The Catholic World

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXXV, Issue 15, 11 April 1907, Page 31

The Catholic World

ENGLAND— Catholics Barred The late Lord Grimthorpe's estate has been valued at over two millions. He left a proviso in his will to the effect that none of the property is to go to'a forefgner or a ' Papist,' or tci anyone married to a 1 Papist.,' Returning to the Fold A correspondent of the ' Manchester Guardian ' notes . that the number of converts which the Catholic Lhurqh is winning from the established Church is increasing.' He wiltes : As many as eight ' secessions to Rome ' from the Church of England ministry have recently been announced, that of the Rev. Ambrose Williams, a Cambridge Clergyman lately benefieed dn Herefordshire, being the latest. Of course, there is always a, more or less intermittent flow of .pilgrims from ' Canterbury to Home ' in progress, but- it is hard to understand' why the movement should suddenly" have become more considerable at present. A Famous Catholic College Ushaw College, which is next year to celebrate its centenary, is the successor of the famous English College of Dofi&v, as - St'onyhurst is of St. Omer., The , j Douai College, founded by' Cardinal Allen in 1568, was dissolved during the French Revolution— in 1793. In ' 1794 it resumed its life at" Crook Hall, .near the present Ushaw, under- its old head, and »it is a proud' boast of Ushaw that it can point to an unbroken lime "of rulers, with the Douai College, from Allen. There have been twenty-nine " rulers in all. ~ 'Bishop Wilkinson, the present president— a, convert ' from the Ohurch of England— is the twelfth since the removal <rom France. Ushaw .has, of course, been- the train-ing-place of most of the CathoMc clergy of the North of England. It has produced a long line of bishops, and three of its sons have risen to the cardinalate. ■ Dr. Lingard was vice-president of the college, and he is buried in the college cemetery. "He was deeply attached to Ushaw, and it is an interesting fact that he left part of the proceeds of his great history for, the establishment of bursaries at the college. The great pride of Ushaw is its magnificent collection of relics, 'the richest,' it has been said, 'in the possession of any individual or community in the world.' They number 900 altogether, and include a ring taken from the hand of St. Cu'wu.ert when the saint's tomb was opened in 1537. FRANCE— The Grotto of Lourdes In consequence of a report which was circulated recently to the effect that the French Government contemplated confiscating the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, and forbidding pilgrimages to it, we (Edinburgh 'Catholic Herald') have made inquiries into 'the matter on the spot, and 'have received an official letter from his Lordship the Bishop of Tarbes, in which he states that there exists no motive for the French Government taking any such action. 'We can only suppose,' he says, c that, despite what has passed, the pious people of all nations will continue to respond to the appeal of the- Immaculate Virgin, and come to prostrate themselves at the foot of her grotto to receive her maternal and signal blessings.' The Irish College The French Minister of Pubffic Worship (says tlie 1 Catholic Times ') is acting Ihe part of the wolf towards the lamb in dealing with those who uphold' th© " rights of the Irish College, Paris. He is using arguments that are transparently absurd, but. they will suffice for the purpose "of confiscation. -Through, the representatives of the ' Tribune ' and the ' Standard '_, he urges that the Separation Law has made it necest sarv for the French' Government to take in hand the . settlement of the question 'of the British Catholic foundations .in France. These foundations * were outside .the scope of the. French Church Establishment, and where the necessity oomes in is ' one ■' of ' those things that no one save an anti-Christian Minister can j understand. M. Briand, it appears, feels bound to admit tlfat the Irish College is Irish property, but the ■ ■ British Government are to he asked to sanction the robbery of British subjects. It is -to he requested to agree to the sale of various plots of ground" and houses with which the .British foundations are*now endo wefl, and to the reinvestment of I>he whole fund in French_. Government stock. After the- college has been suppressed, the- Irisli students " will he permitted, if

nominated by the British Ambassador in Paris, to have their burses— should they be taken in— at the JtTrench Lycees and the French theological colleges, the existence of which the French- Government have endeavored to render impossible. ' Assuredly ■it is the fable of the wolf 'and the lamb over again. ' 'If "we know* anythingof Irish-men-, they will n<Jt patiently submit ' to this ; outrage upon- a cherished institution. The British Empire can do well enough without the ' entente cordiale,'" and so far as Irish are concerned, they will have none of it if the confiscation on which M. Briand is intent takes place. They are strong -in the British army, and 1 in that --event, they will-never fight - for France if ,it wants their help. GERMANY— Persecution in Poland In Prussian Poland (say.s the ' Catholic Times') the measures taken against those Who advocate the"use of the Polish language are Draconian. A number of priests are now in prison for having quoted the Council of Trent and local Synods to ' prove that the children should be taught their- religion in thi»lr mother tongue. The sentences vary from three weeks to eight months. Fines are frequent and heavy. The editor of a Polish- paper at Posen has 'had to pay fifteen thousand marks, and another Posen journalist four hundred and fifty. A young teacher who tried in vain to induce Polish children to " say their prayers in German beat .them- savagely and- then ured off a revolver, producing so much alarm that one child became seriously till. ; Public protests have been niade against his conduct, "bu-t"-' he remains at his post. It is a fine testimony to" the" tenaedty of the Poles that the -'harsh treatment- only .makes them- cling all the mo v -e steadily to' their r own tongue and their own customs. ITALY— The Thousandth Anniversary According;, to 'The Catholic News' a convent of nuns at - Zaza in' Italy was founded in 1906, and the Sisters are now celebrating the thousandth anniversary of the institution. ROME— The Holy Father's Jubilee The Holy Father received on February 9 in the Hall i of (the Consistory the Central Committee for the celebration of the- golden jubilee of his priesthood. Personally, he said, he would have preferred that the anniversary should be' observed by himself alone in his private chapel in loving converse with Christ, but as Vicar of Christ he felt bound" to permit"demonstrations of attachment and love for the Holy See. He hoped, however, the celebration would- have a purely religious character. - ' SCOTLAND— lnteresting Presentation. The Very Rev. Donald Canon Mackintosh, Rector of St. Margaret's, Kinning Park, Glasgow, has "been presented with an illuminated address and set of canonical robes by the H. J. McCrackeo Branch of the I.N.F. as a token of esteem. The Ve~y ..Rev. gentlej man was also the reorient of. an address from " the Girls' Guild of St. Margaret's. " SPAlN— Against Duelling The new Conservative Ministry in - Spain is beginning well. The Baron de Albi, president of -the Antii Duelling League, addressed a " letter to the Minister 'de Gobernacion, ' asking the support of the Government for_ the ends of the League, and its vigilance in I. seeing that the laws were strictly enforced aga'lnst offenders. In his reply the Minister writes : '' The Minister "de Gobernacion," and without a jdoubt the whole Government, .views with complete sympathy th<e efforts made by the League under your worthy presidency •to put an end to duelling— an evil condemned by civilisation and morality. This - ■being his conviction, it" seems unnecessary to add that the Government will use ' all means in . its power to hinder violations of the law, and, for this end, will gave most •definite instructions to authorities charged with watching over its observance' SWITZERLAND— The Education Question In Switzerland, by a vote "" of 318,139 "against 172,010, the largest roll ever recorded on appeal to the country, the people have just rejected a proposed system of undenominational teaching in the schools •which, was obviously a- stepping-stone to a purely Godless scheme. The Catholics united .with the religious Protestants in raising the cry, « God in the schools,' while ■ the political secularists tried . to raise the counter cry of * Clericalism ' and ' Jesuitry.' The common sense of the people, however, asserted itself The issue was clear, and, though the majority" of the .people were Liberals- politically, the proposal was defeated.

UNITED STATES— Death of a Bishop The Right Rev. Edward Fitzgerald, Bishop of Little Rock, died on February 2, at the age of 74 years. The deceased prelate was a native of Limerick, and had been ordained fifty years ago, and was' for forty . years Bishop of Little Rock. A Philanthropist " Count John A. Cteighton," seventy-five years old, a millionaire philanthropist, died at -Omaha" on ' February 7. He was^ made" a Papal Count by Pope Leo XIII., in recognition of his charity and gifts to Catholic educational institutions, " With his brother he gave ?1,500,000 to Creighton University and $250,000 for the' establishment of St. Joseph' 6 Hospital. He also founded a medical college, built St. John's church and endowed -the Convent of Poor" Clares. Altogether Count Creighton's gifts amounted to above $3jO0O;000.-