suggestion has only just come into my mind, and for practical application it may seem rather late in the day, but better late than never, I trust.
The Song of Berttadette has now been going the round of the provinces for several weeks, but to those Catholics who have received the intimation that they can hope to SVC it in their local cinema in the near future, I would suggest that during that week they might pray very earnestly for their nor-Catholic fellow-citizens, that as a result of seeing it many may be so impressed that the seeds of faith may be sown, and that a harvest of conversions such as the leaders of the Catholic Hierarchy hoped for may materialies.
It is possible that owing to sickness in the home I myself might be prevented from seeing it during the coming week, but those who have already seen it will be in the iyosition of knowing whether Our Lady's enjoinder to Bernadette. on the necessity of doing penance had to be deleted at the request of the cenenrs, on account of Protestant susceptibilities, or whether it this been given essential prominence ?
All honour is due to a Christian king who does not hesitate to call upon the nation for observance of Sundays of intercessory prayer, but, alas, His Majesty King George is not free, as was King Henry V, to call us to penance also. The Israelites and the pre-Reformation Christians realised that in order to be deserving of victory when nations were called to arms, they must first make atonement for past sin. Even the ancient Romans. Greeks and Egyptians strove to propitiate their gods with Sacrifices. We as Catholics listen to the voice of the Shepherd'when exhorted to majority offormovdicetrooryc, hbrujstt iabnya fa jmra git nhee that God should be ready to answer prayer which ie often couched in selfcongratulatory sentiment, if not phrasing. " All we like sheep. have stiayed." It is only a matter of degree in frail humanity.
E. A. EDMUNDS.
Wawanesa, East Willering.
TWO NOVELS
St,—Having read both Rogue's Lute and Island Sonata, may I, as an entirely disinterested party, very heartily endorse 'your reviewer's criticism of these two ousels ? By and large Rogue's Lure is a fine piece of writing. Mr. Rush makes his characters live, and the quotations from Vilion's pocky much enhance the whole; my sole complaint is that there seems to be an undue wealth of " realiem " in it ; perhaps this is unavoidable in a novel of Ibis kind: in other respects it is a most readable book.
Island Sonata, on the other hand, struck me as the triumph of artificiality, both in language and plot ! So much so that I found it hard to get to the end, and long before I got there I found the book extremely tedious. I could not help feeling what a fine story Joan Grant could have made out of a similar subject I
PAUL HUTTON.
Willoway Cottage, Braunton, North Devon.
COTTON MILLS' NIGHTWORKERS
S1R.—No country has a higher proportion of Catholics than Lancashire. I hope Lanc-arthire Catholics will lose no time in making it clear to all concerned that they will oppose post-war nightwork in cotton mills. The report of the Textile Mission to the United States describes the technical superiority of textile mill machinery in America, where there is round-the-clock and three-shiftsper-day work.
We shall doubtless be told that night work in Lancaehire mills is essential to arty financially sound teplacement of present machinery. Apart from special requirements of war production, any night work which is not necessitated by the very nature of the product of service given—for example, medical work, police. essential transport, food distribution, morning newspapers —is unnatural. an affront to the. dignity of labole, and an attack on family life. Lancashire mills must modernise their machinery, but morally there can be no case for saying that the cost of doing this justifies night work in cotton mills.
THOMAS PARK.
14, Raynham Avenue, Manchester 20.
SECTARIANISM
SIR, — I am sure that most of your Catholic readers will equally deplore with the Rev. B. Houghton the state ment in Mr. Weeksfs recent letter. ft is not only uncharitable hut fantastically untrue so say. as Mr. Weeks did, " that the only positive thing left and taught in the Protestant sects is anti-Catholicism." In every non-Catholic body there are hundreds of saintly men arid women who are not only taught positive Christian doctrines but whose practice of the proitive Christian virtues puts many of us who arc Catholics to shame. Erie Gilt onee wrote:
" The cause of peace outweighs everything else, and that cause is harmed and not helped by impatience. Nothing is to he gained by violence, neither violence ol behaviour nor lenience of opinion. In the end the only propaganda which is any good is that of the good life supported by reasonable words."
Ht-NRY COLDHAM,
7. Bloomfield Park, Bath, Somerset.
POPULAR DEVOTIONS
Ste,--In your issue of October 20 there is an article headed "Popular Devotions." by John Hennig, PH.D. In it we read that there is no malls, popular devotion to the Holy Ghost. Is it possible that your contributor has never heard of the Pious Union in honourof God the Holy Ghost, which is canonically established in our church here, where we have the Universal Shiine and Centre for the Pious Union. This confraternity was founded by the late Fr. John Mary, 0.F.M.Cap., and has received the special sanction of the Holy See, and is richly indulgenced. It was founded in the nineties of the last century, and the names of all members have to be registered at Olton.
The humble founder prepared a twopenny copybook for the first Register of the Pious Union, Now there are several thick folio volumes of names which come from all parts of the world; it would be impossible to count the membership, but I think it would be safe to estimate it at over two millions. The actual living members must number hundreds of thousands. If you could read some of the letters we receive from clients you would under stand that here we have a real popular devotion to the Holy Spirit, which daily grows more and more.
THE FATHER Dtercron OF me Pious UNION.
Fransminshamoisean Friary, Olton, ir