DIOCESE OF CHRISTCHURCH

New Zealand Tablet, 1 November 1906, Page 14

DIOCESE OF CHRISTCHURCH

(From owe owm oorrtspoiudeat.) October 29. ' The Very Rev. ' * Father Le / Menant des Chesnais, V.G., and Very Rev. Dean Regnault, S.M., Waimatc, were among the visitors to Hanmer last week.

i The lawn tennis section of the Christchurch Catholic Club met on last .Monday evening. to make ar- . rangements for opening the season. This latter , event was carried out on last Saturday afternoon when, in the' presence of a large 'gathering, several prizes were competed for. 7' ''—"-;. Visitors are now pouring into] Chris tchurch in their thousands for the opening of the Exhibition and thtf numerous attractions of Carnival Week, The mammoth structure, side shows, and surroundings now .-'pre-'-sent the appearance cf a small \own.V' lnside and out the exhibition buildings there is a scene of hustle and activity probably unprecedented in! this Colony, and' the efforts to evolve order out of chaos is evidently tax- • irig the ingenuity and staying powers of . all concerned to the utmost. Thursday, however, will prove how far these efforts "have proved successful. \- ~ ". " On Sunday evening after Vespers in the Cathedral the altar boys assembled in thejsacristy to say good--bye to Thomas Delaney, one of their number, a>nd to present him with a souvenir on \his withdrawal froni their ranks, to join the Marist - Brothers. The. Vicar-. General, in very eulogistic terms, made the presentation—a valuable prayer-book, suitably inscribed ; < - andthe recipient returned thanks to. the -Very Rev. Father' for his good opinion, and -to the djmofs for their Valuable gift, whioh would always him 1 of- tha, 1 happy hours they had spent together. \ '■■■ ■-' ' h~ ' On Wednesday of last week Mr. Malaquin, French Professor at the local High Schobl, entertained - the . boys of the Marist Brothers' School with" a gramophone performance. The main object of Mr. Malaquin ; was. [ to give the, boys an idea of how to pronounce and speak French. For this purpose, ihe has ' secured a number of records in - full of - a series of lessons, which he has embodied in a little .manual for class" use. In this manual, the Professor goes through a lesson in the ordinary way, explaining and comparing" kindred words in both languages, then easy phrases, "and lastly sentences. A resume of the whole lesson' is" then given in conversational French with a clearness ofn tone and delivery that is not only instructive and •effective, but very entertaining. The boys, especially the advanced ones, enjoyed the treat,' and. expressed, their appreciation thereof as -^oys iknow how on such occasions. - ' - - N , - A gentleman on tour in the Old Country contributes to the ' Press ' some interesting observations on the great Horse N Show and street scenes in DubUn. In describing the fashionable element and the incidental pursuits of. the crowd, -he says : — ' Of- course the numerous black-clad reverend Fathers, who delight in the innocent pleasures of. the show,- form an- exception to-- this rule,- but even they wear, at any rate, *-" the critical look that betokens keen appreciation of a- good hprie and a skilful rider. . . „ The success of the tpam service has naturally affected the fortunes of the. cabbies and jaunting car men, who are no longer such a marked feature in. the life of the city as they used to"! be. Although the stress of -opposition has, to some extent, damped their roliicking spirits, 'they still ■ give instances of that unconscious humor for which they have so long been noted. For example, recently a very elderly lady, who had been driven to . a drapery establishment, said to her driver, \vvho was helping her out of his vehicle:- "Please be "careful," for, "sure, I am no "longer young." The man at once" replied : ''Begorra, mum, no matter what age you -,'are, "you don't look it.' After all, this is not more'- droll than a paragraph which appeared in a country p~al)er. The', editor, referring to the ' candidature of a' . -certain political opponent, told his readers " that Hhe .fact of . -Mr. Dash .coming forward is sufficient to v make your forefathers who bore you, _ turn in their graves.". This brings to mind an extraordinary fact disclosed : *by a certain wellknown orator who told his spell-bound audience that 4i tne pale faces of our soldiers in India are the backbone of the British ' army." Among the attractions of Dublin must be counted the 4200 gigantic policemen who guard its streets. These men, someiof wspm are. six feet eight inohes in; "height, are selected from, all parts of the country, jand are only appointed ~<a£ter a rigid- examination has proved that they are physically and mentally fitted for their position". Their mere appearance is enough to) .inspire any would-be rowdy- with awe, for it requires but a glance to convince any ordinary man" that he would have no chance in -„a 7 struggle with- one of these leviathans. Formid- ~ able as they look, they are really a most polite and , amiable body of men,, whose services- are always at the disposal of law-abiding citizens.; Like all their countrymen, "they " have a ' ready wit, a!s the following incident proves. A few days ago, a stout lady rushed up to a •constable who was stationed at 1 a busy junction of the ti^am^ lines, and said : ' Tell me quick, where will I get the Rathmines car?" " Bedad, mum," he replied; •* if you don't look sharp arid get off that line you'll get it in the back." » . . ( -