INTERCOLONIAL.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 30, 24 July 1902, Page 7

INTERCOLONIAL.

The treasurers of St. Mary's Cathedral Building Fund, Sydney, acknowledge the receipt of £500 from the executors of the estate of the late Hon. Thomas Dalton. The death is reported of Sister Mary Antonia, of the Convent of Mercy, Adelaide. The deceased nun some years ago wan, as Miss Gertiude Toleman, one of the most gifted students of the oonvent. At the sixteenth annual social in connection with St. Patriok's Branoh of the H.A.C.B. Society, Adelaide, a presentation, consisting of a Gladstone bag and dressing case, was made to Rev. Father MoGrath, chaplain of the branch. Councillor F. B Keogb, in making the presentation, referred to Father MeGrath's excellent work on behalf of the society, and the deep interest he bad taken in the branch. Very Rev. W. J, Quilter, of St. Francis Church, Melbourne, was presented with an illuminated address and purse of 125 sovereigns by his parishioners and friends, on the occasion of the silver jubilee of his ordination to the priesthood. The ceremony took place in the Hibernian Hall, and Mr F. Reynolds presided, The presentation was made by Mr J. G. Duffy, M.L.A., who gave Borne interesting historical facts and reminiscences of the old church from the time when Dean Geoghegan first celebrated Mass in it in the year 1839, and in acknowledging the gifts, the reoipient referred at length to the wonderful progress of the Church in Victoria. The Orange party (writes the Melbourne correspondent of the Otogo Daily Times) made an effort to capture the Melbourne meeting of Protestant clergy which was convened to organise an agitation against the Catholic vote in regard to religious education though nowadays ' Scripture lessons ' are demanded. It was most noticeable at the meeting that the Orange champion, the Sev. D. M. Berry, was uproariously applauded. But the more moderate and saner men earned the day— the Rev. Dr Marshall, Fitchett, and Bevan. These men took the view that if the Roman Catholics had any organisation they were only within their rights ; more shame to the Protestantß that they had not organised long ago ; and that any organisation of the Protestant vote might well be carried out without specific antagonism to any Catholio vote. And to this view the meeting agreed. The resolution reads to 'organise a Protestant vote so as to give it due weight in the politics of the country ' ; not as it was suggested it should read, to counteract the Catholio vote. It is pretty safe to predict that very little will come of it. The country is not with the clergy — not even for Scripture lessons in schools. The Audraliaii Star, writing on the great Homo Rule demonstration which took place the other day in Sydney, said : — 1 That Irieh-Australians would rally in force at such a demonstration as took place in the Town Hall was a foregone conclusion. Home Rule for Ireland are -words indeed to conjure with wherever Iribhmen or their desscet.dnnta are to be f< und in any numbers. The enthusiasm they evoked from the vast audience that gathered in the Town Hall was unmistakable. Nobody who attended that meeting could doubt for a me men t that faith in the cause of self-govern-ment in the country from which they trace their origin is as strong as ever among the Irish of Sydney. Their belief iv that dmction is one at all events which even those who do not share in it should at least be able to reppect. No fact is better attested, not only in this part of the world, but in many regions besides, than that an Irishman's devotion to his native land has never interfered with bis loyalty to the land of hid adoption. At the meeting in question Irish-Australia in the second generation found some notable representatives, conppicui us among- whom were the chairman (his Worship the Mayor of Sjdmy, Mr Thomas Hughes), Senator O'Connor, and Mr F. W, O'fcullivan, the Minister for Public. Works.' While the brilliant fojrano, Amy Castle?, was singing in Sydney (cays the I'm wan'x Journal) the critics of the daily Preea tried hard to had the public to believe that Hgnor Dani, the favorite Italian tenor, was as much the attraction as Miss Castles. Their notices were headed ' Ca&tles-Dani Concert?, 1 and in the case of the Sydney Daily Telc/rajth it was pretty openly announced that the writer thought 'no great shakes' of Mi^s Castles and swore by the tenor. At that time we ventured in thef-e columns to suggest that, with a view to test the matter, Signor Dam's friends should give a series of concerts for him without Misa Castes, and thus judge the drawing power of their star. This has since been done. The Telegraph reporter reports the result, which we reprint for general information :— ' With the many concert novelties in view and several recent appearances of Signor Carlo Dani, it was scarcely to be expected that the Italian tenor, despite bis pronounced popularity, would draw a very lavge audience to the Town Hall on Saturday evening labt. Mere curiosity has been exhausted in the tenor, and at the present time he naturally only appeals to the regular concert-goer. But in addition no particular skill was exhibited by the management in initiating the season, and the result altogether was a comparatively small attendance. This in no way checked the enthusiasm of those present. Double encores, as heretofore, were rapturously demanded.' The test has, therefore, been made, and the inference is now plainly deducible that the great crowds which assembloii at the • Castles-Dani ' concerts were there primarily to hear the soprano, and not the tenor. Take away tho soprano, and the crowds vanish, and the result is 'a comparatively small attendance.' In making these few observations we do not wish to be understood as criticising Signor Dani. We regret that his concerts have not been largely attended, and we hope that at future concerts crowds will conae to listen to his beautiful voice. He was in no way responsible for the attempts of ignorant persons to boom him at Misa Castles' expense.