Notes

New Zealand Tablet, 25 April 1912, Page 34

Notes

An Easy Convert

-. ..' A good story of a . conversion -to : the Protestant Episcopal Church is told by the .Philadelphia. Record, and is passed on by our bright contemporary the Ave Maria. A clergyman of that denomination, who was passing his vacation in a remote country district, met an old farmer, who declared that he was a ' 'Piscopal.' To what parish do you belong?' asked the clergyman. Don't know nawthin' 'bout enny parish,' was the answer. 'Who confirmed you, then?' was the next question. 'Confirmed me! \ ' Why, nobody,' replied the farmer. 'Then how are you an Episcopalian?' inquired the clergyman. Well, you see it's this way. Last summer I went down to Philadelphy a-visitin', an' while I was there I went to church, an' it was called 'Piscopal, an' I heerd them say that they left undone the things what they'd oughter done and they'd done some things what they oughtenter done. An' I says to myself, says I, "That's my fix exac'ly." An' I've been a 'Piscopalian ever since. '; our High Church friends,' comments Ave Maria, ' have the sense of humor, they will re-tell this story.'- V

Ireland's Historic Title

What is Ireland's historic title to a Parliament of her own ? Mr. John Redmond, answering the question in McClure's Magazine for October, 1910, writes thus: The Irish ? Parliament was almost coeval with and absolutely co-ordinate with the Parliament of England. The firstv Irish Parliament of which we ~ have any authentic; records sat in 1295, and'.* from" 1295;until -1495 that Parliament was absolutely supreme, a sovereign Parliament, l and no ; law [ made in England was binding in Ireland }' and although; in 1495 what was known as Poynings' Law was passed, which provided that the heads of all, Bills' to be introduced into the Irish Parliament were first to be approved by the -King and Privy Council of England,: still that law was an Irish law passed by an ; Irish "Parliament, and did not sacrifice the independence of the Irish Parliament or recognise England's right to make laws for Ireland. It reserved a co-ordinate; authority with the English Parliament, ; and this condition remained unbroken and unquestioned until the reign of George 1., and then, in '1719, an English Act was passed; which enacted that • the English Parliament had the power to make laws for Ireland. - That Act was always resisted, arid Ireland never for ■ one -hour ceased to protest against it, until at last, in 1782, the ; freedom of * the '' Irish Parliament

was obtained- by the great measure which Grattan, backed by the Irish Volunteers/ passed into law. The Act of George I. was repealed, and the English Act of the 23d of George 111., Chapter 28, solemnly declared as follows: “Be it enacted that the right claimed by the people of Ireland to be bound only by laws enacted by his Majesty and the Parliament of that Kingdom in all cases whatsoever, shall be, and is hereby declared and ascertained for ever, and shall at no time hereafter be questioned or questionable.’ ,-. v .' - - ‘ Eighteen years after that solemn declaration, it was disregarded, and the Irish Parliament, which had lasted for five hundred years, was destroyed by the Act of - Union. Mr. Lecky, in the second volume of his History,' says “ The sacrifice of Nationality was extorted: by the most enormous corruption in the history of representative institutions. It was demanded by no considerable. portion of the Irish people, it was effected without a dissolution, in opposition to the overwhelming majority of the representatives of the counties and considerable towns, and to innumerable addresses from all parts .of the country. The Union was a crime of deepest turpitude which, by imposing with every circumstance of infamy, a new form of government on a reluctant and protesting nation, has vitiated the whole course of Irish opinion.” Lord Grey, speaking after the Union in England, pointed out that there were 300 members in the Irish . Parliament. Of that number 120 members strongly opposed the Union, and 162 voted in favor of it; and of those 162, 116 were placemen in the pay of the English Government. From that day to this Ireland has never ceased to protest against the usurpation of the government of Ireland by the English Parliament. She has never ceased to protest, according to the circumstances and the opportunities of the moment. She has protested by armed insurrection. She has protested by never-ending agitaa® P r °t es ted by her representatives in the British Parliament. And her protest was never louder than to-day.’ ~