MISCELLANEOUS.

Temuka Leader, Volume 2, Issue 123, 22 February 1879, Page 3

MISCELLANEOUS.

Bishop Moran in his Lenten Pastoral •snys: —“ Having spoken and written so frequently and distinctly on the education question, it is not now necessary for ns to write many words on the subject. You know your duty in this matter, and we are happy to he able to testify that you have bravely and nobly cone it. It only remains for us, then, to exhort you to persevere and to be prepared to the future, if necessary, even greater sacrifices than you haA r e hitherto made. The faith of your children, your own salvation, are at stake. Secularism is determined, if you permit it, to destroy Christianity, make men forget or ignore God and their own eternal destiny. Its obiects is the unchristianising of the world, and the Teintvoduction of Paganism. Be not deceived by the sophistry and hypocritical professions of its •advocates. We are hound to be Christians and Catholics above all other things, and we should never forget the words of our Divine Redeemer, ‘ He that is not with me is against me.’ All Government schools in these dioceses are godless and hostile to the Catholic Church. Catholics cannot frequent them without exposing themselves to grievous dangers to their faith and morals. Of these schools, therefore, Catholics cannot avail themselves, except in cases of very great necessit} r , and when—such necessity being supposed —every possible precautions is taken to ward off all danger’s to faith and morals. Parents and guardians should bear in mind that they are responsible for the children uuder their charge, and' often reflect on these words of the Apostle ; 4 He that neglects his own, particularly those of his own house hold, has lost the faith and has become worse than an infidel ;’ and again on these words of our Divine Master : £ What will it avail a man to gain the whole world if he lose his own soul, or what will a man give in exchange for his soul V We therefore most earnestly exhort all to exert themselves to establish and maintain efficient Catholic schools wherever it is possible to do so ; and we call upon the clergy—who, indeed have not been wanting in this matter—to exert themselves with the greatest zeal and perseverance in the great cause of Catholic education. Nothing but Catholic education can save the rising generation from the baneful influence of the infidel systems of education so characteristic of this century -and so fashionable in this Colony,” A. M. Bailey, of Paris, has (according to ‘ Nature’) invented an electric spark pen which possesses some points of interest, If a sheet of thin paper is at- i tached to a plate of copper or zinc, it I is stated that an engraving may ho made j with extraordinary facility by means of Lorff machine is attached to the plate atid the other to the upper end of the pen current will ran through, and in drawing tlie paper is perforated. When the drawing is finished, ink is laid on with an ordinary roller, and the greasy fluid penetrates through the holes. The plate is then plunged in water, which detaches the paper, and it is ready for immersion in the acid. The advantage claimed for this method is that the artist does all parts of his work, and has no more trouble than if he were working with an ordinary pencil. He can even work in a dark room without any other light than the glare from the induction spark. The Bishop of Manchester, preaching at Eccles, said that people began to think, not so much in the days of prosperity, when trade was brisk and money was coming in fast, but when trade was dull and we were obliged to open soupkitchens. When adversity overtook us, then in a foolish and superstitious way we said an extra prayer or two, and ■ thought to propitiate God by some external ceremonies ; for Christianity had degenerated from its early spirit. Instead of learning righteousness, and doing what was right'to their fellow men, and acting upon principles that would restore confidence—-for it was the utter loss of confidence that had broken down and depressed trade—men turned to their superstitions, and they muttered ■prayers, forgetting that the prayers of a wicked people were an abomination. Any clergyman of the Church of England in these days who ventured to speak as plainly as Isaiah did would be said • either to-be preaching politics or to he saying a good many things which were extremely uncomfortable for a great mass of the congregation to hear. We were now passing though our discipline, and the sooner we recognised it for ourselves the better. It was a severe and painful discipline, affecting all classes, and it was well that it should affect all classes, for all needed it. Such things -as intemperance, dishonesty, falsehood, luxury, and licentiousness were the causes of disaster and decline and ruin to any nation. The San Francisco correspondent of the Dunedin ‘ Times ’ writes as follows: —“ I need not shock your readers by any recital of crimes this month, although I have only'too much material at hand. Men and women appear to have given themselves wholly over to the devil. The cool way in which!he murder ' ./is planned, the cruel mode of execution, Tie paltry excuse or consideration m defence, would astound any one rimed to such details. In this mean society is certainly revt a rapid pace. The other I cattle-herders in Nebraska with two farmers. They Po arrest the farmers as Jfe ?, and in the fight one man JT It was a fight for life for the ySpy farmers. They were taken by

tlie sheriff, captured by a band of masked men, bound to a tree, and slowly burned to death—lndian fashion. And now their perfect innocence has been established. This is an example. Details are not wanting to make other coldblooded murders and lynching vie with, even in this atrocity. But I forbear.” Replying to a deputation at Cromwell respecting the opening of land for settlement, the Hon. Mr Stout is reported to have said r— ■“ It was not an enhanced price the Government wanted so much at true settlement in the country, and he found in other districts that agricultural leases were not altogether satisfactory in this respect. He thought, seeing the large extent of country the Government was now, and would be, opening, that entirely new regulations for its acquirement would have to be made. The two systems at present in operation —deferred payment and agricultural lease—were widely different, and on one side very unjust. Under the deferred-payment system, as compared with that of agricultural leases, more than double the price was paid, and stringent restrictions imposed as to residence, cultivation, &c.; whereas, under lease, the terms were much easier, and little if any restriction imposed, thus giving room for clummyism and acquirement of large areas by capitalists. He thought agricultural leases should be of two classes ; the first class (superior land) imposing certain improvements and cultivation, with residence on the land in not less than two years from acquirement ; the second class (medium and inferior lands) imposing a stated cultivation and improvement without residence. However, these were matters for future consideration ; but meanwhile little time would be lost in affording means for settlement within the district. Several blocks would be opened in time for next season’s harvesting operations,” “ Mr Fredrick Turner, the oldest brewer in the United States, in his address before the Brewers’ Congress in this city last Wednesday, brought out a fact which may explain the cause of the rapid decay of the Turkish Empire. Mr Lauer said::—There are examples of nations that have practised prohibition, but it has invariably been to their great disadvantage. The Mohammedans adhered to total .abstinence for a period of 1200 years. They -constituted the principal population of Turkey on the three continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and the Turks, as a rule, have faithfully adhered to their prohibitory laws. We find as a result that of all the nations on the earth they are the most stupid, sluggish, slovenly, and even the most filthy. They are as far back in civilisation to-day as they were when they conquered Constantinople, nearly 900 years ago. Being a nation of waterdrinkers, they have become as a stagnant morass —an offence to civilisation.’ The Rassians, it should be understood, are good solid drinkers. They are what might he termed •' potable people.’ In a conflict with a weak water-drinking nation they naturally proved conquerors. The Germans pro hably whipped the French for the same reason. The Germans drink beer and good solid wines, while the French do very little in the way of beer and are given to light wines. The Britains are a nation of drinkers, and they whip everybody that, they can lay hands on. In our own country we have seen how the beer-drinking North walked off with the temperate and light-tippling South. We might go on in this way multiplying examples indefinitely. There is evidently a good deal in beer.” An English paper remarks that the agitation which lias been set on foot against the remarriage of divorced persons in church gives some interest to the figures which follow. From the last annual report of the Registrar-General it appears that during the sixteen years ended in 1876 there were G 96 marriages of divorced men and women. Of these marriages 77 percent, between divorced men and widows or divorced women and widowers ; while only 2 per cent, were between divorced men and divorced women. The number of these marriages appears to be vapidly increasing. During the eight years ended in 1868 they numbered 225, while in the succeeding eight years ended 1876 they had increased to 471, or more than 100 per cent. Lord Dufferin’s praise of the governing capacity of Irishmen, and his regret at being able only to make out that the Marquis of Lome was next door to an Irishman—being a Scottish Celt of the West Highlands—are fresh in the memories of the Canadians. A deputation from the St, Patrick’s Literary Society (says a Home paper), which waited upon the Marquis of Lome at Ottawa the other clay, was therefore somewhat surprised to receive a reply from the Governor-General showing that he is not content to be placed in the inferior position assigned to him by Lord Duffcrin. “ Personally, I need hardly tell yon,” said the Marquis, “ that the welfare of Irishmen is desired by me ; for I claim no inconsiderable share of Irish blood, and should not be here to-day had it notheeivthat a lady of Roscommon visited London during the last century, and consented to be taken to Scotland.” This allusion is to the wife of John, fifth Duke of Argyll. San Francisco papers publish an account received from Los Angelos, California, of a tragedy which occurred at Tehachipe on the 22nd ult. There had been an old grudge between two men, Glenn and Estrada, and on a recent occasion they had some words, when they parted, Glean said, “ I -will meet you and settle this.” On the evening of the above-named day Estrada

rode by Glenn’s house, and the latter mount*} his horse and followed. Ruling up beside the Mexican, Glenn grabbed him by the throat. Both held their pistols in their hands and both fired. Glenn’s weapon sent three bullets crashing through his antagonist’s breast, and temple. The shots were fired at such close range that the flesh was burnt. The two men were found upontheground, locked in deadly embrace. Estrada’s head was pulled under Glenn’s left arm. while the fingers clutched the hand with the desperation of death. In-a letter to a friend, dated Pietermaritzburgh, Natal, November 4, Sir Bartle Frere writes :—“ There can be no doubt that there is a great empire in the future between the Cape of Storms and Gardafui I wish you could aave come on here and seen what part the southern provinces of such an empire promise to play hereafter. It is not easy to make a great fortune out here in a few years, as in Australia or America ; but a bare subsistence is so easily got, and one so comfortable, that the less ambitious are soon content, and cease to work energetically, Hence the danger of a large proportion of the white population falling into a state of easy-going lotus-, eating epicureanism. But the northern races thrive here as the Kaffirs, who are quite the finest race physically on this cast coast of Africa. But they require ruling. An Arab conquest would bo a groat help, and still better a Scotch immigration. But even now there are I hope, the elements of a great dominion which, under the Crown of England, may be greater and more progressive than either Australia or America. We have here many tidings that are wanting there. The Dutch are naturally Conservatives ; the natives may become an excellent labour class, and there is little of the rowdy or Communist element. There are plenty ■ of good public men, quite equal to all the requirements of self-government. The unsettled native questions, the vast distances, the scattered population, and the local prejudices are the obstacles to progress ; and if I have done something to remove them I shall not regret my dreary seven months in the barracks at King William’s Town last year, or my even equally unexpected detention here this year.” We (‘N. B Agriculturist’) learn that in order to improve the breeding, and encourage the proper training of sheep clogs in the northern counties of England, the Earl of Bectivc is taking an active part in the movement, that has for its object the formation of an association entitled “ The Northern Counties’ Sheep Dog-trial Association,” which will organise a gathering each autumn at some convenient place selected by the managing committee. It is proposed that annual subscribers el two guineas will bo patrons of the association. How many persons would you think were drowned in the inland waters of England and Wales during the year ? We see inquests every day in the papers. They are so freqent that they are hardly noticed. Yet most people will be surprised to discover that nearly 2700 persons are drowned in our rivers, canals, or lakes. Of these the majosity are lost in rivers, about one-third as many in the canals, and 600 in lakes and ponds. And pet children are so seldom taught to swim.