FEBRUARY 16, 1935, VOL 01, NO 07
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Transcript of FEBRUARY 16, 1935, VOL 01, NO 07
O F F I C I A L O R G A N O F C A T H O L I C A C T I O N P U B L I S H E D W E E K L Y .
S A T U R D A Y , F E B R U A R Y 9th 1935.
The Pope and Peace Triduum At Lourdes
A l l N a t i o n s I n v i t e d B E F I T T I N G T E R M I N A T I O N T O C L O S E O F S O L E M N
J U B I L E E O F T H E R E D E M P T I O N : W O R L D S U P P L I C A T I O N T H R O U G H T H E H O L Y
E U C H A R I S T A N D O U R L A D Y .
CHRISTIAN PEACE INVOKED. HIS HOLINESS P O P E PIUS X I , gives his most cordial approba
tion to the suggestion that a triduum of public supplications be held at the Miraculous Grotto at Lonrd-^ in Apr i l , for the establishment of true Christian peace in the world.
The gracious sanction of His Holiness for these special devotions —to be held during the three days and nights (Apr i l 26, 27 and 28) that will mark the conclusion of the Jubilee for the Redemption of mankind, extended to the whole Catholic world—is conveyed in the excerpts of the fo'Iowmg letter to his Excellency the Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, Most Rev. Mgr. Gerlier.
The following extracts from the letter of His Holiness scintillate befitting sentiments of t v e approaching feast of Our Lady of Lourdes. These are sentiments worthy of emulation by Catholics the world over.
" Y o u have given a ready and willing reception to the proposal, received from our beloved sons, his Eminence Francis Cardinal Bourne—whose recent death we deplore—and his Eminence John Cardinal J¥erdierT—Archbishop of Paris. They suggested that in the coming month of Aori l , a triduum of public supplications should be held at Lourdes at the miraculous grotto of the Immaculate Virgin during the three days and nights that will mark the conclusion of the Jubilee proclaimed to commemorate the redemptiin of mankind and extended to the whole Catholic world. Eucharistic Sacrifices should be offered there all the time and without interruption."
Every Nation Invited. . . "To the august Sacrament nf the Altar, therefore, after the lapse of nineteen centuries since the great Blessing was given us, let all Christians turn their minds and direct their devotion. In the streams of gr^ce that flow from it let them cleanse their stains, expiate their offences, and entrust and confide the trials and sorrows, by which they are sorely pressed, to Him Who alone can soften, lighten and raise them to the plaice of the divine.
They will invoke the mo<*t powerful patronage of the Virein Mother of God, who. from the first moment of her existence, was immune from the stain of our race/*
Weighty Evils of To-day. 'The evils that hang over us at
the present moment are so weighty and. grave that they see^n to sug
gest- practically no relief: those wo dread for the future keep the minds of all in suspense and anxiety. And the most deplorable fact is that in many places pagan practices are being established again, and that pagan doctrine, in direct contradiction of the divinp teaching we have received from Jesus Christ, is held in the highest honour.
But when the stubborn pride of man sins, there chiefly must it pay the penalty.
The Main Petition. 'The Bishops have another' very
laudable purpose in view—namely to exhort all Christians, each in his own diocese and under his own direction to participate in the solemn triduum at Lourdes through masses and special prayers offered everywhere for the object contemplated.
As a consequence the whole Catholic World from the ris ;ng of the sun to its setting, will during those days, with one voice and with one spirit, raise its suppliant hands to God and to His Most Holy Mother, pleading for mercy, peace and salvation."
A United World Petition. In the alternate change of day
and night that result is accomplished daily throughout the world. But during those days, we are confident, it will occur with a more fervent outburst of charity.
The world then, divided by its pursuit of earthly things and tossed about bv so many dissensions, will see the whole family of the faUhful. unUed by one mind, one fai*h and one prayer, petitioning for pardon for the fallen, peace for the troubled, consolation for the afflicted, bread for the starving, finally the li^ht of truth and the haven o* salvation for all who h«vp frone astray.
Catholic Affairs From Far and Near
(Continued from page 12)
Burma Paper Praises Sisters' Work Among Lepers.
Rangoon. The work of Catholic missionary sisters at the Rangoon Leper Asylum is described in an article which appeared in a recent number of the Rangoon Gazette. This asylum, founded by the Paris Missionaries in 1896, accomodating at present more tthan 450 lepers, belongs to the Catholic Mission of Lower Burma. The Franciscan Missionaries of Mary are in charge
"Here at the Asylum in Hantha-waddy Road, where Father Riou-freyt shepherds his flock of helpers/' writes the correspondent, "we were asked to go to to see one of the visible and tangible results of that human, blessed pity, which alone can explain permitted pain.
"We saw a fine, airy, two-storeyed building, modern in all points, where gracious colouring, practical thought-out detail, dainty gifts, bear testimony not merely to the sense of duty that provides asylum and sheer necessities, but to that divine sympathy which gives life to the sick and weary. We saw also a touching little entertainment, the plucky attempt to hold at bay the Giant Fear, the Demon of Despair.
"The patients themselves had made all the dresses, devised and painted the scenery, and did the entire producing of a well-acted Burmese play. We laughed and applauded, and sure I am that there were not a few throats in which a "lump," time-honoured expression to indicate swallowed tears, made itself felt.
"And finally we saw a little company of white-robed nuns. These are they who have given their whole life and service to the succour of lepers; who, not counting the cost, dress their wounds daily; who, by their own strong selfless faith, give them constant cheer and encouragement.
" A sturdy little band they are. No look of exhausted, emotionalized religious fervour here; no atmosphere of slightly superior spirituality which can cause the outsider to shrink under a sense cf carnal unworthiness. On the contrary, the gayest of welcomes, the friendliest of interest, and a sense of being considered not a
whit inferior to themselves, this? was the entirely convincing im-, pression conveyed in their pre-! sence. r ,
"And the still stronger tion came to me: 'How they are/ How happy. . . .
cmvic-happy'i
"Thev never go home to see their friends in far-away beauti-' ful France; they have put all that behind them, and I do not think that they can ever allow themselves the luxury even of thinking about i t ; and they never want to take a holiday, it would seem;
And,—they are happy.
"I went home with a strange ache of envy in my heart, realizing that here, in this quiet by-way* of a busy town, in a world worse! seem to some of us, they walk, the! than worldly, as it may sometimes! White Robed already in the Gardens of the Blest." (Fides).
Krishnagar (India). The Mayor of Krishnagar received Bishop Ferrando at the City Hall Novem-j ber 24, and welcomed the new Ordinary in the name of the entire population. He also thanked the Bishop for the valuable services rendered by the Salesian missionaries and the.Sisters of Charity in that district. Thousands of people playing cymbals and tambourines then led the Bishop to his Cathedral. Bishop Ferrando of Krishnagar and Bishop Mathias of Shillong, both Salesian missionaries, were consecrated November 10 at Shillong. (Fides) 16th Century Missionary Scholar
Recalled by Hindu Magazine. Bombay, the Times of India of
December 4, draws attention to a fascinating article in the current issue of Young Men of India. Bur-, ma and Ceylon about a missionary) scholar of the 16th century, Father Thomas Stephens S.J.
He was born in 1549 and went to Indiia as a Jesuit missionary in 1579. He worked mostly on the island of Salsette, near Bombay, where he acauired fame with his long Christian Purana, or sacred poem, in the Mahrathi language which he had mastered. Through the medium of this language he preached the Gospel to the people-1 Most of his poems have been handed down either orally or by manuscript. (Fides).
(Continued on page 19) ;
Published by Rev. Fr. Cardon and Printed by Lithographers Limited, 37/38, Wallich Street, Singapore, S.S.
O F F I C I A L O R G A N O F C A T H P U B L I S H E D W E E K L Y .
20 Pages. No. 7. S A T U R D A Y , F E B R U A R Y 16th 1935. 10 cents.
Solemn Inauguration Of Our Lady Of Fatima At St. Joseph's Church, Singapore
The news of this devotion given to our parisftioners first in the year 1932 when the Pastroai letter of the Bishop of Leiria, Portugal, (date 13th October, 1930) was published in the parish A N N U A L issued that year. In this the parishioners became acquainted with the story about the six apparitions of Our Lady between May 13th to October 13th, 1917, to the three little peasant children of an obscure village of Fatima, Portugal and with the development and spread of this devotion inspite of the active hostility of the then masonic government and of the enactments by the Bishops forbidding the clergy to participate actively in the devotion at Fatima, as well as with the reasons that led the Bishop of Leira, in whose diocese the village lies, to declare, after a thorough investigation of the events of the thirteen years between 1917-1930, that the story of the apparitions was worthy of credit and that the devotion was therefore permissible and praiseworthy.
»
This and the reports that our parishioners received from India and Macao, where the devotion was firmly established, " set the ball a-r®lling" and induced some of our parishioners to invoke the aid of Our Lady of Fatima in their needs and troubles. The responses to these prayers were the means to increase the number of
. the clients to Our Lady and soon they began to multiply in so great numbers that the parish priest soon felt himself called upon to furnish more details about these apparitions and the devotion. In the A N N U A L issued in the year 1934, he therefore published a fuller account issued by the C.T.S. of England with the following introductory words: " The devotion of Our Lady of Fatima is
(Continued on page 13)
i I
- i t
SOLE AGENTS:
S I M E D A R B Y & C O . ; L T D .
S I N G A P O R E & B R A N C H E S
The above photo shows the Niche of Our Lady of Fatima at the church of St. Joseph, Singapore. It was solemnly blessed on February 10th this year i n the presence of a large attendance of devotees. It is hoped that this feast will be celebrated each year with befitting devotion and honours and that the number of supplicants for favours will increase
year by year.
MALAYA CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16th 1935. MALAYA CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16th 1935.
John Wilmot lifted his eyes from the books temptingly displayed in the window of the shop opposite Westminster Cathedral and gazed with disapproval at the gaudy statue of Our Lady of Lourdes above them. As he moved away a woman came out of the shop, tall, beautifully dressed, her pale, oval face framed in a soft grey fur that matched her eyes. John gave an exclamation. She turned, startled, then held out her hand with an eager smile.
" John, fancy our meeting again like this after all these years! Where are you living and what are you doing?"
" A t the moment, like everybody else, I am looking for a job."
'The car is here. Come home with me and we can tell each other all the news. You will meet my husband too."
"I did not even know you were married."
"Eleven yoars ago, a year after we last met."
" M y first year at Cambridge. You were a kid in the school-room, with a long'-pigtail."
"I've changed since then." "I should rather think so, but I
knew you at once." The long drawing-room of the
house behind Westminster Abbey was austere and dignified, with a few fine pieces of period furniture and portraits by Reynolds and Lawrence. It was a fitting background for the man sitting by the fire. John recognised him as a well-known K . C . who had just received a title.
"Luke," said Madeleine, "this is John Wilmot. Fve often told you what friends we used to be. We ran into each other by chance just now."
,John respond to the charming courtesy of his host and it was not t i l l he had outlined his life since Madeleine's parents had left his father's parish that he realized that he had been cross-examined as cleverly as if he had been in the witness box. Lord Maine nodded when he heard of the disappearance of the head of the school, which had left John and the rest of the staff without salaries or references.
" A clever rascal. He got safely out of the country. I remember the case. Was your father at Cambridge? I thought so. We were at King's together."
The thin lips took a cynical twist as he saw John's eyes flash from his own tired, lined face to Madeleine's young loveliness.
"Yes, I am old enough to be her father," he said drily, "I married her straight from the school-room. Are you keen on teaching?"
" Tremendously," stammered John, disconcerted both by the way his thoughts had been read and by the abrupt change of subject. "I like it better than anything in the world. But at the moment it seems even more hopeless to get work as a schoolmaster than as a navy."
The door opened and a servant pushed in a boy of nine or ten in a long chair. His shrivelled, useless legs were covered by a shawl and the only live thing in the waxen pallor of the face was a pair of huge dark eyes blazing with intelligence. As he was introduc-
M I R A C L E From " T H E MONTH.'
searching look in the eyes that[ were so like Ronnie's.
ed to John he stared keenly at him under frowning brows then, as he put his hot little hand into John's big brown one, his face lit up with a smile which, for a moment, touched it with a faint reflection of his mother's beauty.
.In a few minutes he and John were chattering hard while his parents stood talking at the other end of the room. A clock struck seven and John jumped to his feet with an exclamation of horror at the length of his visit.
"Must you really go?"| asked Ronnie, clutching his hand.
"Would you like him to come again?" asked Lord Maine, his grim face tender.
"Ever so soon, please, and ever so often."
"Are you a Catholic?" Lord Maine asked suddenly, as he went down the stairs with John.
"Good heavens, no! In spite of being a parson's son I am afraid I am nothing particular in the religious line."
"That is a good thing. The boy, of course, has to be brought up in his mother's religion. She is a convert to Rome, you know."
"I didn't know. May I come again and see Ronnie one day?"
"I want a tutor for him. He will not be able to go to school, as you see."
" W i l l he never be any better?" "Nothing short of a miracle
could cure him." "That we both know to be im
possible. I am sorry." "The boy is intelligent. Would
you like the job of teaching him?" "But you hardly know me." "Madeleine does. I happen to
have heard something of your qualifications. The boy has taken a fancy to you. I like you and I seldom make a mistake. My profession makes one a pretty quick judge of a man."
The next few months were the happiest John had ever known. He felt as i f he had always been at home with the Maines, that it was natural his whole life, like Madeleine's should centre round the boy whose eager spirit was a bright flame consuming the frail body. Fast as John supplied knowledge, Ronnie devoured it, and the father, during his few visits in lesson hours, was obviously delighted. With Madeleine John renewed his boyish friendship while the happiness she shared with her boy in his young company gave her a fresh and radiant glow.
In March -the household moved to the old place in Sussex, looking over the downs to the sea. One fine morning a few weeks later Ronnie lay in his long chair on the south terrace engrossed with a new model aeroplane. John and Madeleine leant on the stone balustrade near by, talking in a desultory way of pleasant nothings, childish memories, incidents of life at Cambridge.
In the park the deer grazed under elms whose bare boughs flushed with the crimson of swelling buds. The sweep of chalk
downs was dotted with sheep and lambs as white and woolly as the clouds that hurried before the west wind and cast purple shadows on trees and grass as they went. In the distance the sea had the cold, green-blue of a beryl. A thin feather of grey smoke on the horizon marked the passage of a liner bound for New York. Otherwise nothing broke the shinning expanse of the Channel. The only sounds were the faint bleating of the lambs, the hum of bees, the cooing of a wood pigeon.
John looked at Madeleine's pure, pale profile, the crescent of white brow shaded by waves of soft, dark hair, the fringe of black lashes, the red lips that dropped a little sadly. In that instant he knew that the old friendship was only a mask, that he loved her as he had never loved a woman, could never love another. Ronnie's voice broke a spell that, for all its swiftness, had seemed to John unending. "John, this wretched propeller is stuck. Can you fix it for me?"
That afternoon Ronnie got a chill which turned to pneumonia and for days he hung between life and death. Even when he was pronounced out of danger he gained no strength and lay looking as i f a breath might snap the frail thread of life.
The Harley \ Street specialist was summoned again. John sat in the library trying vainly to fix his attention* on a book till he heard the purr of the Daimler engine die away in the distance. Madeleine came in and shook her head in answer to his questioning look.
"Sir Neville says he can do nothing. The old trouble is -increasing rapidly and nothing can be done to check it."
"Oh, my dear, if there were something that I could do to help!"
"There is only one thing which would be any good. Lourdes."
John moved impatiently. "You cannot surely think of
taking Ronnie there? It would be sheer madness. His father would say so too."
"He has said so, very forcibly. That is why I want you to persuade him to let me take Ronnie there. It is his only chance."
"How can I persuade him when I think, as he does, that the idea is insane?"
"He will listen to you when he will not to me."
"I cannot do it. I dare not take the risk."
"For my sake, John, because I beg you to do this for me, I know you will . - If we take Ronnie there I believe, I can't help believing, that a miracle of healing will be worked. Ronnie feels it too."
John could never remember how he had obeyed her wish what arguments he had used against his own reason and disbelief, strong as those of Lord Maine himself. He only remembered the sudden capitulation of an old, tired man, the bitter twist of the thin hps over the final words, the odd,
"Let her have her way The boy will die. Perhaps kinder to end such suffering
then. | it is^1
On ^Ptngs from .Albion Fisher and More.
There was a hope, this time last
A l l that care and money couU; *e e k< th?\ b y S° W j jT f h ^T
do to make the journey easy wasr1 ^ m , u s * l e a V e E n g I ^ { 55 done, but when Ronnie was carried | F a t * e r s d*™19l
W°u l l h a V e
f hlT
into the Lourdes hotel on aJ proclaimed m the- matter of the stretcher John wondered if he*? Canonization of Blessed John could survive the night. The next*1 F i s h e r ' ^ s h o p ° ^ R o c h £ s t e r > »na morning, however, Madeleine gave] jessed Thomas More Henry the a fairly good report and John went t E i * h t s Chancellor The Sacred out into the sunshine feeling a s I Congregation of Rites only met in happy as a fish out of water among* Penary session last Tuesday, and
6 /Catholics over here have already J been rejoiced by the announcement j —unofficial, however—that at that
t ! meeting the Cause of these two ryjj Martyrs was approved. No doubt,
therefore, need be entertained, it would seem, as to the outcome.
A gratifying feature in the final stages of the process has been the sympathetic interest aroused, by the expected Canonization, in the British secular press. Hundreds of articles and paragraphs continue to appear in the . newspapers, all of them paying tribute to the nobility of character in the two Martyrs, and many of them referring to the
the crowds who blocked the nar row streets on their way to the Grotto. The commercialism, he said irritably to himself, was bad as he had expected. He looked with an eye of disgusted,1
superiority at gaudy lithographs, [ tin medals, aluminium cups, fes-J toons of Rosary beads, glass scenu bottles and plaster statues oi l every size and hue. He fought his way against the human tide, across the Pont Peyramale, over) the ice-green, rushing Gave,; through the by-ways of the old' town, up, up, t i l l at last he stood on the battlements of the old castle. Icoked-for Canonization in terms of
The hot air was sweet with walh* high pleasure. Assuming the Pope's affirmative
decision, the next question of interest is the date for the great ceremonies in St. Peter's. St. George's Day falls this year in Easter Week, a fact which might tend to keep many prelates from Rome who would wish to be there; otherwise some over here would like to see two great Englishmen raised to the altar on the feast
Powers and lilac. Lizards darted I in and out of the grey stones. A J blackbird sang in the snowy blossom of a pear-tree. Far be-, low the huddled roofs of the olclj town climbed the steep hill and the Gave wound its snaky way/ under bridges old an new. Beyond the valleys, with their green pastures, their brown cornfields antfi vineyards, the mountains, still | grimly snowcapped, cut sharplyV of the national saint. A into the turquoise of the cloudless] sky.
May (Sunday the 19th?) sidered more probable.
date in is con-
John sat down in an embrasure of battlements with a sigh of relief. Here, at any rate, he was%in a world with which he was fami-, liar, his feet on firm ground. He began to daydream, pictured the swinging march of the kiltecq Roman legionaries who had first fortified this all but impregnable* g ^ " ™ height in the steady advance oi i L d r n a ^ that organised unity which was, the foundation of European civilization. Fighters, road-makerS| bridge-builders, law-givers, calmly imperial, sane, ordered, reasonable,
A Home of Memories.
Descendants of Blessed Thomas More are still with us, in the famous Catholic family of the
\ Eystons of East Hendred. The Eystons are directly descended from the More family through the
a son of the Blessed Martyr with Anne Cresacre, heiress of Bamboro' in Yorkshire. They have held their property in Berkshire, in unbroken descent, for more than five hundred years,
-^and attached to the house is a —he fancied them smiling nj s m a „ C a t h o l i c C h , dedicated serene superiority at the strangej t o g t A m a Q ^ w h i c h h a s b e e n
delusion which had. made an un4 p r i y a t e o f ^ E y s t o n s
known Pyreneean village the s i n c e t h e fifteenth c e n t u r y . A t
Mecca of the Christian workU H e n d r e d H o u g e ^ r v e d
Here, too, the banner of Islam had] ^ b o t h Q f B l e s s e d T h o m a s
flown for over half a century an* More and Blessed John Fisher: the frorn this rock had rung out the f o r m e r * s d r i n k i n ^ c u p a n d t h e
dawn call of the muezzin: Com*r fetter's walking-stick; there are to prayer for prayer is better a I s o i n t e r e s t i M o r e p o r t r a i t s . than sleep.'' The Anglo-Norman,! Simon de Montfort, had besiegeaj the castle. Du Guesclin, the Black; Princes's chivalrous opponent, had captured it. Here the great Napoj leon had dared to imprison thqj English ambassador, Lord Elgin,
The Cardinal's "Month's Mind."
In Westminster Cathedral, a few days ago, there was another solemn
who * w a r ' a ^ a r d s ~ ^ c h R for the soul of Cardinal immortality by spoiling the Par-. J ™ the month's mind. The thenon of its glory. So the long) gja , spectacle witnessed in the pageant of history passed with g * f e * £ • • " f f ^ ^ f i - T ^ E l S ? well-known facts and figures something sure and comfortingj in this strange place where all \ralues were reversed. i
A t lunch Ronnie was talkini eagerly of the procession of th Blessed Sacrament which his mother had promised he should attend next day.
(Contd. on page 19)
Cardinal's body awaited burial, has been already described and illustrated in the Leader. A t the "month's mind" there was again a large and impressive attendance of prelates and clergy, and an immense lay congregation from many parts of the Archdiocese.
The question of His Eminence's successor as Archbishop continues
to be canvassed in the newspapers, with guess work which is all to no purpose. Meanwhile the terna has been drawn up, and in due course we shall know who will be the fifth Archbishop of Westminster. Prayers are being- offered in the churches, and there is everywhere the supplication that the choice may fall upon a man worthy to follow in the footsteps of the great Prince of the Church who has been lost to us.
Education—A Danger to Face. In the view of the Archbishop of
Birmingham, the Most Rev. Dr. Williams, Catholic schools in England and Wales are in danger, as his #race puts it, of " being behind." The Archbishop made Catholic education the subject of an important address at this year's Catholic Reunion in the Metropolitan city. In the course of that address he pointed out that owing to the financial handicap under which the voluntary or " non-provided" schools are carried on, compared with the Council or " provided" schools which are both built and maintained with public money, it is becoming increasingly difficult, and places may soon be impossible, for Catholic schools to keen pace with the others, needing n^v requirements and maintaining equal efficiencv. In one large Midland centre. Wolverhampton, it has been possible to meet the situation, for children of the higher ages, by combining several narishes; but rot every town could afford to do this, while in small towns the solution would not be available. Altogether, Dr. Williams foresees an anxious time, with added burdens on the Catholic purse, unless the Government gives to the non-provided schools a measure of financial justice which is long overdue.
The Cambridge Summer School.
Many distinguished Catholic lecturers, clerical and lay, are to contribute papers or addresses this year at the Cambridge Summer School of Catholic Studies. This annual gathering, now a well-established institution, is to deal, in the 1935 School, with the subject of "Church and State." A number of the religious orders will be represented among the priest lecturers, whilst the laymen will include graduates both from Oxford and from Cambridge Universities.
Sir John Gilbert's Successor. The Secretaryship of the Catho
lic Education Council, a post which the late Sir John Gilbert, K.C.S.G., had filled since 1927, has been given to Mr. Robert Mathew. Among many good works falling within the Education Council's sphere,, apart from keeping a vigilant eye on Parliamentary legislation affecting our schools, is that of providing grants, in such districts, whereby Catholic children are given travel facilities for getting to and from Catholic schools at a distance from their homes. If it were not for this eminently practical help, such children would almost inevitably be drafted into non-Catholic schools, with consequent danger to their
faith. Mr. Mathew bears a family name in high repute among Catholics in England. His new office is an important one, and he enters upon it with many good wishes for success.
A New Jesuit School. The Catholic Grammer School at
Bede Towers. Sunderland, is not a new school, for it was founded by a local priest, Canon Smith, more than seven years ago. But as a Jesuit school this house of education will rank as new; because it is being taken over this year, after midsummer term, by the Society of Jesus and thereafter will be one of the Jesuit secondary schools for the North of England. A n extension of the building, it is stated, is in prospect. "Bede Towers" points appositely to the district's greatest historical figure, St. Bede, whose famous monastry at Wearmouth, near by, is commemorated in the name "Monk Wearmouth" now used for that town.
The Campaign Against Birth Control.
It would not be true to say that Catholics are the only body in Great Britain who are making their voices heard just now on behalf of national morality, because here and there they are joined by others in that good cause. But certainly it is the case that the Church is not only in the forefront of the campaign but is bearing the chief brunt of it, and is often left to do so single-handed. At the present time the insidious growth of birth-control clinics is being fought by Bishops, priests and laymen, and this in many parts of the country. Stockport, in Cheshire, has supplied the latest case in point. In that town the local Maternity and Child Welfare Committee propose to set up a birth-control clinic, or instruction bureau. But the Committee's desire has met with such rigorous opposition from Catholics, supported by some right-minded outsiders, that the moral effect of a great demonstration of protest lately held in the Town Hall is likely to be considerable.
The demonstration was presided over by the Bishop of Shrewsbury, the Right Rev. Dr. Moriarty. His Lordship is a native of Stockport, a fact which lent additional purpose to his presence. The Mayor of Stocl^rf^ttehded, in the capacity of a private citizen. A l l social grades were represented among the large audience. Dr. O'Donovan, M.P. who is doing yeoman service in this campaign, was the principal lay speaker. What has been done at Stockport is being done in other places also. Catholic speakers on the subject are busily employed, and there will be no slackening of their efforts.
i l L C A l "
The Hartlepool Incident. Pending any pronouncement by
higher authority, the note to be sounded in regard to the incident mentioned in this correspondence last week, concerning an alleged apparition of the Little Flower, and the gift of a rose, to an invalid woman at Hartlepool, is one of prudence. So far as the parochial clergy are concerned, the local newspapers state, the incident is regarded as closed.
IIE861
W A T C I
It's not only a matter of taste
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LOURDES.
April 25 to 28.
The fact that the suggestion for the forthcoming Triduum of Masses at Lourdes came, in the first place, from the late Cardinal Bourne, gives a special gratification and interest in the event to Catholics in Great Britain. The text of the Pope's Letter Apostolic to Mon-signor Gerlier, Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, has now been published, together with a letter from the Bishop to the Episcopate of the Catholic world, inviting the cooperation of every Christian nation in the solemnities at the Grotto. Throughout the three days bishops and priests from many lands will succeed one another uninterruptedly as celebrants of the 140 Masses which will occupy the period, day and night. For those who cannot go to Lourdes in person, Monsignor Gerlier suggests that dioceses shall organize devotions in union with the Triduum. Accommodation at Lourdes is likely to strained to the full during the coming memorable days.
A Jubilee In Journalism.
Catholic journalisms in London have in their ranks a devoted worker, Mr . J . P. Flanagan, who has just been honoured in connection with the silver jubilee of his association with the Catholic Times. Partly in Liverpool, but for a longer time in London, Mr. Flanagan's has been a familiar figure at Catholic gatherings of all kinds. He is equally at home in chronicling the outpoured oratory at a demonstration of vast magnitude, or in writing down, at the table, modest remarks made at homely assemblies of local folk. His own silver jubilee synchronises with a jubilee of still greater moment, the diamond jubilee of the Catholic paper with which he ha3 been so long connected. His Directors and colleagues on the Catholic Times entertained Mr. Flanagan to dinner recently in celebration of his twenty-five years' service.
MALAYA CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16th 1935. MALAYA CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16th 1935.
John Wilmot lifted his eyes from the books temptingly displayed in the window of the shop opposite Westminster Cathedral and gazed with disapproval at the gaudy statue of Our Lady of Lourdes above them. As he moved away a woman came out of the shop, tall, beautifully dressed, her pale, oval face framed in a soft grey fur that matched her eyes. John gave an exclamation. She turned, startled, then held out her hand with an eager smile.
" John, fancy our meeting again like this after all these years! Where are you living and what are you doing?"
" A t the moment, like everybody else, I am looking for a job."
'The car is here. Come home with me and we can tell each other all the news. You will meet my husband too."
"I did not even know you were married."
"Eleven yoars ago, a year after we last met."
" M y first year at Cambridge. You were a kid in the school-room, with a long'-pigtail."
"I've changed since then." "I should rather think so, but I
knew you at once." The long drawing-room of the
house behind Westminster Abbey was austere and dignified, with a few fine pieces of period furniture and portraits by Reynolds and Lawrence. It was a fitting background for the man sitting by the fire. John recognised him as a well-known K . C . who had just received a title.
"Luke," said Madeleine, "this is John Wilmot. Fve often told you what friends we used to be. We ran into each other by chance just now."
,John respond to the charming courtesy of his host and it was not t i l l he had outlined his life since Madeleine's parents had left his father's parish that he realized that he had been cross-examined as cleverly as if he had been in the witness box. Lord Maine nodded when he heard of the disappearance of the head of the school, which had left John and the rest of the staff without salaries or references.
" A clever rascal. He got safely out of the country. I remember the case. Was your father at Cambridge? I thought so. We were at King's together."
The thin lips took a cynical twist as he saw John's eyes flash from his own tired, lined face to Madeleine's young loveliness.
"Yes, I am old enough to be her father," he said drily, "I married her straight from the school-room. Are you keen on teaching?"
" Tremendously," stammered John, disconcerted both by the way his thoughts had been read and by the abrupt change of subject. "I like it better than anything in the world. But at the moment it seems even more hopeless to get work as a schoolmaster than as a navy."
The door opened and a servant pushed in a boy of nine or ten in a long chair. His shrivelled, useless legs were covered by a shawl and the only live thing in the waxen pallor of the face was a pair of huge dark eyes blazing with intelligence. As he was introduc-
M I R A C L E From " T H E MONTH.'
searching look in the eyes that[ were so like Ronnie's.
ed to John he stared keenly at him under frowning brows then, as he put his hot little hand into John's big brown one, his face lit up with a smile which, for a moment, touched it with a faint reflection of his mother's beauty.
.In a few minutes he and John were chattering hard while his parents stood talking at the other end of the room. A clock struck seven and John jumped to his feet with an exclamation of horror at the length of his visit.
"Must you really go?"| asked Ronnie, clutching his hand.
"Would you like him to come again?" asked Lord Maine, his grim face tender.
"Ever so soon, please, and ever so often."
"Are you a Catholic?" Lord Maine asked suddenly, as he went down the stairs with John.
"Good heavens, no! In spite of being a parson's son I am afraid I am nothing particular in the religious line."
"That is a good thing. The boy, of course, has to be brought up in his mother's religion. She is a convert to Rome, you know."
"I didn't know. May I come again and see Ronnie one day?"
"I want a tutor for him. He will not be able to go to school, as you see."
" W i l l he never be any better?" "Nothing short of a miracle
could cure him." "That we both know to be im
possible. I am sorry." "The boy is intelligent. Would
you like the job of teaching him?" "But you hardly know me." "Madeleine does. I happen to
have heard something of your qualifications. The boy has taken a fancy to you. I like you and I seldom make a mistake. My profession makes one a pretty quick judge of a man."
The next few months were the happiest John had ever known. He felt as i f he had always been at home with the Maines, that it was natural his whole life, like Madeleine's should centre round the boy whose eager spirit was a bright flame consuming the frail body. Fast as John supplied knowledge, Ronnie devoured it, and the father, during his few visits in lesson hours, was obviously delighted. With Madeleine John renewed his boyish friendship while the happiness she shared with her boy in his young company gave her a fresh and radiant glow.
In March -the household moved to the old place in Sussex, looking over the downs to the sea. One fine morning a few weeks later Ronnie lay in his long chair on the south terrace engrossed with a new model aeroplane. John and Madeleine leant on the stone balustrade near by, talking in a desultory way of pleasant nothings, childish memories, incidents of life at Cambridge.
In the park the deer grazed under elms whose bare boughs flushed with the crimson of swelling buds. The sweep of chalk
downs was dotted with sheep and lambs as white and woolly as the clouds that hurried before the west wind and cast purple shadows on trees and grass as they went. In the distance the sea had the cold, green-blue of a beryl. A thin feather of grey smoke on the horizon marked the passage of a liner bound for New York. Otherwise nothing broke the shinning expanse of the Channel. The only sounds were the faint bleating of the lambs, the hum of bees, the cooing of a wood pigeon.
John looked at Madeleine's pure, pale profile, the crescent of white brow shaded by waves of soft, dark hair, the fringe of black lashes, the red lips that dropped a little sadly. In that instant he knew that the old friendship was only a mask, that he loved her as he had never loved a woman, could never love another. Ronnie's voice broke a spell that, for all its swiftness, had seemed to John unending. "John, this wretched propeller is stuck. Can you fix it for me?"
That afternoon Ronnie got a chill which turned to pneumonia and for days he hung between life and death. Even when he was pronounced out of danger he gained no strength and lay looking as i f a breath might snap the frail thread of life.
The Harley \ Street specialist was summoned again. John sat in the library trying vainly to fix his attention* on a book till he heard the purr of the Daimler engine die away in the distance. Madeleine came in and shook her head in answer to his questioning look.
"Sir Neville says he can do nothing. The old trouble is -increasing rapidly and nothing can be done to check it."
"Oh, my dear, if there were something that I could do to help!"
"There is only one thing which would be any good. Lourdes."
John moved impatiently. "You cannot surely think of
taking Ronnie there? It would be sheer madness. His father would say so too."
"He has said so, very forcibly. That is why I want you to persuade him to let me take Ronnie there. It is his only chance."
"How can I persuade him when I think, as he does, that the idea is insane?"
"He will listen to you when he will not to me."
"I cannot do it. I dare not take the risk."
"For my sake, John, because I beg you to do this for me, I know you will . - If we take Ronnie there I believe, I can't help believing, that a miracle of healing will be worked. Ronnie feels it too."
John could never remember how he had obeyed her wish what arguments he had used against his own reason and disbelief, strong as those of Lord Maine himself. He only remembered the sudden capitulation of an old, tired man, the bitter twist of the thin hps over the final words, the odd,
"Let her have her way The boy will die. Perhaps kinder to end such suffering
then. | it is^1
On ^Ptngs from .Albion Fisher and More.
There was a hope, this time last
A l l that care and money couU; *e e k< th?\ b y S° W j jT f h ^T
do to make the journey easy wasr1 ^ m , u s * l e a V e E n g I ^ { 55 done, but when Ronnie was carried | F a t * e r s d*™19l
W°u l l h a V e
f hlT
into the Lourdes hotel on aJ proclaimed m the- matter of the stretcher John wondered if he*? Canonization of Blessed John could survive the night. The next*1 F i s h e r ' ^ s h o p ° ^ R o c h £ s t e r > »na morning, however, Madeleine gave] jessed Thomas More Henry the a fairly good report and John went t E i * h t s Chancellor The Sacred out into the sunshine feeling a s I Congregation of Rites only met in happy as a fish out of water among* Penary session last Tuesday, and
6 /Catholics over here have already J been rejoiced by the announcement j —unofficial, however—that at that
t ! meeting the Cause of these two ryjj Martyrs was approved. No doubt,
therefore, need be entertained, it would seem, as to the outcome.
A gratifying feature in the final stages of the process has been the sympathetic interest aroused, by the expected Canonization, in the British secular press. Hundreds of articles and paragraphs continue to appear in the . newspapers, all of them paying tribute to the nobility of character in the two Martyrs, and many of them referring to the
the crowds who blocked the nar row streets on their way to the Grotto. The commercialism, he said irritably to himself, was bad as he had expected. He looked with an eye of disgusted,1
superiority at gaudy lithographs, [ tin medals, aluminium cups, fes-J toons of Rosary beads, glass scenu bottles and plaster statues oi l every size and hue. He fought his way against the human tide, across the Pont Peyramale, over) the ice-green, rushing Gave,; through the by-ways of the old' town, up, up, t i l l at last he stood on the battlements of the old castle. Icoked-for Canonization in terms of
The hot air was sweet with walh* high pleasure. Assuming the Pope's affirmative
decision, the next question of interest is the date for the great ceremonies in St. Peter's. St. George's Day falls this year in Easter Week, a fact which might tend to keep many prelates from Rome who would wish to be there; otherwise some over here would like to see two great Englishmen raised to the altar on the feast
Powers and lilac. Lizards darted I in and out of the grey stones. A J blackbird sang in the snowy blossom of a pear-tree. Far be-, low the huddled roofs of the olclj town climbed the steep hill and the Gave wound its snaky way/ under bridges old an new. Beyond the valleys, with their green pastures, their brown cornfields antfi vineyards, the mountains, still | grimly snowcapped, cut sharplyV of the national saint. A into the turquoise of the cloudless] sky.
May (Sunday the 19th?) sidered more probable.
date in is con-
John sat down in an embrasure of battlements with a sigh of relief. Here, at any rate, he was%in a world with which he was fami-, liar, his feet on firm ground. He began to daydream, pictured the swinging march of the kiltecq Roman legionaries who had first fortified this all but impregnable* g ^ " ™ height in the steady advance oi i L d r n a ^ that organised unity which was, the foundation of European civilization. Fighters, road-makerS| bridge-builders, law-givers, calmly imperial, sane, ordered, reasonable,
A Home of Memories.
Descendants of Blessed Thomas More are still with us, in the famous Catholic family of the
\ Eystons of East Hendred. The Eystons are directly descended from the More family through the
a son of the Blessed Martyr with Anne Cresacre, heiress of Bamboro' in Yorkshire. They have held their property in Berkshire, in unbroken descent, for more than five hundred years,
-^and attached to the house is a —he fancied them smiling nj s m a „ C a t h o l i c C h , dedicated serene superiority at the strangej t o g t A m a Q ^ w h i c h h a s b e e n
delusion which had. made an un4 p r i y a t e o f ^ E y s t o n s
known Pyreneean village the s i n c e t h e fifteenth c e n t u r y . A t
Mecca of the Christian workU H e n d r e d H o u g e ^ r v e d
Here, too, the banner of Islam had] ^ b o t h Q f B l e s s e d T h o m a s
flown for over half a century an* More and Blessed John Fisher: the frorn this rock had rung out the f o r m e r * s d r i n k i n ^ c u p a n d t h e
dawn call of the muezzin: Com*r fetter's walking-stick; there are to prayer for prayer is better a I s o i n t e r e s t i M o r e p o r t r a i t s . than sleep.'' The Anglo-Norman,! Simon de Montfort, had besiegeaj the castle. Du Guesclin, the Black; Princes's chivalrous opponent, had captured it. Here the great Napoj leon had dared to imprison thqj English ambassador, Lord Elgin,
The Cardinal's "Month's Mind."
In Westminster Cathedral, a few days ago, there was another solemn
who * w a r ' a ^ a r d s ~ ^ c h R for the soul of Cardinal immortality by spoiling the Par-. J ™ the month's mind. The thenon of its glory. So the long) gja , spectacle witnessed in the pageant of history passed with g * f e * £ • • " f f ^ ^ f i - T ^ E l S ? well-known facts and figures something sure and comfortingj in this strange place where all \ralues were reversed. i
A t lunch Ronnie was talkini eagerly of the procession of th Blessed Sacrament which his mother had promised he should attend next day.
(Contd. on page 19)
Cardinal's body awaited burial, has been already described and illustrated in the Leader. A t the "month's mind" there was again a large and impressive attendance of prelates and clergy, and an immense lay congregation from many parts of the Archdiocese.
The question of His Eminence's successor as Archbishop continues
to be canvassed in the newspapers, with guess work which is all to no purpose. Meanwhile the terna has been drawn up, and in due course we shall know who will be the fifth Archbishop of Westminster. Prayers are being- offered in the churches, and there is everywhere the supplication that the choice may fall upon a man worthy to follow in the footsteps of the great Prince of the Church who has been lost to us.
Education—A Danger to Face. In the view of the Archbishop of
Birmingham, the Most Rev. Dr. Williams, Catholic schools in England and Wales are in danger, as his #race puts it, of " being behind." The Archbishop made Catholic education the subject of an important address at this year's Catholic Reunion in the Metropolitan city. In the course of that address he pointed out that owing to the financial handicap under which the voluntary or " non-provided" schools are carried on, compared with the Council or " provided" schools which are both built and maintained with public money, it is becoming increasingly difficult, and places may soon be impossible, for Catholic schools to keen pace with the others, needing n^v requirements and maintaining equal efficiencv. In one large Midland centre. Wolverhampton, it has been possible to meet the situation, for children of the higher ages, by combining several narishes; but rot every town could afford to do this, while in small towns the solution would not be available. Altogether, Dr. Williams foresees an anxious time, with added burdens on the Catholic purse, unless the Government gives to the non-provided schools a measure of financial justice which is long overdue.
The Cambridge Summer School.
Many distinguished Catholic lecturers, clerical and lay, are to contribute papers or addresses this year at the Cambridge Summer School of Catholic Studies. This annual gathering, now a well-established institution, is to deal, in the 1935 School, with the subject of "Church and State." A number of the religious orders will be represented among the priest lecturers, whilst the laymen will include graduates both from Oxford and from Cambridge Universities.
Sir John Gilbert's Successor. The Secretaryship of the Catho
lic Education Council, a post which the late Sir John Gilbert, K.C.S.G., had filled since 1927, has been given to Mr. Robert Mathew. Among many good works falling within the Education Council's sphere,, apart from keeping a vigilant eye on Parliamentary legislation affecting our schools, is that of providing grants, in such districts, whereby Catholic children are given travel facilities for getting to and from Catholic schools at a distance from their homes. If it were not for this eminently practical help, such children would almost inevitably be drafted into non-Catholic schools, with consequent danger to their
faith. Mr. Mathew bears a family name in high repute among Catholics in England. His new office is an important one, and he enters upon it with many good wishes for success.
A New Jesuit School. The Catholic Grammer School at
Bede Towers. Sunderland, is not a new school, for it was founded by a local priest, Canon Smith, more than seven years ago. But as a Jesuit school this house of education will rank as new; because it is being taken over this year, after midsummer term, by the Society of Jesus and thereafter will be one of the Jesuit secondary schools for the North of England. A n extension of the building, it is stated, is in prospect. "Bede Towers" points appositely to the district's greatest historical figure, St. Bede, whose famous monastry at Wearmouth, near by, is commemorated in the name "Monk Wearmouth" now used for that town.
The Campaign Against Birth Control.
It would not be true to say that Catholics are the only body in Great Britain who are making their voices heard just now on behalf of national morality, because here and there they are joined by others in that good cause. But certainly it is the case that the Church is not only in the forefront of the campaign but is bearing the chief brunt of it, and is often left to do so single-handed. At the present time the insidious growth of birth-control clinics is being fought by Bishops, priests and laymen, and this in many parts of the country. Stockport, in Cheshire, has supplied the latest case in point. In that town the local Maternity and Child Welfare Committee propose to set up a birth-control clinic, or instruction bureau. But the Committee's desire has met with such rigorous opposition from Catholics, supported by some right-minded outsiders, that the moral effect of a great demonstration of protest lately held in the Town Hall is likely to be considerable.
The demonstration was presided over by the Bishop of Shrewsbury, the Right Rev. Dr. Moriarty. His Lordship is a native of Stockport, a fact which lent additional purpose to his presence. The Mayor of Stocl^rf^ttehded, in the capacity of a private citizen. A l l social grades were represented among the large audience. Dr. O'Donovan, M.P. who is doing yeoman service in this campaign, was the principal lay speaker. What has been done at Stockport is being done in other places also. Catholic speakers on the subject are busily employed, and there will be no slackening of their efforts.
i l L C A l "
The Hartlepool Incident. Pending any pronouncement by
higher authority, the note to be sounded in regard to the incident mentioned in this correspondence last week, concerning an alleged apparition of the Little Flower, and the gift of a rose, to an invalid woman at Hartlepool, is one of prudence. So far as the parochial clergy are concerned, the local newspapers state, the incident is regarded as closed.
IIE861
W A T C I
It's not only a matter of taste
To be a perfect timepiece, a watch has to be beautiful and accurate. New, everyone can say whether a watch is to cne's lining or not, but it is difficult to estimate the quality. Only experts can judge the finish and precision of a mechanism as delicate as that of a watch. There remains for those who love accuracy a means of eliminating disappointment-choose a VULCAIN watch, acknowledged the best by thousands of people all over the world. With a VULCAIN you have the satisfaction of knowing that you possess a timepiece of unequalled accuracy and refined beauty.
LOURDES.
April 25 to 28.
The fact that the suggestion for the forthcoming Triduum of Masses at Lourdes came, in the first place, from the late Cardinal Bourne, gives a special gratification and interest in the event to Catholics in Great Britain. The text of the Pope's Letter Apostolic to Mon-signor Gerlier, Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes, has now been published, together with a letter from the Bishop to the Episcopate of the Catholic world, inviting the cooperation of every Christian nation in the solemnities at the Grotto. Throughout the three days bishops and priests from many lands will succeed one another uninterruptedly as celebrants of the 140 Masses which will occupy the period, day and night. For those who cannot go to Lourdes in person, Monsignor Gerlier suggests that dioceses shall organize devotions in union with the Triduum. Accommodation at Lourdes is likely to strained to the full during the coming memorable days.
A Jubilee In Journalism.
Catholic journalisms in London have in their ranks a devoted worker, Mr . J . P. Flanagan, who has just been honoured in connection with the silver jubilee of his association with the Catholic Times. Partly in Liverpool, but for a longer time in London, Mr. Flanagan's has been a familiar figure at Catholic gatherings of all kinds. He is equally at home in chronicling the outpoured oratory at a demonstration of vast magnitude, or in writing down, at the table, modest remarks made at homely assemblies of local folk. His own silver jubilee synchronises with a jubilee of still greater moment, the diamond jubilee of the Catholic paper with which he ha3 been so long connected. His Directors and colleagues on the Catholic Times entertained Mr. Flanagan to dinner recently in celebration of his twenty-five years' service.
4 MALAYA CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16th 1935.
Y o u n g People's Page A BEAUTIFUL MEDITATION ON THE WORDS OF
THE PRAYER TO OUR LADY. (Prom the " Flowers of Avron," journal of the Young Girls' Society
of the Diocese of Rennes, France).
Hail Mary. Who, Mother, pays you this res
pectful homage? It is Heaven itself, an angel,
one of the greatest in the court of Heaven, who comes down and humbles % himself before you, an humble young girl, a little flower of Judea.
Oh! what joy I experienced in spying over and over again, with the Archangel Gabriel, " H a i l Mary"!
So you are so great that Heaven bends down to you! Yes you are great—for you are
Full of Grace. „ Of grace, of Divine life, of that
life, which the first Eve lost for herself and for us all , alas!
You alone escaped the universal stain; the tide of evil stood before your heart driven back by the very Hand of God.
A n d you are a sojitary whiteness in the midst of guilty humanity! You are Immaculate, fair L i l y of Juda.
How beautiful you are, oh, Mother Mary. Beautiful as the star of night that reflects the light
the sun. Mirror of Justice, in which is
reflected the holiness of the Father, the purity of the Word and the infinite love of the Holy Spirit.
Oh, yes, you are " full of grace." That is why
The Lord is with Thee. Yes, to be sure . . . you are the
t&bernacle of the Lord, and you Cftn say " May Christ live in me." But did you not say when you pronounced your fiat on the day of the Annunciation, " M a y Jesus live in me that I may give Him to the world"?
Mother, will you help me to keep Christ within me? May He live, noray He grow in my young soul that I may give, H i m to others, like you, to many others who do not know Him, or do not love Him enough.
Blessed Art Thou Amongst Women.
And all generations to the end of time will call you " blessed," wil l praise you as the glory of humanity; the woman most pure, most splendid, most simple; the most illustrious and the most humble, the masterpiece and the pride of the Creator.
How I wish to unite my voice to the concert of praise; my feeble voice in the eternal canticle which ascends to you.
Yes; you are blessed, O Mary, beyond all women.
And Blessed is the Fruit of Thy Womb.
Behold the explanation of all KQur - greatness I You are Mother,
the Mother par excellence, the Mother of God.
How can I explain your dignity, your sanctity? Must not all that approaches the Divinity be pure? Oh, you are nearer God than any one else.
How can I explain the universal devotion that is offered to you? Must not the ciborium which contains the Sacred Host be treated with special reverence? But what is a. ciborium of gold compared with the living ciborium which you are, 0 Mary, Mother of God?
Jesus Himself has honoured you, and with what filial love!
How I wish to honour you, to bless you, to be a little flower on thy altar.
But I make bold. Since you are the Mother of God, you are not only great and holy, but you are kind and loving—and I say to you:—
Holy Mary Mother of God, Pray for Us Sinners.
How the tone of my prayer changes now that I speak to you of myself and of my brethren.
I bow down my forehead, covere d with the sign and the shame of sin. Poor sinners!
But you will not refuse to listen to the prayer of the poor, of the .poorest of all men, of the sinner.
"Never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection was left unaided." But why should I fear? You have! saad " y e s " to all the petitions, to all the appeals of souls in the course of all the ages.
Say " yes " to me
Now Mother! A t every moment I
must support my feebleness through your power. Now, in the time of dangerous youth, of follies which I would commit every day i f I listened to the world and to the " evil one" who whispers to me counsels of cowardice.
Now . . .
And at the Hour of Our Death. My death, quite near, perhaps. Can it be that you will not be
there in the supreme anguish to sustain me, to console me, to receive my soul, to bring it to the judgment seat of Jesus, to plead my cause? oh, my advocate!
But you will be there, and you will pray for me (and I will be saved.
Yes, saved! With you, with Jesus / o r all eternity.
Because every day of my life I will say over and over again in the fervour of my filial confidence:
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
A CHARITABLE IDEA.
Many years ago an English tourist, was travelling in Egypt; and, having by some mischance missed the regular steamer, took passage by a large vessel which was loaded with grain. A t every village where they stopped, birds came on board in great numbers, and fed from the sacks of grain until the vessel pushed off.
The Englishman was surprised at such want of thrift, and thought he would teach the Egyptian captain some of the first principles of business. There-upon he asked him, as a sort of preliminary to the lesson he intended giving him, who owned the grain.
"I own it, sir," answered the Egyptian respectfully.
"Well then, why do you let so much of it go to waste ?" asked the tourist. " I n England we would call that a very poor way of doing business."
The Egyptian, as Yankees are said to do, answered the question by asking another.
"Who made the birds, sir?"
"Why , " answered the astonished Englishman,—" why—God, of course!"
" When God made the birds, do you n# believe that He made the grain for them to eat?"
" I suppose so," said the other.
"Should I then, a poor mortal, dare to stand in His way" asked the Captain. "He will feed all His creatures, and I shall never suffer from the loss of a little grain."
The Englishman turned away, concluding that he would never again try to reason with such a simpleton, and the Captain smiled, opened another sack, and threw a handful of grain to the expectant birds.
A schoolmaster was examining a class in grammar, and trying to explain, by means of simple examples, the relations of adjectives and nouns.
"Now, for instance, said he, "what am I?"
This was esay, and all the boys shouted as with one voice: "A man, sir."
"Yes, but what else?" said the inspector.
This was not so easy, but after a pause one boy ventured to suggest, " A little man, sir."
"Yes," said the inspector, "but there is something more than that.
The boys were posed. Then an infant phenomenon leaped from his seat in a frenzy of inspiration:
"Please, sir, I know. A n ugly little man."
Professor: "Here you see the skull of a chimpanzee, a very rare specimen. There are only two in the country—one in the national museum and I have the other.
All young people need milk every
day:
for preference
11 MILKMAID MILK.
)3
UloA
1EE BI/CUIT/ U?
After the customer had left, the proprietor reprimanded the assistant for allowing the man to take the boots on credit saying they would never see him again.
"Oh, but we shall," replied the youth. "I wrapped up two boots for the left foot, so he's bound to come back."
"You college men seem to take life pretty easy."
"Yes ; even when we graduate we do it by degrees."
MALAYA CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16th 1935.
The Divinely Ordained Constitution of the Catholic Church Mission of the Twelve to Continue Till the End of Time
What A n Apostle Is. Christ chose the twelve for a
special purpose and gave them special powers and functions.
An apostle is one invested by Christ with the power of governing His Church, of offering the Eucharistic Sacrifice, of remitting sins, of teaching and baptising.
We see the twelve apostles, in the Acts and in the Letters, administering sacraments,, preaching the word of God, judging in all questions of Christian Doctrine, inflicting penalties where necessary and acting as the administrators of church property.
And what is of supreme importance, they can transmit their powers to others by the imposition of hands. Such are the functions of the twelve apostles as described in the New Testament.
Were They A l l Equal in Power and Dignity?
No. One of them was singled out by Christ as leader, Peter, called Cephos, the rock on which the church is built. Peter is the firm foundation on which the church is to repose. He is the cause of its unshakable solidity against the forces of persecution, against the gates of hell.
Every social edifice gets its social stability from authority, and if Peter's authority is to be the very foundation-stone of the church, it means that he is after Christ, the supreme authority, the universal ruler, with full and autocratic power.
Peter's Authority:— The metaphor of the keys shows
that nothing can be done in the church without his approval, the metaphor of binding and loosing to be ratified in heaven expresses universal and complete jurisdiction.
In the text of St. John Peter is given the commission to feed the lambs and the sheep of Christ, that is to rule over the various ranks of the faithful, just as a shepherd rules over his flock.
Christ Himself makes use of this metaphor to describe his own power when he calls Himself the Good Shepherd. It is beyond doubt that he gave to Peter an absolute primacy of jurisdiction over the other apostles. He made Peter the monarch, the head of his church with an absolute and indisputable authority.
Power of the other apostles. To the other apostles also Our
Lord gave a governing authority. To all of them he said " Whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in Heaven." To them he gave a solemn mission, " A s my Father hath sent *ne, I also send you." "Going therefore teach ye all nations."
He sends them to teach with authority and to make disciples and thus they acted.
Lay Apostolate
We see them in the Acts passing laws and ruling their flocks. St. Paul is acting with the authority of a recognised apostle, makes various regulations, settles differences, stamps out abuses, and lays down the rites of priests and deacons.
The whole body of the apostles exercises authority in the church in conjunction with its head.
Peter is not, therefore, the sole teacher in the church, he is not the only ruler. The Divine mission to preach, the power to bind and loose, was not given to him alcne but to all the apostles in conjunction with him.
Nor are the other apostles merely delegates of Peter, they have authority directly from Christ Himself, the primacy of Peter is supreme and complete,; but though supreme he is not alone. Side by side with him and subordinate to him, there are other teachers and rulers. Thus, the authority of each is unquestionable, but the unity of all is en\phasised in the head.
Such was the constitution of the church, dictated to the apostles by Christ Himself.
To endure till the end of time. From the promises of Christ to
be with His church all days even to the consummation of the world, it is clear that this constitution of the- Church is to last to the end of time.
If the church is built upon Peter, as an edifice is built on a rock, Peter's authority must last as long a^ the church lasts. And as the other apostles no less than Peter, form an essential element in the constitution of the church, so too must their authority and power endure to the end of time. If the mission of Peter and the apostles is to endure to the end of time, their authority and their powers must be handed down from generation to generation until the consummation comes.
Where is this authority to-day? Who are the successors of St. Peter and the Apostles in the modern
world? With regard to Peter's successor
the answer is abundantly clear. None but the Bishop of Rome can claim recognition as primate of the universal church. This is a matter of history and history provides ar incontrovertible answer. The external manifestations of this primacy may vary from age to age, the essence of it remains unchanged. From the beginning of the church we hear in unmistakable terms of the decisions of the Bishop of Rome being final, of Rome as the touch-stone of orthodoxy and the last court of appeal.
To trace the succession of the apostles' authority is no less simple. For those successors we must look to the men whom the apostles themselves chose to share with them the full labours and functions of the apostolate and to carry on their work after their death.
These men St. Paul calls by various names:—" His fellow workers " " His colleagues," " His assistants and companions in arms." But the name does not matter. Thus to the facts we must look. They are men like Mark, Silas, Timothy, Titus, Caius etc. The pastoral letters inform us of the nature and functions of these helpers. They have been ordained by the apostles themselves and they have been com-misioned to teach the faith, to rule churches, they are to carry on the work of the apostles and they are their successors after their death.
A l l this establishes securely the apostolic and therefore the Divine origin of what we now call the Episcopate, as superior in power of order and jurisdiction to the priests.
When the church had spread far and wide, the huge tracts of territory over which the apostles or their successors ruled became too cumbrous. Territories were divided into several churches and heads were appointed to rule those local churches and these successors became known later by the definite technical name of bishops.
The Divinely appointed rulers of the faithful, then, in matters of faith and morals, worship and discipline, are the Pope for the universal church and the Bishop for the Diocese. As Divinely appointed rulers, we are, of course obliged to hear them. He that heareth them, heareth Christ. They have a Divine right to preach the gospel, to govern their flocks, to declare for them not only what is the true faith of Christ but also what is morally right or wrong.
Let us try to realise the significance of this sublime truth. It means that in the constitution of the Catholic Church, every generation from the time of Christ has had as its guides in the spiritual life, men who no less than Peter or Paul, or James or John have been called by Christ to the Divine apostolate. The priests as delegates of the bishop and under this authority and control, guide and instruct the faithful in any particular church or part of the flock, administer the sacraments and govern limited territory in the name of the bishop. They hold their power and authority from the head of the Diocese, the Bishop who is the lawful successor of the apostles.
The call to lay apostolate. The great Pope Pius X I now
glorious reigning, whose courageous acts and profound encyclicals have made the Vatican more than ever the fortress of faith and morals, has issued a call to the catholics of the world to co-operate more closely with the hierarchy in the work of salvation.
That is what He means when he calls the laity to Catholic Action. To help the Pope and the Bishops, the successors of Peter and the apostles, to establish the peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ, is an inspiring programme and an irresistible appeal.
If St. Peter Himself, were to say to us: Come and help, would we hesitate? If the apostle John were to call us to assistance, would we refuse?
Then when Pius X I calls us, when our Bishop calls us, it is truly an apostle that calls, it is Christ's call.
If only we can realise that, i f only we can appreciate that we are called by men who are the successors of those whom Christ Himself called, surely we will rise with alacrity and follow Christ.
A Word To The Wise. When we sin we are not strik
ing at a cold, unfeeling law; but are striking, with a cruel hand, direct at the living, loving Heart of God.
Beecher.
How sweet was the first embrace of Jesus! It was indeed an embrace of love. I felt that I was loved, and said: "I love You and I give myself to You for ever." St. Therese of Lisieux after her First Communion.
After the sweet name of Jesus, and all the other names and titles to which Our Blessed Saviour as God and God Incarnate has a right, the next sweetest, dearest and most holy name in heaven above, on earth below, is Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.—
Vet Rev. Dean Kinane.
He who seeks God will find Him, and at all times. The most appropriate place for meditation, however, is the church, in the presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
S* . Alph&nsus Liguoru
If thou art wise expect to die every day; thus thou shalt keep thyself always ready and happy to depart on the great journey to thy eternal home.
Blessed Henry SKSO.
4 MALAYA CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16th 1935.
Y o u n g People's Page A BEAUTIFUL MEDITATION ON THE WORDS OF
THE PRAYER TO OUR LADY. (Prom the " Flowers of Avron," journal of the Young Girls' Society
of the Diocese of Rennes, France).
Hail Mary. Who, Mother, pays you this res
pectful homage? It is Heaven itself, an angel,
one of the greatest in the court of Heaven, who comes down and humbles % himself before you, an humble young girl, a little flower of Judea.
Oh! what joy I experienced in spying over and over again, with the Archangel Gabriel, " H a i l Mary"!
So you are so great that Heaven bends down to you! Yes you are great—for you are
Full of Grace. „ Of grace, of Divine life, of that
life, which the first Eve lost for herself and for us all , alas!
You alone escaped the universal stain; the tide of evil stood before your heart driven back by the very Hand of God.
A n d you are a sojitary whiteness in the midst of guilty humanity! You are Immaculate, fair L i l y of Juda.
How beautiful you are, oh, Mother Mary. Beautiful as the star of night that reflects the light
the sun. Mirror of Justice, in which is
reflected the holiness of the Father, the purity of the Word and the infinite love of the Holy Spirit.
Oh, yes, you are " full of grace." That is why
The Lord is with Thee. Yes, to be sure . . . you are the
t&bernacle of the Lord, and you Cftn say " May Christ live in me." But did you not say when you pronounced your fiat on the day of the Annunciation, " M a y Jesus live in me that I may give Him to the world"?
Mother, will you help me to keep Christ within me? May He live, noray He grow in my young soul that I may give, H i m to others, like you, to many others who do not know Him, or do not love Him enough.
Blessed Art Thou Amongst Women.
And all generations to the end of time will call you " blessed," wil l praise you as the glory of humanity; the woman most pure, most splendid, most simple; the most illustrious and the most humble, the masterpiece and the pride of the Creator.
How I wish to unite my voice to the concert of praise; my feeble voice in the eternal canticle which ascends to you.
Yes; you are blessed, O Mary, beyond all women.
And Blessed is the Fruit of Thy Womb.
Behold the explanation of all KQur - greatness I You are Mother,
the Mother par excellence, the Mother of God.
How can I explain your dignity, your sanctity? Must not all that approaches the Divinity be pure? Oh, you are nearer God than any one else.
How can I explain the universal devotion that is offered to you? Must not the ciborium which contains the Sacred Host be treated with special reverence? But what is a. ciborium of gold compared with the living ciborium which you are, 0 Mary, Mother of God?
Jesus Himself has honoured you, and with what filial love!
How I wish to honour you, to bless you, to be a little flower on thy altar.
But I make bold. Since you are the Mother of God, you are not only great and holy, but you are kind and loving—and I say to you:—
Holy Mary Mother of God, Pray for Us Sinners.
How the tone of my prayer changes now that I speak to you of myself and of my brethren.
I bow down my forehead, covere d with the sign and the shame of sin. Poor sinners!
But you will not refuse to listen to the prayer of the poor, of the .poorest of all men, of the sinner.
"Never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection was left unaided." But why should I fear? You have! saad " y e s " to all the petitions, to all the appeals of souls in the course of all the ages.
Say " yes " to me
Now Mother! A t every moment I
must support my feebleness through your power. Now, in the time of dangerous youth, of follies which I would commit every day i f I listened to the world and to the " evil one" who whispers to me counsels of cowardice.
Now . . .
And at the Hour of Our Death. My death, quite near, perhaps. Can it be that you will not be
there in the supreme anguish to sustain me, to console me, to receive my soul, to bring it to the judgment seat of Jesus, to plead my cause? oh, my advocate!
But you will be there, and you will pray for me (and I will be saved.
Yes, saved! With you, with Jesus / o r all eternity.
Because every day of my life I will say over and over again in the fervour of my filial confidence:
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
A CHARITABLE IDEA.
Many years ago an English tourist, was travelling in Egypt; and, having by some mischance missed the regular steamer, took passage by a large vessel which was loaded with grain. A t every village where they stopped, birds came on board in great numbers, and fed from the sacks of grain until the vessel pushed off.
The Englishman was surprised at such want of thrift, and thought he would teach the Egyptian captain some of the first principles of business. There-upon he asked him, as a sort of preliminary to the lesson he intended giving him, who owned the grain.
"I own it, sir," answered the Egyptian respectfully.
"Well then, why do you let so much of it go to waste ?" asked the tourist. " I n England we would call that a very poor way of doing business."
The Egyptian, as Yankees are said to do, answered the question by asking another.
"Who made the birds, sir?"
"Why , " answered the astonished Englishman,—" why—God, of course!"
" When God made the birds, do you n# believe that He made the grain for them to eat?"
" I suppose so," said the other.
"Should I then, a poor mortal, dare to stand in His way" asked the Captain. "He will feed all His creatures, and I shall never suffer from the loss of a little grain."
The Englishman turned away, concluding that he would never again try to reason with such a simpleton, and the Captain smiled, opened another sack, and threw a handful of grain to the expectant birds.
A schoolmaster was examining a class in grammar, and trying to explain, by means of simple examples, the relations of adjectives and nouns.
"Now, for instance, said he, "what am I?"
This was esay, and all the boys shouted as with one voice: "A man, sir."
"Yes, but what else?" said the inspector.
This was not so easy, but after a pause one boy ventured to suggest, " A little man, sir."
"Yes," said the inspector, "but there is something more than that.
The boys were posed. Then an infant phenomenon leaped from his seat in a frenzy of inspiration:
"Please, sir, I know. A n ugly little man."
Professor: "Here you see the skull of a chimpanzee, a very rare specimen. There are only two in the country—one in the national museum and I have the other.
All young people need milk every
day:
for preference
11 MILKMAID MILK.
)3
UloA
1EE BI/CUIT/ U?
After the customer had left, the proprietor reprimanded the assistant for allowing the man to take the boots on credit saying they would never see him again.
"Oh, but we shall," replied the youth. "I wrapped up two boots for the left foot, so he's bound to come back."
"You college men seem to take life pretty easy."
"Yes ; even when we graduate we do it by degrees."
MALAYA CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16th 1935.
The Divinely Ordained Constitution of the Catholic Church Mission of the Twelve to Continue Till the End of Time
What A n Apostle Is. Christ chose the twelve for a
special purpose and gave them special powers and functions.
An apostle is one invested by Christ with the power of governing His Church, of offering the Eucharistic Sacrifice, of remitting sins, of teaching and baptising.
We see the twelve apostles, in the Acts and in the Letters, administering sacraments,, preaching the word of God, judging in all questions of Christian Doctrine, inflicting penalties where necessary and acting as the administrators of church property.
And what is of supreme importance, they can transmit their powers to others by the imposition of hands. Such are the functions of the twelve apostles as described in the New Testament.
Were They A l l Equal in Power and Dignity?
No. One of them was singled out by Christ as leader, Peter, called Cephos, the rock on which the church is built. Peter is the firm foundation on which the church is to repose. He is the cause of its unshakable solidity against the forces of persecution, against the gates of hell.
Every social edifice gets its social stability from authority, and if Peter's authority is to be the very foundation-stone of the church, it means that he is after Christ, the supreme authority, the universal ruler, with full and autocratic power.
Peter's Authority:— The metaphor of the keys shows
that nothing can be done in the church without his approval, the metaphor of binding and loosing to be ratified in heaven expresses universal and complete jurisdiction.
In the text of St. John Peter is given the commission to feed the lambs and the sheep of Christ, that is to rule over the various ranks of the faithful, just as a shepherd rules over his flock.
Christ Himself makes use of this metaphor to describe his own power when he calls Himself the Good Shepherd. It is beyond doubt that he gave to Peter an absolute primacy of jurisdiction over the other apostles. He made Peter the monarch, the head of his church with an absolute and indisputable authority.
Power of the other apostles. To the other apostles also Our
Lord gave a governing authority. To all of them he said " Whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in Heaven." To them he gave a solemn mission, " A s my Father hath sent *ne, I also send you." "Going therefore teach ye all nations."
He sends them to teach with authority and to make disciples and thus they acted.
Lay Apostolate
We see them in the Acts passing laws and ruling their flocks. St. Paul is acting with the authority of a recognised apostle, makes various regulations, settles differences, stamps out abuses, and lays down the rites of priests and deacons.
The whole body of the apostles exercises authority in the church in conjunction with its head.
Peter is not, therefore, the sole teacher in the church, he is not the only ruler. The Divine mission to preach, the power to bind and loose, was not given to him alcne but to all the apostles in conjunction with him.
Nor are the other apostles merely delegates of Peter, they have authority directly from Christ Himself, the primacy of Peter is supreme and complete,; but though supreme he is not alone. Side by side with him and subordinate to him, there are other teachers and rulers. Thus, the authority of each is unquestionable, but the unity of all is en\phasised in the head.
Such was the constitution of the church, dictated to the apostles by Christ Himself.
To endure till the end of time. From the promises of Christ to
be with His church all days even to the consummation of the world, it is clear that this constitution of the- Church is to last to the end of time.
If the church is built upon Peter, as an edifice is built on a rock, Peter's authority must last as long a^ the church lasts. And as the other apostles no less than Peter, form an essential element in the constitution of the church, so too must their authority and power endure to the end of time. If the mission of Peter and the apostles is to endure to the end of time, their authority and their powers must be handed down from generation to generation until the consummation comes.
Where is this authority to-day? Who are the successors of St. Peter and the Apostles in the modern
world? With regard to Peter's successor
the answer is abundantly clear. None but the Bishop of Rome can claim recognition as primate of the universal church. This is a matter of history and history provides ar incontrovertible answer. The external manifestations of this primacy may vary from age to age, the essence of it remains unchanged. From the beginning of the church we hear in unmistakable terms of the decisions of the Bishop of Rome being final, of Rome as the touch-stone of orthodoxy and the last court of appeal.
To trace the succession of the apostles' authority is no less simple. For those successors we must look to the men whom the apostles themselves chose to share with them the full labours and functions of the apostolate and to carry on their work after their death.
These men St. Paul calls by various names:—" His fellow workers " " His colleagues," " His assistants and companions in arms." But the name does not matter. Thus to the facts we must look. They are men like Mark, Silas, Timothy, Titus, Caius etc. The pastoral letters inform us of the nature and functions of these helpers. They have been ordained by the apostles themselves and they have been com-misioned to teach the faith, to rule churches, they are to carry on the work of the apostles and they are their successors after their death.
A l l this establishes securely the apostolic and therefore the Divine origin of what we now call the Episcopate, as superior in power of order and jurisdiction to the priests.
When the church had spread far and wide, the huge tracts of territory over which the apostles or their successors ruled became too cumbrous. Territories were divided into several churches and heads were appointed to rule those local churches and these successors became known later by the definite technical name of bishops.
The Divinely appointed rulers of the faithful, then, in matters of faith and morals, worship and discipline, are the Pope for the universal church and the Bishop for the Diocese. As Divinely appointed rulers, we are, of course obliged to hear them. He that heareth them, heareth Christ. They have a Divine right to preach the gospel, to govern their flocks, to declare for them not only what is the true faith of Christ but also what is morally right or wrong.
Let us try to realise the significance of this sublime truth. It means that in the constitution of the Catholic Church, every generation from the time of Christ has had as its guides in the spiritual life, men who no less than Peter or Paul, or James or John have been called by Christ to the Divine apostolate. The priests as delegates of the bishop and under this authority and control, guide and instruct the faithful in any particular church or part of the flock, administer the sacraments and govern limited territory in the name of the bishop. They hold their power and authority from the head of the Diocese, the Bishop who is the lawful successor of the apostles.
The call to lay apostolate. The great Pope Pius X I now
glorious reigning, whose courageous acts and profound encyclicals have made the Vatican more than ever the fortress of faith and morals, has issued a call to the catholics of the world to co-operate more closely with the hierarchy in the work of salvation.
That is what He means when he calls the laity to Catholic Action. To help the Pope and the Bishops, the successors of Peter and the apostles, to establish the peace of Christ in the Kingdom of Christ, is an inspiring programme and an irresistible appeal.
If St. Peter Himself, were to say to us: Come and help, would we hesitate? If the apostle John were to call us to assistance, would we refuse?
Then when Pius X I calls us, when our Bishop calls us, it is truly an apostle that calls, it is Christ's call.
If only we can realise that, i f only we can appreciate that we are called by men who are the successors of those whom Christ Himself called, surely we will rise with alacrity and follow Christ.
A Word To The Wise. When we sin we are not strik
ing at a cold, unfeeling law; but are striking, with a cruel hand, direct at the living, loving Heart of God.
Beecher.
How sweet was the first embrace of Jesus! It was indeed an embrace of love. I felt that I was loved, and said: "I love You and I give myself to You for ever." St. Therese of Lisieux after her First Communion.
After the sweet name of Jesus, and all the other names and titles to which Our Blessed Saviour as God and God Incarnate has a right, the next sweetest, dearest and most holy name in heaven above, on earth below, is Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God.—
Vet Rev. Dean Kinane.
He who seeks God will find Him, and at all times. The most appropriate place for meditation, however, is the church, in the presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
S* . Alph&nsus Liguoru
If thou art wise expect to die every day; thus thou shalt keep thyself always ready and happy to depart on the great journey to thy eternal home.
Blessed Henry SKSO.
MALAYA CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16th 1935.
Motes on Education M A L A Y A CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16th 1935.
GEOGRAPHY IN EDUCATION.
CORRESPONDENCE While the names of Tasman,
Cook, and Franklin; of Frobisher, Livingstone, and Rhodes; of Peary, Byrd and Shackleton, and a host of others of like fcalibre bear witness to an illustrious cause in the outside world of events, geography as a school subject is not one which can boast of a "glorious tradition." Cohesion or relationship between the internal studies and the external happenings has been conspicuous by its nonexistence: there has been no keeping abreast of the times. As the subject was formerly understood (or mis-understood) it was either a drjff-as-dust commitment to memory of lists of names and definitions having no practical bearing on anything in the world, on a degeneration, of physical, commercial, and political facts into mere statistics and tabulations. Its neglect until comparatively recent times is in all probability due to this lack of realization of what geographical science really is. Its value as an educative force, as a broadening influence on the mind, is stil l in the infancy of scholastic appreciation, although it is nearly half a century since it first began to be unfolded.. It is high time therefore that we comprehended more fully the meaning of geography, and observed that that of yesterday and that of to-day are as widely separated in aim and method as are the old-time astrology and modern astronomy.
What then does modern geography stand for? Does it or does it not justify a place in the curriculum ? Let us consider these two questions for a moment. Geography is the science of distributions over and about the earth, and a study of mankind's response to the conditions occasioned by them. It is a study of environment and adapation. Its various "departments," i f one may use the expression—economic, industrial, political, physical, evolve from the three cardinal questions it seeks to answer: (i) What does mankind need for his material well-being? (ii) Whence and how does he obtain these things? (iii) What forces govern their occurrence only over particular areas of the earth's surface? It is a subject which is concerned with man's immediate physical environment:—with the earth as his home, storehouse, workshop, and market, all united into one huge entity. From these surroundings man cannot be separated ; from their influences he can never become immune; so that it wi l l become his natural business to strive, as far as lies within his power, to modify or harness those influences, according to circumstances, for his benefit. This is modern geography.
Man Records events in tim£ arid calls it History. History has throughout its course prominent features with which every person who claims to be educated is perfectly familiar. Yet how many of these, one wonders, consider the prominent features of their planet
home, and which have played this part in giving rise to that history! How many realize that it is man's activity in response to the conditions laid down by nature which provides the very material of which history is made! The one group of considerations is complementary to the other. And in proportion to the extent to which one group is neglected so must the ultimate cultural result be unbalanced. History is the record of events in time; geopraphy is the record of events in space. History is concerned with the Ipast; put what is its use i f it cannot be applied to the present, with which geography is mainly concerned? History describes human undertakings; geography describes the natural background against which those undertakings were carried out, and goes far to explain them. Time and space are inseparable in the study of events: history provides the epochal, and geography the regional factor. Yet still the relationship between the two is "far from sufficiently intimate in our ordinary teaching of either subject......Consider how few persons of a normal standard of education could sketch with the haziest approach to accuracy, a picture of the Europe with which Cromwell had to deal, or contrast it with the Europe which Napoleon started to reconstruct." Let a person possessed of only average intelligence study and compare the maps of these two Europes, and "get those two vignettes into his head and the framework for nearly a century and a half of crowded history is at his command." What cause is there then for the protracted and undue separation in educational practice of man from his physical environment? In an ideal scholasticism it is inconceivable. One without the other is unintelligible.
A subject to be a potent educational force must have the power of inducing correct thinking and logical reasoning. One of the first things which modern geography teaches is the process of correct reasoning. Certain observations are made and recorded and we trace the effects back to their causes. Conversely we deduce the conditions of life obtaining in a given region by making a collection of the available physical data and using common sense. For instance, a knowledge of the general type of climate prevalent in the zone in which a certain region is situate, with the necessary modifications occasioned by its individual configuration, the adjacency of warm or cold currents, or other purely local causes; a knowledge also of the surface geography of the centre, and the extent and type of its watering and drainage (all of which information is obtainable from an ordinary atlas) enables us to picture its floral and faunal life. From this and the further knowledge 6f the wealth or paucity of mineral deposits of the area we are able to construct a reasonably accurate representation of the mode of life and the normal occupations of its human inhabitants,
—(teh material of which history is made). This "arm-chair travel" is only the next best thing to the ideal course of taking the class to the region to be studied, which is not always practicable, but it has the advantage of providing scope for thinking things out. This reasoning according to geographical and economic principles (for let us remember that economics depends entirely upon geographical distribution and may be said to have emerged from geography) is also called for by the questions of cotton in Lancashire and India, of Japan, of the South Wales coal industry, of Ottawa, Greenland, and Manchukuo, of Germany and Austria, of the Polish Corridor, of the Hungarian borders, of the Peace Treaties of 1919-20, etc., etc. What an amount of national, colonial, and international turbulence could be eased, i f not altogether avoided, by a practical acquaintance with geographical principles!
As all education rests upon the memory it would be platitudinous to stress the necessity for the development of this faculty in the present connection, and to air the multiplicity of opportunities afforded it by geography. Suffice it that visual' memory is developed by means of pictures and models (referred to again below), by graph and diagram, and by the drawing from memory of sketch-maps, with the insertion of a few rivers, hills, and towns. It is enlightening to see how even the "clever" ones of a class deviate from truth in this. It is a study which demands the closest concentration and exercise of the observant and retentive powers, as any reader will fully realize if he try it. The practice of thought-connection, by which the intellectual memory is disciplined, has an obvious amplitude of opportunity. Some such association of ideas as the following should be encouraged.
India, greatest rice producing country in the world, staple food of natives, also export, monsoons, flooding, two or three crops a year, native labour, Lower Ganges, Dec-can, Calcultta, Madras, Coromandel Coast, British Empire, Eed Sea, Gibraltar, Docks of London.
Nor must the "fostering of a healthy imagination be overlooked. In few other subjects is there such scope in this direction as geography provides. Let us think of what an atom man feels when he gazes on the barbaric majesty of the Himalayas or Andes; and on the other hand how he begins to assert his insect authority when he stands on the easy flats of the cultivable plain. Let us think of the weird beauty of the midnight sun, or the awesome spectacle of the Aurora Borealis in the frozen regions of the north; let us think of the splendour and treachery of
the iceberg and glacier; of the tropical forests of Brazil and equatorial Africa, with their infinitude of gorgeously coloured birds and insects, their immense wealth, and with their revengefulness towards those men who would venture to appropriate it. We can picture the blue Mediterranean, the "dead heart" of Australia, and the scorching deserts of Africa and Arabia. We can reproduce in models the homes of the Eskimo and Kafir, of the lumberjack and Bedouin; we can sketch the pithead, and kayak, and the atolls of the wrestern Pacific; we can read accounts of harbour construction, of tunnelling through mountains and beneath waterways, of gold-mining and oil-prospecting, of pearl-fishing in the Persian Gulf, of irrigating the desert and rendering it fertile, of reclaiming land from the seas, of surveys of the earth's surface made from the air; and we write essays on life in its diversity of forms in India, Norway, Mexico, or Canada.
For material with which to nurture a sound morale one had only to look to those stories of perilous work undertaken and sacrifices made, even of life itself, by explorers, doctors, and others, in the cause of geographical science; of those heroic. parties who cross the bar to explore uncharted seas and lands in attempts to secure yet more of nature's hidden gifts, yet more "fruits and seeds, rich ores and precious stones for the creation of wealth, the comforts of life," and the benefit of mankind at large. It may be pointed out, moreover, that in those regions where a man is compelled to work hard for his sustenance he is manly, happy, healthy, and independent ; whereas in those places where the necessaries of life are cheap and abundant he necessarily deteriorates.
These stories of courage, resource, perseverance, discipline, unity of aim and effort (the "term spir i t") , and so on, are replete with significance and interest. Of the efficacy and forcefulness of the latter quality the teacher has no need to be reminded. The exploits allluded to can never fail to extract some degree of attention and appreciation from even the apathetic and turbid mind of the human drone. What effect then will they not have on the minds of conscientious future citizens of the world with a growing sense of the responsibilities they will have to carry when they leave school? Their interest in life and its problems will not be of that temporary variety so strongly associated with preparation for examinations, but that which is perfectly free, genuine, and permanent.
(To be continued)
I
[The M.C.L. does not necessarily endorse the opinions expressed by correspondents. Correspondents are requested to adhere to the topic of their letters and to avoid long rambling epistles. Pen names may be used but, in every case, the name and address of the writer must accompany each contribution, not essentially for publication but as a token of good faith.]
Catholic Action Society, St. Francis Xavier's Church,
Penang. 10, February, 1935.
To the Editor, Malaya Catholic Leader,
Singapore.
Sir,—I read with interest the Malayan Catholic Leader of the 9th inst. and thanks for the publication of the report of the tea-party given to Mr . G. R. T. Chel-vam our former president, on the eve of his departure for Singapore, and also for the insertion of photograph taken on that occasion.
Although the article in question has been published, I am at a loss to understand why the president's speech in reply, has been omitted. This emission seems to be a very strange and unusual procedure. In his speech, he gave an outline and an essence of the nature of the work to be done by the members, to benefit the interest of the Catholic Action, and i f this was read by the members of the committee through the medium of your paper, it would remind them of the ways to devote their energies, attention and talents to achieve the benefit of the work they have undertaken.
Under the circumstances, I humbly request that you suitably insert his reply, which I take it has been omitted through want of space, or that it has been overlooked.
Thanks in anticipation,
I remain, Yours faithfully.
(In our previous issue the following speach, referred to in the above letter, was inadvertently left out. Ed. M.C.L.)
"Gentlemen and fellow actionists, before replying to the previous speaker, I must express my profound regrets at the absence of Rev. Father Baloche, our Spiritual Director from our midst, owing to his illness. Mr. Royan has said many nice things of me, which I hardly deserve. It is typical of the gushing generosity of our energetic Secretary. I am deeply sensible of your goodwill and appreciation and may assure you that my cognisance of this good gesture wil l not wear away with the passage of time. My only regret is that I am leaving you at an inopportune moment, before I have had time to guide the interests of the society to a more fruitful end: however, there is yet a lingering consolation in the fact that my new field of endeavour in the Catholic Leader, shall offer me wider scope for identifying myself with Catholic Action activities.
Furthermore, though distance may part us yet, I feel sure, my thoughts shall often flit back to you and your undertakings.
Permit me to say a few final words to to you on the subject of Catholic Action. You have doubtless heard a great deal said and much less done, regarding it. In short, there has been more of diction and less of action. And these two terms are antithetical in effect to each other as the night is to the day. We must strive after the latter in a quiet and unobtrusive manner. The call to the laity by Our Holy Father, directed through His accredited prelates and ministers, to revive the holy and wholesome work in which the faithful had participated at the dawn of the Christian Era, is certainly worth answering with enthusiasm. Does it not sound like the call of Our Lord, to Simon Peter the fisherman? You all know what glory this irresistible call brought. So, gentlemen, undertake your work courageously and unofiiciously. Do not say you have no time to do good. The tenets of our Holy Church tell us that Fai th alone will not save us without charity and goodworks. Charity calls for sacrifice and sacrifice is the most ennobling nart of a man's character.
'Know thy work and thou shalt love i t ' — f or knowledge leads . to love and ignorance to prejudice. Do your utmost vigorously and virtuously within the individual ambit of your capacities. I thank you gentlemen for the patient hearing you have accorded me, and for the honour you have done me by this delightful little fu-notion."
The party dispersed after a group photograph had been taken, with' the guest of honour as the central figure.
(To the Editor, M.C.L:) T H E T R U E STORY OF M Y
CONVERSION. By R. H . B .
Mine was a " Mixed " marriage which was solemnised in January 1913 and at that time I was a staunch member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Before marriage I promised my wife that I would not interfere with her religious practices and as far as I remember I kept to my promise. We lived very happily for 11 years but our happiness was overshadowed with terrible misfortunes. In 1916 (a leap year) death claimed our son and only child who was then over 2 years old. In 1920 (another leap year) we lost our second son at the age of 2V2 years. In 1924 (the third successive leap year) our third son died—a nice robust boy who was very nearly 4 years old. This loss was a terrible snock to us. I was so grieved and depressed that I lost faith in any religion. I could not for one moment believe that if there is a God He could be so cruel as to take away all our sons; so for a few weeks I lived like a pagan in utter despair.
One night while brooding over our loss something, or someone un
seen urged me to pray. I mechar-nically knelt down but I could not pray. A l l I remember saying were words to this effect:—
" If there is such a " thing " as a God why won't He tell me what I have done to deserve such punishment as to have the misfortune to lose a son every leap year; or why cannot He tell me by some means or other what I ought to do to please Him and that the lives of any future sons may be spared?"
I turned in bed and after some time fell asleep. That night I had rather a strange dream. I dreamt I was in a Catholic Boys School and was watching the Brothers in their long black robes hurrying to and fro. I thought nothing of the dream the next day. The following night I again had a peculiar dream. This time I was in a Convent and several Nuns and Sisters were showing me round the building. This dream did not worry me the next day, and I put it down to a rather heavy dinner. The third night I dreamt again but i t was thi strangest of dreams. I was present in a Catholic Church—a grand service was being held and the Altar was lighted up magnificently. As I looked around in my dream I saw that every statue had lighted candles at the feet. M y eyes wandered from one statue to another until they fell on that of a little boy in one corner. As I gazed at this statue I noticed that the face was that of the son I re-recently lost. I stared in wonderment and the right hand of the statue was raised and the boy beckoned to me. " M y son" I cried and as I walked up the centre aisle to caress my boy, I awoke from my dream and found myself in bed in a cold sweat. I sat up in bed. I had not a wink of sleep the rest of that night. My brain was in a whirl. I recalled the previous dreams and I linked them to the "prayer" I said while in despair. " Can these dreams be the answer to my "prayer," I asked myself, and instinctively the reply came "Yes ," you must change your religion," and before I had time to think, my mind had been made up.
The next morning I told my wife that I was going to change my religion and be a Catholic. She laughed at me at first and took it to be a big joke. But when I related about my " prayer " and the three successive dreams and she was convinced that I was in earnest she said " Thank God, my prayers have been heard. For the past eleven years I have been praying for your conversion and at last God is answering my prayer."
I lost no further time. I asked & friend to accompany me to the Parish Priest and after about a week of study and instructions I was baptised, and at the next Confirmation Service I was duly confirmed.
I have written down what has really happened but before I conclude I wish to make it clear that I attach no significance to leap years nor do I particularly believe in dreams.
A further 11 years have since passed and we have 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls. The boys are 11
BOUSTEAD & CO. LTD.
AGENTS FOR:—
T H E ROYAL INSURANCE
C O . L T D :
T H E LONDON & LANCASHIRE
INSURANCE CO., L T D .
A L L C L A S S E S O F I N S U R A N C E .
(Fire, Motor, Personal Accident, Fidelity, Guarantee, Burglary, Baggage, Workmen's Compensation)
transacted.
years and 5 years old and with the help of God I make bold to say that our misfortunes are ended.
If this true story is the means of directing one soul, to the One and true Church, my effort in relating it will not have been in vain.
(The above account has been received by us for publication along with a covering letter requesting us to withhold the full name of the contributor for prudential reasons which we do not make bold to delve into. However, the authenticity of the statements therein is attestable from external evidence.
(Ed. M.C.L.)
A lady, soliciting for a charity fund, approached a Scotchman and handed him a card with the inscription:
"Charity Fund—Give Ti l l It Hurts,"
The Scotchman read it, then, with tears of grief in his eyes, handed it back to the fair solicitor.
"Lady," he said brokenly, "the verra idea hurts I"
"Why do you insist upon telling me those horrible stories of ghosts and robbers while you are cutting my hair?" said a long-suffering customer to a talkative barber.
"I'm very sorry, sir," replied the barber, "but you see, when I tell stories like that to my customers their hair stands on end, and i t makes it ever so much easier to cut."
MALAYA CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16th 1935.
Motes on Education M A L A Y A CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16th 1935.
GEOGRAPHY IN EDUCATION.
CORRESPONDENCE While the names of Tasman,
Cook, and Franklin; of Frobisher, Livingstone, and Rhodes; of Peary, Byrd and Shackleton, and a host of others of like fcalibre bear witness to an illustrious cause in the outside world of events, geography as a school subject is not one which can boast of a "glorious tradition." Cohesion or relationship between the internal studies and the external happenings has been conspicuous by its nonexistence: there has been no keeping abreast of the times. As the subject was formerly understood (or mis-understood) it was either a drjff-as-dust commitment to memory of lists of names and definitions having no practical bearing on anything in the world, on a degeneration, of physical, commercial, and political facts into mere statistics and tabulations. Its neglect until comparatively recent times is in all probability due to this lack of realization of what geographical science really is. Its value as an educative force, as a broadening influence on the mind, is stil l in the infancy of scholastic appreciation, although it is nearly half a century since it first began to be unfolded.. It is high time therefore that we comprehended more fully the meaning of geography, and observed that that of yesterday and that of to-day are as widely separated in aim and method as are the old-time astrology and modern astronomy.
What then does modern geography stand for? Does it or does it not justify a place in the curriculum ? Let us consider these two questions for a moment. Geography is the science of distributions over and about the earth, and a study of mankind's response to the conditions occasioned by them. It is a study of environment and adapation. Its various "departments," i f one may use the expression—economic, industrial, political, physical, evolve from the three cardinal questions it seeks to answer: (i) What does mankind need for his material well-being? (ii) Whence and how does he obtain these things? (iii) What forces govern their occurrence only over particular areas of the earth's surface? It is a subject which is concerned with man's immediate physical environment:—with the earth as his home, storehouse, workshop, and market, all united into one huge entity. From these surroundings man cannot be separated ; from their influences he can never become immune; so that it wi l l become his natural business to strive, as far as lies within his power, to modify or harness those influences, according to circumstances, for his benefit. This is modern geography.
Man Records events in tim£ arid calls it History. History has throughout its course prominent features with which every person who claims to be educated is perfectly familiar. Yet how many of these, one wonders, consider the prominent features of their planet
home, and which have played this part in giving rise to that history! How many realize that it is man's activity in response to the conditions laid down by nature which provides the very material of which history is made! The one group of considerations is complementary to the other. And in proportion to the extent to which one group is neglected so must the ultimate cultural result be unbalanced. History is the record of events in time; geopraphy is the record of events in space. History is concerned with the Ipast; put what is its use i f it cannot be applied to the present, with which geography is mainly concerned? History describes human undertakings; geography describes the natural background against which those undertakings were carried out, and goes far to explain them. Time and space are inseparable in the study of events: history provides the epochal, and geography the regional factor. Yet still the relationship between the two is "far from sufficiently intimate in our ordinary teaching of either subject......Consider how few persons of a normal standard of education could sketch with the haziest approach to accuracy, a picture of the Europe with which Cromwell had to deal, or contrast it with the Europe which Napoleon started to reconstruct." Let a person possessed of only average intelligence study and compare the maps of these two Europes, and "get those two vignettes into his head and the framework for nearly a century and a half of crowded history is at his command." What cause is there then for the protracted and undue separation in educational practice of man from his physical environment? In an ideal scholasticism it is inconceivable. One without the other is unintelligible.
A subject to be a potent educational force must have the power of inducing correct thinking and logical reasoning. One of the first things which modern geography teaches is the process of correct reasoning. Certain observations are made and recorded and we trace the effects back to their causes. Conversely we deduce the conditions of life obtaining in a given region by making a collection of the available physical data and using common sense. For instance, a knowledge of the general type of climate prevalent in the zone in which a certain region is situate, with the necessary modifications occasioned by its individual configuration, the adjacency of warm or cold currents, or other purely local causes; a knowledge also of the surface geography of the centre, and the extent and type of its watering and drainage (all of which information is obtainable from an ordinary atlas) enables us to picture its floral and faunal life. From this and the further knowledge 6f the wealth or paucity of mineral deposits of the area we are able to construct a reasonably accurate representation of the mode of life and the normal occupations of its human inhabitants,
—(teh material of which history is made). This "arm-chair travel" is only the next best thing to the ideal course of taking the class to the region to be studied, which is not always practicable, but it has the advantage of providing scope for thinking things out. This reasoning according to geographical and economic principles (for let us remember that economics depends entirely upon geographical distribution and may be said to have emerged from geography) is also called for by the questions of cotton in Lancashire and India, of Japan, of the South Wales coal industry, of Ottawa, Greenland, and Manchukuo, of Germany and Austria, of the Polish Corridor, of the Hungarian borders, of the Peace Treaties of 1919-20, etc., etc. What an amount of national, colonial, and international turbulence could be eased, i f not altogether avoided, by a practical acquaintance with geographical principles!
As all education rests upon the memory it would be platitudinous to stress the necessity for the development of this faculty in the present connection, and to air the multiplicity of opportunities afforded it by geography. Suffice it that visual' memory is developed by means of pictures and models (referred to again below), by graph and diagram, and by the drawing from memory of sketch-maps, with the insertion of a few rivers, hills, and towns. It is enlightening to see how even the "clever" ones of a class deviate from truth in this. It is a study which demands the closest concentration and exercise of the observant and retentive powers, as any reader will fully realize if he try it. The practice of thought-connection, by which the intellectual memory is disciplined, has an obvious amplitude of opportunity. Some such association of ideas as the following should be encouraged.
India, greatest rice producing country in the world, staple food of natives, also export, monsoons, flooding, two or three crops a year, native labour, Lower Ganges, Dec-can, Calcultta, Madras, Coromandel Coast, British Empire, Eed Sea, Gibraltar, Docks of London.
Nor must the "fostering of a healthy imagination be overlooked. In few other subjects is there such scope in this direction as geography provides. Let us think of what an atom man feels when he gazes on the barbaric majesty of the Himalayas or Andes; and on the other hand how he begins to assert his insect authority when he stands on the easy flats of the cultivable plain. Let us think of the weird beauty of the midnight sun, or the awesome spectacle of the Aurora Borealis in the frozen regions of the north; let us think of the splendour and treachery of
the iceberg and glacier; of the tropical forests of Brazil and equatorial Africa, with their infinitude of gorgeously coloured birds and insects, their immense wealth, and with their revengefulness towards those men who would venture to appropriate it. We can picture the blue Mediterranean, the "dead heart" of Australia, and the scorching deserts of Africa and Arabia. We can reproduce in models the homes of the Eskimo and Kafir, of the lumberjack and Bedouin; we can sketch the pithead, and kayak, and the atolls of the wrestern Pacific; we can read accounts of harbour construction, of tunnelling through mountains and beneath waterways, of gold-mining and oil-prospecting, of pearl-fishing in the Persian Gulf, of irrigating the desert and rendering it fertile, of reclaiming land from the seas, of surveys of the earth's surface made from the air; and we write essays on life in its diversity of forms in India, Norway, Mexico, or Canada.
For material with which to nurture a sound morale one had only to look to those stories of perilous work undertaken and sacrifices made, even of life itself, by explorers, doctors, and others, in the cause of geographical science; of those heroic. parties who cross the bar to explore uncharted seas and lands in attempts to secure yet more of nature's hidden gifts, yet more "fruits and seeds, rich ores and precious stones for the creation of wealth, the comforts of life," and the benefit of mankind at large. It may be pointed out, moreover, that in those regions where a man is compelled to work hard for his sustenance he is manly, happy, healthy, and independent ; whereas in those places where the necessaries of life are cheap and abundant he necessarily deteriorates.
These stories of courage, resource, perseverance, discipline, unity of aim and effort (the "term spir i t") , and so on, are replete with significance and interest. Of the efficacy and forcefulness of the latter quality the teacher has no need to be reminded. The exploits allluded to can never fail to extract some degree of attention and appreciation from even the apathetic and turbid mind of the human drone. What effect then will they not have on the minds of conscientious future citizens of the world with a growing sense of the responsibilities they will have to carry when they leave school? Their interest in life and its problems will not be of that temporary variety so strongly associated with preparation for examinations, but that which is perfectly free, genuine, and permanent.
(To be continued)
I
[The M.C.L. does not necessarily endorse the opinions expressed by correspondents. Correspondents are requested to adhere to the topic of their letters and to avoid long rambling epistles. Pen names may be used but, in every case, the name and address of the writer must accompany each contribution, not essentially for publication but as a token of good faith.]
Catholic Action Society, St. Francis Xavier's Church,
Penang. 10, February, 1935.
To the Editor, Malaya Catholic Leader,
Singapore.
Sir,—I read with interest the Malayan Catholic Leader of the 9th inst. and thanks for the publication of the report of the tea-party given to Mr . G. R. T. Chel-vam our former president, on the eve of his departure for Singapore, and also for the insertion of photograph taken on that occasion.
Although the article in question has been published, I am at a loss to understand why the president's speech in reply, has been omitted. This emission seems to be a very strange and unusual procedure. In his speech, he gave an outline and an essence of the nature of the work to be done by the members, to benefit the interest of the Catholic Action, and i f this was read by the members of the committee through the medium of your paper, it would remind them of the ways to devote their energies, attention and talents to achieve the benefit of the work they have undertaken.
Under the circumstances, I humbly request that you suitably insert his reply, which I take it has been omitted through want of space, or that it has been overlooked.
Thanks in anticipation,
I remain, Yours faithfully.
(In our previous issue the following speach, referred to in the above letter, was inadvertently left out. Ed. M.C.L.)
"Gentlemen and fellow actionists, before replying to the previous speaker, I must express my profound regrets at the absence of Rev. Father Baloche, our Spiritual Director from our midst, owing to his illness. Mr. Royan has said many nice things of me, which I hardly deserve. It is typical of the gushing generosity of our energetic Secretary. I am deeply sensible of your goodwill and appreciation and may assure you that my cognisance of this good gesture wil l not wear away with the passage of time. My only regret is that I am leaving you at an inopportune moment, before I have had time to guide the interests of the society to a more fruitful end: however, there is yet a lingering consolation in the fact that my new field of endeavour in the Catholic Leader, shall offer me wider scope for identifying myself with Catholic Action activities.
Furthermore, though distance may part us yet, I feel sure, my thoughts shall often flit back to you and your undertakings.
Permit me to say a few final words to to you on the subject of Catholic Action. You have doubtless heard a great deal said and much less done, regarding it. In short, there has been more of diction and less of action. And these two terms are antithetical in effect to each other as the night is to the day. We must strive after the latter in a quiet and unobtrusive manner. The call to the laity by Our Holy Father, directed through His accredited prelates and ministers, to revive the holy and wholesome work in which the faithful had participated at the dawn of the Christian Era, is certainly worth answering with enthusiasm. Does it not sound like the call of Our Lord, to Simon Peter the fisherman? You all know what glory this irresistible call brought. So, gentlemen, undertake your work courageously and unofiiciously. Do not say you have no time to do good. The tenets of our Holy Church tell us that Fai th alone will not save us without charity and goodworks. Charity calls for sacrifice and sacrifice is the most ennobling nart of a man's character.
'Know thy work and thou shalt love i t ' — f or knowledge leads . to love and ignorance to prejudice. Do your utmost vigorously and virtuously within the individual ambit of your capacities. I thank you gentlemen for the patient hearing you have accorded me, and for the honour you have done me by this delightful little fu-notion."
The party dispersed after a group photograph had been taken, with' the guest of honour as the central figure.
(To the Editor, M.C.L:) T H E T R U E STORY OF M Y
CONVERSION. By R. H . B .
Mine was a " Mixed " marriage which was solemnised in January 1913 and at that time I was a staunch member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Before marriage I promised my wife that I would not interfere with her religious practices and as far as I remember I kept to my promise. We lived very happily for 11 years but our happiness was overshadowed with terrible misfortunes. In 1916 (a leap year) death claimed our son and only child who was then over 2 years old. In 1920 (another leap year) we lost our second son at the age of 2V2 years. In 1924 (the third successive leap year) our third son died—a nice robust boy who was very nearly 4 years old. This loss was a terrible snock to us. I was so grieved and depressed that I lost faith in any religion. I could not for one moment believe that if there is a God He could be so cruel as to take away all our sons; so for a few weeks I lived like a pagan in utter despair.
One night while brooding over our loss something, or someone un
seen urged me to pray. I mechar-nically knelt down but I could not pray. A l l I remember saying were words to this effect:—
" If there is such a " thing " as a God why won't He tell me what I have done to deserve such punishment as to have the misfortune to lose a son every leap year; or why cannot He tell me by some means or other what I ought to do to please Him and that the lives of any future sons may be spared?"
I turned in bed and after some time fell asleep. That night I had rather a strange dream. I dreamt I was in a Catholic Boys School and was watching the Brothers in their long black robes hurrying to and fro. I thought nothing of the dream the next day. The following night I again had a peculiar dream. This time I was in a Convent and several Nuns and Sisters were showing me round the building. This dream did not worry me the next day, and I put it down to a rather heavy dinner. The third night I dreamt again but i t was thi strangest of dreams. I was present in a Catholic Church—a grand service was being held and the Altar was lighted up magnificently. As I looked around in my dream I saw that every statue had lighted candles at the feet. M y eyes wandered from one statue to another until they fell on that of a little boy in one corner. As I gazed at this statue I noticed that the face was that of the son I re-recently lost. I stared in wonderment and the right hand of the statue was raised and the boy beckoned to me. " M y son" I cried and as I walked up the centre aisle to caress my boy, I awoke from my dream and found myself in bed in a cold sweat. I sat up in bed. I had not a wink of sleep the rest of that night. My brain was in a whirl. I recalled the previous dreams and I linked them to the "prayer" I said while in despair. " Can these dreams be the answer to my "prayer," I asked myself, and instinctively the reply came "Yes ," you must change your religion," and before I had time to think, my mind had been made up.
The next morning I told my wife that I was going to change my religion and be a Catholic. She laughed at me at first and took it to be a big joke. But when I related about my " prayer " and the three successive dreams and she was convinced that I was in earnest she said " Thank God, my prayers have been heard. For the past eleven years I have been praying for your conversion and at last God is answering my prayer."
I lost no further time. I asked & friend to accompany me to the Parish Priest and after about a week of study and instructions I was baptised, and at the next Confirmation Service I was duly confirmed.
I have written down what has really happened but before I conclude I wish to make it clear that I attach no significance to leap years nor do I particularly believe in dreams.
A further 11 years have since passed and we have 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls. The boys are 11
BOUSTEAD & CO. LTD.
AGENTS FOR:—
T H E ROYAL INSURANCE
C O . L T D :
T H E LONDON & LANCASHIRE
INSURANCE CO., L T D .
A L L C L A S S E S O F I N S U R A N C E .
(Fire, Motor, Personal Accident, Fidelity, Guarantee, Burglary, Baggage, Workmen's Compensation)
transacted.
years and 5 years old and with the help of God I make bold to say that our misfortunes are ended.
If this true story is the means of directing one soul, to the One and true Church, my effort in relating it will not have been in vain.
(The above account has been received by us for publication along with a covering letter requesting us to withhold the full name of the contributor for prudential reasons which we do not make bold to delve into. However, the authenticity of the statements therein is attestable from external evidence.
(Ed. M.C.L.)
A lady, soliciting for a charity fund, approached a Scotchman and handed him a card with the inscription:
"Charity Fund—Give Ti l l It Hurts,"
The Scotchman read it, then, with tears of grief in his eyes, handed it back to the fair solicitor.
"Lady," he said brokenly, "the verra idea hurts I"
"Why do you insist upon telling me those horrible stories of ghosts and robbers while you are cutting my hair?" said a long-suffering customer to a talkative barber.
"I'm very sorry, sir," replied the barber, "but you see, when I tell stories like that to my customers their hair stands on end, and i t makes it ever so much easier to cut."
8 MALAYAN CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY,FEBRUABY 16th 1935.
Woman's , P a g e
M A L A Y A N CATHOLIC L E A D E R , SATURDAY, F E B R U A R Y 16th 1935.
WOMEN A N D THE FILMS. At-the Catholic Women's Con
ference in Melbourne last November, Rev. Father McGrade, making an appeal for better films, expressed the hope that Catholic women would be ready to stand with other women in making their influence felt in the right quarters in America. We*have little doubt that Catholic women will fall into line with other women in any sensible female campaign for film reform, but it occurs to us that femininety as a whole has not displayed all the interest in this particular matter that might be expected when we consider its social and moral importance. As far as we know it was under the leadership of members otLthe Catholic hierarchy that the churches in America began the ban on evil pictures which disconcerted Hollywood and caused picture producers deep concern, and i f woman's organisations have been active in the matter they have not received deserved publicity. Indeed, it has, surprised many men that instead of protesting in a wholesale way against risque and suggestive pictures, women flock to see them in large numbers and, as often as not, comprise a very big section of the audience when some particularly sexy programme is shown. As we naturally expect more refinement, delicacy and modesty from our mothers, wives and sweethearts than we do from the ruder male, something is surely wrong when instead of boycotting the "rough stufl?" so many women un-bhjshingly .patronise it. Worse than that, numbers of them appear to have such a taste for it that there is a strong suspicion that they are largely responsible for the vulgarities and salacities of Hollywood. We do not contend that men are angels in their attitude towards doubtful pictures, but i f the women remained away there would be so many empty seats that showmen would I soon present better programmes. It is arguable that it was because women did not give the necesslary lead Catholic prelates in U .S .A.
took the strong action they did, and commanded their flocks to follow them. It seems rather a pity that woman, boasting of her new liberty, is inclined to give leadership in directions which will not help morality instead of championing the old conventions which safeguarded girlhood and saved it from so many perils. In Australia the "new" woman lifts up her voice against many things—but at times they are the things that have their roots in Christian sentiment.
(Catholic Freeman's Journal.)
RECIPES. R U L E S FOR C A K E M A K I N G .
1. Get the oven the right heat before wetting your mixtures.
2. Small cakes require a hotter oven than large ones, therefore should be made first; the oven should be fairly hot to start the latter, and the heat gradually reduced.
8: Stand large cakes on a bed of dry sand or salt to prevent burning at the bottom, and when nicely eoloured, cover over with a thick greased paper to prevent it burning on the top before thel centre is cooked.
4. Never bang the oven door to, or move the tin before the mixture is set, as i t makes the cakes fall in the middle, and they will be heavy.
5. Line tins with ungreased paper for large cakes, and greased paper for small ones.
6. Be sure all tins and ingredients are dry.
7. Allow iy2—2 hours to bake a cake of 12 ozs. to 1 lb. of flour; fruity cakes usually take 3—4 hours.
& Let all cakes be quite cold before putting away; they should be kept in airtight tins.
9. Do not use real new-laid eggs for cake making; they contain too much moisture; they are better when 7—10 days old, the albumen or whites whip stronger, and the yolks are more solid.
HE WILL BE WHAT YO UWANT HIM TO BE ON COW AND GATE
A complete Food made in a moment by the mere addition of hot water.
In guaranteed and Idated air tight icontainers.
For Better Ba D i e s
Agents for South Malaya, Borneo & Sarawak: JACKSON & CO., LTD.. Singapore.
Mothers should remember that
growing children need milk-every
day:
for preference
MILKMAID" MILK
10. Sweet milk makes cakes cut like pound cakes.
11. Sour milk makes spongy cakes.
12. Long beating before adding baking powder improves the mixture, but don't beat after; mix it gently in.
13. Weigh the flour after drying and sifting.
14. Currants, raisins, and cherries should be rolled in flour to prevent them sinking to the bottom. I f the mixture is too thin the fruit will sink.
15. Always break eggs separately into a cup, in case one happens to be bad, then the whole lot will not be spoilt.
16. Lemons should be washed first,, and the peel must be cut very thin, as the white part is bitter.
17. Condensed or evaporated milk can be used instead of cream or milk.
18. Small cakes require a quick oven.
19. Large cakes require a moderate oven; cover with paper if getting too brown before cooked enough.
20. To test i f a cake is baked enough, run into the middle a knit-ing needle or bright skewer; i f i t comes out clean, the cake is done.
21. To beat butter and sugar to a cream, put into a warm bowl, place over warm water, rub together with a wooden spoon (if a large quantity use the hand), beat till creamy. This process takes 10 minutes for i/9 lb. of fat; it can be slightly hastened by first creaming the butter alone, and a slow, steady beating is better than a quick one; gradually add the flour and beaten eggs alternately, a little of each at a time, put fruit and flavouring in at the last, and then the baking powder.
22. Let large cakes cool a little before removing on to a sieve, and keep them out of draughts.
To line a tin or mould with buttered paper.
23. Cut a strip of good white paper an inch wider than the t in and long enough to go round the sides; also cut a bottom piece and nick it to fit; brush over with melted butter, put the bottom piece in first.
24. When currants come in from the grocer's, it is a good plan to clean them at once, put into a coiander, and wash well in cold water; shake, spread on a dish, and place before the fire to dry; look over carefully, and remove stems and stones.
To dry clean currants 25. Place on a clean towel or
sieve, sprinkle with flour; rub well to remove stalks, stones, and dirt.
Cakes (to remove from tins) 26. Place t in on a cold, wet
cloth for a few minutes, then run round the edges carefully with a knife. Put on a cool sieve or a wire stand; failing that, stand on their edge against a dish; they will go heavy at the bottom i f this is not done.
27. Burnt crust on cakes (to remove)
Scrape gently with a fine bread grater.
28. Cake Burning (to prevent) Tie three thicknesses of brown
paper round the outside of the tin, grease the inside well and dredge with flour. When cake is nicely brown cover top with well greased paper.
29. Burnt Fruit in a Cake (to prevent)
Before adding the fruit, put a layer of the mixture into the bottom of the tin and save enough for a top layer also, without fruit.
" S I M P L E FIRST AID." Boils are abscesses in the skin.
They contain a central core formed of a fragment of dead skin. The cause is debility, combined with some local cause, such as the chafing of a collar. Ichthyol and resorcin ointment applied at a very early stage will often check the mischief. When once developed, a cold-water dressing made of pink boracic lint will help to relieve the pain. They are best treated by lancing and touching the interior with pure carbolic, and not by the application of a linseed poultice, as this is apt to iiiduce a crop of boils in the surrounding area. The general health should receive attention, especially is regard to diet, fresh air, and regularity of the bowels.
The Eurasian Association (Penang Branch)
PENANG. Annual Report.
The following is the Annual Report of The Eurasian Association, Penang forwarded to us for publication.
Committee. The Committee elected at the
last General Meeting were as follows :— President—
Dr. J . E . Smith Vice-President—
Mr. C. C. Stewart Hon. Secretary—
Mr. H . C. deWind Hon. Treasurer—
Mr. G. B. Baptist and Messrs. F . J . G. Aeria, R. E . Capel, W. H . Jambu, A . Zilva, C. A . deCruz and Dr. H . Phipps.
Mr. C. A . deCruz not being able to accept office, Mr. E . G. Cullin was co-opted on the Committee.
Committee Meetings. Five Committee Meetings wTere
held during the year. Accounts.
The attached statement of accounts show a credit balance of $1019.23, excluding an investment of S230/- (Debentures Penang Recreation Club).
Members and Subscriptions. The year opened with* 185 Mem
bers on the roll. The Membership increased by 10 and decreased by one death and two resignations.
Your Committee with great regret have to record the death of Mr. J. V . J a m b u * M r . Jambu w£& at one time the Honorary Secretary of this Association and his services were greatly appreciated.
WTiilst the subscrpitions received during the year under review have not been very satisfactory in view of the very modest subscription now in force, your Committee are pleased to note the increase in applications for membership. With the passing of the slump and with the return of better times in the generally improved outlook in trade, your Committee hope thi^ matter of subscriptions will not be overlooked.
In stressing the need for cooperation, your Committee desire to point out that both in political and social life, the conscience of the peoples is beginning to call aloud ever more and more for union and unity, as witness the various Associations in Malaya representing the various communities. The most keenly felt want at the present time in our community, is active unity and co-operation. In politics, not withstanding the individualistic character of modern nation, more thoughtful men are seeking points of agreement and methods of co-operation; in social life, the w each-one-for-himself" Policy is giving way to the more universal principle of collective responsibility. Everywhere a greater sense of dependence one upon another is making itself felt; men are beginning to acknowledge that ^ere individualism is insufficient as a basis of life. Social unity— the knitting together of the members of the community in the bond jtf human fellowship—is necessary. ^ any community is to continue to
exist and prosper. Social life recognises as necessary the principle of individual right and personal initiative: but it goes beyond this and recognises that right as coincident with responsibility.
What the Association has done in the past, is in proportion to the measure of support and co-operation received. With whole-hearted co-operation from every member of the community and a just recognition of his responsibility, the Association can do much in the development, social and economic, of the community. The means exist; all that is required is the effort. Times are changing, and to-day, our Association is a necessity.
Your Committee therefore appeal to every member of the community to be true to himself, and to the community, and to realise that the fundamental basis of social life imposes upon every member in proportion to his ability, the responsibility of furthering the aims and aspirations of his community, so that with honest endeavour, willing co-operation and good-will, the community shall progress in confidence and harmony towards Eurasian Solidarity.
Activities. (a) Educational.—Our activity
in respect of educational work was maintained during the year, and the amount disbursed during the year under review exceeds those of previous years. During the year under review, your Committee called for applications for stipends, available at the Trade School, or at any of the recognised workshops in Penang, but no applications were received. This is to be regretted, as your Committee are of opinion that in these days of severe competition a sound vocational training is an asset for any youth in the battle of life. Your Committee desire to tender their grateful thanks to Bro. Director of St. Xavier's Institution and to the Bro. Supervisor of St. Xavier's Branch School, Pulo Tikus for advice and assistance on matters Educational.
(6) Poppy Day Ball.—This Function was held at the Town Hall on 17th November 1933 and proved an unqualified succers. The sum of $66.57, the nett proceeds of the Ball was forwarded to the Honorary Treasurers, Poppy Day Fund. Your Committee take this opportunity to thank all members and friends for their assistance and support.
(c) Visit to Eurasian Lepers at Pulo Jerejak.—Your Committee paid a visit to these stricken members of the community at the Leper Camp at Pulo Jerejak on the 15th February 1934. Your Committee were amply repaid for the trouble undertaken to make the visit, as they were gratified and pleased to see the beautiful spirit, wThich pre-valied amongst the inmates, who appeared happy and contented. In remembrance of the visit, your Committee presented a complete Badminton set. Your Committee
(Continued on page 18)
M A L A Y A S H E A L T H F O O D
For health,sleep and
bright awakening Cadbury's
i B o i u i R N - w i n r A
"lis better for you ft
MAA5—1A-
8 MALAYAN CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY,FEBRUABY 16th 1935.
Woman's , P a g e
M A L A Y A N CATHOLIC L E A D E R , SATURDAY, F E B R U A R Y 16th 1935.
WOMEN A N D THE FILMS. At-the Catholic Women's Con
ference in Melbourne last November, Rev. Father McGrade, making an appeal for better films, expressed the hope that Catholic women would be ready to stand with other women in making their influence felt in the right quarters in America. We*have little doubt that Catholic women will fall into line with other women in any sensible female campaign for film reform, but it occurs to us that femininety as a whole has not displayed all the interest in this particular matter that might be expected when we consider its social and moral importance. As far as we know it was under the leadership of members otLthe Catholic hierarchy that the churches in America began the ban on evil pictures which disconcerted Hollywood and caused picture producers deep concern, and i f woman's organisations have been active in the matter they have not received deserved publicity. Indeed, it has, surprised many men that instead of protesting in a wholesale way against risque and suggestive pictures, women flock to see them in large numbers and, as often as not, comprise a very big section of the audience when some particularly sexy programme is shown. As we naturally expect more refinement, delicacy and modesty from our mothers, wives and sweethearts than we do from the ruder male, something is surely wrong when instead of boycotting the "rough stufl?" so many women un-bhjshingly .patronise it. Worse than that, numbers of them appear to have such a taste for it that there is a strong suspicion that they are largely responsible for the vulgarities and salacities of Hollywood. We do not contend that men are angels in their attitude towards doubtful pictures, but i f the women remained away there would be so many empty seats that showmen would I soon present better programmes. It is arguable that it was because women did not give the necesslary lead Catholic prelates in U .S .A.
took the strong action they did, and commanded their flocks to follow them. It seems rather a pity that woman, boasting of her new liberty, is inclined to give leadership in directions which will not help morality instead of championing the old conventions which safeguarded girlhood and saved it from so many perils. In Australia the "new" woman lifts up her voice against many things—but at times they are the things that have their roots in Christian sentiment.
(Catholic Freeman's Journal.)
RECIPES. R U L E S FOR C A K E M A K I N G .
1. Get the oven the right heat before wetting your mixtures.
2. Small cakes require a hotter oven than large ones, therefore should be made first; the oven should be fairly hot to start the latter, and the heat gradually reduced.
8: Stand large cakes on a bed of dry sand or salt to prevent burning at the bottom, and when nicely eoloured, cover over with a thick greased paper to prevent it burning on the top before thel centre is cooked.
4. Never bang the oven door to, or move the tin before the mixture is set, as i t makes the cakes fall in the middle, and they will be heavy.
5. Line tins with ungreased paper for large cakes, and greased paper for small ones.
6. Be sure all tins and ingredients are dry.
7. Allow iy2—2 hours to bake a cake of 12 ozs. to 1 lb. of flour; fruity cakes usually take 3—4 hours.
& Let all cakes be quite cold before putting away; they should be kept in airtight tins.
9. Do not use real new-laid eggs for cake making; they contain too much moisture; they are better when 7—10 days old, the albumen or whites whip stronger, and the yolks are more solid.
HE WILL BE WHAT YO UWANT HIM TO BE ON COW AND GATE
A complete Food made in a moment by the mere addition of hot water.
In guaranteed and Idated air tight icontainers.
For Better Ba D i e s
Agents for South Malaya, Borneo & Sarawak: JACKSON & CO., LTD.. Singapore.
Mothers should remember that
growing children need milk-every
day:
for preference
MILKMAID" MILK
10. Sweet milk makes cakes cut like pound cakes.
11. Sour milk makes spongy cakes.
12. Long beating before adding baking powder improves the mixture, but don't beat after; mix it gently in.
13. Weigh the flour after drying and sifting.
14. Currants, raisins, and cherries should be rolled in flour to prevent them sinking to the bottom. I f the mixture is too thin the fruit will sink.
15. Always break eggs separately into a cup, in case one happens to be bad, then the whole lot will not be spoilt.
16. Lemons should be washed first,, and the peel must be cut very thin, as the white part is bitter.
17. Condensed or evaporated milk can be used instead of cream or milk.
18. Small cakes require a quick oven.
19. Large cakes require a moderate oven; cover with paper if getting too brown before cooked enough.
20. To test i f a cake is baked enough, run into the middle a knit-ing needle or bright skewer; i f i t comes out clean, the cake is done.
21. To beat butter and sugar to a cream, put into a warm bowl, place over warm water, rub together with a wooden spoon (if a large quantity use the hand), beat till creamy. This process takes 10 minutes for i/9 lb. of fat; it can be slightly hastened by first creaming the butter alone, and a slow, steady beating is better than a quick one; gradually add the flour and beaten eggs alternately, a little of each at a time, put fruit and flavouring in at the last, and then the baking powder.
22. Let large cakes cool a little before removing on to a sieve, and keep them out of draughts.
To line a tin or mould with buttered paper.
23. Cut a strip of good white paper an inch wider than the t in and long enough to go round the sides; also cut a bottom piece and nick it to fit; brush over with melted butter, put the bottom piece in first.
24. When currants come in from the grocer's, it is a good plan to clean them at once, put into a coiander, and wash well in cold water; shake, spread on a dish, and place before the fire to dry; look over carefully, and remove stems and stones.
To dry clean currants 25. Place on a clean towel or
sieve, sprinkle with flour; rub well to remove stalks, stones, and dirt.
Cakes (to remove from tins) 26. Place t in on a cold, wet
cloth for a few minutes, then run round the edges carefully with a knife. Put on a cool sieve or a wire stand; failing that, stand on their edge against a dish; they will go heavy at the bottom i f this is not done.
27. Burnt crust on cakes (to remove)
Scrape gently with a fine bread grater.
28. Cake Burning (to prevent) Tie three thicknesses of brown
paper round the outside of the tin, grease the inside well and dredge with flour. When cake is nicely brown cover top with well greased paper.
29. Burnt Fruit in a Cake (to prevent)
Before adding the fruit, put a layer of the mixture into the bottom of the tin and save enough for a top layer also, without fruit.
" S I M P L E FIRST AID." Boils are abscesses in the skin.
They contain a central core formed of a fragment of dead skin. The cause is debility, combined with some local cause, such as the chafing of a collar. Ichthyol and resorcin ointment applied at a very early stage will often check the mischief. When once developed, a cold-water dressing made of pink boracic lint will help to relieve the pain. They are best treated by lancing and touching the interior with pure carbolic, and not by the application of a linseed poultice, as this is apt to iiiduce a crop of boils in the surrounding area. The general health should receive attention, especially is regard to diet, fresh air, and regularity of the bowels.
The Eurasian Association (Penang Branch)
PENANG. Annual Report.
The following is the Annual Report of The Eurasian Association, Penang forwarded to us for publication.
Committee. The Committee elected at the
last General Meeting were as follows :— President—
Dr. J . E . Smith Vice-President—
Mr. C. C. Stewart Hon. Secretary—
Mr. H . C. deWind Hon. Treasurer—
Mr. G. B. Baptist and Messrs. F . J . G. Aeria, R. E . Capel, W. H . Jambu, A . Zilva, C. A . deCruz and Dr. H . Phipps.
Mr. C. A . deCruz not being able to accept office, Mr. E . G. Cullin was co-opted on the Committee.
Committee Meetings. Five Committee Meetings wTere
held during the year. Accounts.
The attached statement of accounts show a credit balance of $1019.23, excluding an investment of S230/- (Debentures Penang Recreation Club).
Members and Subscriptions. The year opened with* 185 Mem
bers on the roll. The Membership increased by 10 and decreased by one death and two resignations.
Your Committee with great regret have to record the death of Mr. J. V . J a m b u * M r . Jambu w£& at one time the Honorary Secretary of this Association and his services were greatly appreciated.
WTiilst the subscrpitions received during the year under review have not been very satisfactory in view of the very modest subscription now in force, your Committee are pleased to note the increase in applications for membership. With the passing of the slump and with the return of better times in the generally improved outlook in trade, your Committee hope thi^ matter of subscriptions will not be overlooked.
In stressing the need for cooperation, your Committee desire to point out that both in political and social life, the conscience of the peoples is beginning to call aloud ever more and more for union and unity, as witness the various Associations in Malaya representing the various communities. The most keenly felt want at the present time in our community, is active unity and co-operation. In politics, not withstanding the individualistic character of modern nation, more thoughtful men are seeking points of agreement and methods of co-operation; in social life, the w each-one-for-himself" Policy is giving way to the more universal principle of collective responsibility. Everywhere a greater sense of dependence one upon another is making itself felt; men are beginning to acknowledge that ^ere individualism is insufficient as a basis of life. Social unity— the knitting together of the members of the community in the bond jtf human fellowship—is necessary. ^ any community is to continue to
exist and prosper. Social life recognises as necessary the principle of individual right and personal initiative: but it goes beyond this and recognises that right as coincident with responsibility.
What the Association has done in the past, is in proportion to the measure of support and co-operation received. With whole-hearted co-operation from every member of the community and a just recognition of his responsibility, the Association can do much in the development, social and economic, of the community. The means exist; all that is required is the effort. Times are changing, and to-day, our Association is a necessity.
Your Committee therefore appeal to every member of the community to be true to himself, and to the community, and to realise that the fundamental basis of social life imposes upon every member in proportion to his ability, the responsibility of furthering the aims and aspirations of his community, so that with honest endeavour, willing co-operation and good-will, the community shall progress in confidence and harmony towards Eurasian Solidarity.
Activities. (a) Educational.—Our activity
in respect of educational work was maintained during the year, and the amount disbursed during the year under review exceeds those of previous years. During the year under review, your Committee called for applications for stipends, available at the Trade School, or at any of the recognised workshops in Penang, but no applications were received. This is to be regretted, as your Committee are of opinion that in these days of severe competition a sound vocational training is an asset for any youth in the battle of life. Your Committee desire to tender their grateful thanks to Bro. Director of St. Xavier's Institution and to the Bro. Supervisor of St. Xavier's Branch School, Pulo Tikus for advice and assistance on matters Educational.
(6) Poppy Day Ball.—This Function was held at the Town Hall on 17th November 1933 and proved an unqualified succers. The sum of $66.57, the nett proceeds of the Ball was forwarded to the Honorary Treasurers, Poppy Day Fund. Your Committee take this opportunity to thank all members and friends for their assistance and support.
(c) Visit to Eurasian Lepers at Pulo Jerejak.—Your Committee paid a visit to these stricken members of the community at the Leper Camp at Pulo Jerejak on the 15th February 1934. Your Committee were amply repaid for the trouble undertaken to make the visit, as they were gratified and pleased to see the beautiful spirit, wThich pre-valied amongst the inmates, who appeared happy and contented. In remembrance of the visit, your Committee presented a complete Badminton set. Your Committee
(Continued on page 18)
M A L A Y A S H E A L T H F O O D
For health,sleep and
bright awakening Cadbury's
i B o i u i R N - w i n r A
"lis better for you ft
MAA5—1A-
10 MALAYA CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16th 1935.
RATES OF SUBSCRIPTION Post Free, Local and Abroad:
12 Months ... $6.00 6 Months ... $3.00 3 Months ... $1.50
All correspondence and literary contributions should be addressed to The Manning Editor, Rev. it. Car don, 73, Bras Basah Road, Singapore.
Tel. 7376, Singapore.
JJEaJaga Cattalir ^Ltzt&tt
Saturday, February 16, 1935.
OUR LIFE FORCE".
It sometimes happens that the leading part of a play is written expressly to display the special traits of an actor who has become more or less a dominating figure i n the theatrical world. The result of this, of course, is that the main theme, centres round one personality and puts the play out of proportion.
Something very similar happens i n the world of everyday thought. The spurious philosophy of modern times is like a dramatist and the misleading theories thereof are the actors specially detailed to play the roles assigned to them. A philosophy that is thick-sown with cant and devoid of candour i n dealing wi th facts is like the playwright who has produced a play merely to extol the special characteristics G£ his favourite actor. It is evident among modern theories that biology like a favourite actor has become the centre of an admir ing circle. I n this way our life force is often interpreted i n terms of biology.
I n the first place the idea of a mighty and universal life-force has a bearing on the older theory that the universe was but a mechanical system and life no more than a by-product of its workings. It was a theory that maintained everything was alive, and life was everything. It brought many separate things into a unity and sounds very attractive tjiough not quite convincing. Plants, animals and men, species and individuals, were regarded as forms and phases of the one great vital force. Indeed the theories for the ultimate origin of life put forward by some of our thinkers today strongly resemble the spicy stories told by p r i m parents of the Victor ian age to their children when they inquired about the way i n which they came to be.
N o w , do these theories fit in with facts? We look around us and what do we see? Is it a connected stream of life, or rather a vast number of living beings? The late M r . W i l d o n Carr, remarkable for his strong common sense states in his b o o k " Changing Backgrounds i n Religion andJEthics"— "The real mystery of Evolution is individuality. Wherever l i f e exists, it exists in living individuals and in no other form. This is so wherever we are able to detect the presence of l i fe."
Precisely so. Life as we see it, is like a number of lighted candles. One may be lit from another, just as one life is in some way derived from another, but they have each a separate existence. Life exists in centres,"not in streams.
In another place the same thinker observes, " The outstanding fact i n the moral aspect of our lives from the evolutionary standpoint is that the value of our individuality is not intrinsic but instrumental." This reminds one of the garage foreman who said to his boy: " Y o u may be the world to your mother, but you are only an oil-can to me."
Prof. Julian Huxley writes i n "What dare I Think9'— 'Religion i n the light of psychological and anthropological science is seen not as a divine revelation, but as a function of human nature." Can there be any religion in such systems? O n l y i f one is ready to admit that religion can exist without a God, as many strangely enough do to-day.
Bergson himself has said: "There is no overruling purpose i n the course of evolution and the life-force moves towards no consciously apprehended g o a l " — which has caused one modern writer to say that it would appear best to " l e t it r i p . " I f we ask the evolutionists themselves what is the religious ideal their system places before them, many may reply that it is a " perfected humanity." However, the devotees of our life-force hold that science and philosophy (distilled in the laboratory) are to be our guides to this end. A l l one may modestly say at present is that it seems easier to banish a king than a philosopher.
The Climax. Maid: "You know that old vase,
mum, you said 'ad been 'anded down from generation to generation r
Mistress (anxiously): "Yes." Maid: "Well, this generation has
dropped it."
NOTES A N D COMMENTS.
Last week a contributor wrote on the subject of public transport in Singapore. We published his contribution though we thought that ours was hardly the kind of journal in which to air his views on such a subject. He covered no new ground in the treatment of that subject, as far as we could see. We think there is less hope of achieving his object by writing to a weekly paper which professes to be the official organ of Catholic Action than there might perhaps be by addressing his commurica-tion to a lay newspaper.
* * * *
It is somewhat heartening to Catholics to see the tendency in a certain section of the lay press to give credit where credit is due, in cases where Catholics are concerned. Hitherto there appeared to be a tendency to give publicity only to matters that placed Catholics in an unfavourable light. We refer to the publication, recently, of news regarding the achievement of two Malay notables who had received their earlier education in a Catholic school, St. Paul's Institution at Seremban. We wonder whether the presence of a Catholic weekly in Malaya has had anything to do with it. It seems to us to have brought about a little rivalry in the presentation of news appertaining to Catholics or Catholic bodies. For from being disconcerted by this, we are glad to observe this good move. If it is a matter of public interest to publish news unfavourable to Catholics in a lay newspaper, it should be no less so to mention, when occasion arises, something that is favourable or creditable to Catholics. Fairplay demands it, and it is gratifying to find that it is now being shown.
Unique as the instance seems, of Malays having received a portion of their education in a Catholic school, this is true only of a boys' school. We learn that in a certain convent school in Malaya, a Malay young lady has had the honour of being partially educated as a boarding pupil she belonging to the family of a Malay potentate. In her case we believe good environment was the primary object, and religious prejudices appeared to have been put aside in favour of this. Consciousness of the wholesome environment in which they are placed has most likely prompted a number of other non-Christians to send their girls as day scholars to a convent school. A good few non-Christian Chinese and Jewish girls have regularly attended a Convent school in the town in which they live, and while their faith has not suffered in anyway, all of them are known to speak in terms of praise of the school in which they receive their education.
* * * *
Mohamedan boys, if not actually Malays, have been known to attend a Christian Brothers' School, St. Xavier's at Penang, and St.
Joseph's here have had them, as the writer is aware of from his connection with both. St. Joseph's has, moreover, had quite a number of boys of Jewish faith, some of whom are now wellknown wealthy citizens. The necessity of giving preference to boys of the Catholic faith has precluded a number of Jewish and even Hindu boys from attending St. Joseph's, we believe. It is more a case of first seeking admission to this school than of endeavouring to gain it after failure to do so in other schools. May we remark that there is still a wide scope for Catholic schools in this part of the world, in view of the growing number of non-Catholics who seek admission to them?
G L E A N I N G S . The world of to-day is very conscious of what is called Progress: and one of the outstanding features of Trogress' is the replacing of religion by Science. One need not for a moment deny either the advance in scientific knowledge or its possibilities for the help of mankind. But what, in point of fact, has progress in knowledge, in science, in medicine, in mechanics, actually done for the real happiness of man ? What has it done to help solve those elemental problems or fulfil those fundamental needs of human life? Has it helped to give us a knowledge of the purpose of human life or of relation to the universe at large? Its because we can hurtle through the air to the ends of the earth, because we car speak with those a thousand miles away, because our telescopes have discovered a little more of the unexplored grandeur of the heavens, because of all the numerous inventions of modern science (poison gas for example), there are not wanting those who think we are on the verge of solving the great problems of life and death, of finding happiness, as though this progress has done anything but complicate our already complicated existence, making it more unreal, more consuming, more anguished.
From ''Reasonable Service' by Hilary Carpenter, in "BLACK-FRIARSr
A S T R A N G E MONUMENT. A monument was erected recent
ly at Taintrux in the Vosges to commemorate an incident which took place in the August of 1914 when German gunfire was combing all this section of the country. A priest who was seriously wounded lay dying in a first aid station, and seeing one in black pass by, raised himself on his elbow and begged that a crucifix be brought to him. The man addressed was not a priest, as the dying priest supposed but a Jewish Rabbi who was on duty there. The Rabbi, however, lost not a minute in finding a crucifix, and kneeling down by the wounded priest he pressed it to his lips. While in that position he was struck by a shell and almost instantly killed. The monument raised the other day is a figure of the dying priest and the Jewish Rabbi bending over him; reproduced as those who saw the incident were able to describe it.—The Are Maria.
MALAYA CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16th 1935. 11
Browsing Among Books. PRACTICAL PERFECTION FOR
THE LAITY.
Knowledge of Christ is useless unless such knowledge leads us to love Him and so to live for H i m ; a vivifying charity must accompany intellectual adherence to Christian dogma. To the realisation of this
I sanctification of individual lives in ' Christ the efforts of Canon Wright | in composing this book have been
directed. The Bishop of Middlesbrough, in a preface to the work, strikes its keynote when he insists that this pursuit of sanctity must apply to all and be the work of every Christian.
In simple and sincere language the author portrays the amazing depths of love shown in creation and the work of redemption. A l l we are asked to do is to love the giver of so many benefits, and knowing God we cannot but love Him. No attempt is made to conceal difficulties, but good practical advice is given.
Canon Wright wishes to restore that spirit of personal love of Our Lord so characteristic of the early centuries of the Church's history, and so he seeks to provide those principles which will enable the follower of Christ to give to his Creator that love which is the fulfilment of the Law.—W.
Living Fai th : The Catholic Layman instructed in the Way of Christian Perfection: by Very Rev. Canon Thomas Wright (B.O. and W. 6s.).
Saint Ignatius of,Loyola. (By Paul Dudon, S.J., Paris. Beauchesne,
1934_Price 50 fr.)
The French Jesuits, who have to their credit the best lives of St. Francis Xavier and St. Francis Borgia, owed it to themselves and the world to bring out also the best life of St. Ignatius Loyola. The work under review fulfils this obligation. _
To write the life of the Founder of the Society of Jesus was a task more arduous than to write that of even the greatest of his sons. For Ignatius is greater than they and more complex. What psychologist could size up the man whose face, even in old age, successively blushed with the modesty of a child, flared with the indignation of a Spanish grandee, and flushed with the passionate love of an ecstatic? Then, the documents bearing on what we may call the public life of Ignatius were so abundant that they constituted a true " embarras de richesse." What biographer could dispense that wealth with the discretion of an aristocrat used to riches, and not with the prodigality of the "nouveau riche?"
The choice fell on Pere Dudon, already well known through illuminating researches in Spanish religious history. The choice has proved a happy one. The book is full of information, old and mostly new. But it is throughout most readable and easy. Its opinions on controverted points, such as the origin, possible sources and 'inspiration' of the Exercises, are sober and well justified. The life of Loyola revives in its pages,
placed as never before in its historical surroundings. Vivid strokes of the pen retrace the magnificent character of the Knight of Christ, whose one love was for His Master and whose one ambition was His greater glory. If at one time the reader fears lest the life of the Founder should merge into the history of his Order, he is soon undeceived. For after these digressions on the men that Ignatius rules there follows the most magnificent chapter of the book, that on Ignatius as ruler. Seldom have we read pages so eloquent in their almost Tacitus-like pregnant con-cinnity.
This concinnity, which is the most striking literary quality of the book, is also its one defect. The reader feels all along that the author has still much more to say that would be well worth knowing, and he feels the loss, for which, the author tells us, the economic crisis is responsible.
May Pere Dudon be spared to give us a still more complete life of his Father . . . . in better days.
G. DANDOY, S.J. (The New Review)
St. Benedict (By Abbot Carrol, O.S.B., pp. 115, London, Burns, O.
& W., 1934. Price 5s.)
St. Benedict, who lived in the sixth century, came from well-to-do parents who sent him to Rome, for a liberal education. ' Seeing the ungodly lives of those about him, Benedict, though only fifteen, resolved to consecrate himself to God, and along with his old nurse he fled from the city of Rome to the little town of Afila in Italy. Here the earthen sieve borrowed by the nurse from a neighbour accidently broke into two parts. This made the nurse very unhappy. The saint had recourse to prayer —the resort of the humble and men of faith—and the sieve became whole without the least mark of 'even a crack.' The report of this wonder was noised abroad, and Benedict was besieged by people each asking for a special favour. Unlike many a "sadhu" or sage of the present day who advertise their own glory, the humble Benedict, who knew that all power and goodness comes from God, took to flight again, and hid himself in a grotto on Mount Subiaco, far away from the haunts of men.
For three years he lived here the austere life of a solitary, getting at fixed periods a loaf from a monk who lived on a precipice overhanging the grotto. During this eremitical life he was once assailed by a temptation of the flesh, but he instantly threw himself into a rose plant that grew close by and rolled himself inside it til l the pain of the prickly cuts quenched the flame of carnality. God's grace triumphed, and Benedict came out victorious in this ordeal of self-conquest, and never did he experience such a temptation again.
The fame of his sanctity spread, and men from far and wide came to the man of God to be initiated
into the ascetic life. Thus were formed twelve monasteries, each containing twelve monks with an abbot at the head of each monastery. The saint himself lived in another monastery and presided over them all. This community life, as distinguished from the eremitical one modelled after the Saint's life when he was a solitary, lasted eight years.
In the neighbourhood of the monks lived a priest, a Judas, 'whose heart was gnawed with jealousy' at the respect shown to the saint, and to get rid of him he attempted to poison him. Failing in this .he played the devil's part by putting temptations in Benedict's path. This was too much for the man of God. With some of his disciples he left the place and installed himself on Mount Casino, which became the capital of the Benedictine family. The monastery established here was a city in itself, self-contained and self-sufficient, and the monks had not to go outside its precincts to supply their wants. It welcomed the rich and the poor, the freeman and the slave, the learned and the ignorant. Nor was it confined to the natives of Italy; men from all parts of Europe found a home in this family—the creation of St. Benedict. The Goth, the German, the Frank or the Celt, whoever went there, was taught to aim at conversion of his character, at transformation into another Jesus Christ. It is in this way that the monastery became a centre of refuge for the people all around, wherein they invariably found 'a compassionate welcome.'
The man of God preached only what he had practised. His Rule was but a faithful picture of his life; and his influence over souls can partly be understood from the miraculous fact that only a century after his death more than 800 of his. sons were added to the galaxy of Saints in the Catholic Church; and the abbeys and priories that were modelled on the Saint's monastery would need a dictionary to enumerate their names; while the various Congregations that have based their constitutions on the Rule of St. Benedict are by no means few.
Benedict is so great, his influence is so far-reaching, dominating the lives of countless souls, because he was humble, because he loved God above everything else.
The above is a summary of the life of the saint as ably written by Abbot Cabrol. The volume is worth the perusal of the Catholic and non-Catholic.
B. A N I M A N A N D A . (The New Review)
They have made it difficult for Italy to proceed to extreme measures without further grave provocation. We sincerely hope that Italy will refrain from any act of war.
In Palestine and in the East generally Italy is slowly assuming the status of a Catholic Power, and any rash act of hers in Abyssinia will adversely affect the fortunes of the Church in that country, and elsewhere as well.
Bolshevist Leaders Divided
The Russian Commissariat of the Interior (which has taken over the functions of the Ogpu) has ordered the banishment Zino-vieif, Kameneff and- five others accused of complicity in an alleged anti-Stalinist plot.
This is in addition to the execution of at least 118 others who were said to be concerned in the death of Kirov, and indicates a deep division amchgst the Bolshevist rulers. We have seen the first cracks in the plaster.
Though it would be unwise to look for any sudden developments it is, nevertheless, clear that the " gang " is breaking up. The first fervour of the Revolution is spent, and before there are any signs of the promised "heaven on this earth/*
The mills of God grind slowly, but surely there must some day come a respite for the starved and persecuted Russian people, who have suffered more since 1917 than any other nation or race in the history of the world.
There will be no peace for them until their present rulers are either converted or removed.
Jewish Doctors In Germany The Nazi persecution of the Jews
is altogether objectionable, and we have frequently protested against it. A t the same time we must be just, and recognise that it has not yet gone so far as it might have done, which gives grounds fc\r hoping that it may cease.
Figures were published in Berlin on Monday which show that, of 6,486 Jewish doctors in Germany before the Nazis came to power, 5,900 are still practising, though 1,667 have been refused permission to act as panel doctors, and have Qnly what private practise they can secure.
The number of doctors who emigrated is 578. Those still licensed to act as panel doctors number 3,461, or 11.4 of the total paneL As would be expected, the capHal has a higher percentage of Jewish doctors than the rest of the country, being as high as 43 per cent.
The significance of the anti-Jewish movement is not in the number of Jews dismissed but i n the menace for the future—unless the persecution is ended.
Italy And Abyssinia Military preparations in Eritrea
and Italian Somaliland sound ominous. The Fascist mood as re-gards Africa is btfth expansive and stern. The Fascist will not, dare not, risk a mistake or a tragedy like that of Dogala.
The Abyssinians are convinced that their territory and independence are menaced, and are preparing to meet invasion.
They stand no chance if it comes to blows with modern Italy, and they know it. Hence their appeal to the League, and their ctffer to make reasonable amends for the Ualual incidents i f wrong-doing is proved.
(Contd. at foot of Col. 3)
10 MALAYA CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16th 1935.
RATES OF SUBSCRIPTION Post Free, Local and Abroad:
12 Months ... $6.00 6 Months ... $3.00 3 Months ... $1.50
All correspondence and literary contributions should be addressed to The Manning Editor, Rev. it. Car don, 73, Bras Basah Road, Singapore.
Tel. 7376, Singapore.
JJEaJaga Cattalir ^Ltzt&tt
Saturday, February 16, 1935.
OUR LIFE FORCE".
It sometimes happens that the leading part of a play is written expressly to display the special traits of an actor who has become more or less a dominating figure i n the theatrical world. The result of this, of course, is that the main theme, centres round one personality and puts the play out of proportion.
Something very similar happens i n the world of everyday thought. The spurious philosophy of modern times is like a dramatist and the misleading theories thereof are the actors specially detailed to play the roles assigned to them. A philosophy that is thick-sown with cant and devoid of candour i n dealing wi th facts is like the playwright who has produced a play merely to extol the special characteristics G£ his favourite actor. It is evident among modern theories that biology like a favourite actor has become the centre of an admir ing circle. I n this way our life force is often interpreted i n terms of biology.
I n the first place the idea of a mighty and universal life-force has a bearing on the older theory that the universe was but a mechanical system and life no more than a by-product of its workings. It was a theory that maintained everything was alive, and life was everything. It brought many separate things into a unity and sounds very attractive tjiough not quite convincing. Plants, animals and men, species and individuals, were regarded as forms and phases of the one great vital force. Indeed the theories for the ultimate origin of life put forward by some of our thinkers today strongly resemble the spicy stories told by p r i m parents of the Victor ian age to their children when they inquired about the way i n which they came to be.
N o w , do these theories fit in with facts? We look around us and what do we see? Is it a connected stream of life, or rather a vast number of living beings? The late M r . W i l d o n Carr, remarkable for his strong common sense states in his b o o k " Changing Backgrounds i n Religion andJEthics"— "The real mystery of Evolution is individuality. Wherever l i f e exists, it exists in living individuals and in no other form. This is so wherever we are able to detect the presence of l i fe."
Precisely so. Life as we see it, is like a number of lighted candles. One may be lit from another, just as one life is in some way derived from another, but they have each a separate existence. Life exists in centres,"not in streams.
In another place the same thinker observes, " The outstanding fact i n the moral aspect of our lives from the evolutionary standpoint is that the value of our individuality is not intrinsic but instrumental." This reminds one of the garage foreman who said to his boy: " Y o u may be the world to your mother, but you are only an oil-can to me."
Prof. Julian Huxley writes i n "What dare I Think9'— 'Religion i n the light of psychological and anthropological science is seen not as a divine revelation, but as a function of human nature." Can there be any religion in such systems? O n l y i f one is ready to admit that religion can exist without a God, as many strangely enough do to-day.
Bergson himself has said: "There is no overruling purpose i n the course of evolution and the life-force moves towards no consciously apprehended g o a l " — which has caused one modern writer to say that it would appear best to " l e t it r i p . " I f we ask the evolutionists themselves what is the religious ideal their system places before them, many may reply that it is a " perfected humanity." However, the devotees of our life-force hold that science and philosophy (distilled in the laboratory) are to be our guides to this end. A l l one may modestly say at present is that it seems easier to banish a king than a philosopher.
The Climax. Maid: "You know that old vase,
mum, you said 'ad been 'anded down from generation to generation r
Mistress (anxiously): "Yes." Maid: "Well, this generation has
dropped it."
NOTES A N D COMMENTS.
Last week a contributor wrote on the subject of public transport in Singapore. We published his contribution though we thought that ours was hardly the kind of journal in which to air his views on such a subject. He covered no new ground in the treatment of that subject, as far as we could see. We think there is less hope of achieving his object by writing to a weekly paper which professes to be the official organ of Catholic Action than there might perhaps be by addressing his commurica-tion to a lay newspaper.
* * * *
It is somewhat heartening to Catholics to see the tendency in a certain section of the lay press to give credit where credit is due, in cases where Catholics are concerned. Hitherto there appeared to be a tendency to give publicity only to matters that placed Catholics in an unfavourable light. We refer to the publication, recently, of news regarding the achievement of two Malay notables who had received their earlier education in a Catholic school, St. Paul's Institution at Seremban. We wonder whether the presence of a Catholic weekly in Malaya has had anything to do with it. It seems to us to have brought about a little rivalry in the presentation of news appertaining to Catholics or Catholic bodies. For from being disconcerted by this, we are glad to observe this good move. If it is a matter of public interest to publish news unfavourable to Catholics in a lay newspaper, it should be no less so to mention, when occasion arises, something that is favourable or creditable to Catholics. Fairplay demands it, and it is gratifying to find that it is now being shown.
Unique as the instance seems, of Malays having received a portion of their education in a Catholic school, this is true only of a boys' school. We learn that in a certain convent school in Malaya, a Malay young lady has had the honour of being partially educated as a boarding pupil she belonging to the family of a Malay potentate. In her case we believe good environment was the primary object, and religious prejudices appeared to have been put aside in favour of this. Consciousness of the wholesome environment in which they are placed has most likely prompted a number of other non-Christians to send their girls as day scholars to a convent school. A good few non-Christian Chinese and Jewish girls have regularly attended a Convent school in the town in which they live, and while their faith has not suffered in anyway, all of them are known to speak in terms of praise of the school in which they receive their education.
* * * *
Mohamedan boys, if not actually Malays, have been known to attend a Christian Brothers' School, St. Xavier's at Penang, and St.
Joseph's here have had them, as the writer is aware of from his connection with both. St. Joseph's has, moreover, had quite a number of boys of Jewish faith, some of whom are now wellknown wealthy citizens. The necessity of giving preference to boys of the Catholic faith has precluded a number of Jewish and even Hindu boys from attending St. Joseph's, we believe. It is more a case of first seeking admission to this school than of endeavouring to gain it after failure to do so in other schools. May we remark that there is still a wide scope for Catholic schools in this part of the world, in view of the growing number of non-Catholics who seek admission to them?
G L E A N I N G S . The world of to-day is very conscious of what is called Progress: and one of the outstanding features of Trogress' is the replacing of religion by Science. One need not for a moment deny either the advance in scientific knowledge or its possibilities for the help of mankind. But what, in point of fact, has progress in knowledge, in science, in medicine, in mechanics, actually done for the real happiness of man ? What has it done to help solve those elemental problems or fulfil those fundamental needs of human life? Has it helped to give us a knowledge of the purpose of human life or of relation to the universe at large? Its because we can hurtle through the air to the ends of the earth, because we car speak with those a thousand miles away, because our telescopes have discovered a little more of the unexplored grandeur of the heavens, because of all the numerous inventions of modern science (poison gas for example), there are not wanting those who think we are on the verge of solving the great problems of life and death, of finding happiness, as though this progress has done anything but complicate our already complicated existence, making it more unreal, more consuming, more anguished.
From ''Reasonable Service' by Hilary Carpenter, in "BLACK-FRIARSr
A S T R A N G E MONUMENT. A monument was erected recent
ly at Taintrux in the Vosges to commemorate an incident which took place in the August of 1914 when German gunfire was combing all this section of the country. A priest who was seriously wounded lay dying in a first aid station, and seeing one in black pass by, raised himself on his elbow and begged that a crucifix be brought to him. The man addressed was not a priest, as the dying priest supposed but a Jewish Rabbi who was on duty there. The Rabbi, however, lost not a minute in finding a crucifix, and kneeling down by the wounded priest he pressed it to his lips. While in that position he was struck by a shell and almost instantly killed. The monument raised the other day is a figure of the dying priest and the Jewish Rabbi bending over him; reproduced as those who saw the incident were able to describe it.—The Are Maria.
MALAYA CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16th 1935. 11
Browsing Among Books. PRACTICAL PERFECTION FOR
THE LAITY.
Knowledge of Christ is useless unless such knowledge leads us to love Him and so to live for H i m ; a vivifying charity must accompany intellectual adherence to Christian dogma. To the realisation of this
I sanctification of individual lives in ' Christ the efforts of Canon Wright | in composing this book have been
directed. The Bishop of Middlesbrough, in a preface to the work, strikes its keynote when he insists that this pursuit of sanctity must apply to all and be the work of every Christian.
In simple and sincere language the author portrays the amazing depths of love shown in creation and the work of redemption. A l l we are asked to do is to love the giver of so many benefits, and knowing God we cannot but love Him. No attempt is made to conceal difficulties, but good practical advice is given.
Canon Wright wishes to restore that spirit of personal love of Our Lord so characteristic of the early centuries of the Church's history, and so he seeks to provide those principles which will enable the follower of Christ to give to his Creator that love which is the fulfilment of the Law.—W.
Living Fai th : The Catholic Layman instructed in the Way of Christian Perfection: by Very Rev. Canon Thomas Wright (B.O. and W. 6s.).
Saint Ignatius of,Loyola. (By Paul Dudon, S.J., Paris. Beauchesne,
1934_Price 50 fr.)
The French Jesuits, who have to their credit the best lives of St. Francis Xavier and St. Francis Borgia, owed it to themselves and the world to bring out also the best life of St. Ignatius Loyola. The work under review fulfils this obligation. _
To write the life of the Founder of the Society of Jesus was a task more arduous than to write that of even the greatest of his sons. For Ignatius is greater than they and more complex. What psychologist could size up the man whose face, even in old age, successively blushed with the modesty of a child, flared with the indignation of a Spanish grandee, and flushed with the passionate love of an ecstatic? Then, the documents bearing on what we may call the public life of Ignatius were so abundant that they constituted a true " embarras de richesse." What biographer could dispense that wealth with the discretion of an aristocrat used to riches, and not with the prodigality of the "nouveau riche?"
The choice fell on Pere Dudon, already well known through illuminating researches in Spanish religious history. The choice has proved a happy one. The book is full of information, old and mostly new. But it is throughout most readable and easy. Its opinions on controverted points, such as the origin, possible sources and 'inspiration' of the Exercises, are sober and well justified. The life of Loyola revives in its pages,
placed as never before in its historical surroundings. Vivid strokes of the pen retrace the magnificent character of the Knight of Christ, whose one love was for His Master and whose one ambition was His greater glory. If at one time the reader fears lest the life of the Founder should merge into the history of his Order, he is soon undeceived. For after these digressions on the men that Ignatius rules there follows the most magnificent chapter of the book, that on Ignatius as ruler. Seldom have we read pages so eloquent in their almost Tacitus-like pregnant con-cinnity.
This concinnity, which is the most striking literary quality of the book, is also its one defect. The reader feels all along that the author has still much more to say that would be well worth knowing, and he feels the loss, for which, the author tells us, the economic crisis is responsible.
May Pere Dudon be spared to give us a still more complete life of his Father . . . . in better days.
G. DANDOY, S.J. (The New Review)
St. Benedict (By Abbot Carrol, O.S.B., pp. 115, London, Burns, O.
& W., 1934. Price 5s.)
St. Benedict, who lived in the sixth century, came from well-to-do parents who sent him to Rome, for a liberal education. ' Seeing the ungodly lives of those about him, Benedict, though only fifteen, resolved to consecrate himself to God, and along with his old nurse he fled from the city of Rome to the little town of Afila in Italy. Here the earthen sieve borrowed by the nurse from a neighbour accidently broke into two parts. This made the nurse very unhappy. The saint had recourse to prayer —the resort of the humble and men of faith—and the sieve became whole without the least mark of 'even a crack.' The report of this wonder was noised abroad, and Benedict was besieged by people each asking for a special favour. Unlike many a "sadhu" or sage of the present day who advertise their own glory, the humble Benedict, who knew that all power and goodness comes from God, took to flight again, and hid himself in a grotto on Mount Subiaco, far away from the haunts of men.
For three years he lived here the austere life of a solitary, getting at fixed periods a loaf from a monk who lived on a precipice overhanging the grotto. During this eremitical life he was once assailed by a temptation of the flesh, but he instantly threw himself into a rose plant that grew close by and rolled himself inside it til l the pain of the prickly cuts quenched the flame of carnality. God's grace triumphed, and Benedict came out victorious in this ordeal of self-conquest, and never did he experience such a temptation again.
The fame of his sanctity spread, and men from far and wide came to the man of God to be initiated
into the ascetic life. Thus were formed twelve monasteries, each containing twelve monks with an abbot at the head of each monastery. The saint himself lived in another monastery and presided over them all. This community life, as distinguished from the eremitical one modelled after the Saint's life when he was a solitary, lasted eight years.
In the neighbourhood of the monks lived a priest, a Judas, 'whose heart was gnawed with jealousy' at the respect shown to the saint, and to get rid of him he attempted to poison him. Failing in this .he played the devil's part by putting temptations in Benedict's path. This was too much for the man of God. With some of his disciples he left the place and installed himself on Mount Casino, which became the capital of the Benedictine family. The monastery established here was a city in itself, self-contained and self-sufficient, and the monks had not to go outside its precincts to supply their wants. It welcomed the rich and the poor, the freeman and the slave, the learned and the ignorant. Nor was it confined to the natives of Italy; men from all parts of Europe found a home in this family—the creation of St. Benedict. The Goth, the German, the Frank or the Celt, whoever went there, was taught to aim at conversion of his character, at transformation into another Jesus Christ. It is in this way that the monastery became a centre of refuge for the people all around, wherein they invariably found 'a compassionate welcome.'
The man of God preached only what he had practised. His Rule was but a faithful picture of his life; and his influence over souls can partly be understood from the miraculous fact that only a century after his death more than 800 of his. sons were added to the galaxy of Saints in the Catholic Church; and the abbeys and priories that were modelled on the Saint's monastery would need a dictionary to enumerate their names; while the various Congregations that have based their constitutions on the Rule of St. Benedict are by no means few.
Benedict is so great, his influence is so far-reaching, dominating the lives of countless souls, because he was humble, because he loved God above everything else.
The above is a summary of the life of the saint as ably written by Abbot Cabrol. The volume is worth the perusal of the Catholic and non-Catholic.
B. A N I M A N A N D A . (The New Review)
They have made it difficult for Italy to proceed to extreme measures without further grave provocation. We sincerely hope that Italy will refrain from any act of war.
In Palestine and in the East generally Italy is slowly assuming the status of a Catholic Power, and any rash act of hers in Abyssinia will adversely affect the fortunes of the Church in that country, and elsewhere as well.
Bolshevist Leaders Divided
The Russian Commissariat of the Interior (which has taken over the functions of the Ogpu) has ordered the banishment Zino-vieif, Kameneff and- five others accused of complicity in an alleged anti-Stalinist plot.
This is in addition to the execution of at least 118 others who were said to be concerned in the death of Kirov, and indicates a deep division amchgst the Bolshevist rulers. We have seen the first cracks in the plaster.
Though it would be unwise to look for any sudden developments it is, nevertheless, clear that the " gang " is breaking up. The first fervour of the Revolution is spent, and before there are any signs of the promised "heaven on this earth/*
The mills of God grind slowly, but surely there must some day come a respite for the starved and persecuted Russian people, who have suffered more since 1917 than any other nation or race in the history of the world.
There will be no peace for them until their present rulers are either converted or removed.
Jewish Doctors In Germany The Nazi persecution of the Jews
is altogether objectionable, and we have frequently protested against it. A t the same time we must be just, and recognise that it has not yet gone so far as it might have done, which gives grounds fc\r hoping that it may cease.
Figures were published in Berlin on Monday which show that, of 6,486 Jewish doctors in Germany before the Nazis came to power, 5,900 are still practising, though 1,667 have been refused permission to act as panel doctors, and have Qnly what private practise they can secure.
The number of doctors who emigrated is 578. Those still licensed to act as panel doctors number 3,461, or 11.4 of the total paneL As would be expected, the capHal has a higher percentage of Jewish doctors than the rest of the country, being as high as 43 per cent.
The significance of the anti-Jewish movement is not in the number of Jews dismissed but i n the menace for the future—unless the persecution is ended.
Italy And Abyssinia Military preparations in Eritrea
and Italian Somaliland sound ominous. The Fascist mood as re-gards Africa is btfth expansive and stern. The Fascist will not, dare not, risk a mistake or a tragedy like that of Dogala.
The Abyssinians are convinced that their territory and independence are menaced, and are preparing to meet invasion.
They stand no chance if it comes to blows with modern Italy, and they know it. Hence their appeal to the League, and their ctffer to make reasonable amends for the Ualual incidents i f wrong-doing is proved.
(Contd. at foot of Col. 3)
12
Catholic Affairs from Far and Near E U R O P E ,
Paris* The L a Sayette Prize for 1935 has been awarded to the "Institut de la Providence," the Catholic secondary school at Hue, Indochina, founded by the Paris Missionaries in 1933. This school is the first Catholic institution of its kind in Indochina.
The L a Sayette Prize (1,000 fr.) Is given each year by the " Institut Catholique " of Paris to a religious organization which distinguishes itself in developing French culture overseas. In 1933 the prize was awarded to the schools, of the Ma-rist Brothers in China, and in 1934 to the schools of the Priests of the Sacred Heart in French Came-roons. (Fides).
Rome. The Priests of Bethar-ram, founded in 1844 by Blessed Michael Garicoits, are celebrating the centenary of their society. They have at present 500 members and are at work in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Palestine, Burma and Yunnan Province, China, besides the Diocese of Ba-yonne where they originated. {Fides).
A S I A .
Tuticorin (South India). Approximately 500 Catholics and some non-Christians attended the lectures on Catholic Action which were given at Tuticorin during Catholic Action Week, inaugurated December 26, by Bishop Francis T: Roche, S.J., Bishop of Tuticorin. The lectures were given by Rev. Jerom De Souza, S.J., Headmaster and Professor of English at St. Joseph's College, Trichinopoly. (Fides).
Mangalore (India). The Most Rev. Victor R. Fernandes, Bishop ef Mangalore, wil l observe the 25th anniversary of his ordination March 19; Bishop Fernandes was Born in Mangalore In 1881. (Fides)
Official Opening of a Hospital by the Apostolic Delegate of India.
E R N A C U L A M . (India).—The Apostolic Delegate, His Exc. Mgr. Kierkels, C. P., archbishop of Salamina, assisted by the archbishop of Latin rite of Verapcfly, His Exc. Mgr. Attipetty; the archbishop of the Syro-malabar rite of Ernakulam, His Exc. Mgr. Kandathil ; and the archbishop of the Malankaric rite of Tivandrum, His Exc. Mar Ivanios, solemnly opened, on December last, a hospital erected by the Malabar Catholics at Kofchamangalam, about thirty seven miles from Ernakulam.
The "Hospital of the Charity Mount," the second one built by the Malabar Catholics of the whole India, is a two-story building which actually can shelter fifty-six patients. But side-houses, once they are accommodated, wi l l permit subsequently to receive more people.
It is the parish priest, Father Panjikaran who, twelve years ago formed the project of building this hospital, the trouble was to find the means required for his\construction. The realization c\l Father Panjikaran's ambitious dream will glow in the religious annals of Malabar with red letters if we consider the countless benefits which will shower on the poor population of the place. Since July 1934, when the medical work was started t i l l the official opening of the hospital there have been no less than 12,000 consultations given. (Fides).
The Future of Catholics
in India.
Trichinopoly (India).—The Congress Party which, in spite of Mr . Gandhi's retiring, remains a power behind the scenes, has won at the elections for the Legislative Assembly of Delhi a signal victory* just as a document from London, the "Joint Committee Report" gave the programme of the new Constitution.
On political grounds, many Christians look at the future as rcjsy and are convinced that India can^ut^obt^ain^ar larger indepeir^ dence, towards a golden age. A friend of M r . Gandhi and his late associate, Mfc. George Joseph, cannot help looking at the future of Christianity in India, with uneasiness. His long experience gives his opinion no small weight.
Out of eleven provinces in India, says Mr . George Joseph, four would be under Moslem and seven under Hindu rule. Moslems are assured of getting justice from Hindus because of the presence of Hindu minorities scattered about in the Moslem provinces and that they would thus serve as reprisals against injustice. But Christians have not such levers at their command to exert pressure in case of emergency and thus they incur the risk of being taken between two groups, a Hindu on the one side and a Mussulman on the other, both of which are not inclined at all to share power with minorities of any kind.
The ideal would be that moire deputies should be admitted to the assemblies. Speaking in the abstract, there should not be seats reserved for minorities, and still less, elections by religious or racial groups; but considering the concessions—not to cafl them fa :
vours—which have been granted the Moslems, the Ideal seems very hard to reach. (Fides).
Y O K O H A M A (Japan).—A group of Catholic social workers has been organised at Yokohama by Father Leo Ward, English missionary priest in Japan, to establish contact with Catholic seamen aboard the steamships which call at that port. A similar for Catholic sailors is being developed by the "Apostolatus Maris" in approximately 200 ports in missionary lands. (Fides).
TOKYO.—Italian Salesians, who already staff a small mission in the suburbs of Tokyo, brought another group of priests and brothers to the Japanese capital December 8 to found and direct the Don Bosco Trade School. The printing press, the first department installed at the new school, will be an important element in developing the Japanese Catholic press. (Fides).
Catholic Hospital at Shanghai Enlarged.
Shanghai. A new four-storey building, which has been constructed as an extension to St. Mary's Hospital, Shanghai, was inaugurated January 5. With 300 more beds in the ne\r wing, St. Mary's now has a total of 700 beds and holds first place among the large hospitals of Shanghai.
A special clinic for diseases of the eyes and another for child-hygiene, a first aid station and a general dispensary are on the ground floor of the new section. The building is up to date in equipment and has large airy and well lighted wards and spacious sun-porches.
St. Mary's Hospital was founded i n 1908 by Bishop Prosper Paris, S.J., Vicar Apostolic of Nanking. The F a c u l t y ^ Medicine of the A u rora University, the Jesuit institution of higher learning in the Chinese metropolis, is in charge of the medical and surgical attendance at the hospital. The Daughters of Charity assist the doctors and supervise the nursing. There is a training school for nurses connected with the institution.
During the past 12 months 5,869 patients have received treatment in the hospital, and more than 40,000 cases have been handled at the clinics. More than one half of all the beds at St. Mary's Hospital are reserved for needy persons who are unable to pay. (Fides).
Peking. Rev. Emi l Dehus, C M . , 70-year-old missionary veteran of the Vicariate of Peking has die8 after 50 years of religious life. For 25 years he was parish priest of Nantang, Peking's oldest parish. During the Boxer Uprising in 1900 he nearly lost his life while leading the defence of one of the villages. He wrote several catechistal works in Chinese and a small handbook for the study of the Chinese language. (Fides).
A campaign to restore and maintain decency in Peking has been set in motion by the municipal authorities of that city. A newr set of ordinances, besides reiterating the former regulations against public vice, condemn indecent styles, immoral scenes shown at the cinema and offending illustrations in newspapers and magazines. Directors of schools will be held responsible for the conduct of their pupils. (Fides).
A F R I C A . 372,100 Catholics in South Africa.
Cape Town. The Catholic Directory of South Africa for 1935, published by the Salesian Institute,
Cape Town, gives statistical tables which show that Catholics in the Cape Province, Natal, Transvaal, Orange Free State, Southwest Territory, Southern Rhodesia and the native territories of Basuto-land and Swaziland, now total 372,100.
A t the end of 1934 there were 270,136 negro Catholics in these regions, 29,457 Catholic mulattos and 71,405 white Catholics. There were also 1,102 Catholics of Indian origin.
We also learn from the Directory that there are now 617 priests in South Africa, 606 brothers and 3,748 sisters.
The Catholic Directory of South Africa, 1935, is an improvement on the publications in previous years. Comparison with the information of the past shows great missionary advance in the Union of South Africa and in Southern Rhodesia. The statistical tables for 1934> a new very welcome feature of this twenty-second edition of the Directory, are most encouraging, especially in respect to the increase of native Catholics and catechumens. In the Province of the Cape of Good Hope there are now eight ecclesiastical territories, in Natal three, in the Transvaal three, in the Orange Free State one, in South West Africa two, in Southern Rhodesia two, and one each for the Native Territories of Basutoland and Swaziland: a total of 21 ecclesiastical divisions.
Not many generations ago the Catholic missionary was forcibly excluded from parts of South Africa: his entry into Bechuanaland is quite recent, after struggle and sacrifice.
South Africa is rich in splendid Institutions for religious, educational and charitable purposes, as is evidenced by the 283 Convents, 266 schools for Europeans with 22,303 pupils, 11 Indian schools with 1,033 pupils, 120 schools for the coloured population with 13,002 pupils, and 1,045 native schools with 70,527 pupils. There are also 142 Catholic Hospitals, 59 orphanages and 69 hostels for the various sections of the Catholic population. Every visitor to the Catholic Institutions of South Africa is impressed by their fine buildings, their modern equipment and their efficiency.
From these statistics the special difficulties of the. Catholic missionary in South Afr ica are manifest —the great number of Europeans in a large native population and the existence of so many coloured people: the attention of the apostle is distracted between this diversity and mixture of human elements, who socially keep aloof from another. Yet in spite of drawbacks progress is pronounced. (Fides).
Buluba (Uganda). Seven lepers who have undergone treatment for three years at the asylum of Nyenga under the care of the Franciscan Sisters of Holme Hall, have been discharged as cured. At Buluba, another colony directed by Catholic missionary sisters from England, 15 natives were baptized December 15, and there are 20 others preparing for Baptism. (Fides).
MALAYA CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16th 1935. 13
T h e G o l d e n C r o s s P r o E c c l e s i a e t P o n t i f i c e , ,
On Sunday 13th January, His Exc. Mgr. H . Valtorta, Vicar Apostolic of Hongkong, presented the golden Cross "Pro Ecclesia et Pon-tifice" to Messrs Luu A h Ts'oung and Chan a Hon who have to their credit long years of incessant and devoted service, the former for 50 years, at the Printing Office of Xazareth (Pokfulum), the latter at the Procure of the Paris Foreign Missions, for 54 years.
The Hongkong Members of the Catholic Action and their President Mr. Choa, anxious of honouring these two faithful servants, gave, on that occasion, a tea-party which was largely attended. p
Father Chan, a Priest of the Vicariate of Hongkong is the son of Mr. Chan a Hon. (From "Bulletin de la Soc. des Miss.-Etr. de Paris).
Messrs. Luu Ah Ts'oung and Chan a Hon. Recipients of The Golden Cross.
Our Lady of Fatima (Continued from page 1)
already a devotion practised by many members of our congregation. There have been several graces granted some of which being very important. The intercession of Our Lady of Fatima has been sensibly felt in many cases."
When, therefore, towards the end of 1934, His Lordship the Bishop of Macao manifested his desire to have the Church provided with a statue of Our Lady of Fatima, for the purpose of encouraging this rapidly spreading devotion in our parish, the Church had no difficulties whatsoever to comply with His Lordship's wish; for several clients who had obtained favours from Our Lady came forward with the necessary funds tcr put His Lordship's desire into immediate execution. However some delay could not be avoided, for the statue had to be ordered from Europe and the niche designed and erected. And so it was only on last Sunday (February 10) that the solemn blessing of the niche and the statue could be made. The niche and the statue were artistically dejcoratecfc and lighted. The ceremony was preceded by a thanksgiving solem High Mass and followed by a treat. to the Singers Servers, etc., given by the Clients of O.L. of Fatima. A beautiful picture with the prayers indulgenced and approved by the Archbishop of Goa and the late Bishop of Cochin was given to every person who attended the mass. In the homily Fr . Dias Breton dwelt on the rapid growth of this devotion in Europe, America, Africa, India, China, etc. and said that he was proud to see this devotion firmly established in Singapore, for the chief message of Our Lady at Fatima was to urge the people to repentance and to encourage them to say their beads praying for the forgiveness of our sins and for the release of the souls in Purgatory. He also explained the necessity pf praying humbly and perseveringly in order
to obtain graces from Our Lady and that the denial of temporal blessings jnay in some cases be really a response to our prayers, when the granting of such blessings may be a danger to our faith and salvation.
In the afternoon the rosary was said in honour of Our Lady of Fatima followed by benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The following is the prayer recommended by Our Lady to be said at the end of each decade of the Rosary: " O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell and relieve the holy souls in Purgatory, especially those whom everyone has forgotten"!
Cut here.
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Please enrol me as a subscriber to the above journal for a period
of : —--Three, six, or twelve months From
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Signature of Subscriber.
•Strike off the figure that does not apply.
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Two Spanish Royal Engagements
Following close on the engagement c<f Infanta Beatrice, daughter of the King of Spain, to Prince Alexander Torlonia, comes the announcement of the engagement of Don Jaime, Prince of the Asturias, to Mademoiselle Emanuela de Dampierre, daughter of Count Robert Dampierre and D$nna V i t -toria Ruspoli (of the Princes of Poggio Suasa). The marriages are fixed respectively for January 14th and March 5th.
King Alfonso has finally settled on a beautiful villa on Monte Parioli as his permanent residence. Prince and Princess Torlonia, as well as the Prince and Princess of the Asturias, expeet to reside in Rome.
Christian joy is a gift of God flowing from a good conscience* (St. Philip Neri).
A SYMBOL It is difficult to express the
reverent love w e feel for
those w h o are gone. A
funeral here a n d a Symbol
of remembrance aid and
comfort the bereaved.
SINGAPORE CASKET CO. P E N H A S R O A D . S I N G A P O R E
12
Catholic Affairs from Far and Near E U R O P E ,
Paris* The L a Sayette Prize for 1935 has been awarded to the "Institut de la Providence," the Catholic secondary school at Hue, Indochina, founded by the Paris Missionaries in 1933. This school is the first Catholic institution of its kind in Indochina.
The L a Sayette Prize (1,000 fr.) Is given each year by the " Institut Catholique " of Paris to a religious organization which distinguishes itself in developing French culture overseas. In 1933 the prize was awarded to the schools, of the Ma-rist Brothers in China, and in 1934 to the schools of the Priests of the Sacred Heart in French Came-roons. (Fides).
Rome. The Priests of Bethar-ram, founded in 1844 by Blessed Michael Garicoits, are celebrating the centenary of their society. They have at present 500 members and are at work in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Palestine, Burma and Yunnan Province, China, besides the Diocese of Ba-yonne where they originated. {Fides).
A S I A .
Tuticorin (South India). Approximately 500 Catholics and some non-Christians attended the lectures on Catholic Action which were given at Tuticorin during Catholic Action Week, inaugurated December 26, by Bishop Francis T: Roche, S.J., Bishop of Tuticorin. The lectures were given by Rev. Jerom De Souza, S.J., Headmaster and Professor of English at St. Joseph's College, Trichinopoly. (Fides).
Mangalore (India). The Most Rev. Victor R. Fernandes, Bishop ef Mangalore, wil l observe the 25th anniversary of his ordination March 19; Bishop Fernandes was Born in Mangalore In 1881. (Fides)
Official Opening of a Hospital by the Apostolic Delegate of India.
E R N A C U L A M . (India).—The Apostolic Delegate, His Exc. Mgr. Kierkels, C. P., archbishop of Salamina, assisted by the archbishop of Latin rite of Verapcfly, His Exc. Mgr. Attipetty; the archbishop of the Syro-malabar rite of Ernakulam, His Exc. Mgr. Kandathil ; and the archbishop of the Malankaric rite of Tivandrum, His Exc. Mar Ivanios, solemnly opened, on December last, a hospital erected by the Malabar Catholics at Kofchamangalam, about thirty seven miles from Ernakulam.
The "Hospital of the Charity Mount," the second one built by the Malabar Catholics of the whole India, is a two-story building which actually can shelter fifty-six patients. But side-houses, once they are accommodated, wi l l permit subsequently to receive more people.
It is the parish priest, Father Panjikaran who, twelve years ago formed the project of building this hospital, the trouble was to find the means required for his\construction. The realization c\l Father Panjikaran's ambitious dream will glow in the religious annals of Malabar with red letters if we consider the countless benefits which will shower on the poor population of the place. Since July 1934, when the medical work was started t i l l the official opening of the hospital there have been no less than 12,000 consultations given. (Fides).
The Future of Catholics
in India.
Trichinopoly (India).—The Congress Party which, in spite of Mr . Gandhi's retiring, remains a power behind the scenes, has won at the elections for the Legislative Assembly of Delhi a signal victory* just as a document from London, the "Joint Committee Report" gave the programme of the new Constitution.
On political grounds, many Christians look at the future as rcjsy and are convinced that India can^ut^obt^ain^ar larger indepeir^ dence, towards a golden age. A friend of M r . Gandhi and his late associate, Mfc. George Joseph, cannot help looking at the future of Christianity in India, with uneasiness. His long experience gives his opinion no small weight.
Out of eleven provinces in India, says Mr . George Joseph, four would be under Moslem and seven under Hindu rule. Moslems are assured of getting justice from Hindus because of the presence of Hindu minorities scattered about in the Moslem provinces and that they would thus serve as reprisals against injustice. But Christians have not such levers at their command to exert pressure in case of emergency and thus they incur the risk of being taken between two groups, a Hindu on the one side and a Mussulman on the other, both of which are not inclined at all to share power with minorities of any kind.
The ideal would be that moire deputies should be admitted to the assemblies. Speaking in the abstract, there should not be seats reserved for minorities, and still less, elections by religious or racial groups; but considering the concessions—not to cafl them fa :
vours—which have been granted the Moslems, the Ideal seems very hard to reach. (Fides).
Y O K O H A M A (Japan).—A group of Catholic social workers has been organised at Yokohama by Father Leo Ward, English missionary priest in Japan, to establish contact with Catholic seamen aboard the steamships which call at that port. A similar for Catholic sailors is being developed by the "Apostolatus Maris" in approximately 200 ports in missionary lands. (Fides).
TOKYO.—Italian Salesians, who already staff a small mission in the suburbs of Tokyo, brought another group of priests and brothers to the Japanese capital December 8 to found and direct the Don Bosco Trade School. The printing press, the first department installed at the new school, will be an important element in developing the Japanese Catholic press. (Fides).
Catholic Hospital at Shanghai Enlarged.
Shanghai. A new four-storey building, which has been constructed as an extension to St. Mary's Hospital, Shanghai, was inaugurated January 5. With 300 more beds in the ne\r wing, St. Mary's now has a total of 700 beds and holds first place among the large hospitals of Shanghai.
A special clinic for diseases of the eyes and another for child-hygiene, a first aid station and a general dispensary are on the ground floor of the new section. The building is up to date in equipment and has large airy and well lighted wards and spacious sun-porches.
St. Mary's Hospital was founded i n 1908 by Bishop Prosper Paris, S.J., Vicar Apostolic of Nanking. The F a c u l t y ^ Medicine of the A u rora University, the Jesuit institution of higher learning in the Chinese metropolis, is in charge of the medical and surgical attendance at the hospital. The Daughters of Charity assist the doctors and supervise the nursing. There is a training school for nurses connected with the institution.
During the past 12 months 5,869 patients have received treatment in the hospital, and more than 40,000 cases have been handled at the clinics. More than one half of all the beds at St. Mary's Hospital are reserved for needy persons who are unable to pay. (Fides).
Peking. Rev. Emi l Dehus, C M . , 70-year-old missionary veteran of the Vicariate of Peking has die8 after 50 years of religious life. For 25 years he was parish priest of Nantang, Peking's oldest parish. During the Boxer Uprising in 1900 he nearly lost his life while leading the defence of one of the villages. He wrote several catechistal works in Chinese and a small handbook for the study of the Chinese language. (Fides).
A campaign to restore and maintain decency in Peking has been set in motion by the municipal authorities of that city. A newr set of ordinances, besides reiterating the former regulations against public vice, condemn indecent styles, immoral scenes shown at the cinema and offending illustrations in newspapers and magazines. Directors of schools will be held responsible for the conduct of their pupils. (Fides).
A F R I C A . 372,100 Catholics in South Africa.
Cape Town. The Catholic Directory of South Africa for 1935, published by the Salesian Institute,
Cape Town, gives statistical tables which show that Catholics in the Cape Province, Natal, Transvaal, Orange Free State, Southwest Territory, Southern Rhodesia and the native territories of Basuto-land and Swaziland, now total 372,100.
A t the end of 1934 there were 270,136 negro Catholics in these regions, 29,457 Catholic mulattos and 71,405 white Catholics. There were also 1,102 Catholics of Indian origin.
We also learn from the Directory that there are now 617 priests in South Africa, 606 brothers and 3,748 sisters.
The Catholic Directory of South Africa, 1935, is an improvement on the publications in previous years. Comparison with the information of the past shows great missionary advance in the Union of South Africa and in Southern Rhodesia. The statistical tables for 1934> a new very welcome feature of this twenty-second edition of the Directory, are most encouraging, especially in respect to the increase of native Catholics and catechumens. In the Province of the Cape of Good Hope there are now eight ecclesiastical territories, in Natal three, in the Transvaal three, in the Orange Free State one, in South West Africa two, in Southern Rhodesia two, and one each for the Native Territories of Basutoland and Swaziland: a total of 21 ecclesiastical divisions.
Not many generations ago the Catholic missionary was forcibly excluded from parts of South Africa: his entry into Bechuanaland is quite recent, after struggle and sacrifice.
South Africa is rich in splendid Institutions for religious, educational and charitable purposes, as is evidenced by the 283 Convents, 266 schools for Europeans with 22,303 pupils, 11 Indian schools with 1,033 pupils, 120 schools for the coloured population with 13,002 pupils, and 1,045 native schools with 70,527 pupils. There are also 142 Catholic Hospitals, 59 orphanages and 69 hostels for the various sections of the Catholic population. Every visitor to the Catholic Institutions of South Africa is impressed by their fine buildings, their modern equipment and their efficiency.
From these statistics the special difficulties of the. Catholic missionary in South Afr ica are manifest —the great number of Europeans in a large native population and the existence of so many coloured people: the attention of the apostle is distracted between this diversity and mixture of human elements, who socially keep aloof from another. Yet in spite of drawbacks progress is pronounced. (Fides).
Buluba (Uganda). Seven lepers who have undergone treatment for three years at the asylum of Nyenga under the care of the Franciscan Sisters of Holme Hall, have been discharged as cured. At Buluba, another colony directed by Catholic missionary sisters from England, 15 natives were baptized December 15, and there are 20 others preparing for Baptism. (Fides).
MALAYA CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16th 1935. 13
T h e G o l d e n C r o s s P r o E c c l e s i a e t P o n t i f i c e , ,
On Sunday 13th January, His Exc. Mgr. H . Valtorta, Vicar Apostolic of Hongkong, presented the golden Cross "Pro Ecclesia et Pon-tifice" to Messrs Luu A h Ts'oung and Chan a Hon who have to their credit long years of incessant and devoted service, the former for 50 years, at the Printing Office of Xazareth (Pokfulum), the latter at the Procure of the Paris Foreign Missions, for 54 years.
The Hongkong Members of the Catholic Action and their President Mr. Choa, anxious of honouring these two faithful servants, gave, on that occasion, a tea-party which was largely attended. p
Father Chan, a Priest of the Vicariate of Hongkong is the son of Mr. Chan a Hon. (From "Bulletin de la Soc. des Miss.-Etr. de Paris).
Messrs. Luu Ah Ts'oung and Chan a Hon. Recipients of The Golden Cross.
Our Lady of Fatima (Continued from page 1)
already a devotion practised by many members of our congregation. There have been several graces granted some of which being very important. The intercession of Our Lady of Fatima has been sensibly felt in many cases."
When, therefore, towards the end of 1934, His Lordship the Bishop of Macao manifested his desire to have the Church provided with a statue of Our Lady of Fatima, for the purpose of encouraging this rapidly spreading devotion in our parish, the Church had no difficulties whatsoever to comply with His Lordship's wish; for several clients who had obtained favours from Our Lady came forward with the necessary funds tcr put His Lordship's desire into immediate execution. However some delay could not be avoided, for the statue had to be ordered from Europe and the niche designed and erected. And so it was only on last Sunday (February 10) that the solemn blessing of the niche and the statue could be made. The niche and the statue were artistically dejcoratecfc and lighted. The ceremony was preceded by a thanksgiving solem High Mass and followed by a treat. to the Singers Servers, etc., given by the Clients of O.L. of Fatima. A beautiful picture with the prayers indulgenced and approved by the Archbishop of Goa and the late Bishop of Cochin was given to every person who attended the mass. In the homily Fr . Dias Breton dwelt on the rapid growth of this devotion in Europe, America, Africa, India, China, etc. and said that he was proud to see this devotion firmly established in Singapore, for the chief message of Our Lady at Fatima was to urge the people to repentance and to encourage them to say their beads praying for the forgiveness of our sins and for the release of the souls in Purgatory. He also explained the necessity pf praying humbly and perseveringly in order
to obtain graces from Our Lady and that the denial of temporal blessings jnay in some cases be really a response to our prayers, when the granting of such blessings may be a danger to our faith and salvation.
In the afternoon the rosary was said in honour of Our Lady of Fatima followed by benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The following is the prayer recommended by Our Lady to be said at the end of each decade of the Rosary: " O My Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell and relieve the holy souls in Purgatory, especially those whom everyone has forgotten"!
Cut here.
SUBSCRIPTION FORM.
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73, Bras Basah Road, Singapore.
Please enrol me as a subscriber to the above journal for a period
of : —--Three, six, or twelve months From
to Name
Private Address
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I am enclosing $ as subscription fee for the aforesaid
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Signature of Subscriber.
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Two Spanish Royal Engagements
Following close on the engagement c<f Infanta Beatrice, daughter of the King of Spain, to Prince Alexander Torlonia, comes the announcement of the engagement of Don Jaime, Prince of the Asturias, to Mademoiselle Emanuela de Dampierre, daughter of Count Robert Dampierre and D$nna V i t -toria Ruspoli (of the Princes of Poggio Suasa). The marriages are fixed respectively for January 14th and March 5th.
King Alfonso has finally settled on a beautiful villa on Monte Parioli as his permanent residence. Prince and Princess Torlonia, as well as the Prince and Princess of the Asturias, expeet to reside in Rome.
Christian joy is a gift of God flowing from a good conscience* (St. Philip Neri).
A SYMBOL It is difficult to express the
reverent love w e feel for
those w h o are gone. A
funeral here a n d a Symbol
of remembrance aid and
comfort the bereaved.
SINGAPORE CASKET CO. P E N H A S R O A D . S I N G A P O R E
14 MALAYAN CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY,FEBRUARY 16th 1935.
OUR QUESTION BOX CORRESPONDENCE.
OUR QUESTION BOX.
[Readers are kindly invited to send in questions on religious dogmas or standards of moral conduct. Such questions must be pue in good faith with a view to obviating any dubiety or adjusting any inaccuracy in pertinent matters of faith or morals. All questions must be accompanied by the names and addresses of questioners, not necessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith. The Editor reserves the right to reject any question, which in his opinion, may appear trivial or frivolous.]
Question: Could you kindly enlighten me about the resurrection of the body. Such resurrection rather repels people who have grown tired of the present life.
R.C. Answer: The body that will
rise is not the body as we know it. It wil l share in the qualities of the body of our Saviour, which while still corporal, was immune from the ordinary conditions of space. It wi l l be almost on the spiritual plane.
I should like " R . C . " to read the words of St. Paul (Cor. 1-15. 39. 44) " A l l flesh is not the same flesh, but one is the flesh of men, another of beasts, another of birds, another of fishes."
"And there are bodies celestial and bodies terrestrial, but, one is the glory of the celestial, and another of the terrestrial."
One is the glory of the sun, another the glory of the moon, and another the glory of the stars. For star differeth from the star in glory."
"So also the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it shall rise in incorruption."
It is sown in dishonour, it shall rise in glory. It is sown in weakness it shall rise in power. It is sown a natural body, i t shall rise a spiritual body."
From such words, we may conclude that our risen bodies will no more partake of the miserable conditions of our earthly existence.
Question: Did St. Joseph Taste Corruption After His Holy Death ?
Answer: Father Faber writes about St. Joseph:—
" The sweet fragrance of St. Joseph in the Church, is stealing upon us unawares, perpetually increasing and especially filling with itself all the shades of Nazareth, Bethlehem and Egypt, but not reaching to the bare heights of Calvary.
Who can doubt but that His dear and chosen foster-father's sanctification was one of Our Lord's occupations in His mother's bosom? Of all sanctities in the church, St. Joseph's is that which lies deepest down, and is the hardest to see distinctly. We feel how immense it must have been. In the soul of St. Joseph, the work of Our Lord has been eminently one of sanctification through redeeming grace unless indeed the un-revealed privilege of the Immaculate Conception had been accorded to St. Joseph."
The Blessed Virgin Mary was preserved from the corruption of
the tomb on account of her Immaculate Conception. Being conceived without sin, she was free from all the consequences of sin.
Mary was the most pure and the most holy of all creatures because she was without the stain of original sins.
St. Joseph was sanctified by the redeeming grace of Our Divine Saviour, but was not exempt from the original stain and no proof is available to show that he has not tasted corruption after his death, such privilege has been unrevealed to us and remains the secret of God.
PRESS T R I B U T E S TO T H E L A T E C A R D I N A L .
The Times. When, more than thirty years
ago, Dr. Bourne, the youngest of the English Roman Catholic Bishops, was chosen for the metropolitan see of Westminster,, the appointment was received by his own communion with surprise and with grave doubts. He seemed to be a contrast to his great predecessors. He had not Wiseman's profound learning, nor did he appear to possess Manning's statesmanship and social enthusiasm, or Vaughan's commanding personality. But the Vatican knew their man, and their choice has long been abundantly justified. . . .
Time has justified him, notably in those educational controversies where his foresight and wisdom are now widely acknowledged. A t the Vatican his sagacious counsel, based on his profound knowledge of the English character, wil l be much missed.
Daily Telegraph. By the death of Cardinal Bourne
not only does the Roman Catholic Church in this country lose its chief pastor, but the nation also is the poorer by the passing of an outstanding figure in public life. . . . His English parentage, his love of England and the characteristic straightforwardness which marked his public acts did more than anything else to win for the Roman Catholic Church in this country the position which it now holds.
The Morning Post. A l l good Englishmen, without
distinction of creed, will mourn the death of the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster. That he was a good priest, a faithful servant of God, there are those of his Church who wil l testify. As a lay newspaper we may speak with less presumption of his service to the nation. . . .
* We do not remember that he ever once gave any just cause of offence to his fellow-subjects of other creeds. His Christianity, although faithful always to his Church, was of that generous order which embraced humanity. In every good cause Francis Bourne played a worthy part, and the whole nation will mourn the heavy loss.
Daily Express. The Roman Church in England
loses a leader with an infinite capacity for taking pains by the death of Cardinal Francis Bourne.
Yet Francis Bourne himself would have been the last to agree to any assertion that his own personality was fired by the spark of genius.
The greatness he achieved he won by tireless industry from boyhood; by a power of intense concentration; by tireless organising and administrative energy, and by a keen sense of judgment.
Yoorkshire Post. He was a great welding power to
the successful organisation of the Roman Catholic Communion, and scrupulously careful to preserve the courtesies of life in a country where men have strong partisan feelings on religious questions. . . . His regime as Archbishop was marked by exceptional administrative capacity, and in all controversial questions that impinged on faith and morals he proclaimed the mind of the Church with cogency and conviction.
Liverpool Post. A man of natural sagacity, with
strong convictions tempered by a broad outlook and considerable culture and a skilful organiser, Cardinal Bourne during his long period of administration as Archbishop of Westminster upheld worthily the high traditions of his office. He won and retained the affection and devotion of his coreligionists, not only in London, but throughout the country, and he was frequently consulted by the different Governments on matters calling for delicate discussion and negotiation.
F A R E W E L L P R E J U D I C E .
There are many indications of the breaking down of prejudice against the Catholic Church and priests in the South of U.S.A. Among the striking instances reported recently here an invitation from the minister and deacons of a Methodist church to use that structure for a Catholic mission, a call to a priest to be a "part-time pastor" of a coloured Protestant church, and the closing of all local Protestant churches so that the congregation might attend a mission. This course of action implies a different attitude from that* which prevailed in the days when Catholic priests were more hated than the devil and more feared than poison. The opening wedge has been made, and it is the part of Catholic Action to continue the work. The following incident is contained in the report of the Most Rev. Thomas J . Toolen, Bishop of Mobile: " A few months ago a mission was held in Grenville in Central Alabama. It was announced in all Protestant churches. The ministers told their congregations their churches would be closed during the week and all should attend the Catholiic church. The Protestant choirs combined to sing the hymns and Benediction; and a most successful mission was carried on. There are only about twenty Catholics in Grenville, a town of perhaps five thousand people.
The Ave Maria.
The Modern Tailoring Go. 497, North Bridge Road
A T YOUR SERVICE!!! HIGH CLASS TAILORS AND
OUTFITTERS.
P E R F E C T C U T P E R F E C T S T Y L E
IS THE FIRST AIM OF THIS HOUSE.
T E R M S M O D E R A T E .
P A Y US A VISIT and
YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.
Campaign Against Indecent Films
and Posters in Madras.
A vigorous campaign against indecent films is being launched in India and it is noteworthy that non-Catholics have also joined to give their support.
A t a recent meeting of the Legislative Council in Madras a series of questions for the banning of indecent films and posters were put to the Home Member who has assured that he would bring to the notice of the Board constituted for the purpose.
Cession of Tangasseri'to
Travancore.
Great anxiety is being caused among the Catholics of Tangasseri a village near Quilon, on the proposal to hand i t over, to Tranvan-core.
Tangasseri, the population of which is only 2,000 and greatly adhered to Catholic faith, except one single family, has so long been a British possession and never been a part of Tranvancore. This proposed transfer elicited discussion even in the House of Commons and in the House of Lords.
In a leaderette, the Madras Catholic Leader fears that while at present they enjoy absolute religious freedom and are not subjected to any restrictions in regard to the erection of churches and opening of cemeteries, they will have to obtain previous sanction of the government under the Tranvancore administration for such purpose, and more often than not such permission is denied, as experience during nearly the last two decades has clearly shown.
It is understood that memorials protesting such transfer, have been submitted to His Excellency the Viceroy and the Governor-General of India who, it is fervently hoped, will give careful consideration to the just claims of this small but unnegligible community of Catholics.
M A L A Y A CATHOLIC L E A D E R , S A T U R D A Y , F E B R U A R Y 16th 1935. 15
Board of Education and Catholic Schools in England
I Attitude Explained and Defended
P. f
m
I f i l l
" The Education Act, 1921, prescribes a formal procedure to be observed by those who wish to! provide a new public elementary school.
" In the first place, the promoters, whether a local Education Authority or a denominational body, who propose to provide such a school must give public notice of their proposal, and managers of existing schools, the local Education Authority, and ratepayers may appeal to the Board of Education against it on the ground that the proposed school is not required or that a school provided by tEe Local Education Authority or not so provided as the case may be, is better suited to meet the wants of the district concerned than the school proposed; and the Board of Education have to decide whether the proposed school should be allowed or not.
" In determining whether a proposed new school should be allowed, the Board of Education are required by statute to have regard to three considerations: (i) The interest of secular instruction; (ii) the wishes of parents- as to the education of their children; and (iii) the economy of the rates.
" In regard 'to the interest of secular instruction, the Board cannot overlook -the fact that a school which is proposed to meet the wishes of a particular section of the community may be so small as to be subject to serious educational disadvantages or tof be very costly to maintain. For instance, if a body of persons proposes to provide a new school for eighty children of all ages from five to fourteen, a school of such a size would be normally staffed by three teachers, and this would mean that the eighty children would be divided into three groups, each of which would have to include children of an age range spreading over three years. Even so, the classes would be small, and consequently the school would be proportionately expensive.
"If, in addition to these disad*-vantages, the proposal to provide such a school had to meet the further objection that all the eighty children concerned could be accommodated in existing schools, where they could be better classified according to their ages and attainments, without involving any additional expenditure by the Local Education Authority upon the maintenance of those existing schools, it will be seen that the ?ase against allowing such a school is very strong.
" A further consideration which must be borne in mind is that the educational policy of all political parties in the matter of elementary education is to implement the recommendations of the Hadow Report. Amongst those recommendations the cardinal point is that from the age of eleven upwards the children, after the com
pletion of their primary education in junior schools, should be moved to senior schools where they should be given post-primary education under conditions which will put an end to the marking-time of the old all-age schools.
" These new senior schools, in order to be effective, require special provision for practical and craft work, and also have to be staffed more liberally than junior schools. Moreover, in order that these schools may realize their aim fully, the children attending them must be classified according to their different attainment and abilities much more discriminatingly than in the all-age schools.
" Consequently, the new senior schools should be schools of a substantial size. Indeed, the best size for such schools is from 360 to 480 children. As compared with what is possible in a large senior school of 480 children, a school or division for 120 senior children is under obvious and very great disadvantages.
Parish Organisation Blamed. " It will be seen, therefore ,that
proposals for new schools have to face very serious educational objections, unless the numbers of children are substantial. Where the numbers are small and can be accommodated in schools where they can be combined with a considerable number of other children of the same ae-e, it is clear that they could be classified with much ereater discrimination if so combined than is possible if thev are placed in a separate institution by themselves; and, moreover, the cost of the better educational arrangements is in the great majority of cases small in comparison with that of the maintenance of provision for them in a separate school.
"The Board are fully aware of the handicap under which the Roman Catholic communities are placed owing to the sparseness of their distribution, but by adherence to their parish organisation the Roman Catholics themselves increase this handicap. Not infrequently, where with co-operation between two or more neighbouring Roman Catholic parishes it would be possible by the concentration of all the children in one school, to provide a school of a larger size, the Roman Catholics, owing to their parish organisation, make no such proposal, but ask for separate small schools, one foreach parish. It is difficult to admit the necessity of increasing the number of small and relatively inefficient and expensive schools on such a basis.
No Right To A School! "The Board have been accused
of depriving Roman Catholics of their 'right'to new schools. Neither the Roman Catholics nor any other body have a legal right to a school. Particular cases in which the Board have been obliged to give decisions adverse to the
Roman Catholics secure a considerable amount of publicity.
" Little, if any, i>ptice is taken of the very much larger number of cases in which the Board's decision has been either completely favourable to the Roman Catholics or has at any rate given them part of that which they wished.
" I n the list of new Roman Catholic schools allowed in recent years, it is true that there are a large number of junior schools. It is necessary to point out that in all but a very few cases the limi
t a t ion of these schools to juniors was .not imposed by the Board of Education but by the Roman Catholics themselves, who did not wish, or found themselves unable to provide, anything but junior schools.
" The number of cases in which, on grounds of educational efficiency and finance, the Board have felt obliged to limit a Roman Catholic proposal for a new all-age school to a school for junior children is small. In all such cases provision for the older Roman Catholic children in reorganised schools has been available, and the withdrawal of the older Roman Catholic children from those schools would not only have enabled any reduction to be made in the cost of the maintenance of those schools, but would also have imposed on the Local Education Authorities a disproportionate additional burden in the provision for them in the new Roman Catholic school, where the children, moreover, would not have been able to receive secular instruction of the same degree of efficiency.
The Goldthoree Case. " One recent case- which has
been receiving a good deal of notice is that at Bolton-upon-Dearne, Goldthorpe, in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
"This district during the last ten years developed rapidly, and during that time the L . E . A . provided a number of temporary buildings to provide for the rapidly increasing number of schoolchildren. About two years ago, when it became clear that the development of the district had reached its peak, the L .E .A . gave public notice of their intention to replace the very large amount of temporary accommodation which was then in use by new permanent buildings providing some 1,800 places and completing the school provision for all the children of the district. No objections were made against the L . E . A / s proposals, by the Roman Catholics or anybody else, and after careful examination the Board came to the conclusion that the provision of this new permanent accommodation was necessary.
"Plans for the new schools in question were approved, and the L . E . A . entered into contracts for the building and the erection of the buildmgs was commenced. Then the Roman Catholics gave notice of their intention to provide
I F M T A f f l F O R D R U F L a T B H
i l l
Young ladies who must economize and yet maintain traditionally high stanlarls of goods wi l l welcome the 4 4 Economy Shop". . . a ren-dezvouz for shrewd shoppers ...where exquisitely fashioned hats of fine quality may
'be had from
$312 up Also dresses [from* $ 5 0 0
a new school for four hundred Roman Catholic children. SThe L . E . A . appealed against this proposal.
" H a d the Roman Catholics made their proposal before the L . E . A . were committed to the provision of the 1,800 new places referred to above, it would have been possible for the Board to entertain the Roman Catholic proposal, but in the actual circumstances, when the L . E . A . were already committed to the very considerable expense of providing for the children in their new schools, the Board did not consider that they could properly do so.
Recent Decisions Pro And Con. " But it must not be inferred
from this case that where there is accommodation in existing schools for Roman Catholic children the Roman Catholics cannot hope to have a school of their own.
" In the case of the proposed Roman Catholic school for 450 children at Copenhagen Street, Islington, the Board have given a favourable decision, although all those 450 children are in fact amply provided for in existing schools.
" Since Apr i l , 1932, the Board of Education have had to give decisions upon 103 proposals of Roman Catholics for the provision of new schools, either by the enlargement of existing schools or the erection of entirely new schools. Of these 103 proposals. 50 were for the enlargement of existing schools and all but one of these have been allowed. The remaining 53 were for the provision of entirely new schools, and of these 36 were allowed as asked by the promoters—13 all-age schools, B junior schools and 5 senior schools. In another 5 cases of proposals for all-age schools. 4 were allowed for juniors only and one for seniors only. In 12 other cases—8 all-age schools and 4 junior schools—the proposals were disallowed altogether on grounds of educational efficiency and finance." .
Catholic Times.
14 MALAYAN CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY,FEBRUARY 16th 1935.
OUR QUESTION BOX CORRESPONDENCE.
OUR QUESTION BOX.
[Readers are kindly invited to send in questions on religious dogmas or standards of moral conduct. Such questions must be pue in good faith with a view to obviating any dubiety or adjusting any inaccuracy in pertinent matters of faith or morals. All questions must be accompanied by the names and addresses of questioners, not necessarily for publication, but as a guarantee of good faith. The Editor reserves the right to reject any question, which in his opinion, may appear trivial or frivolous.]
Question: Could you kindly enlighten me about the resurrection of the body. Such resurrection rather repels people who have grown tired of the present life.
R.C. Answer: The body that will
rise is not the body as we know it. It wil l share in the qualities of the body of our Saviour, which while still corporal, was immune from the ordinary conditions of space. It wi l l be almost on the spiritual plane.
I should like " R . C . " to read the words of St. Paul (Cor. 1-15. 39. 44) " A l l flesh is not the same flesh, but one is the flesh of men, another of beasts, another of birds, another of fishes."
"And there are bodies celestial and bodies terrestrial, but, one is the glory of the celestial, and another of the terrestrial."
One is the glory of the sun, another the glory of the moon, and another the glory of the stars. For star differeth from the star in glory."
"So also the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it shall rise in incorruption."
It is sown in dishonour, it shall rise in glory. It is sown in weakness it shall rise in power. It is sown a natural body, i t shall rise a spiritual body."
From such words, we may conclude that our risen bodies will no more partake of the miserable conditions of our earthly existence.
Question: Did St. Joseph Taste Corruption After His Holy Death ?
Answer: Father Faber writes about St. Joseph:—
" The sweet fragrance of St. Joseph in the Church, is stealing upon us unawares, perpetually increasing and especially filling with itself all the shades of Nazareth, Bethlehem and Egypt, but not reaching to the bare heights of Calvary.
Who can doubt but that His dear and chosen foster-father's sanctification was one of Our Lord's occupations in His mother's bosom? Of all sanctities in the church, St. Joseph's is that which lies deepest down, and is the hardest to see distinctly. We feel how immense it must have been. In the soul of St. Joseph, the work of Our Lord has been eminently one of sanctification through redeeming grace unless indeed the un-revealed privilege of the Immaculate Conception had been accorded to St. Joseph."
The Blessed Virgin Mary was preserved from the corruption of
the tomb on account of her Immaculate Conception. Being conceived without sin, she was free from all the consequences of sin.
Mary was the most pure and the most holy of all creatures because she was without the stain of original sins.
St. Joseph was sanctified by the redeeming grace of Our Divine Saviour, but was not exempt from the original stain and no proof is available to show that he has not tasted corruption after his death, such privilege has been unrevealed to us and remains the secret of God.
PRESS T R I B U T E S TO T H E L A T E C A R D I N A L .
The Times. When, more than thirty years
ago, Dr. Bourne, the youngest of the English Roman Catholic Bishops, was chosen for the metropolitan see of Westminster,, the appointment was received by his own communion with surprise and with grave doubts. He seemed to be a contrast to his great predecessors. He had not Wiseman's profound learning, nor did he appear to possess Manning's statesmanship and social enthusiasm, or Vaughan's commanding personality. But the Vatican knew their man, and their choice has long been abundantly justified. . . .
Time has justified him, notably in those educational controversies where his foresight and wisdom are now widely acknowledged. A t the Vatican his sagacious counsel, based on his profound knowledge of the English character, wil l be much missed.
Daily Telegraph. By the death of Cardinal Bourne
not only does the Roman Catholic Church in this country lose its chief pastor, but the nation also is the poorer by the passing of an outstanding figure in public life. . . . His English parentage, his love of England and the characteristic straightforwardness which marked his public acts did more than anything else to win for the Roman Catholic Church in this country the position which it now holds.
The Morning Post. A l l good Englishmen, without
distinction of creed, will mourn the death of the Cardinal Archbishop of Westminster. That he was a good priest, a faithful servant of God, there are those of his Church who wil l testify. As a lay newspaper we may speak with less presumption of his service to the nation. . . .
* We do not remember that he ever once gave any just cause of offence to his fellow-subjects of other creeds. His Christianity, although faithful always to his Church, was of that generous order which embraced humanity. In every good cause Francis Bourne played a worthy part, and the whole nation will mourn the heavy loss.
Daily Express. The Roman Church in England
loses a leader with an infinite capacity for taking pains by the death of Cardinal Francis Bourne.
Yet Francis Bourne himself would have been the last to agree to any assertion that his own personality was fired by the spark of genius.
The greatness he achieved he won by tireless industry from boyhood; by a power of intense concentration; by tireless organising and administrative energy, and by a keen sense of judgment.
Yoorkshire Post. He was a great welding power to
the successful organisation of the Roman Catholic Communion, and scrupulously careful to preserve the courtesies of life in a country where men have strong partisan feelings on religious questions. . . . His regime as Archbishop was marked by exceptional administrative capacity, and in all controversial questions that impinged on faith and morals he proclaimed the mind of the Church with cogency and conviction.
Liverpool Post. A man of natural sagacity, with
strong convictions tempered by a broad outlook and considerable culture and a skilful organiser, Cardinal Bourne during his long period of administration as Archbishop of Westminster upheld worthily the high traditions of his office. He won and retained the affection and devotion of his coreligionists, not only in London, but throughout the country, and he was frequently consulted by the different Governments on matters calling for delicate discussion and negotiation.
F A R E W E L L P R E J U D I C E .
There are many indications of the breaking down of prejudice against the Catholic Church and priests in the South of U.S.A. Among the striking instances reported recently here an invitation from the minister and deacons of a Methodist church to use that structure for a Catholic mission, a call to a priest to be a "part-time pastor" of a coloured Protestant church, and the closing of all local Protestant churches so that the congregation might attend a mission. This course of action implies a different attitude from that* which prevailed in the days when Catholic priests were more hated than the devil and more feared than poison. The opening wedge has been made, and it is the part of Catholic Action to continue the work. The following incident is contained in the report of the Most Rev. Thomas J . Toolen, Bishop of Mobile: " A few months ago a mission was held in Grenville in Central Alabama. It was announced in all Protestant churches. The ministers told their congregations their churches would be closed during the week and all should attend the Catholiic church. The Protestant choirs combined to sing the hymns and Benediction; and a most successful mission was carried on. There are only about twenty Catholics in Grenville, a town of perhaps five thousand people.
The Ave Maria.
The Modern Tailoring Go. 497, North Bridge Road
A T YOUR SERVICE!!! HIGH CLASS TAILORS AND
OUTFITTERS.
P E R F E C T C U T P E R F E C T S T Y L E
IS THE FIRST AIM OF THIS HOUSE.
T E R M S M O D E R A T E .
P A Y US A VISIT and
YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.
Campaign Against Indecent Films
and Posters in Madras.
A vigorous campaign against indecent films is being launched in India and it is noteworthy that non-Catholics have also joined to give their support.
A t a recent meeting of the Legislative Council in Madras a series of questions for the banning of indecent films and posters were put to the Home Member who has assured that he would bring to the notice of the Board constituted for the purpose.
Cession of Tangasseri'to
Travancore.
Great anxiety is being caused among the Catholics of Tangasseri a village near Quilon, on the proposal to hand i t over, to Tranvan-core.
Tangasseri, the population of which is only 2,000 and greatly adhered to Catholic faith, except one single family, has so long been a British possession and never been a part of Tranvancore. This proposed transfer elicited discussion even in the House of Commons and in the House of Lords.
In a leaderette, the Madras Catholic Leader fears that while at present they enjoy absolute religious freedom and are not subjected to any restrictions in regard to the erection of churches and opening of cemeteries, they will have to obtain previous sanction of the government under the Tranvancore administration for such purpose, and more often than not such permission is denied, as experience during nearly the last two decades has clearly shown.
It is understood that memorials protesting such transfer, have been submitted to His Excellency the Viceroy and the Governor-General of India who, it is fervently hoped, will give careful consideration to the just claims of this small but unnegligible community of Catholics.
M A L A Y A CATHOLIC L E A D E R , S A T U R D A Y , F E B R U A R Y 16th 1935. 15
Board of Education and Catholic Schools in England
I Attitude Explained and Defended
P. f
m
I f i l l
" The Education Act, 1921, prescribes a formal procedure to be observed by those who wish to! provide a new public elementary school.
" In the first place, the promoters, whether a local Education Authority or a denominational body, who propose to provide such a school must give public notice of their proposal, and managers of existing schools, the local Education Authority, and ratepayers may appeal to the Board of Education against it on the ground that the proposed school is not required or that a school provided by tEe Local Education Authority or not so provided as the case may be, is better suited to meet the wants of the district concerned than the school proposed; and the Board of Education have to decide whether the proposed school should be allowed or not.
" In determining whether a proposed new school should be allowed, the Board of Education are required by statute to have regard to three considerations: (i) The interest of secular instruction; (ii) the wishes of parents- as to the education of their children; and (iii) the economy of the rates.
" In regard 'to the interest of secular instruction, the Board cannot overlook -the fact that a school which is proposed to meet the wishes of a particular section of the community may be so small as to be subject to serious educational disadvantages or tof be very costly to maintain. For instance, if a body of persons proposes to provide a new school for eighty children of all ages from five to fourteen, a school of such a size would be normally staffed by three teachers, and this would mean that the eighty children would be divided into three groups, each of which would have to include children of an age range spreading over three years. Even so, the classes would be small, and consequently the school would be proportionately expensive.
"If, in addition to these disad*-vantages, the proposal to provide such a school had to meet the further objection that all the eighty children concerned could be accommodated in existing schools, where they could be better classified according to their ages and attainments, without involving any additional expenditure by the Local Education Authority upon the maintenance of those existing schools, it will be seen that the ?ase against allowing such a school is very strong.
" A further consideration which must be borne in mind is that the educational policy of all political parties in the matter of elementary education is to implement the recommendations of the Hadow Report. Amongst those recommendations the cardinal point is that from the age of eleven upwards the children, after the com
pletion of their primary education in junior schools, should be moved to senior schools where they should be given post-primary education under conditions which will put an end to the marking-time of the old all-age schools.
" These new senior schools, in order to be effective, require special provision for practical and craft work, and also have to be staffed more liberally than junior schools. Moreover, in order that these schools may realize their aim fully, the children attending them must be classified according to their different attainment and abilities much more discriminatingly than in the all-age schools.
" Consequently, the new senior schools should be schools of a substantial size. Indeed, the best size for such schools is from 360 to 480 children. As compared with what is possible in a large senior school of 480 children, a school or division for 120 senior children is under obvious and very great disadvantages.
Parish Organisation Blamed. " It will be seen, therefore ,that
proposals for new schools have to face very serious educational objections, unless the numbers of children are substantial. Where the numbers are small and can be accommodated in schools where they can be combined with a considerable number of other children of the same ae-e, it is clear that they could be classified with much ereater discrimination if so combined than is possible if thev are placed in a separate institution by themselves; and, moreover, the cost of the better educational arrangements is in the great majority of cases small in comparison with that of the maintenance of provision for them in a separate school.
"The Board are fully aware of the handicap under which the Roman Catholic communities are placed owing to the sparseness of their distribution, but by adherence to their parish organisation the Roman Catholics themselves increase this handicap. Not infrequently, where with co-operation between two or more neighbouring Roman Catholic parishes it would be possible by the concentration of all the children in one school, to provide a school of a larger size, the Roman Catholics, owing to their parish organisation, make no such proposal, but ask for separate small schools, one foreach parish. It is difficult to admit the necessity of increasing the number of small and relatively inefficient and expensive schools on such a basis.
No Right To A School! "The Board have been accused
of depriving Roman Catholics of their 'right'to new schools. Neither the Roman Catholics nor any other body have a legal right to a school. Particular cases in which the Board have been obliged to give decisions adverse to the
Roman Catholics secure a considerable amount of publicity.
" Little, if any, i>ptice is taken of the very much larger number of cases in which the Board's decision has been either completely favourable to the Roman Catholics or has at any rate given them part of that which they wished.
" I n the list of new Roman Catholic schools allowed in recent years, it is true that there are a large number of junior schools. It is necessary to point out that in all but a very few cases the limi
t a t ion of these schools to juniors was .not imposed by the Board of Education but by the Roman Catholics themselves, who did not wish, or found themselves unable to provide, anything but junior schools.
" The number of cases in which, on grounds of educational efficiency and finance, the Board have felt obliged to limit a Roman Catholic proposal for a new all-age school to a school for junior children is small. In all such cases provision for the older Roman Catholic children in reorganised schools has been available, and the withdrawal of the older Roman Catholic children from those schools would not only have enabled any reduction to be made in the cost of the maintenance of those schools, but would also have imposed on the Local Education Authorities a disproportionate additional burden in the provision for them in the new Roman Catholic school, where the children, moreover, would not have been able to receive secular instruction of the same degree of efficiency.
The Goldthoree Case. " One recent case- which has
been receiving a good deal of notice is that at Bolton-upon-Dearne, Goldthorpe, in the West Riding of Yorkshire.
"This district during the last ten years developed rapidly, and during that time the L . E . A . provided a number of temporary buildings to provide for the rapidly increasing number of schoolchildren. About two years ago, when it became clear that the development of the district had reached its peak, the L .E .A . gave public notice of their intention to replace the very large amount of temporary accommodation which was then in use by new permanent buildings providing some 1,800 places and completing the school provision for all the children of the district. No objections were made against the L . E . A / s proposals, by the Roman Catholics or anybody else, and after careful examination the Board came to the conclusion that the provision of this new permanent accommodation was necessary.
"Plans for the new schools in question were approved, and the L . E . A . entered into contracts for the building and the erection of the buildmgs was commenced. Then the Roman Catholics gave notice of their intention to provide
I F M T A f f l F O R D R U F L a T B H
i l l
Young ladies who must economize and yet maintain traditionally high stanlarls of goods wi l l welcome the 4 4 Economy Shop". . . a ren-dezvouz for shrewd shoppers ...where exquisitely fashioned hats of fine quality may
'be had from
$312 up Also dresses [from* $ 5 0 0
a new school for four hundred Roman Catholic children. SThe L . E . A . appealed against this proposal.
" H a d the Roman Catholics made their proposal before the L . E . A . were committed to the provision of the 1,800 new places referred to above, it would have been possible for the Board to entertain the Roman Catholic proposal, but in the actual circumstances, when the L . E . A . were already committed to the very considerable expense of providing for the children in their new schools, the Board did not consider that they could properly do so.
Recent Decisions Pro And Con. " But it must not be inferred
from this case that where there is accommodation in existing schools for Roman Catholic children the Roman Catholics cannot hope to have a school of their own.
" In the case of the proposed Roman Catholic school for 450 children at Copenhagen Street, Islington, the Board have given a favourable decision, although all those 450 children are in fact amply provided for in existing schools.
" Since Apr i l , 1932, the Board of Education have had to give decisions upon 103 proposals of Roman Catholics for the provision of new schools, either by the enlargement of existing schools or the erection of entirely new schools. Of these 103 proposals. 50 were for the enlargement of existing schools and all but one of these have been allowed. The remaining 53 were for the provision of entirely new schools, and of these 36 were allowed as asked by the promoters—13 all-age schools, B junior schools and 5 senior schools. In another 5 cases of proposals for all-age schools. 4 were allowed for juniors only and one for seniors only. In 12 other cases—8 all-age schools and 4 junior schools—the proposals were disallowed altogether on grounds of educational efficiency and finance." .
Catholic Times.
16 MALAYA CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16th 1935.
AROUND THE PARISHES SINGAPORE
HIS LORDSHIP C E L E B R A T E S C H I N E S E N E W Y E A R A T
SS. P E T E R A N D P A U L .
The Church of Ss. Peter and Paul celebrated Chinese New Year with Benediction on New Year Eve, and Pontifical High Mass on New Year Day. His Lordship the Rt. Rev. Mgr. Adrien Devals, Bishop of Malacca, eery kindly officiated at the Mass, which began at 8 a.m. followed by Benediction concluding eventually towards 9.45 a.m. His Lordship was assisted by Rev. Fathers N . Deredec and Verbois.
The Church was lavishly decorated for the occasion. The altar was smothered with flowers. Long before 8 a.m. the Church was packed to full capacity.
Musical Selections were rendered by the Catholic Young Men's Association beginning with an Overture, and at the various parts of the Mass—the Offertory, the Elevation and Communion, ending with a March after Benediction.
In*mediately after the Benediction the Parochial House was besieged with well-wishers. His Lordship kindly received them and blessed them—one and all—with the Season's Greetings. He hailed the choir on their approach and congratulated them on their singing and music.
The Parishioners looked in vain for their Pastor, Rev. F r . Lee, in order to extend their hearty wishes to him, but he was at St. Teresa's Church for the New Year
'Mass, where there was also a large attendance. After Mass Rev. F r . Lee received the Congregation and wished them all a ' H A P P Y N E W Y E A R /
St. Joseph's Church, Singapore (Portuguese Mission).
Annual of the St. Joseph's Church, 1934 and Calendar for 1935.
This is the fourth of its kind that is issued by the Portuguese Mission and distributed free "for the use of the parishioners of St. Joseph's Church, Singapore, and St. PteterV Church, Malacca." It consists of 86 pages and contains much reading matter calculated to foster more sincere and intensive Christian Efe among the parishioners. The names of the missionaries working in their restricted province are given as well as of the Members of the Board of Administration, Wardens. Choir Singers and of the Altar Boys (Servers). From it we learn that during the ,year 1934 there were Recorded in St. Joseph's Church register 15 marriages, 43 deaths, and 95 baptisms of which & were of grown-ups including one of 42 years of age. The compiler is Rev. Fr. J . Dias Bretao, the acting Vicar of St. Joseph's.
The Very Rev. F r . M . A . Cardoso, the Vicar-General of the Portuguese Mission, and Rev. F r . A da Silva Rego, the Vicar of St. Joseph's Church, arrived here by the Dempo on {February 12th. Several of the parishioners and friends were present at the wharf to give them a hearty welcome. Rev. Fr . M . X . Fernandes, the Acting Superior and Vicar of the Portuguese parish in Malacca, was also in Singapore to receive the priests. He remained in Singapore for a few days more.
Jubilee Mission Novena, Singapore. The Jubilee Mission in the
Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Singapore, was preached by Rev. Fr. F . M . Bulliard (who has been preaching similar missions throughout Malaya) and was well attended by the parishioners. The various sermons were very much appreciated by the congregation and a small purse was given to the Rev. Father irt token of appreciation and gratitude.
The Mission closed on Monday the 11th. instant (Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes) at 7 p.m. with Sermon and Benediction.
The novena however continued with High Mass at 7 a.m. and Benediction at 7 p.m. daily and will end on Sunday 17th February with Procession and Benediction commencing at 7.30 p.m.
the charge of Rev. Fr . Moses Koh, Acting-Parish Priest for Rev. F r . E . Becheras who is on leave in France. Rev. Fr . M . Koh, besides being the Vicar of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Upper Serangoon, is also the Supervisor for two other schools in the same district, all aided by Government, the Holy Innocents Chinese Boys School and the Holy Innocents Chinese Girls School. The two latter schools reopened a week earlier.
The Headmaster of the Holy Innocents English School is Mr. P. A . B'Costa, a very able man and is very popular with the people, and he has nine assistants under him.
The Chinese Boys School is under Mr. Kua Sim Yc*ng, a Catholic graduate from Peking University and there are 3 other assistants.
The Girls School is under the supervision of Rev. Mother St. Francis Xavier with 5 assistants.
The number of students on roll in the three schools totals 600.
To assist the Committee to make the necessary arrangements, members are kindly asked to return the enclosed card by the 20th instant.
T. WILFRED PRINS,
Honorary Secretary.
Note:—Owing to lack of space, the annual report of St. Joseph's Old Boys' Association is held over for publication in our next issue.—[Ed: M.C.L.].
S E R A N G O O N , SINGAPORE. The Holy Innocents English
School a Government Aided School, at 7ife mile, in Upper Serangoon, reopened for the New Year on the 22nd. January 1935, and is under
ST. JOSEPH'S OLD B O Y S '
ASSOCIATION. NOTICE.
Following the Annual General Meeting at St. Patrick's School, on Sunday, 24th February, a picnic will be held at the Straits Settlements Volunteer Force Camp, Siglap, by kind permission of the Commandant. Free Tiffin and refreshments will be provided. A n omnibus will leave St. Joseph's Institution at 9.30 a.m. to convey members requiring transport to the meeting. This service is free.
'His Excellency Monsignor Gerlier,
Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes.
Photo taken during the visit to Balik Pulau Convent of the Rev- Mothers St. Berthe Asst. Superior General, St. Tarcicius and St. Dominique from Japan.
17
Around the Parishes BIRTHS.
Seremban. Danker—On the 31st January
1935 to Mr . and Mrs. Johnston Danker of the Electrical Department Seremban, a son. Both mother and child are doing well.
OBITUARY.
DOYEN OF E U R A S I A N COMMUNITY PASSES A W A Y .
Death of Mr . J . D. Scully, J.P. Founder of Penang Eurasian Association
and Penang Recreation Club. We regretfully announce the
death of Mr . J . D. Scully, J.P., on Monday, 11th February at noon at the residence of his son, 52 Peel Avenue. The late Mr. J . D. Scully had been in failing health for some time and was confined to the house for about two months. By his death, Penang has lost one of its oldest residents, and the Eurasian Community one of its champions.
Champion of the Community. The older residents of Penang would remember him well as a fearless and outspoken critic on all matters concerning the public weal, and in pairticular the interests of his community. Of a kind and affable nature, and a forceful and able speaker, sound in debate and able to hold his own on any plat form, he counted friends in all communities. There was no social or public function or any charity organisations in which he did not have a hand. He was the Chairman of the Meeting of the Eurasian Community at the Parish Hall on November 1st, 1919, when he stressed the necessity of having an Association. He was elected the first President of the Eurasian Association at that meeting. A keen sportsman, he was interested in all sporting activities of the town, and the interest he took in his community resulted in the founding of the Penang Recreation Club, and was their first President. The Eurasian Association, Penang Branch and the Penang Recreation Club will ever remain as monuments to his zeal and efforts in the cause of his community. His good work was recognized by Government in 1930, when was elected a Justice of the Peace.
Golden Wedding in 1931. In 1881, he married Miss Henrietta Rose Ash, who predeceased! him in 1933. The late Mr. Scully enjoyed the distinction of being one of the very few to have celebrated his golden wedding, which was jn 19SI, when a brilliant gathering was present at the reception.
Catholic Spirit. The late Mr . Scully took a turn for the worst on Sunday at 2 p.m., when the Rev. Father Souhait was immediately on the scene, and administered the test Sacraments. As soon as the news filtered through town, relatives and friends called to pay their last visit before the end. The
President and members of the Catholic Action Societies of the parishes of the Assumption and of the Immaculate Conception were prominent amongst the visitors. Prayers were recited on the eve of his death and on the night of his demise, there was present a large gathering for prayers, which were led by the President of the Catholic Action Society of the Immaculate Conception and Mr. W. Williams of the same Society.
Impressive Funeral. Several hundreds paid their last respects to the late Mr. Scully and the numerous wreaths and messages testified to his popularity, and esteem in which he was held.
The Rev. Father Souhait of the Church of the Assumption conducted the service at the chapel and at the graveside.
He leaves behind a son, Mr. W. K . Scully of the Penang Harbour Board a daughter Mrs. Leicester of Singapore, six-grand-children, one great-grand-child and several other relatives to mourn his loss.
A Day at the College General, Pulo Tikus, Penang.
The College General of Pulo Tikus is the centre of training for young men to the Priesthood, which is the noblest calling on Earth, considering the fact, that a priest alone has the power to forgive sins and offer the sacrifice of the Holy Mass for the Living and the Dead.
This College belongs to the Mission Etrangere, and is now known universally as the French Foreign Mission, and is founded more than 100 years ago. Although it has been in existence so long, yet, it is but lightly known to the tens of thousands of Catholics throughout Malaya, and it is with the hope that it may be more widely known throughout Malaya and the Far East that this short but first article is being contributed.
The College is situated in Pulo Tikus about 3 miles from George Town. It is in Penang Island itself and it must not be confused with the island of Pulo Tikus, which lies between Penang and the mainland.
The building, is large and consists of 3 blocks of 2 storeys like the 3 sides of a rectangle, and the front of the College faces Kelawei Road,—the way leading to Penang's most scenic and beautiful beach, Tanjong Bungah. A t the rear is the sea-shore with the mainland opposite.
On entering the College ground, one is favourably impressed by the presence of many coconut trees and a well-known lawn with many croten-plants which render the place a very pleasant sight. Reaching the College, the visitor is ushered into the parlour, where at once, he notes the absence of wordly noise and realises that he is treading on Holy Ground—for it is a place which harbours the young priests of Our Lady and thus it's a place of sanctity and dignity, demanding his respect.
Soon Father Superior appears and after a few words of salutation, a tour of inspection may be conducted to the Chapel, Refectory,, the Study Halls and classes, Oratory, play-hall and play-ground with its gigantic trees, under which the students have their recreation in football, basketball and badminton.
It is under the able charge of the Very Rev. M . Rouhan as the Superior and he is assisted by 6 Directors, all highly learned and holy men.
The students come from all parts of the East. They are usually Malayans, Burmese, Siamese, Chinese, Annamites and Indians. Before these candidates are admitted into the College, they have to undergo their preliminary course of Latin and science in their own junior seminaries. Special mention may be made here regarding the Malayan students. They have to take a course of elementary and classic Latin in St. Xavier's Seminary, Serangoon, Singapore before they can actually pass to the General College in Penang to further their studies, which course lasts for 3 years. The students in Penang have to put 6 solid years of hard-work before they can be ordained priests. The first two years are spent in studying Philosophy, Bible, Church History, Liturgy, Plain-chant, and Science. The remaining four are for Theology (dogmatic, moral and pastoral), Canon-Law, Explanation
to the Bible, Church History and Gregorian Chant.
Our Lady's young priests, (a term used by the Late Rev. E . Leicester of Stella Maris for his seminarists, young men in College) get up at 5.30 a.m., and when the bell rings at 5.45 a.m., all are ready in the Oratory to say the Morning Prayers, followed by Meditation. After Angelus at 6.15 a.m. all march to the chapel for the community Mass. Breakfast is at 7 a.m. They have their studies from 8 a.m. t i l l 5 p.m., with breaks for recreation and tiffin. In the evening a visit to the Most Blessed Sacrament and a Spiritual Conference terminate the programme for the day. Then comes supper at 6.30 p.m. To show that it does not forget its devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary the community recite a Rosary at 8 p.m., after which night Prayers are said and the Points for Meditation for the next day are then proposed by the Father Superior, followed by all reciting "Sub Tuum", and then every one departs in perfect silence to his own quarters to prepare for rest. As soon as the clock strikes 9, all lights are off and then all go to sleep—to dream dreams and to regain strength for the morrow's work.
This is how a day in the College is spent—a day, full of work for the sanctification and, salvation of all who devote their lives for the glory of the Almighty. Let us not forget to breathe an "Ave" for these generous young men who give their all to Jesus!
AlS INTERIOR VIEW OF THE CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES, SINGAPORE.
(Photo by Paul d Co.)
16 MALAYA CATHOLIC LEADER, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 16th 1935.
AROUND THE PARISHES SINGAPORE
HIS LORDSHIP C E L E B R A T E S C H I N E S E N E W Y E A R A T
SS. P E T E R A N D P A U L .
The Church of Ss. Peter and Paul celebrated Chinese New Year with Benediction on New Year Eve, and Pontifical High Mass on New Year Day. His Lordship the Rt. Rev. Mgr. Adrien Devals, Bishop of Malacca, eery kindly officiated at the Mass, which began at 8 a.m. followed by Benediction concluding eventually towards 9.45 a.m. His Lordship was assisted by Rev. Fathers N . Deredec and Verbois.
The Church was lavishly decorated for the occasion. The altar was smothered with flowers. Long before 8 a.m. the Church was packed to full capacity.
Musical Selections were rendered by the Catholic Young Men's Association beginning with an Overture, and at the various parts of the Mass—the Offertory, the Elevation and Communion, ending with a March after Benediction.
In*mediately after the Benediction the Parochial House was besieged with well-wishers. His Lordship kindly received them and blessed them—one and all—with the Season's Greetings. He hailed the choir on their approach and congratulated them on their singing and music.
The Parishioners looked in vain for their Pastor, Rev. F r . Lee, in order to extend their hearty wishes to him, but he was at St. Teresa's Church for the New Year
'Mass, where there was also a large attendance. After Mass Rev. F r . Lee received the Congregation and wished them all a ' H A P P Y N E W Y E A R /
St. Joseph's Church, Singapore (Portuguese Mission).
Annual of the St. Joseph's Church, 1934 and Calendar for 1935.
This is the fourth of its kind that is issued by the Portuguese Mission and distributed free "for the use of the parishioners of St. Joseph's Church, Singapore, and St. PteterV Church, Malacca." It consists of 86 pages and contains much reading matter calculated to foster more sincere and intensive Christian Efe among the parishioners. The names of the missionaries working in their restricted province are given as well as of the Members of the Board of Administration, Wardens. Choir Singers and of the Altar Boys (Servers). From it we learn that during the ,year 1934 there were Recorded in St. Joseph's Church register 15 marriages, 43 deaths, and 95 baptisms of which & were of grown-ups including one of 42 years of age. The compiler is Rev. Fr. J . Dias Bretao, the acting Vicar of St. Joseph's.
The Very Rev. F r . M . A . Cardoso, the Vicar-General of the Portuguese Mission, and Rev. F r . A da Silva Rego, the Vicar of St. Joseph's Church, arrived here by the Dempo on {February 12th. Several of the parishioners and friends were present at the wharf to give them a hearty welcome. Rev. Fr . M . X . Fernandes, the Acting Superior and Vicar of the Portuguese parish in Malacca, was also in Singapore to receive the priests. He remained in Singapore for a few days more.
Jubilee Mission Novena, Singapore. The Jubilee Mission in the
Church of Our Lady of Lourdes, Singapore, was preached by Rev. Fr. F . M . Bulliard (who has been preaching similar missions throughout Malaya) and was well attended by the parishioners. The various sermons were very much appreciated by the congregation and a small purse was given to the Rev. Father irt token of appreciation and gratitude.
The Mission closed on Monday the 11th. instant (Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes) at 7 p.m. with Sermon and Benediction.
The novena however continued with High Mass at 7 a.m. and Benediction at 7 p.m. daily and will end on Sunday 17th February with Procession and Benediction commencing at 7.30 p.m.
the charge of Rev. Fr . Moses Koh, Acting-Parish Priest for Rev. F r . E . Becheras who is on leave in France. Rev. Fr . M . Koh, besides being the Vicar of the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Upper Serangoon, is also the Supervisor for two other schools in the same district, all aided by Government, the Holy Innocents Chinese Boys School and the Holy Innocents Chinese Girls School. The two latter schools reopened a week earlier.
The Headmaster of the Holy Innocents English School is Mr. P. A . B'Costa, a very able man and is very popular with the people, and he has nine assistants under him.
The Chinese Boys School is under Mr. Kua Sim Yc*ng, a Catholic graduate from Peking University and there are 3 other assistants.
The Girls School is under the supervision of Rev. Mother St. Francis Xavier with 5 assistants.
The number of students on roll in the three schools totals 600.
To assist the Committee to make the necessary arrangements, members are kindly asked to return the enclosed card by the 20th instant.
T. WILFRED PRINS,
Honorary Secretary.
Note:—Owing to lack of space, the annual report of St. Joseph's Old Boys' Association is held over for publication in our next issue.—[Ed: M.C.L.].
S E R A N G O O N , SINGAPORE. The Holy Innocents English
School a Government Aided School, at 7ife mile, in Upper Serangoon, reopened for the New Year on the 22nd. January 1935, and is under
ST. JOSEPH'S OLD B O Y S '
ASSOCIATION. NOTICE.
Following the Annual General Meeting at St. Patrick's School, on Sunday, 24th February, a picnic will be held at the Straits Settlements Volunteer Force Camp, Siglap, by kind permission of the Commandant. Free Tiffin and refreshments will be provided. A n omnibus will leave St. Joseph's Institution at 9.30 a.m. to convey members requiring transport to the meeting. This service is free.
'His Excellency Monsignor Gerlier,
Bishop of Tarbes and Lourdes.
Photo taken during the visit to Balik Pulau Convent of the Rev- Mothers St. Berthe Asst. Superior General, St. Tarcicius and St. Dominique from Japan.
17
Around the Parishes BIRTHS.
Seremban. Danker—On the 31st January
1935 to Mr . and Mrs. Johnston Danker of the Electrical Department Seremban, a son. Both mother and child are doing well.
OBITUARY.
DOYEN OF E U R A S I A N COMMUNITY PASSES A W A Y .
Death of Mr . J . D. Scully, J.P. Founder of Penang Eurasian Association
and Penang Recreation Club. We regretfully announce the
death of Mr . J . D. Scully, J.P., on Monday, 11th February at noon at the residence of his son, 52 Peel Avenue. The late Mr. J . D. Scully had been in failing health for some time and was confined to the house for about two months. By his death, Penang has lost one of its oldest residents, and the Eurasian Community one of its champions.
Champion of the Community. The older residents of Penang would remember him well as a fearless and outspoken critic on all matters concerning the public weal, and in pairticular the interests of his community. Of a kind and affable nature, and a forceful and able speaker, sound in debate and able to hold his own on any plat form, he counted friends in all communities. There was no social or public function or any charity organisations in which he did not have a hand. He was the Chairman of the Meeting of the Eurasian Community at the Parish Hall on November 1st, 1919, when he stressed the necessity of having an Association. He was elected the first President of the Eurasian Association at that meeting. A keen sportsman, he was interested in all sporting activities of the town, and the interest he took in his community resulted in the founding of the Penang Recreation Club, and was their first President. The Eurasian Association, Penang Branch and the Penang Recreation Club will ever remain as monuments to his zeal and efforts in the cause of his community. His good work was recognized by Government in 1930, when was elected a Justice of the Peace.
Golden Wedding in 1931. In 1881, he married Miss Henrietta Rose Ash, who predeceased! him in 1933. The late Mr. Scully enjoyed the distinction of being one of the very few to have celebrated his golden wedding, which was jn 19SI, when a brilliant gathering was present at the reception.
Catholic Spirit. The late Mr . Scully took a turn for the worst on Sunday at 2 p.m., when the Rev. Father Souhait was immediately on the scene, and administered the test Sacraments. As soon as the news filtered through town, relatives and friends called to pay their last visit before the end. The
President and members of the Catholic Action Societies of the parishes of the Assumption and of the Immaculate Conception were prominent amongst the visitors. Prayers were recited on the eve of his death and on the night of his demise, there was present a large gathering for prayers, which were led by the President of the Catholic Action Society of the Immaculate Conception and Mr. W. Williams of the same Society.
Impressive Funeral. Several hundreds paid their last respects to the late Mr. Scully and the numerous wreaths and messages testified to his popularity, and esteem in which he was held.
The Rev. Father Souhait of the Church of the Assumption conducted the service at the chapel and at the graveside.
He leaves behind a son, Mr. W. K . Scully of the Penang Harbour Board a daughter Mrs. Leicester of Singapore, six-grand-children, one great-grand-child and several other relatives to mourn his loss.
A Day at the College General, Pulo Tikus, Penang.
The College General of Pulo Tikus is the centre of training for young men to the Priesthood, which is the noblest calling on Earth, considering the fact, that a priest alone has the power to forgive sins and offer the sacrifice of the Holy Mass for the Living and the Dead.
This College belongs to the Mission Etrangere, and is now known universally as the French Foreign Mission, and is founded more than 100 years ago. Although it has been in existence so long, yet, it is but lightly known to the tens of thousands of Catholics throughout Malaya, and it is with the hope that it may be more widely known throughout Malaya and the Far East that this short but first article is being contributed.
The College is situated in Pulo Tikus about 3 miles from George Town. It is in Penang Island itself and it must not be confused with the island of Pulo Tikus, which lies between Penang and the mainland.
The building, is large and consists of 3 blocks of 2 storeys like the 3 sides of a rectangle, and the front of the College faces Kelawei Road,—the way leading to Penang's most scenic and beautiful beach, Tanjong Bungah. A t the rear is the sea-shore with the mainland opposite.
On entering the College ground, one is favourably impressed by the presence of many coconut trees and a well-known lawn with many croten-plants which render the place a very pleasant sight. Reaching the College, the visitor is ushered into the parlour, where at once, he notes the absence of wordly noise and realises that he is treading on Holy Ground—for it is a place which harbours the young priests of Our Lady and thus it's a place of sanctity and dignity, demanding his respect.
Soon Father Superior appears and after a few words of salutation, a tour of inspection may be conducted to the Chapel, Refectory,, the Study Halls and classes, Oratory, play-hall and play-ground with its gigantic trees, under which the students have their recreation in football, basketball and badminton.
It is under the able charge of the Very Rev. M . Rouhan as the Superior and he is assisted by 6 Directors, all highly learned and holy men.
The students come from all parts of the East. They are usually Malayans, Burmese, Siamese, Chinese, Annamites and Indians. Before these candidates are admitted into the College, they have to undergo their preliminary course of Latin and science in their own junior seminaries. Special mention may be made here regarding the Malayan students. They have to take a course of elementary and classic Latin in St. Xavier's Seminary, Serangoon, Singapore before they can actually pass to the General College in Penang to further their studies, which course lasts for 3 years. The students in Penang have to put 6 solid years of hard-work before they can be ordained priests. The first two years are spent in studying Philosophy, Bible, Church History, Liturgy, Plain-chant, and Science. The remaining four are for Theology (dogmatic, moral and pastoral), Canon-Law, Explanation
to the Bible, Church History and Gregorian Chant.
Our Lady's young priests, (a term used by the Late Rev. E . Leicester of Stella Maris for his seminarists, young men in College) get up at 5.30 a.m., and when the bell rings at 5.45 a.m., all are ready in the Oratory to say the Morning Prayers, followed by Meditation. After Angelus at 6.15 a.m. all march to the chapel for the community Mass. Breakfast is at 7 a.m. They have their studies from 8 a.m. t i l l 5 p.m., with breaks for recreation and tiffin. In the evening a visit to the Most Blessed Sacrament and a Spiritual Conference terminate the programme for the day. Then comes supper at 6.30 p.m. To show that it does not forget its devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary the community recite a Rosary at 8 p.m., after which night Prayers are said and the Points for Meditation for the next day are then proposed by the Father Superior, followed by all reciting "Sub Tuum", and then every one departs in perfect silence to his own quarters to prepare for rest. As soon as the clock strikes 9, all lights are off and then all go to sleep—to dream dreams and to regain strength for the morrow's work.
This is how a day in the College is spent—a day, full of work for the sanctification and, salvation of all who devote their lives for the glory of the Almighty. Let us not forget to breathe an "Ave" for these generous young men who give their all to Jesus!
AlS INTERIOR VIEW OF THE CHURCH OF OUR LADY OF LOURDES, SINGAPORE.
(Photo by Paul d Co.)
18
The Eurasian Association PENANG B R A N C H
(Continued from page 9)
wish to place on record their appreciation and gratitude to the Chief Medical Officer, and to the Deputy Medical Officer in charge of the Camp for the facilities provided to make the visit and for the splendid care and attention bestowed on the inmates.
(d) Communal Paper.—" T H E E U R A S I A N R E V I E W " made its debut in July 1934, and it has been acclaimed from all quarters to be a step in the right direction. Dr. Noel Clarke, the accredited leader of the community in the Colony i i i his message, says:—
" The publication of the E U R A S I A N R E V I E W " as a community paper for Eurasians only is a step in the right direction in that i t means progress. Opportunity will be given to one and all to discuss and ventilate 'the aspirations and policy of the community.
It is an endeavour that must be encouraged and supported, and I most sincerely wish the paper the best of luck and continued success."
Your Committees take this opportunity to tender its grateful thanks to the Eurasian Associations of Singapore, Selangor and Negri Sembilan and Mr. W. J . B. Ashby of Ipoh for their valuable assistance and co-operation, and to the Eurasian community of Malacca through Mr . H . M . deSouza, for their splendid communal spirit and generous gift.
Your Committee desire to place on record their deep appreciation and gratitude to Dr. H . Phipps and his colleagues for the valuable services they have rendered, and are rendering to the community, services which entail much work, time and energy.
Your Committee feel that every member of the community in Penang should consider it his duty to become a subscriber to the only vehicle of Eurasian news and opinion in Malaya.
(e) Dinner in honour of Mr. S. T. Stewart.—Mr. S. T. Stewart, the eldest son of Mr. C. C. Stewart, Office Assistant to the , Resident Councillor, and Vice-President of this Association, was entertained to Dinner by the Association on 27th September, 1934. Mr. S. T. Stewart is one of the first two to be selected for appointments in the Straits Settlements Civil Service. Dr. J . E . Smith, presided at this large gathering.
CORRECTIONS.
It was incorrectly reported in a hack number of the M.C.L . that the Seremban Convent is planning to have classes in Chinese after regular school hours. We are definitely informed that these classes will be held during the school hours and that Chinese will form part of the Curriculum and will be an optional among the second languages taught.
It was incorrectly reported in our last issue, in a marriage notice that Miss: Lucy L i m is the daughter of the late Mr . and Mrs. L i m Tai Bak.
It should however read Miss: Lucy L i m Quee Noi, daughter of Madam Sih Ger Keow and Mr. Paul Chong Soon Mong, son of Mr. and Mrs. Chong Teck Fah.
Municipal Council.
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Agreed value of car if desired. Reduction for owner or owner and wife only driving. No claim Bonus up to 33 ! / $ % .
of Special reduction to members of the Automobile Association Malaya, whose Official Insurers we are—Join Now. Workmen's Compensation Policies with distinctive system of Guaranteed Bonus return if claims do not exceed Premium. Fire Policies at Competitive rates.
N.E.M N A T I O N A L E M P L O Y E R S * M U T U A L GENERAL INSURANCE ASSOCIATION LTD. Xco*£$XI%
Official Insurers of the Automobile Association of Malaya, Meyer Chambers, Raffles Place, Singapore.
Dr. J . E . Smith continues to represent the community on the Council. Eurasian Coy., (P. & P.W.V. C.)
Your Committee appeal to the community to enrol, and maintain the splendid record of the corps
and uphold the prestige of the community. In congratulating Capt. W. F . Findlay, for the high standard of efficiency of the Company under his charge, your Committee desire to express their appreciation and pride in the outstanding achievements of the Company at the recent Command Rifle Meeting.
Rememberance Day. A Wreath of Poppies was placed
by the President at the Cenotaph in the name of th#< Eurasian Association on Armistice Day.
Penang Recreation Club. In thanking the Penang Recrea
tion Club for the use of their rooms for their Committee Meetings, your Committee welcome this opportunity to congratulate the Club in annexing the coveted P. F . A . trophy for the first time and thereby enriched the pages of Local Eurasian history.
H. C. deWIND, Hon. Secretary.
Once, an automobilist graciously offered a lift to a lady. On the
C H I N E S E BENEDICTINE
R E T U R N S TO CHINA.
Dom Thaddeus Yong An Yuen, who was converted while studying at the University of Louvain and entered the Abbey of Lophem, Belgium, has sailed for China, where he will be attached to the monastery of Si Shan, Szechwan Province. Dom Thaddeus was ordained to the priesthood in 1932, the first Chinese to be received into the Order of St. Benedict. He is accompanying the Very Rev. Dom Neve, Abbot of St. Andrew's Abbey, Lophem, who will visit the monastery of Si Shan, a branch foundation of St. Andrew's.
S T A N D A R D - V A C U U M O I L C O M P A N Y ^} < I N C O R P O R A T E D I N U . 8 . A . )
S I N G A P O R E . K U A L A L U M P U R I P O H .
way an accident happened in which the lady's face got badly injured and he was sentenced by the Paris Court of Appeal to j>ay 70,000 franco damages. — Automobilists, beware of ladies.
China.—Rev. Fr . L u Tseng Tsiang, formerly China's Prime Minister, who is now a Benedictine monk in Belgium, baptized lately his former Minister—for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Liu Fu Tcheng, who is the Chinese Government representative at the board of the Franco-Chinese Bank. (Lectures.)
M A L A Y A CATHOLIC L E A D E R , S A T U R D A Y , F E B R U A R Y 16th 1935. 19
(Contd. from page 2)
•It is then that most of the miracles are worked, isn't it, Mummie ?"
'Then, or at the Grotto or during Mass."
"I feel as if there will be one tomorrow."
"While we are here, anyhow, Bonnie. I am sure Our Lady von't forget."
John went out miserably. The child-like belief of these two, doomed, he thought, to inevitable disappointment, was tragically pitiable. He stood by the "Vierge Couronnee," looking across the great place to the three tiers of churches. Vaguely he remembered Huysman's vicious description of the Rosary church as a glass circus or an underground station. His critical eye swept up past the Crypt to the soaring Basilica and, much as he disliked modern Gothic, he had to admit that the designer of that mighty pile of churches and the vast semi-circle of the Rampe, rising on open arches from the river, had a true French sense of right setting for drama and pageantry.
Already some of the sick were being laid on their stretchers in a long rows down each side of the Place and being pushed round from the Piscines in the funny little hooded chairs, in preparation for the procession of the Blessed Sacrament and the Blessing of the Sick. John could not help seeing them as he passed. Blind, deaf, crippled, paralysed, some deformed almost out of likeness to human beings, one madman struggling with the tired, sweating bran-cardiers, worst of all, imbeciles with blank gaze and dribbling mouths.
He stood breathless at the top of the steps to the Basilica, sick with horror and pity. Could any reasonable being, he said to himself, believe in a good God who could see His handiwork so marred, broken and tortured? He leant on the parapet which locks down on the Gave. Seen fro behind the railings like a caged beast. His great voice and the
from above the dense mass of people round the Piscines swayed like a field of corn swept by the wind. The abbe who was ending the prayers for the sick paced to and fro behind the railings like a caged beast. His great voice and the answering roar from the crowd came up clearly through the still, hot air.
"Seigneur, faites que je voie, Seigneur, faites que j'entende! Seigneur dites seulement une parole et je serais gueri!"
John plunged down the path along the hillside above the Gave, —anywhere to escape from these pitiful, pain-wracked, but patient human wrecks from that eternal refrain which never seemed to cease day or night: "Ave, ave, ave Maria!" It was like the endless beating of a drum, the continuous throb of a live heart.
Al l night as he lay awake the darkness was full of it, till he did not know if it were an exterior sound or the pulsing of his own blood. When the first grey light stole through his window he heard footsteps in the hotel corridor and, among them, recognized Madeleine's. With the sixth sense of a lover he would have known it among a thousand. He loved her. He remembered the queer look in her husband's eyes and wondered if he knew. It was no use to worry about the future. At the moment Ronnie was all that mattered: Could the boy stand any more fatigue, still more the coming disappointment? He wished that he had not promised to do the Stations of the Cross with him this mornning. He envied Ronnie, Madeleine, all these people with their trust and belief, childlike, unquestioning. For the first time he recognized his own incapacity to believe, not as a mental superiority, but as a spiritual want, which made him unresponsive to the supernatural as the blind cannot perceive colour nor form, nor the deaf the loveliness of harmony.
Seigneur, faites que je voie, que j'entende!"
The words seemed to echo with terrible sarcasm. He felt that he could not much longer endure this atmosphere, this force which
J U S T T H E B O O K S F O R E V E R Y O N E T O H A V E .
" When, Whom and How to Marry " Rev. C. McNeiry 55 cts. & 30 cts.
"Rebuilding A Lost F a i t h " J . Stoddard - - - $1-25 " The Inner Life of the Catholic " Rev. A . Goodier, S.J. $2.50 " Difficult Commandment" Rev. C. C. Martindale, S.J. 30 cts. " L i f e of St. John Bosco" Rev. H . L . Hughes, B . A . $1.75 " The New Testament and Divorce " Cardinal MacRory $1.75 " A Bedside Book of Saints" Rev. Aloysius Roche $1.75 "The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux"
Rev. Taylor - - $1.75 & $3.75 " The Christian Virtues " Rev. G. J . MacGillivray, M . A "Holy Bible " (Douay Version)
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pressed unbearably on mind arid spirit, as in the depths of the sea the weight of water crushes the naked body of the pearl-fisher ti l l head and heart and lungs are bursting.
He picked up Ronnie in his arms as the rocky path became too steep for the wheeled chair. Ronnie laid a burning cheek against his and whispered: "I am going to pray hard for you, dear John."
"For me? Why?"
"That you may see and hear the Truth."
The boy's eyes closed and his lips began to move. It was odd that he should have said that.
John looked up startled. For a moment he almost fancied that his daydream in the castle had materialized. High above him the un-conquered Roman standard and the fasces were sharp against the dazzling sky. By them stood a legionary, his clear-cut profile weary with the haughtiness of an imperial race, and beside him, in the judgment seat was Pilate, weary, too, but questioning.
" W h a t is truth?' And, when he had said this, he went out."
What of those who, having seen Incarnate Truth face to face, went out from it?
Mass was being said at the stone altar below the Twelfth Station. John settled Ronnie comfortably, propped against a rock and wrapped warmly in a rug, then he knelt beside him. Unable to follow the unfamiliar words and actions, his attention wandered to those who knelt round him on the sharp stones, with the hot sun beating down on them. English, Irish, French, Belgians, Germans, Basques, Italians, Spaniards, Americans, — horizon-blue, khaki and field-grey uniforms, Paris hats, starched, conical or lacey butterfly Breton caps, the ubiquitous beret.
. . . He was a child again iiTthe little Norman church, the sound of the sea accompanying his father's reading of the lesson about "every nation and kindred and people" before the Lamb on the heavenly mountain. Yet he was still keenly aware of the present and outward things. The silver leaves of the trees behind the towering Crucifix danced against the sky. A path wound through the grey scrub in the valley below, away to the mountains whose rocks glowed a warm purple in the sunshine, while theshadows on the snow were a clear cobalt. The sound of blasting was echoed from peak to peak, like a pelota ball flung from hand to hand. The voice of the priest was almost lost in the singing of the birds, the bleat of a kid, the rush of the Gave, the throb of: "Ave, ave!"
Vivid as were all these things John had a queer feeling that they were only a painted curtain ready to roll up and reveal the divine Drama beyond sense. The sacred bell tinkled and, with the rest, he bowed his head.
the darkness like a snake of fire and swept down in a wide river of flame, while above it the Basilica soared, a fairy palace of light, into the million stars. He went round under the arches to pay his first visit to the Grotto. The still, keen air was filled with the murmur of prayer, a murmur as ceaseless as that of the river which surged by, flooded by melting snow. High above the dark mass of kneeling figures, above the forest of yellow candle flames, gold Snd ivory against the blackness of the rock, stood the Mother 6t God, while the tide of prayer rose about her feet.
"Notre Dame de Lourdes, Salut des infirmes, priez pour nous!"
The very air was prayer. It was breath and sight and sound, life itself, the interpenetration a*xl transfiguration of matter by spirit, of the natural by the supernatural, earth caught up to heaven, man no longer seeking himself but seeking only to lose himself in God.
The revelation which had come to John at the Elevation that morning, sudden and blinding as the vision of Saul on the road to Damascus, was now made clearer. Here, he saw, was the secret of the spiritual life,—love which is emptied of self to be filled with God. He saw, too, that on earth true love is as inseparable from sacrifice as substance is from shadow, that over all pure human love lies the shadow of the Cross. He saw that, because his love for Madeleine was the greatest thing in the world for him, he must leave her and see her face no more,—however cruelly his going must wound Ronnie.
He knelt and prayed with a passion of which he had not believed himself capable. He would storm heaven, bend it to his will . Ronnie cured, his own going would be so little a thing. Impossible that the Mother of Sorrows should look unmoved on Madeleine's sorrowful heart, should withhold the miracle of healing from Ronnie's burning faith.
For a whole hour, on their last afternoon at Lourdes, the three watched the procession of men and boys go by, walking four abreast with lighted candles in their hands, while the sun beat down mercilessly on the long rows of sick and the dust swept over them like clouds of white smoke. A t last the thunder of "Lauda Sion!" was silenced and the standing figures sank to their knees.
As the priest carrying the Monstrance stooped to bless Ronnie with it John felt that the whole world,—like Madeleine and himself,—held its breath waiting for the miracle to happen, for the boy tc spring to his feet. The priest had gone slowly up the steps and disappeared into the dimness of the Rosary church before John dared to lift his face from his hands. The tears were pouring down Madelenie's cheeks and he heard her broken whisper: "No miracle after a l l ! "
Ronnie heard it too. He slipped a hand into hers and smiled at John.
That evening he slipped out "Oh yes, Mummie, there has alone to watch the "flambeaux" been a miracle, hasn't there, procession. It wound up through John?"
18
The Eurasian Association PENANG B R A N C H
(Continued from page 9)
wish to place on record their appreciation and gratitude to the Chief Medical Officer, and to the Deputy Medical Officer in charge of the Camp for the facilities provided to make the visit and for the splendid care and attention bestowed on the inmates.
(d) Communal Paper.—" T H E E U R A S I A N R E V I E W " made its debut in July 1934, and it has been acclaimed from all quarters to be a step in the right direction. Dr. Noel Clarke, the accredited leader of the community in the Colony i i i his message, says:—
" The publication of the E U R A S I A N R E V I E W " as a community paper for Eurasians only is a step in the right direction in that i t means progress. Opportunity will be given to one and all to discuss and ventilate 'the aspirations and policy of the community.
It is an endeavour that must be encouraged and supported, and I most sincerely wish the paper the best of luck and continued success."
Your Committees take this opportunity to tender its grateful thanks to the Eurasian Associations of Singapore, Selangor and Negri Sembilan and Mr. W. J . B. Ashby of Ipoh for their valuable assistance and co-operation, and to the Eurasian community of Malacca through Mr . H . M . deSouza, for their splendid communal spirit and generous gift.
Your Committee desire to place on record their deep appreciation and gratitude to Dr. H . Phipps and his colleagues for the valuable services they have rendered, and are rendering to the community, services which entail much work, time and energy.
Your Committee feel that every member of the community in Penang should consider it his duty to become a subscriber to the only vehicle of Eurasian news and opinion in Malaya.
(e) Dinner in honour of Mr. S. T. Stewart.—Mr. S. T. Stewart, the eldest son of Mr. C. C. Stewart, Office Assistant to the , Resident Councillor, and Vice-President of this Association, was entertained to Dinner by the Association on 27th September, 1934. Mr. S. T. Stewart is one of the first two to be selected for appointments in the Straits Settlements Civil Service. Dr. J . E . Smith, presided at this large gathering.
CORRECTIONS.
It was incorrectly reported in a hack number of the M.C.L . that the Seremban Convent is planning to have classes in Chinese after regular school hours. We are definitely informed that these classes will be held during the school hours and that Chinese will form part of the Curriculum and will be an optional among the second languages taught.
It was incorrectly reported in our last issue, in a marriage notice that Miss: Lucy L i m is the daughter of the late Mr . and Mrs. L i m Tai Bak.
It should however read Miss: Lucy L i m Quee Noi, daughter of Madam Sih Ger Keow and Mr. Paul Chong Soon Mong, son of Mr. and Mrs. Chong Teck Fah.
Municipal Council.
And consider . . . , before its too late. Motor Policies with extremely wide cover at really attractive rates, incorporating: Free P.A. Benefits for Death and Loss of Limbs and generous medical expenses.
Agreed value of car if desired. Reduction for owner or owner and wife only driving. No claim Bonus up to 33 ! / $ % .
of Special reduction to members of the Automobile Association Malaya, whose Official Insurers we are—Join Now. Workmen's Compensation Policies with distinctive system of Guaranteed Bonus return if claims do not exceed Premium. Fire Policies at Competitive rates.
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Official Insurers of the Automobile Association of Malaya, Meyer Chambers, Raffles Place, Singapore.
Dr. J . E . Smith continues to represent the community on the Council. Eurasian Coy., (P. & P.W.V. C.)
Your Committee appeal to the community to enrol, and maintain the splendid record of the corps
and uphold the prestige of the community. In congratulating Capt. W. F . Findlay, for the high standard of efficiency of the Company under his charge, your Committee desire to express their appreciation and pride in the outstanding achievements of the Company at the recent Command Rifle Meeting.
Rememberance Day. A Wreath of Poppies was placed
by the President at the Cenotaph in the name of th#< Eurasian Association on Armistice Day.
Penang Recreation Club. In thanking the Penang Recrea
tion Club for the use of their rooms for their Committee Meetings, your Committee welcome this opportunity to congratulate the Club in annexing the coveted P. F . A . trophy for the first time and thereby enriched the pages of Local Eurasian history.
H. C. deWIND, Hon. Secretary.
Once, an automobilist graciously offered a lift to a lady. On the
C H I N E S E BENEDICTINE
R E T U R N S TO CHINA.
Dom Thaddeus Yong An Yuen, who was converted while studying at the University of Louvain and entered the Abbey of Lophem, Belgium, has sailed for China, where he will be attached to the monastery of Si Shan, Szechwan Province. Dom Thaddeus was ordained to the priesthood in 1932, the first Chinese to be received into the Order of St. Benedict. He is accompanying the Very Rev. Dom Neve, Abbot of St. Andrew's Abbey, Lophem, who will visit the monastery of Si Shan, a branch foundation of St. Andrew's.
S T A N D A R D - V A C U U M O I L C O M P A N Y ^} < I N C O R P O R A T E D I N U . 8 . A . )
S I N G A P O R E . K U A L A L U M P U R I P O H .
way an accident happened in which the lady's face got badly injured and he was sentenced by the Paris Court of Appeal to j>ay 70,000 franco damages. — Automobilists, beware of ladies.
China.—Rev. Fr . L u Tseng Tsiang, formerly China's Prime Minister, who is now a Benedictine monk in Belgium, baptized lately his former Minister—for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Liu Fu Tcheng, who is the Chinese Government representative at the board of the Franco-Chinese Bank. (Lectures.)
M A L A Y A CATHOLIC L E A D E R , S A T U R D A Y , F E B R U A R Y 16th 1935. 19
(Contd. from page 2)
•It is then that most of the miracles are worked, isn't it, Mummie ?"
'Then, or at the Grotto or during Mass."
"I feel as if there will be one tomorrow."
"While we are here, anyhow, Bonnie. I am sure Our Lady von't forget."
John went out miserably. The child-like belief of these two, doomed, he thought, to inevitable disappointment, was tragically pitiable. He stood by the "Vierge Couronnee," looking across the great place to the three tiers of churches. Vaguely he remembered Huysman's vicious description of the Rosary church as a glass circus or an underground station. His critical eye swept up past the Crypt to the soaring Basilica and, much as he disliked modern Gothic, he had to admit that the designer of that mighty pile of churches and the vast semi-circle of the Rampe, rising on open arches from the river, had a true French sense of right setting for drama and pageantry.
Already some of the sick were being laid on their stretchers in a long rows down each side of the Place and being pushed round from the Piscines in the funny little hooded chairs, in preparation for the procession of the Blessed Sacrament and the Blessing of the Sick. John could not help seeing them as he passed. Blind, deaf, crippled, paralysed, some deformed almost out of likeness to human beings, one madman struggling with the tired, sweating bran-cardiers, worst of all, imbeciles with blank gaze and dribbling mouths.
He stood breathless at the top of the steps to the Basilica, sick with horror and pity. Could any reasonable being, he said to himself, believe in a good God who could see His handiwork so marred, broken and tortured? He leant on the parapet which locks down on the Gave. Seen fro behind the railings like a caged beast. His great voice and the
from above the dense mass of people round the Piscines swayed like a field of corn swept by the wind. The abbe who was ending the prayers for the sick paced to and fro behind the railings like a caged beast. His great voice and the answering roar from the crowd came up clearly through the still, hot air.
"Seigneur, faites que je voie, Seigneur, faites que j'entende! Seigneur dites seulement une parole et je serais gueri!"
John plunged down the path along the hillside above the Gave, —anywhere to escape from these pitiful, pain-wracked, but patient human wrecks from that eternal refrain which never seemed to cease day or night: "Ave, ave, ave Maria!" It was like the endless beating of a drum, the continuous throb of a live heart.
Al l night as he lay awake the darkness was full of it, till he did not know if it were an exterior sound or the pulsing of his own blood. When the first grey light stole through his window he heard footsteps in the hotel corridor and, among them, recognized Madeleine's. With the sixth sense of a lover he would have known it among a thousand. He loved her. He remembered the queer look in her husband's eyes and wondered if he knew. It was no use to worry about the future. At the moment Ronnie was all that mattered: Could the boy stand any more fatigue, still more the coming disappointment? He wished that he had not promised to do the Stations of the Cross with him this mornning. He envied Ronnie, Madeleine, all these people with their trust and belief, childlike, unquestioning. For the first time he recognized his own incapacity to believe, not as a mental superiority, but as a spiritual want, which made him unresponsive to the supernatural as the blind cannot perceive colour nor form, nor the deaf the loveliness of harmony.
Seigneur, faites que je voie, que j'entende!"
The words seemed to echo with terrible sarcasm. He felt that he could not much longer endure this atmosphere, this force which
J U S T T H E B O O K S F O R E V E R Y O N E T O H A V E .
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"Rebuilding A Lost F a i t h " J . Stoddard - - - $1-25 " The Inner Life of the Catholic " Rev. A . Goodier, S.J. $2.50 " Difficult Commandment" Rev. C. C. Martindale, S.J. 30 cts. " L i f e of St. John Bosco" Rev. H . L . Hughes, B . A . $1.75 " The New Testament and Divorce " Cardinal MacRory $1.75 " A Bedside Book of Saints" Rev. Aloysius Roche $1.75 "The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux"
Rev. Taylor - - $1.75 & $3.75 " The Christian Virtues " Rev. G. J . MacGillivray, M . A "Holy Bible " (Douay Version)
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63, Selegie Road, Singapore.
pressed unbearably on mind arid spirit, as in the depths of the sea the weight of water crushes the naked body of the pearl-fisher ti l l head and heart and lungs are bursting.
He picked up Ronnie in his arms as the rocky path became too steep for the wheeled chair. Ronnie laid a burning cheek against his and whispered: "I am going to pray hard for you, dear John."
"For me? Why?"
"That you may see and hear the Truth."
The boy's eyes closed and his lips began to move. It was odd that he should have said that.
John looked up startled. For a moment he almost fancied that his daydream in the castle had materialized. High above him the un-conquered Roman standard and the fasces were sharp against the dazzling sky. By them stood a legionary, his clear-cut profile weary with the haughtiness of an imperial race, and beside him, in the judgment seat was Pilate, weary, too, but questioning.
" W h a t is truth?' And, when he had said this, he went out."
What of those who, having seen Incarnate Truth face to face, went out from it?
Mass was being said at the stone altar below the Twelfth Station. John settled Ronnie comfortably, propped against a rock and wrapped warmly in a rug, then he knelt beside him. Unable to follow the unfamiliar words and actions, his attention wandered to those who knelt round him on the sharp stones, with the hot sun beating down on them. English, Irish, French, Belgians, Germans, Basques, Italians, Spaniards, Americans, — horizon-blue, khaki and field-grey uniforms, Paris hats, starched, conical or lacey butterfly Breton caps, the ubiquitous beret.
. . . He was a child again iiTthe little Norman church, the sound of the sea accompanying his father's reading of the lesson about "every nation and kindred and people" before the Lamb on the heavenly mountain. Yet he was still keenly aware of the present and outward things. The silver leaves of the trees behind the towering Crucifix danced against the sky. A path wound through the grey scrub in the valley below, away to the mountains whose rocks glowed a warm purple in the sunshine, while theshadows on the snow were a clear cobalt. The sound of blasting was echoed from peak to peak, like a pelota ball flung from hand to hand. The voice of the priest was almost lost in the singing of the birds, the bleat of a kid, the rush of the Gave, the throb of: "Ave, ave!"
Vivid as were all these things John had a queer feeling that they were only a painted curtain ready to roll up and reveal the divine Drama beyond sense. The sacred bell tinkled and, with the rest, he bowed his head.
the darkness like a snake of fire and swept down in a wide river of flame, while above it the Basilica soared, a fairy palace of light, into the million stars. He went round under the arches to pay his first visit to the Grotto. The still, keen air was filled with the murmur of prayer, a murmur as ceaseless as that of the river which surged by, flooded by melting snow. High above the dark mass of kneeling figures, above the forest of yellow candle flames, gold Snd ivory against the blackness of the rock, stood the Mother 6t God, while the tide of prayer rose about her feet.
"Notre Dame de Lourdes, Salut des infirmes, priez pour nous!"
The very air was prayer. It was breath and sight and sound, life itself, the interpenetration a*xl transfiguration of matter by spirit, of the natural by the supernatural, earth caught up to heaven, man no longer seeking himself but seeking only to lose himself in God.
The revelation which had come to John at the Elevation that morning, sudden and blinding as the vision of Saul on the road to Damascus, was now made clearer. Here, he saw, was the secret of the spiritual life,—love which is emptied of self to be filled with God. He saw, too, that on earth true love is as inseparable from sacrifice as substance is from shadow, that over all pure human love lies the shadow of the Cross. He saw that, because his love for Madeleine was the greatest thing in the world for him, he must leave her and see her face no more,—however cruelly his going must wound Ronnie.
He knelt and prayed with a passion of which he had not believed himself capable. He would storm heaven, bend it to his will . Ronnie cured, his own going would be so little a thing. Impossible that the Mother of Sorrows should look unmoved on Madeleine's sorrowful heart, should withhold the miracle of healing from Ronnie's burning faith.
For a whole hour, on their last afternoon at Lourdes, the three watched the procession of men and boys go by, walking four abreast with lighted candles in their hands, while the sun beat down mercilessly on the long rows of sick and the dust swept over them like clouds of white smoke. A t last the thunder of "Lauda Sion!" was silenced and the standing figures sank to their knees.
As the priest carrying the Monstrance stooped to bless Ronnie with it John felt that the whole world,—like Madeleine and himself,—held its breath waiting for the miracle to happen, for the boy tc spring to his feet. The priest had gone slowly up the steps and disappeared into the dimness of the Rosary church before John dared to lift his face from his hands. The tears were pouring down Madelenie's cheeks and he heard her broken whisper: "No miracle after a l l ! "
Ronnie heard it too. He slipped a hand into hers and smiled at John.
That evening he slipped out "Oh yes, Mummie, there has alone to watch the "flambeaux" been a miracle, hasn't there, procession. It wound up through John?"
O F F I C I A L O R G A N O F C A T H O L I C A C T I O N PUBLISHED W E E K L Y .
S A T U R D A Y , F E B R U A R Y 16th 1935.
The above is a photo of Rochester Cathedral, Kent, where Blessed John Fisher, ruled as Bishop of Rochester. It will be recalled that Blessed John Fisher and Blessed Thomas More, Martyrs in the same cause are to be canonized in the near future by His Holiness the Pope.
In this connection mention has to be made of a Reuters message which says that the two English Martyrs have been Canonized. We understand from other sources that the ceremony spoken of in the message is merely a preamble to the solemn and sacred process of canonization which is likely to take place sometime later.
•w - - - — - - - — ^ • • vj. ^ * I I I Um I \^ r^^S I I Va^ I ^
PUBLISHED W E E K L Y .
20 Pages. No. 8 SATURDAY, F E B R U A R Y 23rd 1935. 10 cents.
GIANT STATUE OF CHRIST r
*?OW I N P O S I T I O N I N F R O N T O F T H E C H U R C H O F T H E S A C R E D H E A R T A T T H E S U M M I T O F M O U N T T I B I D A B O W H I C H O V E R -L O O K S B A R C E L O N A S P A I N .
The statue is of bronze and is 33 feet high and the work of the sculptor Frederico Mares.
S O L E AGENTS:
SIME D A R B Y & CO., L T D . SINGAPORE & BRANCHES
On the summit of Mount Tiba-dabo, overlooking the ci ty of Barcelona dominating the landscape for many miles around, is the sanctuary of the Sacred Heart . There, as the accompanying picture shows, a mighty and impressive figure of Our L o r d has been set up; and the crowds making the i r way in the photograph are the rear-guard of a multitude who took part recently in the unveil ing ceremony. Among Spanish cities, Barcelona has long been known for
a somewhat turbulent ant i - re l igious spirit in certain sections of its population. It is the more s igni ficant, therefore, that in these days that centre should have wi t nessed such a s t r ik ing demonstration of faith.
This great statue of the Sacred Heart , r is ing to a height of t h i r ty -three feet, is of bronze, the work of a noted sculptor, Senor Frederico Mares. W i t h extended arms,
(Continued on page 3)
Published by Rev. Fr. Cardon and Printed by Lithographers Limited, 37/38, Wallich Street, Singapore, S.S.