Position of Catholics in England

New Zealand Tablet, 27 October 1921, Page 42

Position of Catholics in England

For the first time since the outbreak of the war (says the North-West Review London correspondent,, writing under date August 6) . the Superior Council of England of the Society of St. St. Vincent de Paul has held its annual conference in the diocese of Southwark, when Sir John Knill presided, supported by Cardinal Bourne and the Bishop of Southwark. The conference lasted two days, and on the second day, which was Sunday, all the members attended Mass at St. George's Cathedral, Southwark. A point of interest raised during the discussions was that . Catholics should offer themselves in larger numbers for election on public bodies. Bishop Amigo said that in South London there are at least three Catholic mayors, and that there are Catholics on every borough council and board of guardians. The Bishop added that when attending a civic function in the Guildhall of the City of ( London recently, he met three aldermen of the city who were Catholics, and whose homes were in the Southwark diocese. In Birmingham the Vincentians have also held their annual meeting, when the members were introduced to the new Archbishop. The Council reported a considerable increase of membership, and stated that they began the present quarter with a balance of funds in hand, instead of a.deficit. The new Archbishop of Liverpool was present at the half-yearly meeting of the Liverpool Vincentians, when a strong plea was put forward for increasing Catholic work among seamen, a work that seems to be languishing at present for lack of proper support. Salford and Manchester Vincentians have also held their annual meeting. This is a great stronghold of Catholicism, and accordingly the attendance of members at the conference was very considerable.

Reviving Irish Industrial Art Rev. P. Conefrey, CO., Killoe, Co. Longford, has attracted a great deal of attention by his successful revival of home industries among the Catholic poor of his parish. He has reintroduced the almost lost arts—lost in southern Ireland—of scutching, hackling, and spinning of flax, the spinning, reeling, and knitting # of - wool, the wheel-making, doll-making, and other industries. He has exhibited this work and the actual operations at the Royal Dublin Society's Horse Show in Dublin, and at other shows. Some of the workers were as young as six years and as old as eighty years. In connection with this exhibition he brought from the countryside and villages the local pipers, fiddlers, dancers, and reproduced the ancient Gaelic music, song, and dance. ' Father Conefrey has just purchased the Donegal homespun loom on which the Fitz Alan cloth was woven, and brought to Co. Longford the operator of the loom to teach his parishioners the lost art of weaving.

College Wireless Will Help Farmers Daily market reports will be sent out by the radio department of St. Louis (U.S.A.) "University as a result of requests from hundreds of. small communities that have had the benefit of the daily weather reports sent out by the University wireless. The success of the weather report service since' its establishment a few months ago has been complete. The market reports will include the essential features of the daily bulletins issued by the various sections of the Bureau of Markets of the Department ,of Agriculture comprising live stock, grain, and provision information. <