TH A Weekly Newspaper and Review.
DOM VOBIS GRATULAMUR, ANIMOS ETIAM ADDIMOS UT IN INCfEPTIS VESTRIS CONSTANTER MANEAT.S.
From ihe Brief of H is Holiness Pius IX . to T h e T a b l e t , June 4, ihfo.
Vol. 93. No. 3069.
L o n d o n , M a r ch 4, 1899.
pRICK5a., by post 5«d
[R egistered a t th e G eneral P ost O ffice as a N ewspaper.
C hronicle of th e W eek :
Imperial Parliament : Municipalises for#London — The Soudan Expedition — Mr. Labouchere’s Matter of Public Importance— The Death-Knell of Half-Time “-The Coming Deficit-The Alaska Boundary—An Obiect-Lesson for investors — The S i t u a t io n in France : Royalist« and the Repub*IC—Russia and China in England •--Herr von Bulow’s Speech—Mr. Kipling’s Illness— Illness of Leo A l i i .—Death of Lord Herschell 317 Leaders:
The E. C. U. Manifesto .. 321 The Pope and the Peace Con-
terenc® .. .. .. .. 322 Father Bridgett as a Writer .. 323 The Waima Incident . . .. 324 Notes „ ~ 3*5
CON 7
Page
REvrwws !
Eighteen Centuries of the Ortho
dox Greek Church .. .. 327 The Works of Lord Ryron .. 328 Manual of the History of French
Literature.........................# .. 329 The Exhortations of Trithemius.. 329 An Enemy to the King .. .. 330 Christian Rome •. .. •• 33° Western Civilization in its Econo
mic Aspects .. •■ •• 33° The World’s Unrest and its Re
medy .. .. •• •• 331 The Sacred H eart.........................33* Saint Anne D ’Auray .. ..3 3 1 Castle Oriol; or, the King’s Secret 331 Home Coming of the Bishop of
Christchurch .........................331 Correspondence :
Rom e<From Our Own Corre
spondent) .. — — — 333 News from Ireland — — 334
ENTS,
Correspondence (Continued):
Page
News from France............................334 L etters to th e E ditor :
Father Bridgett, C.SS.R. _ .. 335 Two Doctrines in One Pulpit .. 335 St. Silvia ......................... . . . 3 3 5 Reference Wanted Regarding
Matthew P a r i s ........................... 335 Catholic Union of Great Britain .. 335 The Ritual Controversy .. . .3 3 7 The New Bishop of Aberdeen .. 338 The Character of the Church of
England .. .. •• •• 34° The Origin of the Reformation .. 341 Ihe Helping of Orphans . . .. 341 The Church in Mexico ! . . .. 342 St. Augustine’s College, Ramsgate 342 Negro and Indian Missions . . 342 O b ituary 344
Page
Social and P olitical ... . . 344
SUPPLEMENT. The Pope and “ Americanism ” .. 349
Archbishop Ireland and the Pope 352 N ews from th e Schools :
Oxford Life .. .. . . . . 352 South African Schools . . . . 352 St. Mary’s Training College . . 353 The Rector Magnificusof Louvain 353 St. Bede’s College..................... 353 N ews from th e D ioceses : Westminster ............................353
Southwark....................................... 354 Birmingham.......................................354 Liverpool . . 354 Nottingham................................ 343 Shrewsbury 343 Menevia .. . . . . 343 St. Andrews and Edinburgh .. 343 Aberdeen .. .. . . •• 344
*,* Rejected MS. cannot be returned unless accompanied with address and postape.
CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK.
lon d o n .
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THE Government measure for the erection of municipal bodies in London was intro-
d u c e d b y M r Balfour in a lucidly persuasive speech. There was a good deal of anxiety £s to a measure which might touch so many tender interests, and probably the Leader of the Opposition described the feelings of many in stating that he had listened with a good deal of relief. In an interesting preliminary sketch of the history of local government in London Mr. Balfour pointed out how, well within living memory' London possessed no more highly organized institution than the most thinly-populated parish on the Yorkshire moors. In 1855, the Metropolitan Board of Works was created and administrative Vestries and District ■ Hoards were set up. Then, in 1888, came the County Council, and the constitution of a real central authority for the whole Metropolitan area. -But Mr. Ritchie’s Bill still kit to the Vestries and the District Boards the local administration of urban populations greater than those of many of our larger provincial boroughs. It is this omission Which is to be supplied by the Bill now before the House. Mr. Balfour then proceeded to give an explanation of the main features of the measure, which maybe summarized as follows. The City with its highly organized system and the County Council are left untouched. A year next November greater London will be divided into sixteen districts, which will then be furnished with Corporations, with mayors, aldermen, and councillors, as in other towns. Other districts at present left as doubtful, and are to be determined after careful hearing by a Boundary Commission. The municipal franchise will be determined by the Metropolis Management Act, i.e. it will be the widest possible. Each municipality will consist of a mayor, aldermen, and councillors, ihe aldermen to bear the same proportion to the councillors as in the provinces, to hold office for the same period as elsewhere, the elections to take place in November, instead °f in May. To the new bodies will be transferred the powers at present discharged by the vestries and district boards, and those exercised by the Baths and Washhouses Commissioners, the Libraries Commissioners, and the
N ew S e r ie s . V o l . LXI., N o . 2,378.
Burial Boards. They may promote or oppose Bills in Parliament, subject to the provisions of the Borough Funds Act. Machinery is provided to enable the County Council to transfer other powers by agreement, subject to the revision of the Local Government Board, and municipalities other than the îecipient have the right of objection. When the County Council has transferred certain powers to more than half the municipalities throughout London, it may call upon the remainder to take them also. Henceforth, every ratepayer will be called upon for his rates in a single demand note, clearly setting forth all the objects for which the rate is demanded. Each municipality will have one rating authority only, and will be divided into wards, settled by Order in Council. The measure does not in any respect affect the equalization of rates in London.
When the vote for various military services
‘
—the came up in Committee of Supply, Mr. John expedition. Morley proposed the reduction of the Supple-
' mentary estimates by ¿ t o o by way of protest against the Soudan expedition, which he saw was now tending in the direction of a conquest of the provinces south of Khartoum. He, in common with many Liberals, had stood out against this policy, and he had been called a false prophet for his pains. He rather wished to be regarded under another character well-known in the religious world— that of the anxious inquirer. At first the expedition had been defended on the plea of its necessity for the protection of Egypt ; now the mask was dropped and the Government founded themselves on British rights and interests. The powers granted to Lord Kitchener for the administration of the Soudan formed a historic event in the closing century. Their new dominions could not be kept as in a ring fence, whilst optimistic anticipations of humanizing and civilizing poor savages were a fatuous dream which would never be realized. If ever we relied upon foreign mercenaries, the decline and fall of our empire was certain, even though it might not be rapid. This indictment drew forth a lively and powerful speech from Mr. Brodrick, Undersecretary of State for Foreign Affairs. He had no difficulties in showing how Mr. Morley's prophecies had ODe by one been falsified by events. As to the cost, he mentioned, that since 1883 the cost of Egypt to this country had been nearly ten millions, that the cost to Egypt itself of the Soudan in the coming year would be three hundred and seventeen thousand pounds, and would barely amount to the interest of the sum expended by England. The Soudan was at present under military law, and until quiet had been restored the Sirdar was unfettered by any instructions,
