THE Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1894. THE MAGDALEN ASYLUM.

Temuka Leader, Issue 2719, 2 October 1894, Page 2

THE Temuka Leader. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 2, 1894. THE MAGDALEN ASYLUM.

This Magdalen Asylum at Mouut Magdala, Christchurch, is once more appealing to public charity for support. Father Malone, on last Sunday in Temuka, announced that the institution was in a necessitous position, and that on next Sunday week a collection would be made in the church for its benefit. This collection is to be made throughout the whole diocese, by order of the bishop, and it is hoped that a sufficient sum will be raised to get it out of its difficulties. The institution is, we believe, not free from debt, and has to provide money to pay interest. There are, besides, 84 penitents and 16 nuns to provide for, and it is plain that these cannot be kept without considerable expense. Perhaps a word or two concerning the asylum may not not prove inappropriate. It was started some few years ago by the Rev. Father Ginaty, who was then parish priest of Christchurch, but resigned his position so as to devote himself completely to the work of canvassing for funds for it. Father Ginaty travelled the whole of New Zealand on this laudable mission, and was successful in getting a good deal of money together for the purpose he had in view. The asylum has been growing ever since, until it is now a very large concern. It is, of course under the control of the Catholic Church, but it is unsectariaa iu its management. Those who desire to enter it are not asked whore they came from, who they are, or what their religion is. The place is open to them at all hours of either day or night, and nothing bars their way to enter it whenever they think fit. It has frequently occurred that

magistrates have seat unfortunate women straight from the court to Mount Magdala instead of sehdiug them to gaol, and for the last couple of years the Government has given a grant of £6OO towards the support of the institution. This, of course, created a furore. Other sects denounced the Government for giving public money for such a purpose, but almost the whole press of the colony, and indeed, the people generally, approved of it, and the Rev. Father Giuaty was enabled to continue bis good work. The chief source of revenue the institution has, however, is the money earned at laundry work by the penitents themselves. They have a vehicle which goes round the whole town and collects articles for the laundry, and in due course delivers them again. Now we trust there are few men or women in this colony who would not applaud the efforts which are being put forth to ameliorate the condition and reform the habits of these poor wretched creatures. No act of charity is more meritorious, and yet there is in Parliament, representing the citizens of Cristchurch, in the person of Mr G. T. Smith, a man who if he could would destroy this institution. One day last week he moved that the Magdalen Asylum should be brought under the operation of the Factories Act, as it was entering into competition with private laundries, but evidently met with very little sympathy. It is useless to comment on this. The man who is capable of doing anything to harrass an institution that is doing so much good is capable of any degree of meanness, but fortunately the Smith stamp of man is getting rarer every year, and we have hopes that it will soon die out altogether.

TOO MUCH TALK. The supporters of the Government are apparently getting a little refractory. On several occasions lately the divisions were very close, and if this sort of thing continues the usefulness of the Ministry will be very much marred. It is most remarkable that the old members are almost to a man supporting the Government loyally, and it is also noticeable that it is the new members who are doing all the talking. Only for the fact that the rules were altered so as to curtail liberty of speech, it would have been impossible to do business in the present Parliament, for there would have been nothing but talk, talk, talk—eternal talk. As a general rule new members say very little during their first session. The late John Ballauce scarcely opened his lips during his first session; Mr Mitchelson made only one speech before he became a Minister; Mr Gad man also seldom spoke, Mr Ward was seldom heard of for the first session, in fact, very few men of any note have taken any active part in the discussions of Parliament until they had become acclimatised to their surroundings. There have, however, been elected a few members, mostly young men, who, so to speak, would talk the leg off an ironpot, but so sure as they are alive some of them will talk themselves out of Parliament yet, and small loss it will be to Parliament or to country. Men who talk so much cannot hare much sense, for as a general rule a glib tongue is seldom associated with a thinking brain. The rhetorician is seldom a thinker, he is merely a talker; he gets a few ideas into his head, and insists on making them do duty on all occasions and under all circumstances. Mr Yerrall was elected to Parliament, and insisted on bringing the State Bank into every discussion; Mr O’Regan insists in the same way on pushing the single tax question. Such men are a nuisance anywhere, but more especially in Parliament, and of course the consequence is they disgust the sensible men in the House. Now these are the class of men who are monopolising the talk, and harrassing the Government.. The old members, with few exceptions, are as loyal as ever to their leaders, but these inexperienced young men have the assurance to think that they know more than the men who have been in Parliament for the best part of their lives. We are greatly afraid that a vary bad class of men have got into Parliament this time, and that the Government will have enough to do to be able to retain office for the next three years. There can be no doubt that the Government are bringing a good deal of it on themselves. They are driving too hard, trying to do too much, and thus over-working the members. It is no joke to be kept at it until almost daylight every morning; it is noc fair, and it is no wonder that members are getting ill-tempered over it, but the talking machines are the cause of it. If they could be got to hold their tongues half their time, the business would be done in reasonable hours and the necessity for late sittings would be obviated.