates for Holy Orders. , , The celebration.of tho Papal Jubilee in Romo lias had to be suspended,oiving to tho present strength of anticlerical hostility in Italy; According to the "Catholic World," the condition of aifairs in Romo, and': in m any other cities of Italy also, is such that a concourse of Catholics, native and foreign, would nm'se.rious risk of insult, and perhaps outrage, at' the hands 'of ; the -anti-clericals. Soveral pilgrimages to Romo havo been' suspended, by His Holiness owing to the same cause. '' ' ; - Tlio Rev. Charles' Inwood, • wellknown in Great Britain as a leader at tho Keswick Conventions, will visit New Zaaland very soon. . Last week Mr. In wood wa3 giving mid-day addresses to .business men in tho Centenary, Hall, Sydney, which attracted so much interest that step 3 were' being taken to' secure another season on his return from a visit to Brisbane