The executive is sponsible Ministry. tive Council of 26 107 members.

in the hands of a Governor with a reThe Parliament consists of a Legislamembers and a House of Assembly of

Natal is administered by a Governor, a Ministry, a Legislative Council of 13 appointed for ten years by the Governor, and a Legislative Assembly of 43, elected on a restricted franchise.

Population, "white," 97,109; non-"white," 1,011,645.

Orange River Colony, annexed 28th May, 1900, after conquest in Boer War. Constitution granted 10th June, 1907. The Legislative Council of eleven members is appointed by the Governor. The Legislative Assembly consists of thirty-eight members elected for five years.

The Transvaal, founded in 1831 by the Boers, annexed 1st September, 1900, after conquest in Boer War. Responsible goverment granted by Constitution of 12th December, 1906-a Legislative Council and Legislative Assembly, the former of 15 members, appointed (first Council) by the Governor. After four years a law may be passed making membership of Council elective and not nominative. The Assembly has 69 members elected for five years, elected by white male British subjects, of 21 years or upwards, who have resided six months in the Transvaal and in one election division.

The history of the year has little of importance to chronicle of Cape Colony. It is thought a Redistribution Bill may be introduced to lessen Boer representation in the back-country districts. Natal has been engaged in struggles with the Zulu, marked by some atrocities, and a sparring bout with Downing Street. The elections for the first Assembly of the Orange River Colony took place last November. In the first election for the Transvaal Farliament the issue lay between the Boers and the Mining interest. The result showed :-Het Volk, 37; Progressives, 21; Nationalists, 6; Labour, 3; Independent, 2total, 69. General Botha became Prime Minister. Parliament was opened March 21st, 1907. The question of Asiatic Registration is at present agitating the public mind in the Transvaal. The Hindus are conducting a passive resistance campaign against the measure.

The Catholic Church

in Ireland.

1. Doctrine.-The Catholic Church claims to be the true Church of Christ. Further, Catholics hold that there is but one true Church," and that "no one can be saved out of it." This formula is often misinterpreted by non-Catholics. It does not imply that all Ouside the fold of the Church are inevitably lost. It means that to the Church which Christ founded all are bound to belong. At the same time Catholic theology teaches that those who are invincibly ignorant of the truth of the Catholic Faith may be saved by leading a good life according to the dictates of their conscience. The apparent harshness of the formula still further disappears when we bear in mind that Catholic theologians mal e a distinction between the body and the soul of the Church. All who are bona fide in their religious belief, and in the state of grace, are said to belong to the soul of the Church; and it is of this chiefly there is question in the formula under discussion. A Catholic not in the state of grace belongs to the body, not to the soul of the Church.

The faith of primitive Christianity is preserved in the three symbols known as the Apostles' Creed, the Nicene Creed, and the Athanasian Creed, to which Catholics are bound to give assent, and which are of frequent occurrence in the liturgy. The Apostles' Creed forms portion of the daily prayers and offices of the Catholic Church. Nicene Creed is read after the Gospel in the Mass. The Athanasian Creed is read in the Office of the Sunday.

The

The Nicene Symbol, representing the view of Christian antiquity sets down as notes of the Church, Unity, Sanctity, Catholicity, and Apostolicity. These notes the Catholic Church claims as her exclusive possession. The Church is ONE inasmuch as she has (1) unity of doctrine-all her children the world over giving their assent to the same religious truths; (2) unity of liturgy, inasmuch as Catholics

in all countries observe the same great religious festivals, are sanctified by the same Sacraments, and offer the same Sacrifice, i.e., the Holy Mass; (3) unity of government, inasmuch as, everywhere through Christendom, the same mode of ecclesiastical government prevails, all being subject to the Roman Pontiff. The Church claims the note of SANCTITY by reason of its doctrine which is admittedly sublime, of its Sacraments, instituted by Christ, of its Sacrifice, which is the continuation of the Sacrifice of Calvary, and of "the number of its children who have been eminent for holiness in all ages.". The Church is CATHOLIC inasmuch as it has been instituted to "teach all nations," and is in point of fact spread throughout the Christian world. Finally, the note of APOSTOLICITY pertains to the Church by reason of unbioken continuity of doctrine and succession from the apostolic age.

Catholics acknowledge a two-fold Rule of Faith, the Bible and Tradition-the written and the unwritten Word of God. They do not undervalue the Bible, but maintain that the Bible is to be supplemented by Tradition. Christ, they hold, communicated many truths to his disciples which are not recorded in the Bible. These truths are preserved in the Tradition of the Church. In sooth, Christ did not write, but preach; only five of the Apostles committed anything to writing, and these only when the Church was already established. The Church maintains that in the Bible and Apostolic Tradition the body of Christian truth is complete; that after the time of the Apostles no further general revelation may be expected. The possibility of private revelations to individuals in after times the Church does not deny, but all such revelations must stand or fall with the motives of credibility which surround them.

Not all the doctrines of the Church were first taught explicitly. All were contained in the "deposit of Faith," but their explicit promulgation belongs to the Church as time. and circumstance may demand. Whence it follows that many things implictly revealed may be denied without loss of Faith until such time as they are taught explicitly by the Church.

In thus teaching doctrine, whether of faith or morals, the Church is infallible. This INFALLIBILITY resides in the Pope,

and in the Church speaking through a General Council. Such a Council, however, must be presided over by the Pope, or have its decrees confirmed by him. Infallibility exists. only for the religious guidance of the faithful. The Pope, acting as a private theologian, say, is not infallible. Neither is he impeccable. Simply, as Supreme Pastor and Teacher of the Faithful he is preserved from error by the Holy Spirit.

2. Government.—The Catholic Church in Ireland is governed by its own Hierarchy under the supreme control of the Roman Pontiff. In the case of Ireland all official business with the Roman Curia is conducted through the Congregation of the Propaganda. The Congregation was founded in 1622, and endowed with full powers for the propagation of the Faith in countries where heretics and infidels had to be converted. Its powers, properly speaking, are for countries where a regular hierarchy is not yet established; but some countries, even after this had been accomplished, have remained subject to it. Ireland, England, Scotland, and the United States are in this position.

3. Organisation.-The Church in Ireland is divided into four ecclesiastical provinces-Armagh, Dublin, Cashel, and Tuam. These provinces are subdivided into twenty-eight dioceses. Each diocese is divided into parishes, each entrusted to the spiritual care of a parish priest, generally assisted by one or more curates. The appointment to parishes, curacies and other positions rests with the bishop of the diocese.

Bishops in all cases are appointed by, and receive their jurisdiction from the Holy See. The initial selection is made by the parish priests of the diocese whose See is vacant, and the three candidates receiving the largest number of votes are recommended in order as dignissimus, dignior, and dignus. These names are then submitted to the bishops of the province in council, who forward to the Holy Father their opinion regarding the merits of the candidates. The Holy Father may appoint any of the candidates, or may appoint none, and ask the bishops of the province to make another selection.

4. Finance.The Church is supported solely by the voluntary contributions of the people.

5. Membership.-The Catholic population of Ireland on the showing of the census of 1901 is 3,321,011. The number of secular priests on the mission in 1906 was 2,994. Regular clergy number 593. The following religious orders have houses in Ireland :-Augustinians, Capuchins, Carmelites (Calced and Discalced), Cistercians, Congregation of the Holy Ghost, Congregation of the Mission, Dominicans, Franciscan, Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Order of Charity, Passionists, Redemptorists, Society of Jesus, and Society of Mary.

For fuller information consult Wiseman's Lectures on the Catholic Church, The Divine Plan of the Church, h the Rev. John MacLoughlin, The Irish Catholic Directory (Duffy and Co.), and the monthly issues of The Irish Ecclesiastical Record (Browne and Nolan).