SINN FEIN IN AUSTRALIA.
(To THE Herron or enz " &cornea.")
Snt,—You printed, March 23rd, a letter with this heading from Dr. Leeper, the distinguished Warden of Trinity College, Mel- bourne. Only a few days earlier I heard from a friend, a life- long resident in New South Wales, and a passage from his letter so closely agrees with Dr. Leeper's account of things that it may be worth while to quote it, as evidence from another part of the Commonwealth :—
"We have our troubles in Australia. Enemy agents fanning industrial unrest, backed up by the Roman Catholic element, are responsible for the failure of the Referendum. True, the few extra thousands that Australia could send, and ought to send, may not mean much. But it is the unquiet and selfish spirit which has prompted the refusal that I dread; and the Roman Catholics openly say, We may want our men at home.' Years ago the priests here were of the simple, kindly type so often met with in the country districts of France and .Switzerland. But of late such numbers have come over from Ireland who openly avow I.W.W. and Sinn Fein sympathies that it is no wonder that we dread their persistent influence."
The other side of my friend's letter is brighter
, "My two remaining Soldier eons at the rfront are living ; and -so far well. They Write bravely and eheerfhlly. It' is Marvellous
how they keep up zest and spirit in the face of all they must be going through. So many are drifting back to Australia, maimed, broken, shattered by shell-shock, but still happy and laughing, only anxious to get well and go back. We have a convalescent home here; one of our rich `squatters' has apportioned the greater part of her big house for this purpose. Sad as are so many of the cases, they are all cheery, and happy, and grateful. So all Is not gloom."
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