THE TABLET. A Weekly Newspaper a n d Review.

DUM VCBIS GRATULAMUR, ANIMOS ETIAM ADDIMUS UT IN INCCEPTIS VESTRIS CONSTANTER MANEATIS.

F r o m the B r i e f o f H i s H o l in e s s P i u s I X . to T h e T a b l e t , J u n e p , 18 7 0 .

V o l . 82. No. 2796. L ondon, D e c e m b e r 9, 1893.

P r i c e s d . , b y P o s t s J £ d .

[ 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 f f i c e a s a N e w s p a p e r .

C h r o n ic l e o f t h e W e e k :

Page ,

Imperial Parliament \ The Parish Councils — Clause 13 : Charities —Mr. Gladstone and Government Employés —Wednesday’s Sitting —The New F rench Ministry—The First Trial of Strength in the Chamber — President Cleveland’s Message—Free Trade in America —Germany and the Exiled Jesuits—Persecution in Russia—The Anarchist Fiasco—London County Council and the Fire Brigade— The Money Market . . . . 921

'^Le a d e r s :

The Temporal Power and the Pro­

sperity of Rome . . . . . . 925 Undenominational Christianity for the Schools . . . . . . 926 A Mediaeval Abbot’s Manual . . 927 Relic of a Scottish Martyr . . 929

CONTENTS .

N o t e s .......................................................930 R e v i e w s :

Page

The Rise of Our East African

Empire . . . . .. . . 932 Dr. Thalhofer’s “ Liturgik ” . . 933 Lourdes . . . . .. . . 934 Margaret Drummond . . . . 935 Red Diamonds . . .. . . 933 The Light of the World . . . . 935

C o r r e s p o n d e n c e :

Rome :—(From Our Own Corre­

spondent) . . . . . . . . 937 News from Ireland :—(From Our

Own Correspondent) . . . . 938 The Eucharistic Congress . . . . 939

Page

L e t t e r s to t h e E d it o r (Con­

tinued) : Non-Catholics in Catholic Chur­

ches . . . . — .. 942 The New Organ at Ober-Ammer-

gau . . . . .. . . 942 The Westminster Poor . . . . 942 Christmas Letter for 1893.. . . 943 An Appeal .. . . . . . . 943 Enthalius : A Correction . . 943 Catholic Tribute to Lord and Lady

Wenlock . . . . . . . . 943 Catholic Rights in Anglican C hurchy a r d s ...............................................944 The Census of the Clerical Profes­

L e t t e r s to t h e E d i t o r :

Loss and Gain . . . . . . 942 House of Residence in Cambridge 942

sion . . . . . . . . . . 943 London School Board and Religious

Education . . . . . . . . 946

Page

O b i t u a r y . . . . . . . . 947 S o c ia l a n d P o l i t i c a l . . . . 948

SU P PLEM EN T . N ew s fr o m t h e S chools :

The Compulsory Education A c t . . 953 St. Basil’s Schools, Hampstead . . 953 N ew s fr o m t h e D i o c e s e s : Westminster ........................ 953

Southwark . . . . . . . . 954 Middlesbrough .. . . . . 954 Plymouth . . . . . . . . 955 Portsmouth . . . . . . . . 956 St. Andrews and Edinburgh . . 956 Glasgow . . . . . . . . 956 The Seminary Question . . . . 956

Rejected M S . cannot be returned unless accompanied w ith address and postage.

CHRONICLE OF TH E WEEK.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

—THE PARISH

COUNCILS.

A'

F T E R Mr. Labouchere had made hisinevitableinquiries on behalf of Lobengula, and been satisfactorily replied to by Mr.

Buxton—who informed him that jurisdiction is being exercised in Matabeleland at the present moment by the Chartered Company by right of conquest—the House again went into committee on the Parish Councils Bill and proceeded with the consideration of Clause io, which lays down restrictions on expenditure. Mr. T . H. Bolton moved to insert words providing that the expense of the Parish Council should be met by a separate rate, not to be compulsorily chargeable to owners under the provisions of the Poor Rate Assessment and Collection Act, 1869. The advantage of keeping the rate separate was that the ratepayer would have plainly brought to his knowledge how much he was charged for the Parish Council, and could trace the amount in the parish accounts and see how the money was spent. The system of compounding, which might work well in towns, was unnecessary in rural districts, where there tvas no shifting occupying population. Mr. Fowler announced that the Government were unable to accept the proposal to create a separate rate, nor could they concur in the severance of this particular rate from the other portions of the poor rate. He protested against the •theory that, because the bulk of those who would have to elect the Parish Councils belonged to a specific class, they would therefore, of necessity, be guilty of gross extravagance in regard to parochial expenditure. This was not the result of former experience, and his own opinion was that, instead of the mass of the electoral class being inclined to plunge headlong into unnecessary expenditure, all parties, from the squire and parson to the agricultural labourer, would feel that their interests were bound up and consolidated together, and would endeavour to work for the general good government of the parish. On these grounds he was unable to accept the amendment. The Chancellor of the Exchequer said the result of the adoption of the amendment would, in bis opinion, be to inflict the most deadly blow yet aimed at the operation of this Bill. The amendment proposed to abolish compounding, and the effect of that, if carried,

N e w S e r i e s , Vol. L ., No. 2,105.

would be absolutely fatal to the Bill. This principle was not, however, to be made applicable to the urban districts, and the hon. member who had moved the amendment had stated that it was different in the country districts. But why? In his opinion if there was a difference it was that the compound system was more necessary in the rural districts than in the towns. He would ask hon. members who supported the amendment whether the cottagers who did not pay the rates were to vote for the Parish Councils ? After prolonged discussion the amendment was divided upon and lost by a majority of 63. An amendment, introduced by Mr. Fowler, limiting the borrowing powers of Parish Councils to half the assessable value of the parish was, after a short discussion, agreed to.

The consideration in Committee of the

— clause 13— Parish Councils Bill was resumed on Tues-

charities. day, when Mr. Strachey moved an amend­

ment to the effect that all parochial charities for the benefit of the poor which were not ecclesiastical should, subject to their trusts, be under the control and management of the Parish Councils. Mr. Fowler was willing to extend the clause so as to cover all charities for public purposes. He could not, however, accept the amendment, which prhposed to dispossess the present trustees and to hand the charities to parochial bodies. In the first place, he saw no reason why the present trustees should be dispossessed ; while, in the second place, the creation of a corporation as a trustee was a very serious question. Ever since the Municipal Corporations Act of 1838 the policy had been to remove the control of charities from Municipal Corporations and to place it in the hands of individuals, who might be held personally responsible. Another reason for rejecting the amendment was that the Government had already given a pledge upon this question. It is interesting to observe that a Government pledge is only regarded as a tertiary reason by a responsible Minister for running contrary to the wishes of its supporters. Mr. Chamberlain said they were no longer discussing the question of rates, but the disposal of property left for the benefit of the parish. What could be the danger of allowing the people to deal with the small sums left chiefly for their ownbenefit ? The President of the Local Government Board said that the trustees were immaculate, and that it would be a great wrong to dispossess them. This was contrary to everything they had heard on the subject since he had taken part in public life. Again and again had they been informed that the management of charities, especially of small charities, had been a subject of the greatest abuse,