A FEW WORDS The English Martyrs I DON'T quite know how I can relate a Christmas number with the English Martyrs, about whom I heard a lot last Friday — except to note that December 1 (always, so to speak, 25 days before Christmas) is the feast of many of our bean whose canonisation cause is now being actively pressed. Osterley is making a habit of taking over Farm Street for the feast of Blessed Edmund Campion, and following the ceremony by a lunch attended by many Osterley priests. This year the Lord Bishop of Portsmouth presided. after pontificating in the morning. and blended serious matters with lighter ones in a delightful speech. I hope I shall not be imitating the American journalists who so annoyed Mr. Bevan by disclosing his thoughts if I report Mgr. King as spicing his account of progress made in getting miracles for the canonisation with the story of the nun who after being desperately ill rose from her bed and walked about on the ninth day of the community novena for her core. The Reverend Mother was immediately informed and asked to go and see her. " If she can walk aiout.' was the Reverend Motnee's answer. " let her come and see me."
Moral for Business Men Al the same lunch Fr. Tiger, Superior of Osterley, and Fr. Helsharn, the Jesuit Provincial, had many good things to report both about the progress of the cause in this country, including the cure effected after the use of a relic of Blessed Edmund, a cure which by the way is not official. and the work done et Osterley for the training of mote priests. My own view that hael ltaded business men are often their own worst enemies was borne out when Fr. Tiger described -te hesitetqns of a Catholic firm about priremg a large quantity of picture: of Blessed Edmund Campion. as :t was felt that there could he no sufficient interest in him among our
people. In fact, the firm was as happy as Fr, Tigar himself in finding itself in a position of having to repeat the order.
Children and Dogs no children really like dogs ? I le" have often asked myself that question. Perhaps an only child does; but where it is a case of a big family, I'm inclined to agree with Miss Sackville-West who writes ; "` A theory exists among grown-ups that children arc fond of dogs and take an interest in them. I distrust this theory. Children like dogs only in so far as they can pull their tails or coke their fingers into their eyes: their attitude towards dogs is neither humane nor anthropomorphic." Cumulative Rhyme ()NE of her oddest discoveries is that the House that Jack Built has its prototype in the Jewish liaggadah (which, as Miss Sackville
West did not know until she wrote this book—nor did I until I read it —is the legendary element of the Talmud where we read (in Chaldean) : Then came the Holy One, blessed be. He ! and killed the angel of death, that killed the butcher, that saw the ox, etc., etc.
CIhNrfEoisvrtEmsizta, ksnAo Snwaa Anastasia or to la Saint
to be sorry
gratulate her. Her feast falls on Christmas Day—a singular honour. Yet I suppose it means that Mass is absolutely never said in her honour. Instead, she is commemorated with a Collect during the second
Mass. Of course there are many Martyrs and Saints in the Martyrology who never have Mass said in their honour, but St. Anastasia is by no means an "also ran." She is mentioned in the Canon of the Mass and invoked in the Litany of .. the Saints. Very little, however, is ktiown about her except that she was probably martyred under Diocletian in Dalmatia.
Pathetic LAST week 1 made gigantic efforts a-4 (alas, unsuccessfully) to get printed in my notes the word
" bathetic." " Pathetic " recurred again and again in proofs and in the final issue, while in some editions an extra line was dropped in for good measure which repeated " pathetic " and made nonsense of the whole paragraph. For an episcopal style and and title to have B.A. after it is " bathetic "; b u t not "pathetic."