THE TABLET ¿ 4 W eek ly N e w s p a p e r a n d R e v i e w DUM VOBIS GRATÜLAMUR ANIMOS ETIAM ADDIMUS UT IN INCCEPTIS VESTRIS CONSTANTER MANEATIS
From the Brief of His Holiness Pius IX to The Tablet, June 4,1870.
Vol. 158. No. 4,776. L ondon, November 21, 1931.
Sixpence.
R eg is tered at the General P ost O m e n as a New spaper
News and Notes ... Pages . .. 653 Dona Nobis Pacem ... 657 Miguel Pro., S.J. ... “ A Lie or a S p y ? ” . . . 658 . . . 659 Coming Events . . . . .. 659 R e v i e w s :
St. 1395 .............. . . . 660 For Architects . .. 660 The Ages of Faith . .. 662 Cicero’s Life Story . . . 662 An Anglican on the
Church .............. . . . 663 St. Paul . . . . . . 663 New Books and Music . . . 664 Books Received . . . 664
CONTENTS
Pages
The Role of Portugal in
Christian History . . . 665 St. Edmund’s Day at Old H a l l ............................... 666 From The Tablet of Ninety
Years A g o .................... 666 Land Colonization......... 666 The Horseferry Road
Centre ............................ 667 Ch e s s ................................667 Correspondence :
Rome (Our Own Corre
spondent’s Weekly Letter from) ............................ 669
Pages
Catholic Education Notes . . . 670 Et Ce t e r a .................... 672 Letters to the Ed it o r :
Southwell’s “ Exercitia et
Devotiones ” ............. 673 The New Franciscan
Friary at Oxford . . . 673 Obituary ............................ 673 W il ls ............................ 674 Orb i s Terr arum :
England, Scotland, and Wales ............................ 674 Ireland ............................ 675 Austria ............................ 675
Pages
Orbis Terrarum ( Gontd.) : Belgium ...................... .. 675 Brazil .............. .. 676 Dutch West Indies . 676 Ethiopia ...................... .. 676 France ...................... . 676 Germany ...................... . 677 Holland ...................... . 678 Hungary ...................... . 678
Italy ...................... .. 678 Poland ...................... . 678 Spain ...................... .. 678 Yugoslavia ...................... . 680 Marriages ...................... .. 680 Social and P ersonal . .. 680
NOTANDA War-clouds in the East. A Tablet leader-writer shows how every Catholic may help the cause o f Peace (p. 657).
The revival o f home industries. Probable openings fo r those who cannot re-enter black-coat occupations (p. 654).
A notable anniversary. The heroic death o f Father Pro (p. 658).
“ Indulgences to commit sins.” A disgraceful speech by a Wesleyan minister o f forty years’ experience (p. 656).
A puzzle from Cologne. High Anglicans and “ Old Catholics ” as fellow-communicants at an “ Evening Mass ” (p. 655).
Vigilance in the House o f Commons. M oscow ’s unceasing insolence (p. 653).
The late Professor Hewins. His work recalled in tributes from his friends (p. 672).
Portugal’s part in missionary enterprise. A survey by Dr. Prestage in the course o f a lecture to the Lingard Society (p. 665).
Catholics and Land Colonization. Tw o Associations which have made a beginning (p. 666).
NEWS AND NOTES W E are faced by what somebody has called “ the advent of Advent.” To-morrow is the last Sunday of the Church’s year, and we are within eight days o f ad te levavi animam meant. Now that a spirit o f seriousness pervades our nation, it is not unreasonable to hope that millions o f Christians will resolve to make an exceptionally good Advent this year. Even in less anxious times, The Tablet’s leader-writers have strongly dissuaded Catholics from surrendering to that bad new fashion which drags Christmas forward into November. We have condemned, for instance, the premature appearance o f Christmas fare in restaurants, to gether with all those other anticipations in which
New Series. Vol. CXXVI. No. 4,175.
the commercial exploiters o f Christmas behave as our masters rather than as our servants. This year, with calls for frugality and self-denial resounding in our ears from every side, it will be easy to break the tyranny o f the commercialized, premature Christmas. So let us all fill the weeks from now until Christmas Eve with hard work, cutting down amusements and the pleasures of the table as low as we can. By so behaving, we shall not only do the good which hard work earns as its chief reward, but we shall enjoy Christmas far more keenly when it comes. The reason why our forefathers found “ Chrystmasse in ye olden tym e ,” as the commercialists’ Christmas-cards call it, so joyous was that they toiled hard and lived plainly for nearly all the year, and then let themselves go in honour o f the stupendous fact that God has been made Man for our salvation. The time for jollity is Christmas and soon after. This is the Mind of the Church. The Nativity and infra octavam Nativitatis, Easter and post pascha, Whitsuntide and post Pentecosten are the Catholic seasons of feast-keeping. The days or weeks before are preparatory, penitential, and recollectional, punctuated by fasts and abstinences. Our “ good Advent ” needs not to be d o le fu l ; but it must be purposeful, thoughtful, dutiful, useful.
Our leading article last week confidently expressed a hope that the huge Ministerialist majority in the House of Commons would include Members able and willing to do the work of a patriotic, non-factious Opposition. The daily reports o f Parliamentary questions and answers convince us that our hope was well grounded. Concerning Russia, for example, useful watchfulness is being shown by rank-and-file Conservatives. Last Monday found these dogged men at their posts. Mr. Marjoribanks and Sir W. Davison pressed for news of progress in the settlement of debts owed by Russia to British nationals. Failing to obtain satisfaction, Sir W. Davison politely reminded the Foreign Secretary that settlement of these debts was one o f the conditions on which diplomatic relations with Moscow were resumed.
