Toasts at Catholic dinners

Sire-Under the above heading, you published in your issue of December 18 a letter from Miss Crawford in which it is stated that the Loyal Toast was given before the Prayer for the Pope at the annual dinner of the Bournemouth Circle of the Catenian Association.
This statement is completely untrue, in fact the Prayer for the Pope received priority over all else, and was said by Dr. J. N. King, Bishop of Portsmouth, before the first grace, with everyone standing at their places at table before sitting down to dinner.
I do not understand how it is that you can see lit to publish a mischievous letter of this description, because in the firit place, you must have known that such a thing could never have happened at a Catenian function and in the second place that this letter would cause a great deal of irritation to Catenians throughout the country.
I suggest to you that your proper action in this case was to get into touch with toe in order to ascertain the true facts before rushing the letter into the correspondence page of your paper.
No doubt Miss Crawford's letter has been read with amazement by a large number of the seven thousand C,atenians in this country. I must ask you, therefore, to publish my letter in full, in a conspicuous place in your next issue, 80 that my brother Catenians may see my categorical denial of Miss Crawford's statement.
I would advise you that I am also bringing this matter to the attention of the Grand Secretary of the Catcnian Association.
A. F. Rickard,
President, Bournemouth Circle, Catcnian Association.
Cecil Hotel, Parsonage Road, Bournemouth.
The president of the Bournemouth Catenian Association has apparently been so disturbed that he has not even read Miss Crawford's letter properly. She wrote that "she was horrified to hear the Queen toasted before the Holy Father." The vast majority of Catholics are not accustomed to go to grand Catholic dinners, and it is a point of interest to them, as well as those who organise humbler or private celebrations, to know the correct procedure in an obviously rather delicate problem. For this reason we published the letter and gave what we believe is the correct ruling. We are sorry that Miss Crawford got the facts wrong, hut we cannot be expected to verify the contents of every letter received, nor can we think that this is a matter of such importance that any kind of injury has been done to the Catenian Society. The Ittels now seem clear, and everyone should know the right way to meet this problem-Editor, CATHOLIC HERALD.