Went to 8 Mass in honour of the feast of St. Aloysius. I have determined to reform my prayers and duties in general, and to make St. Aloysius my patron. Will go to 8 Mass every morning of the hols. That will be about 60 Masses to the good. – Worked quite well at school. Saw the Irish papers, which are far easier than last year. They are mainly based on ‘Slíghe an Eolais’ [Paths of Knowledge], and as I am making a summary of the latter, and am studying it well, I could do nearly all the paper. We have no Irish now as Dickie is superintending at Skibbereen, but I am working myself at it. – I go at the garden every day for a few minutes after dinner – it is improving. Saw in the paper that the Persian government has entrusted excavations in Persia to a German archaeologist! Germans reach everywhere by reason of their extraordinary learning and scholastic achievements. One would imagine the Persians would have somebody capable of doing such a big work in their own country. Sent for message for Páp to Barracks. Col. Duffy,64 conductor of No. 2 Army Band, looks a typical Englishman. He is a good man, and the band is getting on splendidly.
