INTERCOLONIAL

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 23, 4 June 1903, Page 31

INTERCOLONIAL

Sister Rose Hughes, one of the oldest members of the Sisters of Mercy, Goulburn, has just passed away at the age of 72 years. The Rev. Father E. Bertreux, S.M., has been appointed Superior of the Marist Missions in the English Solomon Islands, and is to leave Sydney immediately for the field of his labors. Speaking at a Catholic function, the Bishop of Goulburn said he thought the next generation would find that the great battles of tins countiy would be between agnosticism pure and simple and the Catholic religion. The Protestants with whom he had discussed the matter had grave apprehensions as to the future. The New South Wales Education Act would be the death of the parsons, and not the death of the Catholic Church, as was once predicted by a politician. At the garden party given in Adelaide by the Lieu-tenant-Governor in honor of the Japanese Squadron, the principal feature (says the ' Southern Cross ') was the performance of the band, which drew forth much attention. After playing a number of popular Irish airs, including ' The last rose of summer ' and ' Erin, the tear and the smile,' the band gave a selection of Japanese pieces, which completely captivated the music-lovers present. The music is wild and weird, and the effect to some extent, reminds one of the bagnipes Dr. O'Reily, who was an interested listener, was fascinated. One of the most interesting of the officers of the Japanese Squadron (says the Adelaide ' Southern Cross') was Lieutenant S. Yamamato. who is a Catholic. The officer met his Grace the Archbishop at the LieutenantGovernor's garden party, and was driven to the Archbishop's house, Glen Osmond, where he had a very interesting conversation with Dr. O'Reily. Lieutenant Yamamato speaks English, French, and German fluently, and although but 25 years of age he has travelled Europe, where he had the opportunity of visiting the Vatican and the privilege ol a private audience with his Holiness the I'ope. Dr. O'Reilv made the lieutenant's stay as pleasant as possible considering the limited time at the disposal of the officer, and communicated with other Australian prelates at the \arious ports at which the squadron will call. Anyone present in the Jewish portion of the Rookwoogi Cemetery on the afternoon of May 14 (says the 'Freeman's Journal ') would have been confronted by an interesting little function by which a number of Catholic ladies peipetuated their esteem for a departed Jewish maiden Some six months ago Miss Zara Vandenberger, a former pupil of the Good Samaritan Convent School, Windsor, was laid to rest in the Necropolis. The scatteied ex-pupils, with whom she was a great favorite, weie much Tieved at her death As a small token of their attachment to their old schoolmate a loint effort secured a durable wreath of white floweis, enclosed against the weather and properly inscribed A bevy of these friends chaperoned by Mis T Btown, of the' Glebe went to the cemetery on the day mentioned and icverentlv laid their offenng on the grave of thendead friend. Speaking at the opening of a bazaar at Botany his Eminence lefeired to the strike in Victoiia. and said: 'It was a happy augury for their fair that over the telegraph wires the word had Hashed announcing the close of the railway strike in the sister State of Victoria He might say, without entering into tho ments of the strike in any way. that they all reioiced with the pooi men that their stru"-"le with the Government, which had put forwaid all its powerful stiength tociush them, had ended Everyone would reioice that peace had been restored and that what had seemed to be inevitable in the way of injuring — tor a time at any rate — tho harmony of classes in the neighboring State, and the commercial entei prise of the people of Austiaha, had come to an end For his part, he entirely dissociated himselt fi om every one of those attacks made upon the poor people who 'went out on strike. The whole of the Tiublic press, and the influence and wealth of the counti v in not only Victoria, but m New South Wales and other States, seemed to be combined m one gieat eflort *^» crush these poor ] eople While he did not see how the men transgressed beyond their rights and privileges in a legitimate wav to associate themselves with thenunions — as every citizen has the privilege of doing — .still, at the same time, they reioiced that peace had been restored, and they fondly hoped that such measures might now bo adopted in the Parliament of Victoiia as had already been taken by the Parliament in this country, to prevent such strikes occurring in the future.