THE TABL

A W e ek ly N ew sp a p er a n d R ev iew .

DDM VOBIS GRAT ULAMUR, ANIMOS ETIAM ADDIMUS UT IN INCŒPTIS VESTRIS CONSTANTER MANEATIS.

From the B r i e f o j H i s Holiness P iu s IX . to T h e T a b l e t , June 4, 1870.

V o l . 89. No. 2977.

L ondon, M a y 29, 1897. P rice sd . , by Post sJ£d.

[R egistered a t th e G e n e ra l P ost O ffice as a N ewspaper.

C hronicle of th e Week I Page

Imperial Parliament: The Government's Unique Opportunity—The Government's Irish Policy— The Royal N iger Chartered Company — The Workman’s Compensation for Accidents Bill in Committee— Lord Kimberley and Justice to ■ Schools— Water Rights for Irish Industries— The Question of Contributory Negligence—The Aldersgate Explosion : Verdict — The Queen’s V isit to Sheffield — Mr. “Chamberlain and Dr. Leyds— Mr. Labouchere’s Recantation — A Wonderful Tunnel — Greece and Turkey ......................... . . 837 Headers :

The Russian Church and Catholic

Theology . . . . . . . . 841 T h e Royal Academy . . . . 842 A Scotch Robinson^Crusoe . . 843 The Bull “ Apostolicae C u r a ” . . 844 N otes . . . . . . - . . 848

CONTENTS.

R eview s :

The Romance o f Isabel Lady

Page

Burton . . . . . . . . 849 Nansen’s North Pole Picture

Book _ ....................................... 850 Father Dignam’s Conferences . . 851 Elementary Jane . . . . . . 8 5 1 In Praise of St. Joseph . . . . 8 5 c A Book of Bargains . . . . 8 5 1 The Victoria Picture Book . . 851 Correspondence :

Rome (From Our Own Corre­

spondent) . . . . . . — 853 News from Ireland — — 855 News from France . . . . 856 L e tter s to t h e E d ito r :

The Anglican Doctrine o f the

Eucharist ....................................... 857 The Ceremonies of Holy Week . . 859 “ A Test Question for Anglicans ” 859 St. Philip the Apostle . . . . 860 St. Augustine of England.. . . 860 Surely a M i s t a k e ........................... 860

L e tter s to t h e E d itor (Con­

tinued : The Rev. Mr. Fillingham’s Posi­

Page

tion . . . . . . .. . . 860 “ Old English Catholic Missions ” 860 The St. Augustine Centenary . . 860 Transubstantiation . . .. . . 861 Catholic Evidence Lectures : Lime-

house Town Hall .. . . . . 862 The Breviary o f the Nuns o f Syon 863 In Praise of Frugal Living . . . . 863 Catholic Missionaries and the Indian

Famine _ . . . . . . . . 804 St. Augustine and England . . 864 Books of the Week . . . . . . 865 A ppeals to t h e C h a r it ab l e . . 865 Social and Politica l . . . . 806

SU P P L EM E N T . N ews from th e Schools:

Evening Continuation Schools

Code . . . . . . . . S5g Education’s Years o f Promise . . 809 Licensing ofCatholic Children . . 869

N ews from t h e Schools (Con­

tinued): The Queen’s Review o f London

School Children . . .. In Favour of Denominational

Associations . . . . . . I The Scottish System of Religious

Page

870 870

Instruction . . . . . . 870 Science and Art Grants . . . . 870 The Holy Father and Stonyhurst 870 A New Peril to School-Boardism 870 The Free K irk and Education . . 871 A Census of Secondary Softools.. 872 N ews from t h e D ioceses : Westminster

Southwark Clifton ......................... Nottingham ......................... Portsm outh......................... Salford .................................... ~,tNewport .....................................874 St. Andrews and Edinburgh . . 874 How a Genius Failed . . . . 874

872 873 873 873873874

Reiectcd MS. cannot be returned wiless accompanied with address

and postage.

CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK.

THE GOVERNMENT’S UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY. T

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT :

'H E R E can be no question

that Mr. Balfour’s statement on Friday last, which took the House by

agreeable surprise and flooded the lobbies with approval, indicates a policy of the greatest importance. The Government have been pestered to extend the benefits of the English Agicultural Rating Act to Ireland. This they felt that they could not do for the simple reason that they failed to see that the claim had any foundation in strict equity. Besides, the machinery of county government and for the administration of the Poor Law in Ireland was thoroughly antiquated, and had already been rejected as unfit for England and Scotland. To place relief in the hands of such antiquated local machinery would therefore have been as unsafe as to pour new wine into old bottles. An attempt had been made by a Conservative Ministry in 1892 to place Irish local government upon a broad and popular basis, but it had been rejected because the safeguards included in it had been regarded as an insult. It would not do to leave the question of rating where it was, and extend local government to Ireland on the model of England and Scotland. These two considerations thus placed the Government in regard to the Irish question in an apparent dilemma. But it was soon seen that these problems might be used to provide satisfactory solutions for each other. The Government recognized that an absolutely unique opportunity was thus presented of establishing local government in Ireland upon a popular elective basis, and at the same time of meeting the energetic demand that had been made for the relief of the ■ rates.

— THE g o v e r n m e n t ’ s

IRISH POLICY.

Mr. Balfour then proceeded to unfold his policy. The extension of local government must be on lines approved of by all classes, and that this might be the case the

apprehensions of the landlords in regard to the possible extravagance of the new bodies must be allayed. The Government, therefore, proposed that the Irish landlords should be relieved from all rural rates in future. A t present the landlord’s liability is for half the poor rate, whilst the tenant pays the other half and the county cess. Under the

N e w S e r i e s , V o l , L V I I . , No. 2. 286.

new departure advocated by the Government, half of the poor rate and half of the county cess will be paid from the Imperial Exchequer. The first of these remissions would benefit the landlord, whilst the second would help the tenant, and so the way would be smoothed for th e ' working of the new system of local government. Nor can it be urged that these remissions are illusory. The Government has undertaken to secure that the tenants shall reap the benefit of that half of the county cess which is to be given to them, besides also obtaining full advantage of the economies which may be effected in administration. The landlords, on the other hand, are to be similarly protected. As a consequence of this policy which is to be introduced next sesssioD, the Agriculture !,and Industries Bill and the Poor Law Bill cannot be proceeded with during the present session. When Mr. Balfour sat down a buzz of conversation commenced, and Mr. Carson asked leave to move an adjournment in order that the statement might be discussed. Leave was granted without difficulty, for that was just what everybody wanted. He hailed the new policy as broad and generous. Mr. Dillon was guarded, but declared that he should be sorry to commit himself to any opposition. Mr. Healy playfully pointed out that he did not grudge the landlords the advantages they were getting; they had helped to get the promised relief from the Government, and he did not see why they should not share in the profits. The honourable gentleman waxed so enthusiastic as to say that during his brief tenure of a seat in the House he had never heard’so hopeful and so auspicious a statement from a Tory Government. In the course o f some after explanations, Mr. Balfour said the relief would be on agricultural land and the grant from the Exchequer would be a fixed one, to save the Exchequer in case of a rise in the rates under the new system. He concluded by thanking the House for the sympathetic spirit in which they received ^proposals which the Government honestly believed would benefit every class in Ireland.

— THE r o y a l NIGER CHARTERED

COMPANY.

The Royal Niger Company has pursued its way quietly and unobtrusively. It has lately had a little war in which it has been successful, and now that its

sphere of influence has become extended, the responsibilities of the Government in its regard are naturally increased. This was the sole reason of Lord Stanmore’s question in the House of Lords on Monday. He had no complaint to make against the administration of the Company, but at the same time he wanted to know whether the Government proposed to take any steps in the direction of increasing