The Press.
London, England, 1856-08-16 00:00:00

MAYNOOTH.

Faom a number of communications on the
subject of Maynooth we select the following,
as embodying views directly adverse to those
which we have thought It our duty to express.
The italics are the writer's own :

TO THE EDITOR OF " THE PRESS."

Sir,—Maynooth is the plague-spot of our country.
I am sorry to see the manner in which you advocate
the continuance of the act of 1845, by which the
grant is transferred to the Consolidated Fund, instead
of coming annually before Parliament. During the
Administration of the late Right Hon. Spencer
Perceval and the late Lord Eldon, the grant was for
8,0001., and having been carried by the Irish Parlia-
ment, they were pledged to it for twenty years.
When Sir Robert Peel brought forward the act of
1845, he pledged himself that if the Papist clergy
were not more loyal after the passing of that act be
would bring forward another act to repeal the act of
1845. But, alas! this pledge was, like all his other
pledges, " Vox et pis:acres nihil."
Mr. Spooner and his confederates deserve the
thanks of the country. He only committed in the
last session one mistake, and that was, after carrying
his bill by five majorities against the whole strength
of the Government, he ought to have carried it all
through, and not have withdrawn it. Had I a seat
in the Legislature, so cordially do I hate all Papists,
I would at the beginning of every session place a
notice of motion on the votes of Parliament for the
repeal of the odious act of 1829, and if the only voter
in its favour I would resolutely divide against it. I
am a Protestant, and as a Protestant I revere and
almost to idolatry adore our most gracious Sovereign ;
but oh, and abut omen, if she became a Papist, I for
one, and I have no doubt I should be followed by
millions, nay tens of millions of stanch Protestants,
would hoist the standard of rebellion against her.
As a Protestant I would lay down my life to save
hers. Humanly speaking, there is no salvation for
this country except a return to the High Church and
old Tory principles of my father. Protestant ascen-
dance should be 'our motto.—l am, sir, yours
obediently, FREDERICK JAMES PERCIEVAL.
Coleshill, near Coventry, August 11, 1858.

Mr. PERCEVAL is a consistent politician.
" Cordially hating all Papists," he would de-
prive them of political power, reenact the old
penal laws against them, and bring back Pro-
testant ascendancy. This scheme of policy is
intelligible and logical. Whether it is practical
also is another question.

Another system of policy is to recognise as
a fact the status which Roman Catholics have
acquired in our political system, and to fairly
observe the principle of the Emancipation
Act.. In that case, acknowledging the Roman
Catholic population of these realms as entitled
to all the political privileges of British sub-
jects, it will be only prudent to avoid needless
causes of irritation. Having conferred (on

771

them political power, we must endeavour,
within the limits of established institutions,
to make them loyal and contented.
A third scheme of policy seems to be
favored by the great majority of those persons
who agitate against the Maynooth grant.
They do not propose the repeal of the Act of
1829 ; they do not call for the restoration of
Protestant ascendancy; but they do insist
that Roman Catholics shall be regarded as an
alien and most dangerous element of the
population, and that every opportunity shall
be seized to attack and irritate them.

We cannot help thinking that this latter
course of policy is by far the most hurtful of
the three. If the Roman Catholics are so
dangerous why intrust them with power at
all? The answer will probably be that the
mischief is done, and cannot now be undone.
Just so. But, then, must it not be extremely
impolitic to urge any considerable portion of
the British people to make a tad, or even
hostile, use of the power we cannot prevent
them from exercising?

SIR GEORGE GREY AND THE RECENT
EXECUTIONS.
SIR GEORE GREY seems to have been refresh-
ing his mind after the fatigues of the session
by a perusal of " Eothen." The author of that
work informs us that on one occasion when
his guide had misled him to the extent of a
day's journey, it was seriously proposed to
him by one of his Eastern attendants that the
man should be put to death. The English-
man was at first fascinated by the novelty of
the proposal, and reflected what an imperish-
able reputation for vigour he should acquire
among his countrymen, were it once known
that he had thus deliberately sacrificed a
fellow-creature. He relented at last, yet not
without certain secret regrets at having lost
so good a chance of putting his character for
decision for ever beyond dispute. It is
possible that the Home Secretary, cast-
ing his eye over these said pages of " Eothen,"
may have come to the conclusion that
Sergeant KIM/LAKE was a fool for his pains,
and that when either a Government or an
individual has an opportunity of that sort, it is
the merest false compassion to waste it.
To vindicate the vigour of the Executive,
two criminals were put to death on Saturday
last. The recommendation to mercy of the
jury in the case of DOVE went for nought.
Was it right so entirely to disregard the opi-
nion of the twelve men who tried the case ?
The medical testimony at the trial raised a
strong presumption of the prisoner's irrespon-
sibility, and the letter of Dr. Foams WINS-
LOW was stronger still " From my knowledge
" of the conduct of juries," says the Doctor,
" I feel convinced that DovE would never have
" escaped the verdict of insanity, if the
" question for their consideration had been of
" a civil, and not of a criminal character."
And he rightly quotes the case of Mrs. Cum-
MING, who was unhesitatingly declared of un-
sound mind by a jury because she had a bad
memory, and liked her cats better than her
relatives. Men who have devoted their lives
to the study of insanity have a right to be
heard with attention when the sanity of a
prisoner is in question.
The great point, however, is, whether an
English Minister can rightly disregard the
recommendation of a jury, when that recom-
mendation is based on grounds which can only
be decided by specia 1 inquiry. There is a
well known story told of ERSKINE, we think,
that after taking a distinguished foreigner into
the Houses of Parliament, and explaining to him
the complicated forms of our constitutional
usages, he next led him to one of the common-
law courts, and told him that all our political
institutions were but the machinery to place
twelve men in the jury-box. If we commit the
lives and fortunes of all the Queen's subjents,
from the highest to the lowest, to the common
sense of twelve ordinary men, it is very in-
consistent not to listen to all they have to
say. The greater includes the less; and if arty
judgment has sufficient weight to condemn a

772

man to death, it is idle to say it has not suffi-
cient weight to secure to that man's case a
special consideration.
In our opinion the Home Secretary should
so far have listened to the recommendation,
if only from respect to the twelve men who
gave it, as to appoint a commission of lunacy
doctors to report on the prisoner's state of
mind. By their report his decision should
have been guided. The wretched man's con-
fession, his belief in the supernatural power of
HARRISON, and his rapture at the thought that
a crime at which humanity shudders would
open to him the gates of heaven, are strong
proofs of a mind positively diseased.
The second execution was of the woman
BROWN, convicted at Dorchester of murdering
her husband on the 6th of July last. If the
wmian's confession is to be believed—and it
bears internal evidencJof probability—her hus-
band came home one night very drunk, abused
her coarsely, struck her several times, took
down a horsewhip and laid it across her
shoulders, and finally kicked her severely
with his heavy boots. Suffering under this
accumulation of ill-treatment, she snatched
up a hatchet that was lying by, and broke
his skull with it. Sir GEORGE GREY refused
to entertain the question of a reprieve, and
the law took its course.
It is curious to contrast the case of this
woman with that of JOHN PRIPSON, tried at
Worcester, on the 15th July last, for the wilful
murder of ELIZABETH MILWOOD. Both
parties were at work in a nail-shop when the
fatal occurrence took place, and a quarrel
ensued between them, which at first was
carried on merely by throwing " slack" at one
another, slack consisting of sharp shreds of
iron, and causing intolerable pain if they enter
the eye Suddenly PRIPSON, irritated beyond
endurance, snatched up a rod of iron red hot
at one end and flung it at the woman. The
iron entered her side, and produced almost
immediate death. There was no doubt about
the fact, hut the remark of Baron ALDERSON,
who presided at the trial, was that—" It was a
" very unfcrtunate accident, which might not
" happen once in a hundred times."

We see little difference in the two eases.
The woman BRowN snatched up the hatchet
in a moment of great excitement, as PHIPSON
snatched up the iron ; and there is no evi.
dence whatever to show that she contem-
plated her husband's death any more than
PHIPSON did that of his victim MlLwoon. But
she was hung, and PHIPSON was imprisoned
for three months. In each of these cases the
juries acted under the direction of the judge
who presided. Without meaning to convey
any insinuation against Sergeant CHANNEL'S
professional ability, we mnst say we think the
learned judges should so arrange matters that
one of their own number should invariably
preside at trials for murder. However this
may be, we cannot understand, except by re-
ference to " Eothen," the vigour of Sir GEORGE
GREY, in the execution at Dorchester. The
two eases of PHIPSON and MARTHA BROWN,
when placed side by side, afford such an ex-
traordinary picture of the uncertainty of the
law, that it becomes the imperative duty of
our Home Secretary to look into all the cir-
cumstances of capital convictions before he
signs the death warrant, or not suffer wretches
to be swung into another world in this reek
less manner, under the idea that carelessness
of hiuman life is a sign of moral energy.

COLLEGE LIVINGS.
(Thom • Correspondent.)

Tn various Colleges in the Universities of
Oxford and Cambridge possess the patronage
of about eight hundred Church livings. Many
of these livings as they become vacant are
filled up by active and efficient parish priests.
Many of item are filled up by worn-out
coleg dons. We will venture to assert that
of the large livings (i.e. exceeding 8001. a year
in nu) two out of any three taken at random
w 11 co Ile under the latter head, and that of
the small livings (i.e. under 300/. a year in
value) two out of any three will come under
the former

THE PRESS.

The private experience of our readers will
enable them to form their own opinion upon
this assertion. If they think it entirely in-
eorreet—cadit quastio—we need go no further.
If they agree with us, they will feel obliged to
us for drawing public attention to an evil, and
to a course that will be in a great measure its
remedy.
Take the case of the Rev. CLOISTER ANGLE,
B.D. A high mathematical degree, and
general good conduct as an undergraduate,
has placed him, with universal approbation,
among the fellows, and in due course among
the tutors, of his college. His lecture-room is
filled; his "men" do well in the Senate-house,
and he finds his balance at MORTLOCE'S as-
sume
every year a more attractive appearance•
Small college livings come down to him in
due turn, and are cheerfully passed. Larger
ones are equally disregarded. His rooms are
very comfortable, the hall-dinner good, and
the combination-room keeps up its character
for port and conversation. Why should he
throw himself away upon a country parish ?
But in process of time a few grey hairs
begin to show themselves ; men of his stand-
ing drop off; and after five and twenty years'
experience of college life Mr. ANGLE really
determines to take the next good living that
falls in. In a few years his wishes are grati-
fied, and, au older man at fifty than most I
country clergymen are at sixty-five, he enters '
upon the duties of a parish. Can it be ex-
pected that those duties will be performed
with pleasure to himself or advantage to his
parishionc rs?
And there are worse cases than this. Mr.
ANGLE, with all his deficiencies for the duties
of a parish priest, has still been actively em-
ployed in his line of life. There aro many
who have not had even his advantage—work
of some kind—but have lived an idle life in
college. They have perhaps held a curacy for
a few years immediately after their election,
but have soon returned to college to vegetate
there, and be on the spot, as they say, ready
for anything that may turn up. Year after
year they become more difficult to please as
livings come down to them. Why not wait a
little longer and get a really valuable living ?
Alas, when it does come they are even more
unfitted for it than our friend Mr. ANGLE, and
their inefficiency is more glaringly manifest.
While we assert then that the valuable college
livings are as a general rule badly served, we
maintain with equal confidence that the small
incumbencies are in general well served. For
this simple reason : they are taken by young
men low down the list. who are desirous of
being married, and who enter at the best
period of life upon the management of a
parish and a household of their own. We
have now pointed out a serious evil, viz., that
the larger a college living is, the more likely
is it to be taken by a man totally unfitted for
parochial work. The practical remedy we
promised to suggest is simple enough. It is
that fellows of certain standing, say six years
after election, should be allowed to resign
their fellowships, and yet under certain re-
strictions remain on the list for college pre-
ferment The result would be that, instead of
hanging about college and unfitting themselves
more and more every year for parochial work,
many junior fellows would take a curacy in
the country, and get married, with the plea-
sant prospect of a good college living about
the time when household expenses began to
increase upon them.
Another advantage gained by this course
would be a quicker succession to fellowships,
an object so desirable that the superannuation
of fellows after ten years has been proposed
in some quarters. We do not think any com-
pulsory enactment in this direction desirable,
but we strongly recommend the governing
bodies of the various colleges to consider the
merits of an enabling clause such as we have
suggested. We do not profess to enter into
minute details, but merely throw out the sug-
gestion, believing it to be sound in principle
and likely to prove beneficial to many impor•
tant parishes in England.