THE TABLET

A Weekly Newspaper and Review *

D um vobis gratulamur, animos etiam addimus ut in incceptis vestris constanter maneatis.

From the Brie-f oj His Holiness to T h e T a b l e t , June 4, 1870.

Vol. 48. No. 1914. London, December 16, 1876.

P rice sd. B y P ost s^ d .

[R egistered a t the General P ost O ffice as a N ewspaper

C hronicle of t h e W e e k :—

Page

Important Pontifical Letter.—The Conference.—The Proposed Constitution for Turkey.—The Indian System—A Moslem Precedent.— The “ National Conference” and Mr. Gladstone. — Its Effect Abroad.—-The Greeks versus the Slavs.—The Deadlock in France. —Marshal Mac Mahon _and M. Jules Simon.—The Ministry of War.— Formation of a Jules Simon Ministry.— The Indian Moslems and the Khalifate.—The Contest for the American Presidency.—The “ Claimant ” Again. —The Khedive and the Abyssinian Envoy.—The Elections in Canton Fribourg, &c. .. .. 769

CONTENTS.

Page

L e a d e r s :

The Prospects of the Conference 773 The Catholic Church in America 773 Industrial Prosperity of Ireland.. 774 The Bill Again-t “ Clerical

Abuses ” .. Russia and Turkey.—X. P ictures :

Sketches from the Holy Land C hurch Music R eviews :

775 776

777 778

F. de Smedt’s Dissertations on

Early Church History The Little Book of the Martyrs of the City of Rome Shall He Live Again ? S hort N otices :

•• 779

780 781

Cyclopaedia of Costume .. .. 781 Isabel St. C l a r e .........................781

I! Short N otices (continued) : I The Jesuits: their Constitution I and Teaching .. .. ..7 8 1 j The Effects of Cross and Self-

Page

Fertilisation in the Vegetable Kingdom .. .. .. .. 781

C orrespondence :

Proselytism in Ireland .. .. 782j Catholic Marriages .. .. 782 Church Music .. .. .. 783j The German Clergy .. .. 783 ! The late Cardinal Antonelli .. 783 The Barnet Schools .. .. 783 St. Joseph’s Reformatory School, 1

Dalbeth, Glasgow .. .. 783 I R ome :— Letter from our own Cor­

respondent .. .. .. 785

I! DrocESAN N ews :—

Page

Westminster .. .. .. .. 786 Southwark . . . . .. . . 787 Beverley .. .. .. .. 787 Hexham and Newcastle .. . . 787 Northampton .. .. 788 Nottingham .. .. .. .. 788 Scotland—Western District .. 788 I reland

Letter from our Dublin Corre­

spondent ..

Foreign N ews

Germany ........................................789 M emoranda :—

Catholic Union .. .. .. 790 Literary .. .. .. .. 790 General N ews . . .. . . 790

788

CHRONICLE OF THE WEEK.

LETTER. A

IMPORTANT PONTIFICAL

V E R Y important letter from his H o li­

ness, addressed, as it appears from internal evidence, to a B ishop in G ermany, though the name o f that B ishop is not forthcom ing, has been given to the world by the newspaper entitled la Croix. Though it has been made public not in a very regular manner, yet, as it has been already reproduced b y the French Catholic Press, we cannot do wrong in noticing it. T h e H o ly Father, after intim ating his approval o f the Bishop's condemnation o f some plan the nature of which is not stated, goes on to deal with the case o f certain German priests who, “ after having long delayed manifesting “ their adhesion to the dogmatic definition o f the Vatican “ Council touching the infallible magisterium. of the Roman “ Pontiff,” have at last made their profession to this effect, but declaring a t the same tim e, “ either that they had only “ made up their minds to do so because they saw those Ger“ man B ishops who had defended the opposite opinions in 41 the Council accept their definition, or else that they *• adm itted indeed the dogma defined, but without ad44 m itting the opportuneness o f the definition.” T h e H o ly Father goes on to say that as the definitions o f General Councils are infallible by reason o f the fact that they proceed from the inspiration o f the H o ly Spirit assisting the Church, they cannot but teach the truth ; and that truth does not derive either its force or its character from the assent o f men ; rather, as it proceeds from G od, it requires a full and entire consent, dependent on no condition. N o r could any heresy have ever been proscribed in an efficacious manner, i f it had been permissible for the faithful to wait, before subm itting to the definition o f the truth, for the assent o f those who opposed that definition and were condemned by it. 44This doctrine,” adds his Holiness, “ which 44 is the same for the definitions o f Oecumenical Councils “ and for the definitions o f the Supreme Pontiffs, was c learly 41 expressed by the Vatican Council, when it taught, at the “ close of its definitions, that 4the definitions o f the Ro“ ‘ man Pontiff are irreform able o f themselves, and not in 4‘ 4virtue o f the consent o f the Church.’ (Sess. IV . c. IV . , 44 in fine.) ” T h e Supreme Pontiff then passes judgm ent on the other class o f persons ju st mentioned. I t is still more absurd, he says to accept the definition and persist in saying that it is inopportune. “ T h e vicissitudes, indeed, o f “ our times, the errors as numerous as all that have ever 44 ejfflsted, the fresh errors which are every day invented for 44 the destruction o f the Church, the V ic a r o f Christ de44 prived o f his liberty, and the B ishops o f the power, not “ only o f assembling, but even o f teaching— all attest with “ what opportuneness D iv in e Providence permitted that the “ definition o f the Pontifical infallibility should be pro.

N ew Se r ie s , V ol. XVI. No. 423.

“ claim ed at a time when the right rule o f belief and conduct “ was about to be deprived o f all other support.” But putting all these considerations on one side, “ i f the definitions “ o f CEcumenical Councils are in fallible precisely because “ they flow from the wisdom and counsel o f the H o ly Spirit, “ nothing surely can be more absurd than to think that the “ H o ly Spirit teaches indeed things which are true, but may “ still teach them inopportunely.” T h e B ishop to whom the letter is addressed is, therefore, instructed to warn any such priests, if they are any in his diocese, that it is not permitted to them so to lim it their assent as to make it depend upon an act— even a praiseworthy act— o f this or that B ishop rather than on the authority o f the Church, and that they must adopt the definition “ by a full and entire assent o f “ in telligence and will, unless they would depart from the “ true faith.”

Nothing can as yet be known for certain conference about the Proceedings o f the Conference, but the prelim inary meetings o f the Ambassadors began to be held on Tuesday at the Russian Embassy, and it is said that up to the present time there is a general harmony and good understanding among the representatives o f the Powers. Lord Salisbury has personally made a very good impression on the Ministers whom he visited on his way, and he is said to be on extrem ely good terms with General Ignatiefi, who has adopted a very conciliatory attitude. I t is very possible that this agreement may be m a in tained, especially i f Russia is not absolutely determ ined— as it is reported that she is not— to press for the occupation o f Bulgaria by herself as the only possible guarantee. And in our opinion it is not so much in a conflict o f the Powers represented at the Conference that the real danger lies. I t appears to us to consist rather in this, that the Powers may agree upon a mode o f settlem ent which Turkey will never accept. In that case there will be war between Russia and Turkey ; England and Austria will take up a position o f armed neutrality, and Germany will stand by, sym pathising with Russia, and ready to interfere as her interests may d ic tate, in case o f any other Power being drawn into the struggle.

THE PROPOSED CONSTITUTION FOR TURKEY.

And with regard to the Porte, there is one difficulty which meets us in lim ine— the op position which T u rkey has always offered to an exception being made in favour o f these provinces. This obj ection is evidently still in full force, for in the m idst o f the friendly and even cordial reception which the Sultan gave on Sunday to Lord Salisbury his M ajesty took care to mention it. And in order that the argument against favouritism and partiality may be pressed with greater consistency, M idhat Pasha has been urging the publication o f the Charter or Constitution prepared for the whole O ttom an Empire. I t is not yet published, however,