Notes

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXII, Issue 42, 20 October 1904, Page 18

Notes

A Mare's Nest From a! communication received by us from Auckland we le-arn that some no-Pope,ry prjospettor up there has ' struck ' a marc's nest. There has apparently been a good deal of noisy exultation over the discovery, but the nest is not, after all, so valuable an asset as il seemed, for the old mare had forsaken it long ago. It is the mouldy old ' fake ' abk>ut the BaJK'Waeloe Lunatic Asylum, Ireland. According to sundry Orange Members of Parliament, who worked themselves int\o simulated epileptic fits over the matter, the position of medical officer of the Asylum was vatfant ; there were two applicants., one a Catholic, the other a Protestant (Dr. Enright) ; a,Tid the Catholic secured the appointmcwt solely on account of his religious belief. But ft so happens that two-thirds of this s.toory arc ' a fairy talc of a far-off land.' The fact was (as the ' Glasgow Oibserver ' of August I's pointed out) ' that the Catholic was, in reality, the only applicant. There was nominally a Protestant applicant, Dr. Enright. As a matter of fact Dr. Enright's religion was not known when the appointment was made ; but, in any case, his application was' put assde because he failed to comply with the conditions a/Avertused of spending in testimonials^— a requirement attached by all pu"blic boards everywhere in the case of applications for public professional appointments.' Irish Catholics do mot follow the evil example of religious 'boycotting set them by the Irish Executive, by members of the dominant creed, and by the Yellow Agiony in I lster which, nevertheless!, rajfces 1 a fine buz'A about l exclusive dealing ' from the s»a,me motive that the pickpocket and the cheat talk most loudly at times of honesty and ' honor-bright ' An Anglican Monastery In one of his books tjie veteran Protestant missionary writer, Dr. Need ham Cust, LL.D.,, givesi the following amonig his eleiven ' s'u^cS'tions' for emendation of missionary methods ' : ' Let no male missionary marry 'till he has had ten years' service iri the field. Encourage brotherhoods and sisterhoods, as a matter of administrative convenience and economy.' The Anglican Bishop of Melbourne seems to have been taking a leaf out of Dr. Cult's ' Missionary Methods.' At the recent Anglican Synod in Melbourne he outlined as follows a scheme for the establishment of monasteries in his diocese :—

' I wish to draw your attention to a scheme I have in, hand, for dealing with the work of a large country district. In the Fern tree Gully district we shall have, in the course of a year or two, some twelve churches' My proposal is to work the Ferntree Gully district on a new plan. To eiect a clergy house with accommodation of Uho 1 simplest character, for six men ; to place the whole district unti>-r the charge of one clergyman, and* give him lay readers as assistants. Ihe daily life will be regulated from morning till night by rule and discipline. Hours for study and other woric will be jgresariibed, ana young men entering the work of the ministry under such conditions will acquire habits that will influence the whole of their lives. The plan assumes that) these young men should put off all considerations of marriage for a number of years. The first thought of a young man upon taking holy orders must be for the great work to which he is about to give his life, and early engagements to marry have often proved a hindrance in the way of Hoth study and work. As the clergy house contemplated must be well and substantially built,, the sum of about £1,000 will .sbo nedded for the purpose. Nothing will be retired in the way of maintenance, as each man will be charged a moderate sium for (his board and lodging.' Easing Off The situation in France has ' eased off ' so far as Una hesitant Bishop of Laval is concerned. He got strict injunctions fom M. Nero Combes not to proceed t|o Homo to give account of his personal conduct and of his spiritual stewardship. He has, however, wisely elected to obey the higher law and is now in the Eternal City. The ' Osservat,ore Romano ' publishes, in connection with the case, the following note : Monsignor (ieay, Bishop of Laval, has arrived in Rome in obedience to the orders of the Holy Father. The Italian and foreign Catholic Press will do well to abstain from commenting on this matter until the Holy See has come to a decision on the affair.' Combes : A Biography From our esteemed contemporary, the ' Austral Light,' we extract the following nutshell biography of tMie little man who, dressed in a little brief authority, is* strutting on the political stage of France in the big buskins of a Nero :-— It is goner ally understood that J\l. Combes, the Anarch and Apostate, who is waging war on Christianity in France, won at one time in a religious Order. Few, however, know the extent of his connection with religion The following personal facts, therefore, may be of interest in consideration of the part which this man is playing as leader of the Satanic hosts in France. The parents of Combos were peasants who were too poor to pay for his education. The Lazarites (known here as Vmcentians) took Ihe lad and educated him. Like the charitable man in the fable, they warmed the viper in their bosom who was afterwards to sting the Orders to death. Alter a few years tihe Fathers found themselves compelled to expel Combes for irreligion. He was nob immoral, but irreligious, possessing a distaste for the practice of religion, and being entirely wanting m religious dispositions. Some years later he found hisi way i,nto the congregation known as the Asfeumpticlnists, a great body of secular priests, whose object is to, effect all the good possible, especially through the press. It was this congregation which established 'La Croix,' a t vigorous and influential journal, which was v n fortunately and vainly sacrificed as a peace-offering to hho persecutors then menacing the Church. The wily enemies of the Faith pretended that if this formidable adversary, " La Croix," were removed, there would be ,poace. Like the forester in the story, they wanted the faingtf of the lion removed in order that they might nnore safely beat out its brains with a club. Witfr this congregation' Comihes remaiined for siome years, wearing thQ soutane all the time. He never made any ad-

vance in religion, not even to tonsure. He was finally expelled) for irreligion, as before. After tw 0 years' sturdy he gained a very inferior degree in medicine, and no patients, fie then proposed marriage to a virtuous and well-to-do young lady, who refiuseti him at first on aceoun,t 'of his irreligious tendencies, but allowed herself in the long run to be persuaded to the union, the irony of the situation consisting in the fact ih&t her persuader was aai ecclesiastical dignitary. She died after eight years, leaving two sows, o m e of wihom was that Edgar since notorious in connection witli the bribery aftair of the Grand Chartreuse. After the death of his wife, CorrVbes began his rabid career against the Church, the sure path which mediocre Frenchmen tiread to place and power.'