THE TABLET

A Weekly Newspaper and Review.

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DOM VOBIS GRATÜLAMUR, ANIMOS ETIAM ADDIMOS UT IN INCCEPTIS VESTRIS CONSTANTER MANEAT.S.

From the Brief of His Holiness Pius I X . to T h e T a b l e t , June 4, lisfo.

V o l . 94. No. 3097. L o n d o n , S e p t e m b e r 16, 1899. pEICE bv post sk*.

[R e g i s t e r e d a t t h e G e n e r a l P o s t O ee ic e a s a N ew spaper.

^

«L-hronicle of t h e W e e k :

Page

Ih e Dreyfus Trial : Abrupt Close o f the Evidence — Germany and Dreyfus — Me. Demange’s Speech for the Defence— “ In the Name of the French People ” : Guilty—M. Zola and the Fifth •Act—The Transvaal Crisis— Lord Rosebery on Railway Services— The Gold Standard in India—A Lost Tunnel — Another Disaster in Africa — British Troops and Indian Churches—Thinning Out the Public-houses in Liverpool— How Fort Chabrol was Revic-tilled .. .. .. _ 437 L e a d e r s :

Rennes—and After . . . .4 4 1

C O N 7 E N T S . •

L eaders (Continued) :

Page

“ D ip lom a tic s” on Continental

Coalitions . . . . . . 442 The Genesis of Anglicanism and

Marian Catholics . . . . 443 Shakespeare’s Philosophy oi Life 444 Greeks and Anglicans in Australia 447 N otes 448 R eview s :

The Apostles’ Creed . . . . 449 The Early Progress of Christianity 449 The Trial of Jesus Christ . The Catholic Girl in the World . Spikenard 450 450 451 Passion Flowers .. . . . . 4^1 The Mining Manual for 189g . . 451 The Story o f South Africa . . 460

R eview s (Continued) :

Kautzsch’s Gesenius The Eucharistic Christ

Page . . 460 . . 461

Correspondence :

Rome :— (From OurOwn Corre­

spondent) .............. _ _ 453 News from France.................... 454 L e t t e r s t o t h e E d itor :

The Destruction of Montserrat.. 454 The Procedure of Roman Congre­

gations #......................... •• 455 The Grooming of Our Boys . . 455 “ Moderate and Charitable ” . . 455 First Centenary of the Death of

Pope Pius V I .............................. 456 The Transvaal Crisis and Catholic

Opinion .................................... .... The Views o f an Irish Uitlander . . 458

Memorial of the Philippine Friars ^

to the Spanish Government . . 459 The Archbishop o f Halifax on the rtf MAfAnk.TO.An Study of Metaphysics .. New Catholic Schools in

Win 461

Chester ........................... N ews from t h e D io c e s e s :

Westminster . . Southwark

Plymouth . . " . . " 4 6 4

, 462 . 462 463

Glasgow . . . . It Catholic Prisoners’ Aid Society O b it u a r y ............................ So c ia l a n d P o l it i c a l ’ . .

. SU PPLEM EN T . The Society o f Foreign Missions,

Rue Du Bac, Paris . . . . The School Question in Western

Australia . . . . . . mm 475

464 464 464 464

469

Rejected MS. cannot be returned unless accompanied with address and postage.

C H R O N IC L E O F T H E W E E K .

ABRUPT CLOSE OF THE EVIDENCE. T

THE DREYFUS TRIAL :

'HOUGH the French Govern­

ment may almost be said to have invited, through Major

. .

Carriere, the Public Prosecutor, an application from the court-martial for the hearing of Colonel Schwartzkoppen and Colonel Panizzadi, the taking ot the evidence by commission was refused by the Court. Under these circumstances there was little more to ^ S , The result was that, after a few more words from General Mercier, who made a violent attempt to impugn the word of Captain Freystaetter, the taking of the evidence was brought to an abrupt close. This sudden turn of events was only one more example of the series of surprises which have been the characteristic of this great trial. Nothing more, therefore, remained to be done than for the Court to hear the speeches for the prosecution and the defence. In accordance with the orders of General de Galhfet, Minister of War, the Generals and other military witnesses then left the Court, and Major Carrière, the Public Prosecutor, rose and made a speech marked by extravagant indignation against the accused. The speech lasted an hour and a half, and was divided into two parts. Alter reminding the Court of its mission and of the restrictions placed upon it by the Court of Cassation, he pointed out that those restrictions would have to be respected in spite of the fact that in the interests of justice and for the satisfaction of the public {mind the inquiry itself had been made as wide as possible. He then entered upon a review of the facts of the case, laying especial emphasis on the espionage plot of which France was the victim, and the anxious precautions taken by the military authorities. He Qext described the discovery of the bordereau, and the trial

Dreyfus in 1894, which was at any rate conducted in s°od faith. He concluded in the following words : “ For fom ent j hoped that we might acquit Dreyfus and ^habilitate an innocent man. It would have been all to ur advantage and no trouble to repair a judicial error by the Judges of 1894, whose honour has never havB r.im^cUjne<!.’ th e ,™ ore SO as that would of necessity Drnnf?aClfie<* the pu^lic m*n(L But to obtain this result See IT nu CuSSary'. Now, I remarked that Picquart’s lBce was shaky in its foundations. There were fissures

New Series. Vol. I.X II., No. 2,406.

in it. My conviction of the innocence of Dreyfus has been transformed into a stronger belief in his guilt by the evidence of the witnesses, and I come here to tell you, on

S A coas.clAence>‘ Dreyfus is guilty, and I demand the application of Article 76 of the Penal Code.’ ” -GERMANY , Though the evidence of Colonel Schwartz­

and L°PPi n was Dot taken>which after all would dreyfus. bave been a needless proceeding in the face of the previous denials by the German Government of his havmg had any connection with Dreyfus a fresh disclaimer was published in the Official Gazette'of the German Government on the initiative, it is said, of the Kaiser himself. This was a solemn reiteration of the dennls previously given in 1894 and 1895 by Prince Munster to M. Hanotaux and to M. Casimir-Perier, and of the following statement made by Baron von Biilow, the German Minister for Foreign Affairs, in the Budget Committee of the Reichstag in January of last year : “ I declare most decidedly that no relations or connections of any sort ever existed between the ex-Captain Dreyfus, at present on the Ile du Diable, and any German agents.” The repetition of these declarations was made by the German Government for the express purpose of “ maintaining its own dignity and for fulfilling a duty to humanity.” Much was eLP^ teC^ *n many circles, especially in consideration of the high quarter from which it emanated, but, as the event proved, it was a piece of magnanimity thrown away. —me DEMAunt’s , . Friday Maître Demange opened speech bis speech for the defence. Among the for the defence, distinguished persons present was the

Lord Chief Justice of England, Lord

Russell of Killowen. The great advocate spoke for four hours, and gave a lucid exposition of the flimsy character o f the charges brought against the prisoner, and placed the facts of the case in their proper light. Throughout he showed his sympathy with the Army and the Army point of view, but he reminded the Court they were there to do justice on a plain issue which he refused to dim by the introduction of side questions, private quarrels or party passion. Pointing to the great crucifix above the Court, he spoke of his alternations of hope and fear, and declared that he had at onetime asked himself whether Divine justice would abandon human justice. He read long extracts from the letters written by Captain Dreyfus from his solitary cell to his family, and asked amid the sobbing of the audience if those were the sentiments of a traitor to the country that sheltered those he loved. Point by point he went through the facts of the case and the intricacies of the evidence