NEWS OF THE WEEK.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume IV, Issue 209, 6 April 1877, Page 11

NEWS OF THE WEEK.

The CaleJonian sports on Monday last were, as usual, highly successful. Tlie athletic contests were well maintained, and the'fineness of the weathrr was favourable to a good attendance of spectators. Amongst the banners hung in the world-famed sanctuary of our Lady of Lourd^s to represent Catholic nations and communities in all parts of the earth, is now to be seen one commemorative of Dunedm. It was forwtirded theie through the kindness of a religious attached to an Irish convent, who, while attending to the spiritual interests of her own rommunity, remembered nlso those of this distant mission. We have received from Mr. Bailliere, of Melbourne, publisher, a lecture on " Uiugnosis," delivered by Dr. Beaney to the students of the Melbourne Hospital. The matter is technical and of interest to the medical profession. The publication does credit to the house which has issued it.

The non-Catholic press of Australia lias been unanimous in reviewing, with extreme favour, the career of the late Archbishop of Sydney, and in regretting his decease. Even such bigoted newspapers as the Sydney Morning Herald and the Melbourne Argus have been most laudatory. We must, however, class with the curiosities of journalistic productions the following sentences in the Argus' referring to the subject in question — "He was a Churchman of the Carlo Borromeo type. He was a Christian first, and a Catholic afterwards. He was a gentleman in the truest sense of the word before he was a priest, and he never ceased to bo both Christian and gentleman during his long and exemplary life." The writer, we should say, stumbled accidentally across some details of the life of St. Charles, alone of all Catholic saints, and hence selects him as his model par excellence, not knowing the points of similarity that are evident in the characters of all those who have attained to heroic sanctity. Christian and Catholic, we take it, are synonymous terms, and the irue priest will be found, also, the true gentleman ; since the charity attendant on the former calling faithfully adhered to, will, of necessity, produce the gentleness and consideration for the feelings as well as the needs, faults, and failings of oi hers that are the distinguishing traits in the latter ehar<c'e-. Ws clip the following from the Lyttelton Time* of the 3rd inst A large audience assembled last evening in the Catholic Schoolroom, Barbadoes-street, where a very enjoyable entertainment was presented. The first part consisted of a vocal and instrumental concert, in which Madame and Miss W inter, with Mr. Melchor Winter, took the leading part, and th» y were ably assisted by Mrs. J. M. Thompson and Mr. Bchwmrtz. The second portion of the entertainnie.it was undertaken

by the members of the Garrick Amateur Dramatic Society, who preB Tu r' TriesT ries IT> " a comed 7 in fcw <> acts, which is after the manner c t 7* l £ uneßße de Henri V," and is one of the numerous adaptations of John Howard Payne. The parts were aUotted as follows :— Kins Charles, Mr. F. C. Phipps; Earl of Rochester, Mr. R. F. Houlihani Edward, the paKe, Mr. T. J. Duffy; Captain Copp, Mr. Joseph JBairett; Lady Clara, Mrs. F. C. Phipps; and Mary," Mrs. Hooper. Hie piece is one thit is well adapted for representation before a general audience, as it abounds in s tuations, and affords ample scope for the introduction of varied scenery, and for the display of rich dresses. The Dramatic Club is now in possession of a large stock of properties ; and the capital little stage in the schoolroom affords them ample facility for the introduction of plays of every description. The various parts last evening were capitally rendered, and the audience testified their appreciation by frequent and hearty applause. The proceeds are to be applied for the benefit of the Catholic schools. Hebe is another emanation from the goose-quill of that adult (?) wjo writes "Passing Notes" in the Otago Witness:—" The Tablet is distressed about some statement made in a Scotch pap*r, to the effect that the Irish have a larger proportion of criminals than the bcotch, and gives statistics to show that Irish steal less than Scotch, well, I haven't the slightest doubt the Tablet is right, but may "<? t™^ arise from the fact, that the Irish can't get anything to Owing to the accident which occurred to the San Francisco mail-boat, and her consequently late arrival at Auckland, wo have been behind-hand in the reception of our Catholic exchanges. This is to be regretted, »s the Europeans telegrams, so far as all things Catholic are concerned, are gui c as unreliable as the Protestant press, and we are dependent for true information on the incoming mail*. The newest thing in journalism is a list of heiresses given ia the American papers. The appearances, qualifications, and, above all, the expectations of the young ladies are dilated on in a manner that, were the world not affirmed to be progressive, we should venture to call impertinent.

A lively scene was witnessed in Staff ord-«treet on Wednesday afternoon last, when numerous sons of the Flowery Land, who inhabit these quarters, were letting out to attend a compatriot's funeral. Jollity seemed to be as much the order of the day amongst the presumed mourners, as if some merry-making were on the tapis. If the version given of the affair by the ' Obago Guardian' be just, the Hon. Donald Reid has, in his courteous interview with Mr. ProuJfoot, supplied an additional proof of the insufficiency of even Ministerial soap to wash, the blackamoor white. " I'll shove this roll of papers down your throat" said the Honorable the Minister of the Crown. * * * " You're a blackguard to talk to me in that way," said the Honourable the Minister of the Crown. Thus reports our contemporary. Verily some exceedingly shady things are said and done, even by official personages, in this Empire on which it is boasted that the sun never goes down. On the festival of the patron of Ireland, the panegyric of that great Apostld was preached in St. Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne, by the Rev. W. Kelly, S.J., whose sermons and lectures were lately heard with so much interest and edification in Dunedin. The Ilhist rated New Zealand Herald for April is quite up to the mark. " Surf-boats at Tiraaru," and " The ship Grandee in collision with an Iceberg," are especially interesting. Signob Giammona, whose finished performance on tbe flute so delighted the lovers of that instrument during the tour of the De Murska Troupe in New Zealand, is at present in Melbourne. He recently sang in the Catholic Cathedral there a Qni Tollis composed by him, and which is highly spoken of. The Dunedin Catholic Young Men's Society held a special meeting in St. Joseph's schoolroom on Wedneslay evening last, when there was a lar,ge attendance of members. The principal business of the evening was the establishment of debating and improvement classes ; and it was decided to have a debate on given subjects in each month. Improvement classes were also formed, and a large number of members promised to attend them. It ia requested that members will attend next Wednesday evening at 7.30 sharp, when the subject for the first debate, to be held atTthe first meeting in June, will be given out. Mr. L. W. Btjsch, Mayor of Naseby, has been appointed a Justice of the Peace.

Considerable dissatisfaction has been expressed at a Duuedin medical man's having been employed to visit the small-pox patients at the Quarantine station. Surely the day is approaching when infectious disease will be counted a crime, and Christian charity seems rapidly giving way to "progress." Common shxme should be sufficient to quell such murmurs. Tiie following gentlemen have been appointed as a committee to make collections in aid of the-South Dunadin Church Building FundMessrs. N. Moloney, W. Meade, P. Duudon, T. Heff.rnan, W. Eadgar, P. Carey, P. Keligher, M. Fleming.