The Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXI, Issue 24, 11 June 1903, Page 27

The Catholic World

ENGLAND.— Catholic Truth Society The annual meeting of the Catholic Truth Society of England was held recently at the Archbishop's House, Westminster, the Right Key. Dr. Stanley presiding. Mr Britten, hon. secretary, read the report for the year, showing that numerous books and pamphlets had been issued in \«uious cheap forms. The report expressed regret that subscriptions to the free distribution fund had last year been very small. It would seem that Catholics did not recognise the necessity for this work In view of the extraordinary activity of the various Protestant organisations in distributing anti-Catholic literature this was to be regretted. The cordial understanding existing between the parent society and the Truth Societies of Ireland and Scotland continued. These societies showed considerable activity, especially that for Ireland which had been received with enthusiasm by the people This year's conference would be held at Liverpool in the first week of July. In connection with the statement as to the expenses incurred in legal suits, the report stated that numerous letters of thanks had been received by the Society for exposures it had made of various people and also for its pamphlet on ' Maria Monk.' Mr Stanfield, treasurer, presented his accounts for the year. He said he was disappointed by the miserably small sum devoted to the free distribution fund. The amount the Society carried forward this year was considerably less than the previous year Thp Society was in great need of funds. The statements showed that the receipts were £3629 for the year, while the expenditure was £3812. Westminster Cathedral The interior decoration of the new Westminster Cathedral (says the London ' Monitor ') has been begun in earnest, although it will be years before the gaunt walls and bare roof of the building are covered, as they one day will be, with costly marble and brilliant mosaic work. The decorations of the side chapels are at present receiving attention, and it is computed that in about three months' time the mosaic work of the chapel of the Holy Souls Will be finished, whilst similar work in the chapel of SS. Gregory and Augustine (the funds for which have been ghen by Lord Drampton) is proceeding apace. Mr. G. Bridge, the well-known mosaic artist, has been entrusted with the work, and ho is employing a staff of English lady-artists, specially trained in this class of work. About twenty-five are at present busy all day in the cathedral, and one can just catch a glimpse of them, clad in long holland overalls, perched on scaffolding erected round the chapel roofs, doing their work by the aid of candle-light. The work calls for great nicety. The colors are given to the girls in slabs about the si7e of a bieakfast-plate, and they themselves have to chip them into the tiny pieces required for the work, these pieces being fastened in with a kind of putty which has to be put on the wall by hand. Each girl is given ft colored cartoon of the portion allotted to her, which is pasted up on the wall near by, and from which she works. Some of the workers, by the way, are quite young efirls. Ihe cartoons in the chapel of SS. Gregory and Aumistino will represent events in the life of those two saints The next chapel on which operations nre to be commenced is the chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, the marble work in which ig now being finished. The new pulpit, by Medici, of Rome, has just being placed on the nave floor ; it is of white statuary marble, beautifully inlaid with mosaic workj. FRANCE. — Benedictines Leaving A Reuter's telegram from Pans on April 19 says :—: — The Benedictines of Kerbeneat, near La Rouche, have, for some days past been dismantling the abbey which has to be completely \nrated in a few days. They are going to Wales, where a nobleman has placed a special establishment at their disposal. An Exciting Scene Thero was an exciting scene on Sunday, April 10, in the Cathedral at Nancy. Mgr. Turinaz, in an address to the crowded congregation, informed them that ho had selected the Abbe Ravenez, a secularised Jesuit, to preach on the Sundays in May. By so doing ho wished to protest against the monstrous abuse of power shown by the Government. The remarks of the prelate were greeted with loud cheers and cries of ' Vive l'eveque do la Frontiere,' a tribute to the patriotism of Monsignor Turinaz. Policy of the Government A Paris correspondent, telegraphing under date Api il 20, says : — A session of the Councils General was opened throughout France to-day resolutions for and against the Government's policy regarding the religious congregations being adopted by various bodies. The Archbishop of Lyons and the Bishop of Nantes have written tho Premier that they cannot intcrtero immediately with the celebration of religious services in unauthorised places, or prevent the priests connected therewith from preaching. Several demonstrations in connection with tho dissolution of the congregations occurred to-day. A Loya! Clergy One of the accusations (says the ' Catholic Times ') constantly levelled against the French priests by anticlericals is that they are not loyal to the Republic. This, 'if we may believe the President. i 9 not universally true. On his passage through Marseilles, while en route

for Algeria, M. Loubet received the Bishop of the diothe Pope on the occasion of the Holy FtShert jjbili ?.• p-c?yte^,^ d s^ o s u SK h^ d &.H& ren know their own business best. orezaUnpopular Decrees Whilst a great many French Catholics look with apathy on the tyrannical acts of the Go vemment iiTits treatment of the religious Congregations, iT £ .extent that popular opinion is being ?oused in many plabes and that sooner or later the bulk of the nation will find out the true character of the men who are now at the ?h^ir,«f^ ÜbllC f a ?if irs -,. O - ur Home exchanges report that «^-sr^ ssa %&-& cms Twenty arrests were made by the police. Th??eA Serious Accusation „ The charge against M. Edour Combes, the son of the £ft ,n? rr TIOT 1Or ' ° havin « ° rered to sec^w the authorisation of the monks of the Grande Chartreuse if they paid him a bribe of £40,000, may possibly have ye?? !n l VrLc2 nS T c T B for the P^sent inTolerantMiniltry, in trance. M. Besson, the editor of 'Le Petit Da3vorv 01 h S> v, W^° made he a cousation, is a man hSd in the highest esteem in Grenoble, so much so that he it enjoying the moral support of leading Stilus strongly ll P n°T d }° hlm in P9^«cs. It was open to the fflE who is of course incriminated by M Besson's arrusaiMmi to have had that gentleman indicted the A?siSs' where the accusation would have been Inquired into 3 ?n^?h«t UP n n by^ jUiy of twelve men. Ins W of tX ing that course, however. M. Combes, when forced by M^ Besson s repeated accusations to take notice of tnem oidered an inquiry by an examining magistrate Valles who in addiuon to being absolutely dependent upon the Premier for the continuance of bis employment ia a so under grave suspicion of having been al intermediary n a similar transaction himself. Needless to X these disclosures have created a very great feelinjr of uneasiness in France where the accusation is freefy made 17 wff °.PP°"? nt9 K of tn e present Administration that it mn P OO n % by . a s y stem of bribery and cowuptioa more widespread and audacious than has ever before been attempted. M. Besson has now very properly refused tS give any testimony before a tainted tribunal, and has demanded that he be indicted before the Judge of AssizT and the truth or falsity of his charges determined by a jury of his fellow-citizens. The odious policy of M Combes towards the Church was bound, in any case to bring a powerful reaction, and it would be retributive justice in its most poetic form if it was precipitated in this manner. "^ 1U ROME. — Appointment Rev. Father Schuller (a. German) has been elected Vicar-General of the Franciscan Order, in succession to Rev Father David Fleming, who has been appointed secretary to the Pope's Biblical Commission set up in sis nUary t0 inqmre lnto the sc °P c of Biblical exegeStonyhurst Association Mr. Justice Walton, on behalf of the Stonyhurst Association and Mr. Robert Colley, head student of Stonvhurst College, were recontlv received in special private audience by the Holy Father, and presented to him a magnificently illuminated address in book form sitrned by all the community and students of the college Leo XIII. made many inquiries about the college, and' cave to all connected with it a very special blessing. Ordinations tt , At J" he * ene!>al ordination at St. John Lateran's on Holy Saturday the following students of the Scots College, Rome, were raised to tho priesthood: The Rev John Softer, the Rev. Patrick Lov, the Rev. Patrick Keenan of the diocese of Aberdeen : the Rev. John Nicholas Murphy, of the diocese of Galloway; the Rev. Thomas dillon, of the diocese of St. Andrews and Edinburgh • and the Rev. James Kellv. of the diocese of Glasgow' The first five, with two others previously ordained re^ turn to Scotland in June. Father Kelly remains another year in Rome.

Memories Memories of King Edward VII. 's visit to the Vatican during the Pontificate of Pius IX. (says the London ' .Daily Chronicle ') are still fresh among the -venerable oilicials of the great palace. Just ten yeais ago, when Queen Alexandra, with two of her daughters, had an audience ol Loo AJII., she was surprised to hear her husband's praises sounded in the headquarters ol the Papacy, where, indeed, they ne\er forget) The King, too, iv tho.se eatly da>s \isited main' convents and monasteries wheie, if he now tfoes again, he will find nuns and monks who will recall to his caib kunl voids he then spoke, and has himself, no doubt, long since forgotten. Queen Alexandra and hei daughters, by the way, when they had their audience, wore the regulation black silk, with veils , and went, for the first time in their lives, to an important call ungloved. SCOTLAND.— PapaI Chamberlain Mr. J . C. M. Ogilvie Forbes, of Boyndlie, Aberdeenshire, has been included in the number of Papal Chamberlains. Death of Lady Weld Lady Weld, in religion Mother Mary Gertrude Do-, lores, died on Maundy Thursday, April 9, at St. Scholastica's Priory, Port Augustus, N.li. She was the widow of the late Sir Frederick A. Weld, who was Governor of Tasmania Irom 1873 to 1880. He was alterwards Governor in Western Australia and at the Straits Settlements. During their residence in Tasmania (says the ' Monitor ') the Governor and his wife ga\e an cdiiymg example to the Catholics of the country, following the practices of their grand old faith in lervor and hiumility. There are many living to-day who have pleasant memories of the kindly old Governor and his highly-esteemed lady, both of whom have now gone to their' eternal reward. It is worthy of remark that they both took a keen interest m Catholic education, paying frequent visits to the Catholic schools, and sometimes Go\ernor Weld personally tested the educational knowledge of the scholars. The late Lady Weld was the thitd of the sixteen children of Mr. Ambrose Lisle March de Lisie, of Clarendon and Grace Dieu, Lancashire, England On retiring from Mce-reg.U hie Sir Frederick and Lady Weld went to reside at Chideock Manor, iti Dorsetshire. Lady Weld, as already stated, after the death oi her r|usband, went to close her da\s at the Fort Augustus Coment, ol which her lourlh daughter had been chosen Supei 101 _________ __