ST. BATHANS.

Mount Ida Chronicle, Volume III, Issue 168, 24 May 1872, Page 3

ST. BATHANS.

May 19. On Saturday, the 11th instant, the Eight Eeverend Div Moran, Lord Bishop of Duuedin, en route from "Naseby to St. Bathans, was met at Hill's Creek by a number of the Catholics of this place. , His Lordship was accompanied by the Eev. Father Boyer of St. Bathans, at whose residence the party arrived about 5 o'clock in the evening. Here a large number of persons congregated and heartily cheered his Lordship, and also Father Ecyer. His Lordship celebrated vespers, and preached an eloquent discourse to a large and attentive congregation the sa*ne evening, and, with the exception of Monday and Tuesday, the 13th and 14th inst., on which days he visited Black's and Tinker's, he celebrated mass every morning of last week, and preached every evening at vespers. On one of these occasions Dr. Moran.saidhe had hoped to have the pleasure of administering the sacrament of confirmation to, some of the youths in the country districts, but, in the whole course of his travels throughout those districts, he had not met even one youth sufficiently instructed in the knowledge of the Christian doctrine to warrant him in doing so. This, his Lordship said, was a melancholy fact, and would continue to be a fact while religious instruction ' was not taught in the schools. Parents, he said, had not sufficient time to impart such instruction adequately. School was the proper place to receive and learn it sufficiently. Children would grow up all the better citizens for learning it, as it would enable them to understand more fully and perform more readily their duty to God, their neighbor, and themselves. They might be educated, but without a celigioiiF-' training they would be nothing better than educated pagans. Catholic parents, previous to his Lordship's visit at all, contemplated establishing a Catholic school here, and : I believe the full force and truth of a portion of his remarks came home to them in the fact that their own children, with few exceptions, have a Yery insufficient knowledge of the Christian doctrine, and caused them to put their intentions into practice- at once.. They immediately started a subscription, and the result is that there is now promised a sufficient sum of money with which to make a beginning. The fence round the Catholic cemetery having been completed, and the cemetery thus secured against the intrusion of cattle, it was solemnly consecrated by his Lordship On Saturday morning. After celebrating mass, he took-a kind farewell of the congregation, and expressed great pleasure at seeing them so fervent and regular in attending their religious duties. In two hours afterwards his Lordship, escorted by the Eevr Eather Eoyer and a few others, left for ISTaseby. Thus terminated Dr. Moran's second visit to St. Bathans, which, if less demonstrative than his first, has yet been productive of more important results, and given, if that were possible, more intense satisfaction to both his Lordship and his people. The winter, so far, is very unlike

that of last- year during" the month"- of ivlay. The weafiher at preseufc is wry. fine, and almost like summer.

The business people here complaingreatly of having to pay £5 annually for a business license, and are thinking of asking to have the township surveyed, and the liberty to purchase their several allotments at" the upset price. But the great irregularity of the street- ' is supposed by many to be an insuperable barrier to their wishes, in thai" respect, and that, as this is a matter ~ which should deeply interest everytownship up-country, a more feasible plan would be for all the Grofcdfiel'ds populations to unite in petitioning Go- - vernment to have business licenses re- ; duced to the same price as miners' rights, viz., £l. The ' suggestion is - a good one, and worthy the attention of business men residing on the Gold-' fields, who, with greatly diminished trade, and profits pared down to less than half what thoy were, and their expetist'S now not ouly as large, many instances larger than they were during tbe first of the diareinsrs,— A.B.C. 8