Current Topics

New Zealand Tablet, Volume LII, Issue 46, 2 December 1925, Page 22

Current Topics

The Bishop Wishes —that every Catholic school .in the diocese of Dunedin shall enter for the Next) Zealand 'Tablet Irish History Competitions'. The date is hereby fixed for Tuesday, December -15. If that date be for any sufficient reason inconvenient, the examination may be held on the next suitable day. The papers are not to be opened until immediately before the beginning of the examination. It is usual to invite the local priest to attend as supervisor or to delegate somebody to represent him. The period is from the death of Hugh O'Neill to the Union. Irish History We regard these annual examinations as of great importance, and although this year circumstances make it difficult for us to conduct them, we feel that we should be lacking in our duty if we let them go by default. The story of Ireland is, for most of us, the story of our Faith. The period appointed for 1925 deals largely with the heroic men and women who kept the sacred lamp burning in Ireland, in spite of dungeon, fire, and sword. Children reading of their sufferings will come to understand what that Faith must mean which was worth so much to our ancestors. They gave up everything they had in this world, often even life itself, rather than be false to the Faith of St. Patrick. Their schools were burned down ; their churches sacked; their priests and teachers hunted like wolves; and the most diabolical code of laws ever invented by the perverted ingenuity of man was framed to compel them to apostatise. But they conquered the Gates of Hell; and they kept the Faith. Beading even at this distance of time and place of what they did and how they endured, we will surely be moved to imitate them in their love for our holy religion, and we will come to understand why it was that Archbishop Ireland exclaimed: "I hold no man my equal who does not possess as I do the Catholic Faith." The Danger of Apathy Do not say that all this is past history and that it does not much concern us. Few things concern us more intimately; and it i"= for its present lessons that we urge the study of that glorious past, Teachers may be tempted to believe that the subject is not important enough to devote valuable f ,' V ! e to it. It is important, just as the Faith is important; and no teacher in a Catholic school would pretend that time driven to anything connected with the Faith is wasted. It may involve no small sacrifice; but what is our sacrifice to the torments en-, dured for long years by those who handed the Faith down to us, pure and undefiled? Again, thero is at the present time, in many countries, a tendency to lose forest in Ireland. In America it is very noticeable; and we believe it is the same here and in Australia. But do not- confound Irish politics with Irish History. The pros and cons of the present situation over there are but a passing shadow, and perhops there is justification for not taking deep interest in them.

Bui, beneath all the political changes, as an immovable background for the scenes that take place from day to day* is the magnificent and inspiring record of how the people of Ireland kept the Faith. In that we must not lose interest. No Catholic worthy of the name, descended from Irish ancestors, can afford to forget the sufferings of the past. And it js common experience that the men and women of to-day are good or bad Catholics in just the same ratio as they are proud of what their forefathers did in those ages of their grand refusal to become turncoats. Hence, we keep the competitions going, year by year; and we urge teachers to co-operate with us in this important undertaking. The Rites of the Pedestrian Before indignant readers rush to assure us that we are spelling the word wrong, we beg to inform t&em that they do not know what they are thinking or talking about. Pedestrians have no rights nowadays. ' In fact they are in imminent danger of being exterminated as a nuisance to motor drivers, male, female, infantile'or paralytic. Hence, to speak of their rites or obsequies is' much more becoming than to waste time discussing what is but a tradition. Having been once run down by a car without a light, we are (almost by a miracle) in a position to speak. And we say we fully endorse the recent editorial protest of the Dunedin Evening Star against the insolence of motor persons. In Paris things are done without any attempt at pretence. Furious 1 chauffeurs chase you almost up a tree; and speedsters on motor bicycles all but pursue you upstairs and into bed. You know they are out for blood and you are on your defence, but here it is still a fiction that the pedestrian lias a square deal, and that he may proceed to cross a street provided that there is no car within at least ten miles of him. To come back to the problem of rites: it ought to be enacted that whenever a driver runs down a pedestrian the nearest five chauffeurs should be hanged, drawn, and quartered. One of these days, if something is not done by public authority, the public will be compelled to exert private authority with machine guns. Mr. McDonald Draws the Line In a recent meeting held at Liverpool, Ramsay McDonald came to close quarters with the Bolshevist or Communist elements of the British Labor Party. While professing his, adherence to Socialism, he male it clear that he did not stand for anarchy and violence and he warned the extreme sections of Labor that the British Labor Party was not the place" for them. In taking this stand he had the vast majority of the workers behind him; and it is probable that nothing he has done previously has been so helpful to his Party. New Zealand as well as England has its Communists and Bolshevists, whose writings and words are sufficient proof to the man-in-the-street that they are not to be trusted. At election times the enemies of Labor are only too ready to seize on the wild ravings' of would-be Lenins and to bring before the thoughtful public the blasphemies of persons for whose ignorance the

godless State Schools are primarily responsible. Men of this type are the worst enemies of Labor, and to repudiate them as Mr. McDonald did is simple wisdom and common sense. The terrors of Russia are too near us in point of time to be forgotten, and it in this and many other countries there is a small section of violent people who want,to introduce Russian conditions, a sharp Imp, of division ought to be drawn between them and the ordinary workers who are the most conservative and law-abiding of men. .Whai> injury is done to the Party by the tactics and gestures of its' extreme fringe may lie gauged from the fact that it is common knowledge that no inconsiderable number of workers vote against their own candidates. The Irish Bishops on Dancing * The Irish Hierarchy, at their recent meeting in Maynooth, have warned their flocks of the dangers to body and soul with which modern dances and the evils associated with them are fraught:

“Dancing halls, more especially—in the general nncohtrol of late years— deplorably aggravated the ruin of virtue due to ordinary human weakness. They hay© brought many a good and innocent girl into sin, shame, and scandal, and set the unwary feet on the road that leads to perdition.” They point out that when frivolous people and careless parents are found in combination, the agents of the devil will do the rest when there are uncontrolled dances. These may lower or destroy the moral tone of a whole community, and action must be taken 'virile the character of the people is still sound. They have no condemnation for legitimate amusement, but, as pastors of the people, they are bound to speak against tho dangerous occasions of sin, such as certain dances undoubtedly have become. They also refer to the modern habit of bringing drink to dances, and to the desecration of the Lord s Day which often follows. They exhort all concerned to see that dancing is held under proper supervision, given up at an early hour, and preference ought to be given to the old Irish dances which have so much more to commend them than the imported abominations. “It is no small commendation of Irish dances that they cannot be carried on for long hours. That, however, is not their chief merit, and, while it is no part of onr business to condemn any decent dance, Irish dances are not to be put out of the place that is their due in any educational establishment under our care. They may not he the fashion in London or Paris. They should be the fashion in Ireland . Irish dances do not make degenerates.”

What the Bishops of Ireland have to say about these dangers applies still more forcibly in New Zealand. Some years ago an experienced Catholic layman, whom duty brought to a ball in one of our cities in this Dominion, told us that the dances he saw were such that he could not understand how a decent mother would permit a daughter to be present. The Ulster Boundary The cables are full of the news of trouble over the Ulster Boundary. Mr. MacNeifil has resigned. President Cosgrave has protested that undue influence has been brought to bear on the Commission. There

. are the makings of a deal of disturbance in the situation, and it would be a wise prophet ,;,.■.' who'could foretell whither it will all lead. . The partition of Ulster is .a sad heritage k, from the old Parliamentary Party. During the discussions over the Treaty we always believed that the first demand of the Sinn tj Feiners ought to be for an United Ireland. f As things turned out the greatest amount of time was wasted over the question of the oath. And, with reason, the- Ulster Nationalists protested that between Free Staters and Republicans they were left in the lurch and at the sweet mercy of people like Sir James Craig. There is a growing opinion in Ireland that it will be a great mistake to draw any Boundary whatever, and but for the present storm over the question the people of the South had almost lost sight of the fact that a Boundary was to be drawn. Evidence is not wanting that there is a movement on the part of Ulster to come in wholly and to share the fortunes of the Free State. Economic reasons are behind this phase, as might be expected. From certain quarters in the South have come expressions of opinion that it would be wise to let the Ulster people wait for a while. When they have felt somewhat more keenly the edge of hardship that is a present menace it is probable that they may be disposed to come in with a proper sense of penance for their past misdoings. But once a boundary is drawn, it is likely that its destruction will become almost impossible. At any rate it could not be brought about without more beating of the Orange drum than would be pleasant for ordinary ears. At the time of writing, the latest news to hand is the explanation of Mr. Mac Neill and the state- -\ ment of the other members of the Commission. We quote the cables from the Otago Daily Times of November 26 : "London, November 24. (Received Nov. 25, at 7.15 p.m.) "Professor Mac Neill who has resigned from the Free State Government, in a long explanation to the Dail Eireann says that he regarded his position on the Boundary Commission as a plenipotentiary not purely as a representative of the Free State Government nor an advocate of a particular viewpoint, but representative of a trust created by Article XII. When the commission's report was completed he thought that Article XII would not be fulfilled. He resigned in t order to give the* Free State Government , a free hand. —A. and >N.Z. Cable. " London, November 24. (Received Nov. 25, at 7.25 p.m.) ' "The Irish Boundary Commission 'announces that- Mr. Fisher and Mr. Justice Feetham held a conference with representatives of the British Government and intimated that in the Commission's view the resignation of Professor Mac Neill could not be ragarded as valid and effectual. Further, it is expected to deliver an award at an early date. It is proposed previously to give preliminary information indicating the general character of the award to the British and Free State Governments.—A. and N.Z. » Cable." 1 ' Athletics During the Editor's travels, especially in Ireland, England, and Scotland, he often heard young people speak with admiration of our wonderful All Black Rugby team.

They won golden opinions abroad, particularly in Ireland, where they had their hardest and most sporting contest. In England most sports condemned the decision of the referee who put Brownlee off the field, and it was universally regretted that this unhappy incident occurred to mar the complete harmony of the visitors' relations with all the teams that went down before them, during their glorious tour. It ought, however, be remembered that Rugby is by no means the National game in England, while in Ireland it N is played only by a very small minority of the young men. A mere handful in Dublin, Cork, and Limerick, form the material from which a team must be selected to face our champions, and the wonder is that the Irishmen do so well. The two great national Irish games are, of course, hurling and Gaelic football, and it would be worth going a long way to see the All Ireland finals in either. France has come on wonderfully in Rugby during the past decade and is at present able to give a good account of herself in international contests. But where France has made the most astonishing progress is in cross- country riding. The army officers are now first-rate ' horsemen and French jockeys can hold their own with the best men in Ireland and England. As for other branches of athletics, England and Ireland have no very remarkable champions at present. But of course the events in Ireland during late years were anything but conducive to serious and systematic training. Peter O'Connor's long-standing record of twenty-four feet, eleven and three-quarters has been smashed decisively by an American and there is no man in Ireland to-day likely to regain the laurels. Neither is there any high jumper like Con Leahy, nor any allround man like Tom Kiely or Maurice Davin. Apart from such freaks as the Finns, America is foremost in the world of athletics to-day. An Irishman who for many years before going to the States, had been prominent in all kinds of sports, told us that this superiority is simply due to American training. The team work in the United States is as wonderful as it is strenuous, and until other countries imitate the Americans, the latter will go on leading. The contests between Zev and Papyrus were decided in favor of the American horse. That, however, proves nothing, when we remember that the English three-year-old colt had to cross the Atlantic in order to meet the champion. But on looking over the track records and comparing them with the best of our own times, we begin to suspect that either the horses or the training methods of the Americans are superior to ours. As some of our readers are fond of horses we may be excused for quoting some of the statistics for them. On the Belmont course, near New York, a two-year-old filly. Miss Nett, ran four furlongs in" 46! seconds; Pen Rose ran five in 553; Jack Atkin ran six in lmin. Bsec.; Paris ran seven in lmin. 22£sec. ; Cherry Pie ran a mile in Imin. 35'iSec.; Goaler ran nine furlongs in lmin. 49sec.; Whisk Broom II ran ten in 2min.; Man o' War ran a mile and a half in 2min. 28|sec.; Exterminator ran two miles in 3min. "21|sec, with nine stone and two pounds on his back. On the cross country course, Brigadier General took 3min. 47sec. to win over two miles; Grandpa took smin 34see over three miles; and Hylas won oyer three miles and a ; half in 6min.

57sec. So far as wo remember, Gloaming 1 * time for four furlongs is the only record in which we beat the Americans. So that it is likely we can claim two world's Tecords itt this little country: The Peril of England The London Month has a serious article on the present outlook in England. The decay of British industry, and England's dependence on her industries are indicated clearly. The War has brought a, complete change in the economic conditions of the countries' engaged in it, and the apparent victors are really the vanquished, if we except America. England's wonderful prosperity in the past was due to the fact that her capitalist system enabled her to be first in the markets with her tools and machinery. She was a huge workshop, and her customer* were spread all over the globe. The vast trade done overseas was also the secret of the success of her giant mercantile navy. She concentrated on factories, and her people became a population «of factory hands. But one result of this was that they were no longer a self-supporting people. They had to depend on foreigners for their daily food, and they had to pay for it in the money made by the industries. ' Again, England's coal had ready markets in many lands. Today the development of hydro-electric force, and the use of oil and its by-products as fuel, have decreased the demand for coal. Thus, with new countries beating her in industrial fields, and with her coal lying unwanted by the side of the pit,- the money to buy food is not coming in fast enough. Probably, too, she never had such a dearth of statesmen. There seems to be no man big enough in Britain to grapple with the greatest problem that over confronted .her. She cannot afford to go much further on the downward way. It is made all the easier for her to speed along it by the growth of Communism and the tactics of people like Marie Stopes. Two parts of that remarkable old prophecy attributed to St. Malachy seem to be fulfilled. The first was that after seven centuries of persecution, Ireland would be rid of her ancient enemy. The second was that the downfall of the latter would then begin. The third, concerning the prosperity of Ireland, has not, come to pass yet., The following comment of the Catholic Herald on the English situation is worth quoting: "Nor are there too many mouths in England. There are too few hands ready to handle the plough, too few feet tramping the country roads and too few eyes' preferring the setting of Millet's Angelm to the most vulgar cinema, stunt. The English race has become a race of proletarians. They prefer to be paid in cash than in kind. They rather dwell in a city attic than in a country cottage, and they miss fresh airexcept on week-ends —rather than tram cars, tubes and cinemas. Enormous sums of money were recently spent in British Columbia to settle Englishmen on the land. The lure of the city was too strong for them and they slowly drifted across the frontier into the towns of United States. How this has come about, how an agricultural nation was turned into a nation of mill-hands and coal miners, hag been told too often to deserve repetition. We know that the Reformation started the transformation. Catholicism may be necessary to reverse the process."