Intercolonial

New Zealand Tablet, 23 October 1913, Page 51

Intercolonial

; : The Mother Provincial of. St. Mary's Abbey,; Ballarat (Mother Mary Gonzaga Barry), who is at present attending a chapter of the institute at Loreto Abbey, RathfarnKam, celebrated the 60th s anniversary of her entrance into religion on the 24th of last month. The celebration of the diamond jubilee will take place on the return of the Mother Provincial from Ireland. Y

The case of the man who on London Bridge vainly tried to sell sovereigns for a shilling each was recalled last week by the doings of a New South. Wales municipal council. Somebody offered it a piece of land for nothing (says the Freeman's Journal). It was valuable land, and nothing is a low price. But the council turned the offer over sixteen times, looked at it from every point of the compass, smelt it, "tasted it, tested it with its teeth-—and finally rejected it. All of which proves how hard it is to give anything away in these suspicious days.

"We are pleased to be able to inform our readers (says the Tasmanian Monitor) that our esteemed editor, Dr. O'Mahony, is making steady progress towards recovery. He is still in St. Margaret's Hospital and confined to bed. But the doctors are hopeful that in a week or two he will be up and about, well on the way to a restoration of his health and. vigor. Needless to say, the genial doctor feels the restraint and quiet of hospital life a novel experience after twenty-three years of unbroken activity; but he is full of appreciation of the kindness he has met with in St. Margaret's.

The Hon. P. McM. Glynn (Minister of External Affairs) presented recently his commission of appointment as K.C. to the South Australian Full Court—their Honors Mr. Justice Gordon, Mr. Justice Murray, and Mr. Justice Buchanan. In accepting the document, his Honor Mr. Justice Gordon said —'l am sure I am expressing the sentiments of my learned colleagues, myself, and also the Right Hon. the Chief Justice, when I say that we welcome into the ranks of the inner Bar a gentleman whose services as a jurist have been of such very great value to the Commonwealth—services which promise in future years to be of still greater value.'

Mr. W. B. Griffin, designer of the Federal capital, strongly advocates doing away with fences. ' Fences,' he "declared, 'are a survival of the time when cattle had to be kept out of gardens; but cattle are no longer allowed to roam the streets of cities and suburbs, and so fences are not now 'needed for that purpose.' Had Mr. Griffin visited the garden suburb of Rose Bay, the frontier of Woolahra municipality (says the Freeman's Journal), he could hardly have made such an assertion. At all times, day and night, he would have been shocked to see horses and cows—sometimes even a bull—prowling unchecked about the public thoroughfares, and, when unable to enter a garden, browsing on the young shoots of the street trees.

On Rosary Sunday about 170 Catholics from the R.A.N, fleet, under Lieutenant Walsh, assisted at High Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral, Sydney. - His Excellency the State Governor, Sir Gerald Strickland, was present in Windsor uniform, and was attended at his seat in the sanctuary by Captain Talbot, A.D.C., and the Hon. J. L. Trefle, MjL.A. (Minister for Lands). Also in the sanctuary were the Hon. John Meagher, K.G., M.L.C., Messrs. Charles Regan, K.C.S.G., J. Lane Mullins (Papal Chamberlain), and Messrs. Tighe Ryan, W. J. Spruson, and M. Meagher, of the Order of the Cross Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice. The occasional sermon was preached by the Right Rev. Mgr. _ O'Brien, who said it was nine years' since the question of establishing an Australian navy was first mooted. Then lived on earth one whose name was familiar to all—Cardinal Moran, who as a statesman was pre-eminent. He was one of the first to propose the establishment of a navy by the Australian Commonwealth, and the consummation of his ideals had come to pass that day. How the late Cardinal would rejoice to see the great success of the project; and to

him, as a great statesman and a true patriot, should ba erected a monument by the Commonwealth.

At the Sydney Anglican Synod the question of religious instruction in the public ! schools . was - debated. Rev. H. G. J. Howe moved'That this Synod recognises the great importance and urgency; of the work of giving special religious instruction in public schools, and urges upon clergy and Church people generally the necessity of providing adequate : means. to enable the committee to more efficiently .avail itself of the privileges afforded' by the Public Instruction Act.' He said that last year, of the 53,000 visitsl paid to the schools, 27,200 were those of Anglican ministers. He did not often agree with the Roman Catholics, but thought that they should be compensated for relieving the State of the work of instruction in their schools.. Canon Goddard thought that if the people of New South Wales had known that it was only possible for ministers to visit the schools once a week, and if they had known how inefficiently the work would be done,, the passage of the Bill would be .seriously imperilled. Yet this system was universally admired. ;I When the new wing of Nudgee College is completed (writes the Brisbane correspondent of the Catholic Press) the school will be one of the most complete of its kind in the Commonwealth. The Brothers possess about 300 acres of fine country in close proximity to the bay, and they have all the advantages of a country residence, and the conveniences that lighting,, telephonic communication, and handy access to . the town give. They even supply their own cinematograph shows for the pupils, and attend not only to health and comfort, but to every form of innocent amusement and recreation. It will be remembered that their cadet, corps was barely formed when it was hurriedly sent south to compete against the best colleges of Australia, and it came second in that trial of stamina, proficiency, and discipline. In Brisbane and Southern Queensland, next to- its scholastic achievements, the college is well known by its cricket and football teams of old and present boys, who sometimes make a clean sweep of the premierships in all grades* - On Rosary Sunday an important ceremony took place at Nudgee College, Brisbane. A large number assembled to do honor to Brother Barrett, who for fifty years labored so nobly for religion and country. The occasion was marked by the laying of the foundation stone by his Grace Archbishop Duhig of a chapel in connection with proposed additions to the college. After performing the ceremony of blessing the foundation stone, his Grace called on the Principal of the college (Brother McGee) .to address the gathering. Brother McGee said that the college was founded in 1891, and since that time a sum of over £30,000 had been spent in buildings and equipment, without any appeal to the public of Queensland. A chapel and a science hall and additional dormitory accommodation had for some time been urgently needed, but the financial position of the college did not permit of the extensions being taken in hand. , The additions contemplated would cost £12,000, but it was proposed toerect the first storey, to be used as a chapel until thefinances justified the completion of the wing. His Grace said that the work performed by the Christian Brothers in the cause of education was in accord with the ideas of the Governor, Sir William Macgregor, who alluded to the schools as a greatnational asset. - His Grace mentioned that he was the first Archbishop in the Commonwealth who had passed through the Christian Brothers' Schools in Australia.