The Press.
London, England, 1855-06-30 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

sialists, interesting collection, and the book
throughout contains a great deal of entertain-
ing matter on the various orders and the
ridiculous monkish legends and miracles. On
the politico-economical bearing of the question
Mr. Day takes a view in which we should
think that Mr. Gladstone, as a financier well
skilled in Romish subjects, might feel a
considerable interest. On the increase of
monastic institutions in England Mr. Day
says :
. . . . . .

The number of monastic institutions in England and
Wales are considerably on the increase, as will appear
from the following authentic statement:—ln 1847, there
were thirty-four convents and eight monasteries. In 1848,
there were thirty-eight convents and eleven monasteries.
In 1851, the convents for women alone had increased to
fifty-three. In 183'2, they numbered sixty-two ; and in
1853, they were further augmented to seventy-five; being
an addition of twenty-two in two years. Well, we cannot
be far wrong if we allow five more for the past year—in all
eighty. Assuming that each convent or monastery con-
tains twenty inmates—not by any means a high average—
it would yield a total of one thousand six hundred nuns,
independently of monastics of the other sex. Now, esti-
mating that each of these women brought into the convent
in the shape of dowry, say 4501.—many bring ten times
this amount—it would yield a capital of 720,0001.; and not
a dead or inactive capital either; for as quickly as a
religious dies out her property becomes immediately avail-
able ; so that, instead of the longevity of a nun being a
boon, her premature death becomes the source of pecu-
niary profit. Should such establishments go on increasing
in the same ratio as they have during the past few years,
the immense amount of capital that would accumulate
therein must be highly detrimental to the State. Accord-
ing to Hume, the Roman Court once drew a revenue from
this country greater than the entire national revenue of
the Crown of England. If monastic establishments are
quietly suffered to progress ad libitum, although the Papal
Court may not derive proximate advantages therefrom,
certainly this country must suffer in a monetary and com-
mercial point of view, from the enormous amount of wealth
that is sure to become accumulated in such places.

If the title of this book disappoints us,
the promises of the table of contents
are equally illusory. Of twenty-three pages
(in all conscience sufficiently little space
for the subject), headed by the widely-
suggestive title, " The Society of Jesus," we
have twenty devoted to a meagre life of St.
Ignatius of Loyola ; which, however, has the
advantage of avoiding Mr. Macaulay's very
remarkable romancing on that particular sub•
ject, and speaking of the visionary as he was
in actual life.

Mr. Day's work will no doubt find a large
class of readers amongst those who generally
aware of the evil effects of the monastic
system are nevertheless precluded from
consulting the separate authorities on the
subject, which are in general scattered in
various forms and several languages. Some
good will be attained in calling atten-
tion to the defects of a system to which there
has of late been a dangerous disposition to
attribute merits, virtues, and advantages
greater than in its purest forms it could
boast.